Treuepfoten

This is NOT the picture we wish to paint of Rhodes, BUT it is true and sometimes I feel we are losing the battle especially after we have neutered and they then poison the cats??? The locals still fight us to leave them alone and yet if we told them 70% of the cats in Lindos have AIDS or Leukemia they would be out in force to kill them.... However I must stress, there are some VERY kind Greeks who help us as much as possible but they too are sickened by their own.. Remember that cute little cat you patted on holiday in Rhodes? It's got six weeks to live By Simon Parke So here I am, enjoying an evening out on the Greek island of Rhodes - stuffed tomatoes and a bottle of the popular Mythos beer. The turquoise sea stretches way into the distance, as I contemplate the sunset on this ancient island, where Aegean and Mediterranean meet. Sun, scenery and the sea! What could possibly spoil things? To my left, a cat lounges on the wall, without a care in the world. No surprise there, for Rhodes is famous for its cats. On borrowed time: Greek cats are poisoned with weedkiller at the end of October when the tourists pack up and leave, claims one Greek woman They sell comic T-shirts featuring them in various different poses, all capturing distinctly human failings; and you can get 'Kitty Calendars' offering a different Rhodean kitten - each sweeter than the last - for every month of the year. And so I ask my ever-cheerful waitress Maria a question: 'What happens to all the cats come winter, Maria? When the resort is deserted and there are no tourists to feed them?' I'm aware that this resort packs up at the end of October; very few people live here all the year round. Maria pulls a face, and is suddenly serious. In all my visits here, I haven't seen her serious before. 'You do not want to know.' 'I do want to know.' 'The cats - they do not survive.' 'They starve?' 'No - they are poisoned.' 'Poisoned? How?' 'Weedkiller. Different sorts of poison; it's easy to buy. Poisoned food is left for them; particularly in dustbins where they eat, or in puddles where they drink. We're not meant to talk about it. We're meant to brush it under the carpet, but it makes me too angry.' 'When is this done?' 'After the last charter flight leaves the island at the end of October. They do not want the tourists to see, of course. 'At the end of October last year, as I was walking one evening in Lindos, a cat dropped down in front of me, screaming. The poison kills from the inside, so it isn't pleasant. It died in front of me on the pavement.' 'And who clears up the bodies?' 'The dustbin men.' Idyllic: Rhodes is renowned for its stunning beaches Rhodes is an ancient civilisation. In 2000BC, the city of Kamiros was using a protective layer of olive oil to protect its water supplies from the drying sun, when Britons had barely discovered caves. The Colossus of Rhodes was a wonder of the world when the early English were hunting mammoths with sharp sticks. But, as Maria goes on to tell me, history is one thing; the present is another. 'Neutering is against the macho image of the place,' she says, scathingly. 'They do not like to neuter animals; so they poison them instead. And it is not just cats.' Maria suddenly becomes more emotional. 'In my village last week,' she says, 'seven dogs were killed by poison being put in their gardens.' 'Seven in a week - in one village?' 'Yes.' 'And are the people caught?' 'No one is interested in catching the people! It is often known who they are. But nothing is done. It's just the way of things here.' It then transpires that she watched her own dog, Sky, die from poisoning. 'I woke up to hear these strange noises in the house. It was Sky retching. I called the 24-hour vet to ask what I should do. He just said he couldn't help me, because he didn't feel well. He didn't feel well! It wasn't as if I was asking him to come out me. I just wanted to know if there was anything I could do. 'It was awful to watch. And it's not just poison. A friend of mine looked over his fence one day recently in Halaraki - and saw a dog hanging from a tree.' I am beginning to lose my appetite. 'Was anything done?' 'Nothing is ever done.' Seeking a second opinion the next day, I ask a Greek shop owner I've come to know quite well. Costa lived in London for a few years when young, and we have talked about many things. 'Obviously it is not ethically correct,' he tells me. 'But in some parts of Greece, wild dogs are a problem. 'That's bad for people who like to jog, like me. In northern Greece, I'm sometimes surrounded by wild dogs when jogging. But not so much here, because of the poisoned meat people leave out. As for the cats, they're viewed in the same way as rats in London.' Not quite the same way, surely. After all, we don't have 'Sweet Ratty' cards in London; yet doe-eyed kitties look out from a thousand postcards here. I'm left with the feeling that Costa is uncomfortable with it, but sees it is a necessary evil; and one best not talked about. He loves to talk usually; but he doesn't love to talk about this. 'It's just different here,' he says, turning to serve a customer. The following night, I speak with Maria again. 'I tell the tourists not to feed the cats,' she says. 'The only way they will survive is if they learn to fend for themselves. There are plenty of mice, rats, lizards and snakes to be found. But the English can't help it! They always feed the cats, thinking they are being kind. It is not kind.' Maria is frustrated that no one will do anything about it. 'No one listens,' she says. 'So nothing will change?' 'The only way it'll change is if it affects the tourist industry. Ah, then it might! Rhodes relies on its tourist industry; that's our Achilles heel!' This is true, of course. Three-quarters of the Rhodean economy is tied up with tourism; and particularly with the pet-loving Brits, who come in their droves. The authorities wouldn't want this lucrative business threatened by sordid tales of cat poisoning and hanging dogs. But the fact remains: few of the kittens featured in the 'Kitties of Rhodes Calendar 2010' will see the new year in themselves. As Costa says: 'That's the way it is.' The turquoise sea stretches far into the distance; the sun sinks beneath the rugged mountains; the bars are busy and all is well in Rhodes. To my left, a cat lounges on a wall, without a care in the world. It has until the end of October; when the last charter flights leaves, and the tourist season is done. Blue heaven: Lindos, situated in the shadow of its impressive Acropolis, in Rhodes, Greece Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-…l#ixzz2BM2J5tPU Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
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