A team from Split has decided to say “no” to violence against animals in a way we haven’t quite seen before – a song. Nikola Vugdelija leads the Split team, a sociologist, who currently works at the Home for Education, reports Dalmacija Danas.
He says that he has several hobbies, of which his focus is writing, music, and video, so he usually combines them into one. He strives to be socially engaged through the projects he is working on and created a song that you can listen to below.
“This is a story about little cats who live next to us, about the yellow cat, the black dog, and their entire team and responsibility towards them, in the hope that we will contribute at least a little to raising awareness about the protection of abandoned animals and their care. Thanks to everyone who participated: Luka Špika and the House of the Sun for their help with the mix and production; Karla Kuzmanić, who wrote the video; actors Marko Phoenix Mihaljević and Ante Stančin – Lukas, Dalibor Popović, Zvone Filipović, NO KILL shelter Animalis Center and the Protection Foundation animal Bestie,” said Vugdelija.
The song’s title is “Adopt, don’t shop!”.
“I found the inspiration for the story of the yellow cat after occasionally hanging out with him at the bottom of Tolstojeva, and the black dog ended up in an asylum and is now waiting for its foster parents. The project was attended by Luka Špika from the House of the Sun, responsible for the mix of music, and Karla Kuzmanić, a film student who worked on the video, and actors Ante and Marko. The goal of the project is to point out the need for responsibility towards animals,” he added.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v=J1jjJlQv1f4
The big problem is the degree of abandoned animals, which is relatively high.
“Well, I think we are not aware of that, and this project was created to raise awareness about it. Problems with the attitude towards animals are just a copy of our society’s problems – irresponsibility and ignorance. The real heroes of this story are people who take care of abandoned animals daily, and some need to be written about more often. Also, I believe that the Animalis Centrum shelter is an important factor in developing civil society in the area of Split and its surroundings,” Nikola said.
As a sociologist, he has his own opinion on why people torture animals.
“The theme of evil is an eternal philosophical theme; in the book “Philosophy of Evil,” Svendsen says that a tiny part of evil falls on the part that refers to “demonic” or pure evil, to do evil for the sake of evil itself. Evil occurs much more often due to our irresponsible actions, actions without empathy. For example, there is a link between domestic violence and violence in general, with animal abuse, i.e., those who abuse animals are very likely to abuse people. There is no reason to justify such an act; there are various reasons for such behavior; some people do it out of fear, some out of lack or lack of empathy, desire for supremacy, sadism, pure malice, and malice. Although a person sins, again and again, every day, it is important to strive for the right and take a stand, and by their actions and example to point out what is good and what is not,” he added.
Nikola does not want to look far into the future but to use this moment.
“I don’t know where life will take me and what I will do, but I will try to make what I do, apart from me, socially useful. Be responsible towards yourself and others, including animals.”
Zvonimir Filipović, a member of the Bestie Foundation, also spoke about the subject.
“In Split, as the second-largest city in Croatia, animals have even more problems. Firstly, many street cats are left to themselves or the goodwill of the citizens. Then there is the constant problem of abandoned dogs, from puppies to adult dogs; they are poorly kept (on a leash or in an insufficiently large space) but also abused. Also, peacocks in Gripe have multiplied uncontrollably, and more and more often they get into trouble, or they cause damage to citizens,” Filipović believes.
There is no shelter for abandoned animals in the Split area.
“In the entire Split-Dalmatia County, there is only one shelter for abandoned animals, and that is Animalis Centrum, the place where part of the video for the song “Adopt, don’t shop!” was recorded. Politicians have made and continue to make numerous promises. Still, the fact is that no city or municipality has built a shelter and that dogs and cats from the streets of Split are currently going to Šibenik, to a distant place.”
He described the procedure for adopting animals.
“The most important word when adopting an animal is RESPONSIBILITY. Unfortunately, the Animalis Centrum shelter and the Bestie Foundation subordinated the whole foster care process to this very word. The best first step is to visit the shelter, meet the animals and when you fall in love with one of them, express your interest and fill out a questionnaire with frequently asked questions. After talking to a Bestie Foundation clerk, the temporary adoption phase usually begins, followed by a permanent adoption, after you are fully educated and informed about everything a pet adopter needs to know,” he said.
Animals are part of our ecosystem, and it is essential that we treat them with respect, Filipović believes.
“It is imperative to protect those we have tamed and put in a position where they depend on people from the irresponsible actions of individuals. So often, we humans directly cause their suffering and pain, which is why it is important to educate citizens on the issue of responsible pet ownership. The protection of wild animals is a special and equally important topic, and we also help wild animals that find themselves in trouble in urban areas,” he concluded.
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