Campaign hits out at "cowards" who abandon their pets.

Rome has launched its annual awareness campaign urging the capital’s residents not to leave their pets behind as they set off on their summer holidays.

The "Enough excuses" campaign, fronted by Italian television presenter Licia Colò, reminds pet-owners that abandoning an animal is "not only a cowardly act but it is also a serious crime punishable with imprisonment of up to seven years."

Abandoning an animal is "a grave act... not a second-class sin", said Rome mayor Roberto Gualtieri, who added that "all the typical excuses have no sense or value, they are neither legal nor moral mitigating factors."

Presentata oggi la campagna di comunicazione contro l'#abbandono degli #animali, con il Sindaco #Gualtieri, l'Assessora #Alfonsi, insieme a #LiciaColò, la popolare conduttrice TV, che per il secondo anno ha prestato il volto alla campagna.

Info https://t.co/aNGdSEcRYh pic.twitter.com/oPxXBFYHg1

— Roma (@Roma) June 26, 2024

Underlining that an average of 50,000 dogs and 80,000 cats are abandoned each year in Italy, Gualtieri said the city will do everything it can to ensure that those caught abandoning animals will pay the penalty.

Rome's environment councillor Sabrina Alfonsi said the abandonment of animals is "a plague that our city wants to defeat", describing it as "not only a moral issue but also a crime".

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"What you wouldn't do to a child shouldn't be done to an animal", stated Alfonsi, who noted that the city's campaigns on behalf of pets have resulted in a slight increase in adoptions.

Rome's newly-appointed guarantor for animals Patrizia Prestipino, who is responsible for raising awareness for animal protection, welcomed the campaign which she says is in line with the motto of her office: "Respect starts from here".

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