Under
the bylaw, "sociable" birds such as budgerigars and parrots
must be kept in pairs. Birdcages must be at least five times
the bird's wingspan in width, and three times in height.
It also makes it illegal to keep a goldfish in a round glass
bowl. Anyone who breaks the law faces a fine of up to €495
(£325).
Davide
Nitrosi, a resident, said: "I'd like someone on the council
to explain how people are supposed to determine that a bird
is 'sociable'. Also, how am I supposed to kill a lobster
before cooking it? Hit it on the head?"
Hunting
with dogs will be effectively prohibited because of a ban
on the animals entering areas where meatballs laced with
poison have been found. Another clause requires owners to
ensure that each pet sharing a meal gets an equal portion.
A
new council office devoted to the protection of "urban fauna"
is to be established, with a full-time employee to look
after stray cats.
The
bylaw is thought to be the first of its kind in Italy, a
country not renowned for its humane treatment of animals
- but Reggio Emilia, a town of 120,000 people near Bolgna,
has one of the highest standards of living in the country,
and its administrators say that it can afford to take better
care of its pets.
Olga
Patacini, a veterinary surgeon, advised councillors to revise
the law. "The last law concerning the matter in the city
was passed in 1913 when the whole idea of keeping pets was
very different," she said.
The
law was passed on Friday night after a heated discussion
in the town hall, with 22 councillors voting in favour,
and only one against.
The
dissenter Marco Marziani, a councillor with Silvio Berlusconi's
Forza Italia Party, said: "The idea of comparing the rights
of an animal to that of human beings completely casts into
the shadows the sacred role of human life."
Critics
say that the law has only been adopted as a sop to the powerful
Green Party faction on the local council, and say that it
will harm the local economy. They say that it will prevent
amusement park owners from giving away goldfish, chicks
and rabbits as prizes. Pet shops will be compelled to ensure
that cages, coops and hutches have non-slip surfaces that
are sheltered from the sun and wind, and that the animals
are displayed in their windows for limited periods.
The
law will have particular impact on Reggio Emilia because
of its position as Italy's unofficial amateur bird-breeding
capital and host of an international bird-breeding festival.
Ivan
Gualerzi, a board member of the local chapter of the Italian
Ornithologists Federation, complained yesterday that the
council had not consulted breeders. He said that the standard
size of birdcage used by breeders during the festival, when
12,000 birds were on show in the town, would be outlawed.
"This
law is trying to impose standards for animals which fail
to take into account their individuality," he said. "They're
trying to impose a standard that won't work. The size of
a cage depends on the type of bird, and on the individual
bird itself. If some birds, such as parrots, are put in
too large a space they get depressed."
He
said the requirement to have rough floors in birdcages was
absurd. "Birds don't slip," he said. Even residents sympathetic
to the legislation are dismissive.
"The
spirit of the law is good, but in practical terms it's exaggerated
and a bit of a mess," said Tiziano Bassoli, a retired butcher
and songbird breeder. "It looks like it's been cobbled together
in an evening."
©
Copyright of Telegraph Group Limited 2004 This news was
posted on the website of Animal News Centre - www.anc.org
