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Bulgaria country profile



Human population:                                                                       7.15 million (NSI 2015 est.)


Ranked in the Transparency International's                                                                                   2014 Corruption Perceptions Index:                                             69-75 out of 175 countries


Ranked in the Freedom House's
2014 Freedom of the Press Index:                                               78-82 out of 197 countries


Ranked in the Reporters Without Borders'
2014 Press Freedom Index:                                                         100 out of 180 countries


Fulfilling international treaties on
companion animal management [1]:                                             Absolutely disregarded


Major animal birth control approach legally provided:                  Catch-Neuter-Release


Estimated number of owned dogs/cats:                                        750,000/780,000 [2]


Reporting intake and disposition of shelter animals:                    Not enacted


Lost & Found and Re-homing Shelter Policies:                            Not enacted


Euthanizing healthy, unwanted pet animals:                                 Banned


Legal Pound Seizure:                                                                   Banned


Investigating commercial movements of stolen
and unwanted pets e.g. pound seizure [3]:                                  Not known


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[1] European Convention for the Protection of Pet Animals (Council of Europe, 1987) ratified by Bulgaria in 2004

[2] The European Pet Food Industry Federation (FEDIAF), 2012

[3] Cases involving organized pet theft, illegal disposition of shelter animals, illegal pound seizure, illegal animal use in research, dog & cat fur trade etc.