Meeting with The Mayor Of Corfu

  We addresed the issue detailed below with the Mayor
  and members of "The Ark" animal society and hope for
  the reconciliation of a very disgraceful situation.
 
  An anonymous plea from the
  Island of Corfu/Kerkyra:

  In the nineteen-seventies there was one animal
  protection society in Corfu, KEPZ, founded by a number of prominent, well educated Corfiots who were interested in improving the wretched, abusive conditions of animals on the island.

Then, in the mid seventies, two island women, the Tsagaraki sisters, joined KEPZ and began building an empire. They destroyed KEPZ; driving away all of the members.

They terrorized former members into keeping quiet about the way the KEPZ shelter in the town of Agios Ioannis and property ($) belonging to KEPZ was being mismanaged and the animals neglected and mistreated.

Time after time, well intentioned animal lovers have been taken to court by the sisters, on charges that surpass the absurd. People genuinely trying to help animals have been slandered by the Tsagarakis on television, radio and in the newspapers.

The Ark was founded in 1997 as an alternative to KEPZ by Greek and foreign residents. From the beginning The Ark was the target of the sister's wrath. Because Ark policy includes euthanasia of unwanted newborns and in cases of extreme injury or incurable illness, Ark members were branded as murderers and terrorized.

In the meantime the (approximate, who is allowed in to count?) 100 dogs kept at the KEPZ shelter in Agios Yannis continue to suffer from neglect, lack of food, water, veterinary care, and sterilization Presently, hundreds of starving and sick dogs are looked after by one part time employee.

Except for two hours daily the dogs are on their own, to fight amongst themselves, often to the death, to breed and give birth only to have the puppies eaten by the rats that overrun the shelter.

For a time, the shelter had no water at all since the sisters never pay their water bill. This happens in the hot summer months when the temperature regularly hits over 100 degrees.

Corfu officials do not like visitors to see the stray dogs that live in the streets of the town. Since the only shelter is run by these sisters, this is where officials dump the unwanted dogs.

The government officials pay the sisters to warehouse the unwanted animals. The fate of the dogs once they are off the streets is of no importance whatsoever. And interestingly, the KEPZ shelter has always operated without a license.

Some of these dogs have been spayed by The Ark at great expense, and are looked after by caring local people.