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ARTICLE SUMMARY

Shame on my country

GREEK easyGroup billionaire Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannouhas joined the Daily Express crusade to end the suffering of Santorini’s donkeys, saying he is “embarrassed” at their treatment.

I HOPE ITS TRUE

24.09.08, 11:39am

I believe Stelios made this offer last year also, but so far the charity don't appear to have recieved so much as a Euro......i am a frequent visitor to the island and have a lot of friends there....Its all the animals on santorini that need helping.....i hope he really does come through with this this time, and he's not just saying this for the good publicity and getting his face in the papers.

• Posted by: whippetwonder1Report Comment

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GREECE IN MORAL DECAY

14.05.08, 8:33pm

I have read with interest about the abuse of the donkeys on the island of Santorini, it is an embarrassment to Greece. But we must not forget that animals all over Greece are being abused everyday, poisoned, killed, puppies, kittens thrown out with the rubbish. I live on the island of Lesvos and it is truely appauling what how the animals are treated, i am sick of e-mailing Greek authorities and getting more or less sneered at. It is illiegal under Greek Law to poison, abuse, kill or abandona an animal, if prosecuted they should expect a fine ranging from 300 to 1500euros and/or a prison sentence of up to six months. ufortunately and disgustingly this law is ignored, why? The person in charge of the donkeys in Santorini should be prosecuted under this law for abuse and hang his head in shame!! These donkey treks should be stopped NOW!! Greece you are in moral decay and i among others are starting a petition to get people to boycott Greece until it implements these laws! Greece is like a rotten apple, it looks good on the outside, but slice into it and you can see the rotteness inside, well now all that rotting is coming to the surface and tourists are not stupid, do not underestimate them, they will not return when the truth is revealed. I suggest to learn more visit www.wagny.org Greece and www.wagny.net Greece.
THE GREATNESS OF A NATION AND ITS MORAL PROGRESS CAN BE JUDGED BY THE WAY ITS ANIMALS ARE TREATED. Ghandi.

• Posted by: Bluebell42Report Comment

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GREECE IN MORAL DECAY

14.05.08, 8:19pm

With regards to this article...

• Posted by: Bluebell42Report Comment

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BRAVO, STELIOS, BUT IT'S NOT ONLY THE DONKEYS WHO SUFFER IN GREECE ....

01.11.07, 5:59pm

Congratulations, Stelios, for supporting the campaign by the Express, to stop the abuse of donkeys on Santorini .... in fact anywhere else in Greece too! They truly 'suffer in silence', work relentlessly and at the end of their working life, they are usually abandoned. But it's not only the donkeys who suffer in Greece!!!! Anybody who has been to Greece will have seen many stray dogs and cats ............. and they are usually under a year old or, at most, between 1-2 years ... WHY??? Because most of them don't survive from one year to another .... because they are either poisoned, run over by cars or they die through starvation and disease. How sad that in Greece, poisoning of strays is still a common practice and is in fact seen as a cheap method of stray contrl.........

Daily Express has certainly opened a can of worms with their articles and I can't thank them enough, but
it would help a lot if the general public would put pen to paper and write to the Greek authorities. Once again I include their email addresses and hope that many of you will write to them, especially if you have had first hand experience of seeing the plight of animals in their country.

aoikono@gnto.gr Athansasios Oikonomou

akontos@minagric.gr Alexandros Kontos (Min of Agriculture)

ka6u016@minagric.gr Chrisoula Dile

arissp@aias.gr Aris Spiliotopoulos (Minister of Tourism
==========================
www.greekanimalrescue.com


• Posted by: VESReport Comment

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OFFER OF FINANCIAL AIDE TO HELP THE DONKEYS OF SANTORINI

01.11.07, 5:36pm

I hope this very generous offer sees its way thru to directly helping the donkeys; perhaps even setting up a retirement sanctuary for them. Unfortunately nothing will be accomplished without financial backing; that's just the way it is worldwide. This could be a great mission and would set an example for other areas of Greece to follow. The only problem with buying the donkey from its owner is that he'll likely just go out and purchase another one with the money and start the process all over again so that's a concern that also has to be addressed in the overall scheme of things. I hope that SAWA and Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannouhas come up with a sound action plan and the donkeys receive the positive benefits of such a project. Maybe there are a few more wealthy Greeks who'd like to step up to the plate; as they say, 'charity begins at home'. This is most definitely a step in the right direction so let's hope it doesn't fall by the wayside. Let's not miss out on an excellent opportunity to do something good for animals in Greece and go forward from this experience.

• Posted by: greektailsReport Comment

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RE: SANTORINI DONKEYS

01.11.07, 4:07pm

I've been telling people for 22 years not to ride the donkeys. Over the years I've seen many examples of their mistreatment and abuse. I support any efforts to help them and I applaud the efforts of those who actively advocate on their behalf.

But it's a complex problem. Do you want to make destitute the donkey men and their families? The simplistic response is to blame them and say they get what they deserve, but the reality is that these men know no other path but the one they have followed for generations. There are no programs extant to retrain them vocationally. Any efforts to eliminate the donkey's role in tourism needs to be tempered with compassion and concern for the livlihood of those who depend on them for their daily bread. Otherwise one form of abuse will just be substituted with another.

• Posted by: BrotherleeloveReport Comment

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WELL DONE STELIOS

01.11.07, 3:18pm

YOU DONT HAPPEN TO KNOW AN ENGLISH MILLIONAIRE WHO WANTS TO STOP THE ENGLISH DONKEYS BEING LED UP THE GARDEN PATH TO EUROPE?

• Posted by: JackDoffReport Comment

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BRAVO

01.11.07, 1:39pm

Great to see a billionaire who truly cares..

• Posted by: reduceco2Report Comment

WELL DONE!

01.11.07, 2:25am

WELL DONE, STELIOS! A MILLIONAIRE WITH A HUMAN FACE!

• Posted by: jakmanReport Comment

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