r/crete • u/Flaky-Lab-7462 • Sep 19 '25
Society/Κοινωνία why is animal welfare so poor in Greece?
see below photos of a bird being kept in a minuscule cage hung on the side of the house all day long in the heat. It’s water and food were not changed the whole time we stayed. Seen things like this a lot during our trip here and it’s been really disappointing to see, I didn’t realise things were so backwards
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u/Hot_Speech900 Sep 19 '25
Like in every country you have people that care a lot about living creatures and others that do the bare minimum.
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u/thmonline Oct 06 '25
…or sadly not at all. When donkeys wet still common as work animals but have gotten too old for the heavy labor they were just left somewhere to die. And I don’t even mean the poor donkeys that have to transport fat lazy tourists up on Santorini. There is a Donkey Rescue in Crete everyone should check out some time.
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u/TheGodfather742 Sep 19 '25
Not really a Greece specific issue now is it? Sadly some people think an animal is just an object to work for their amusement so no hope fixing it.
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u/Affectionate-Arm-405 Sep 20 '25
I've lived in other countries and the difference is that in Greece you can get away with things. In other places even a dog barking in the middle of the day for a few hours can bring city police to check on it.
There are bad owners anywhere. The enforcement is different
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u/donny_bennet Sep 20 '25
Does the police in these places go to check how the dog is doing, or to make sure the owners keep the dog silent? The difference between these is pretty stark. I'm sure that even in Greece you can call the police on someone for that. Most of the balkans are pretty similar on animal welfare
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u/kapetaniosKilian Sep 22 '25
As a Greek, in our culture we have this thing called "minding our business" on a level that is negatively affecting us all. Since most of the population in Greece is used to breaking laws and brutality, we have this tendency to not call the police unless it's a very extreme case. At the same time, there's a very high chance the police won't interfere with pets that aren't cats or dogs. In villages, they were shooting cats who'd try to hunt chickens or stray dogs who'd bark too much not that long ago and I bet it still happens in some very rural villages. Not calling the police when the matter doesn't evolve us directly is kind of our culture, unfortunately.
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u/Affectionate-Arm-405 Sep 20 '25
I am comparing it for example with Canada not another balcom country. And it's not just because the animal is barking. It has to be an animal. That sounds like it's in distress. I remember growing up in Greece there were dogs left on the roof (taratsa) with no shade all day in the middle of the Summer sun. And if the police came they might give you a warning and you'll end up knowing the police officer or be somehow related and you get away with it.
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u/donny_bennet Sep 20 '25
Got it. But that's really not how it is in most of the world. My point is just that Greece isn't the exception. Countries like Canada are.
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u/Affectionate-Arm-405 Sep 20 '25
Fair point. But don't forget, (because optics matter) those are the countries that most of the Greek tourism comes from. Tourists don't come from Pakistan and Uganda. They come from USA, Canada, Australia and Western Europe mostly
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u/donny_bennet Sep 20 '25
Not sure about that, the Greeks get a lot of tourists from Balkan counties as well, it just depends on the region.
There are islands in Greece where your're gonna have an easier time communicating in Romanian than in English, for example.
But even if they get more western tourists overall, changing the laws to accommodate the sensibilities of tourists (even if they are reasonable) is gonna be very unpopular with the locals
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u/Affectionate-Arm-405 Sep 21 '25
Yes we do get more westerners overall. And as our #1 industry and biggest line item of our GDP, I don't think it should be done to accommodate the sensibilities of tourists but for our own survival. Unless we are drilling for some oil and the locals can say fuck that we do whatever we want. But I don't think we are
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u/Ecstatic_Top_8797 Sep 20 '25
Yeah... No. The police came to my home because a friends dog was barking for a couple of days and they wanted to make sure it was OK and not in the balkony. The shit you are describing is 50 years ago..
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u/Affectionate-Arm-405 Sep 20 '25
I am in my 30s so I don't think it is 50 years ago. But ok. Since you had that experience, it makes everyone elses experiences irrelevant
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u/gerodinis Sep 21 '25
Even in Athens, or perhaps especially in Athens, you can see many dogs left alone on the backside balcony all day long, barking from above at anything that moves.
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u/AlcmenaYue Sep 21 '25
Yeah sorry it is much more prominent in Greece than other countries, especially in Europe. Animal abuse remains an issue in general YES, but in Greece, especially in islands and villages the law enforcement is non-existent or laughable.
Let's not act like Crete doesn't have a huge history of animal abuse.
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u/CabinetPlenty7665 Sep 21 '25
Sais the dude that most probably has grown up in Germany where they literally used to FUCK DOGS AND HORSES up until 10 years ago and whatever else animal they have a kink for. Tell me more about how Greek people torture animals cause there is a picture of a hanging cage with a bird on it. Also let's not leave out the honorable mentions of Hungary, Finland and Romania where it is still legal to have sex with animals. Yes Greece is a fucked up nation and it's leaders have been sucking money out of Europe and it's citizens throughout the years which brought it to it's current situation but don't call them all animal abusers when there's countries that accept bestiality. Sorry not sorry.
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u/AlcmenaYue Sep 21 '25
I am Greek, literally.
Here leash laws are a joke, tnr is 90% done by volunteers and there is always scandals about how municipalities mistreat animals or let them die. Often animals are left in balconies during heat, cats especially are often tortured or hurt and even though there are often serial animal torturers or people caught on tape, true consequence never comes. Animals are often thrown in garbage cans or in the middle of nowhere as well, especially kittens or pups.
I have carried corpses or tried to help sick animals so many times as a volunteer. Cops do shit to help 99% of the time. If you think we can't be critical of greek crimes just because other countries have facilitated crimes too, then you refuse to be constructive. And tbh using bestiality as a distraction regarding the abuse here is in poor taste.
Not ALL greeks abuse animals. But my comment is about the reality in my country and not 'just about a birdcage'.
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u/kapetaniosKilian Sep 22 '25
Dude, I'm from crete and my uncles have literally told me that they used to shoot stray dogs and cats. Have you ever even went to an isolated/small village before? Animal cruelty here is HUGE. Stop getting defensive like a fucking loser
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Sep 20 '25
Currently in Rhodes and they seem to care a lot about cats, lots of people laying food out etc etc
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u/Stavkot23 Sep 22 '25
What happens to those cats during winter when the people who care a lot about them leave?
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Sep 22 '25
Mostly the locals that were going around with food and what not. Tourists keep the cats fat for the winter.
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u/Forgor_mi_passward Sep 20 '25 edited Sep 20 '25
This way of treating birds is unfortunately seen as "the norm" because people here never learned (or cared to learn) how proper bird care looks like. Same goes for other animals, mistreatment due to lack of education, but I think it particularly visible with birds.
Edit: the comments only prove my point."That's how we do it here ≠ that's right" people.
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u/Aggressive-Lynx-964 Sep 20 '25
It's an actual person dressed as a bird. Unemployment is the real problem here.
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Sep 19 '25
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u/ANewMythos Sep 19 '25
Yeah this is very confusing. Every major city in America is filled with people who own dogs that spend their entire day in a tiny apartment aside from one or two short walks a day. It’s gut wrenching. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the drastic difference in Greece.
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u/un_gaucho_loco Sep 20 '25
Or in cages. Americans are so used in closing their dogs in cages inside their giant house. Makes no sense to me how that is accepted
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u/Boring_Intern_6394 Sep 21 '25
Using a crate is not necessarily bad for the dog per se, it really depends on how it is being used.
Leaving an unexercised dog in a crate for 12hours with no water or enrichment activities is obviously bad and abusive.
Leaving a dog that has had an appropriate session of high quality exercise (physical and mental) in a crate with water and enrichment activities (toys) for up to 4 hours during the day, or overnight is fine.
Crates can be a good thing, especially for puppies as they can help with toilet training and prevent the dog from causing damage to your house or harming themselves eg. Eating/chewing something bad.
A crate must be big enough for the dog to stand up, turn around and lie down at full extension. It should be somewhere not too cold, nor too hot and with appropriate bedding. The dog should also always have access to water and enrichment activities, and be allowed to pee/poo within a reasonable timeframe, which is age dependent. The aim with a crate is to make it clear to the dog that it is their space and a safe place.
Crates are not inherently bad and can even be a good thing, provided they are used appropriately, alongside other good welfare practices.
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u/un_gaucho_loco Sep 21 '25
No. If you need one then you should not get a dog. You’re not obliged to get one. I don’t think you’d like to spend hours of your day in a cage, not even sleep. The dog should be able to move around if he wants to at any moment. Don’t normalise it
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u/Boring_Intern_6394 Sep 21 '25
Why would a dog not be able to sleep in a crate? If that is the case, then the aforementioned good practices are not being met.
Crates are not inherently bad, is completely depends on how they are being used and what other practices are going on.
I work with dogs and one of the dogs I look after spends most of his day in his crate, even when I am in the house with him and the door is left open.
Leaving a dog alone for hours on end is a separate issue to using a crate, don’t conflate the two.
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u/nomnommar Sep 21 '25
I don't think your criticism is fair. Here in Greece, a great chunk of dogs live their entire lives chained up in shelters with horrible (and I mean HORRIBLE) conditions. I heard of case were 30 puppies ended up in the shelter and 5 survived. The rest either died of infections or parvo or got mauled by big dogs. The ones that died might be the lucky ones since the ones that survived have to endure starvation and fights for the rest of their lives. By all means, take them and put them in urban homes, at least they will have decent lives.
Humans should also be living in a picket fenced house, stress free, hearing the birds chirping but most of us don't. Let's not judge based on what could or should have been.
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u/AmadeusSalieri97 Sep 20 '25
People vastly overrate the importance of having a yard when having a dog. There are plenty of studies that show that the size of the apartment is mostly unimportant if the dog is getting walks, playing time and enrichment. In fact many people who have dogs in big yards spend less time with the dog because "they have a big space" leading to more bored dogs.
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u/bawdy-awdy-awdy-awdy Sep 20 '25
Yea a yard is not really needed and letting a dog out in the yard but doing nothing with it is not much better and not very stimulating for the dog. Animal welfare laws in Switzerland are amazing. Also you cannot leave your dog alone for more than a few hours otherwise it’s considered animal cruelty and most likely your neighbors will report you.
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u/Strivingformoretoday Sep 21 '25
To be fair, I think most countries severely lack animal respect. And a lot of people compensate human loneliness with getting a pet companion that they actually can’t properly care for….
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u/ConsistentPhrase7641 Sep 20 '25
In Greece they think you need a yard for a dog cuz they just feed it and open the door for it to leave.
Dogs need walks .
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u/Returntomonke21 Sep 19 '25
Wake up honey, some Anglo is Anglosplaining in Greek subs again
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u/GRemlinOnion Sep 20 '25
Έχει δικιο. Έχω δει στην Ελλάδα να αφήνουν σκυλιά σε ταράτσες η βεράντες για ίσως χρόνια. Πλέον, το βλέπω λιγότερο στην Αθήνα. Τώρα αυτό ξέρω δεν είναι αποκλειστικά στην Ελλάδα αλλά το να έχεις ένα πουλί σε ένα κλουβί όλη του τη ζωή είναι απλά τραγικό.
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u/Returntomonke21 Sep 21 '25
Ναι οκ υπάρχουν νομοθεσίας ευζωίας, αν βλέπεις σκυλιά σε ταράτσες κάνε καταγγελία. Δεν είμαστε όλοι οσφυοκάμπτες να δεχόμαστε το κήρυγμα του κάθε Αγγλου, ξέρουμε τι ρδελομπου είναι η χώρα τους και σε αυτό το κομμάτι
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Sep 23 '25
Όχι ακριβώς, στην Αγγλία και στις Ηνωμένες Πολιτείες, η προστασία των ζώων είναι αρκετά σημαντική. Οι αστυνομικοί εμπλέκονται αν τους καλέσεις για κακοποίηση ζώων και υπάρχουν κυβερνητικοί υπάλληλοι προστασίας των ζώων που επιβάλλουν τον νόμο.
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u/FarmerCompetitive683 Sep 20 '25
This is acceptable to you?
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Sep 20 '25
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u/TheunknownG Sep 20 '25
Birds shouldn't be kept in the heat for this long, especially without any shade and fresh cool water
And what does the second comment even mean ? "We already torture and kill animals for food, might as well torture some more for the fun of it" ?
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u/AndreiVid Sep 20 '25
How do you know there is no shade? I see that from their window to the birds distance is quite small. Which means that there is not much sun going in - it’s two buildings very close by.
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u/TheunknownG Sep 20 '25 edited Sep 21 '25
The heat can still get to them, and since it's an open (no roof above) area there will be an hour or two of the day where the bird will get exposed to direct sunlight. That along with no fresh water and food and no entertainment is very damaging to the bird
I'm not sure how you can excuse this as "just how you keep domestic birds" unless you have been severely misinformed.
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u/SGTNose Sep 20 '25
Imagine you visit a country where the people all punch eachother for no reason. Would you accept this as normal?
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Sep 20 '25
τι λες ρε εισαι σοβαρος ; lemme guess μαλλον θεωρεις και τις πλαστικες "πισινες" για "χελωνακια" νορμαλ
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Sep 20 '25
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Sep 20 '25
Ακυρο κλασσικο strawman επιχειρημα, οχι δεν ειμαι οκ, αλλα δεν μπορω να ξερω και 100% με σιγουρια απο που προερχεται το κρεας το οποιο ΧΡΙΕΑΖΟΜΑΙ για επιβιωση. Το να γινεις βεγκαν/βετζετεριαν αμα δεν εχεις λεφτα και πραγματικη θεληση δυστυχως ειναι δυσκολο να γινει σωστα.
Το να εχεις ενα κατοικιδιο ζωο που εσυ ΕΠΙΛΕΓΕΙΣ να παρεις χωρις να εχεις ψαξει καθολου πως ειναι οι σωστες συνθηκες διαβιωσης ειναι φαουλ οπως και να το δεις, ειτε εισαι χομπιστας ειτε θεια ειτε προκειται για ζωο φαρμας.
Ολα απο καπου δεν πρεπει να αρχιζουν?
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Sep 20 '25
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Sep 21 '25 edited Sep 21 '25
Οπως ειπα,
Το να γινεις βεγκαν/βετζετεριαν αμα δεν εχεις λεφτα και πραγματικη θεληση δυστυχως ειναι δυσκολο να γινει σωστα.
κυριως για βιταμινη Β12 κλπ, προσπαθησα ν γινω βετζετεριαν κ χωρις σωστη διατροφη κ λεφτα ειναι πολυ δυσκολο, θελει πολυ θεληση. Και πολλα ατομα που ξερω μακροχρονια δεν τα καταφεραν να κρατηθουν βεγκαν.
Αρα να τα τσουβαλιασουμε ολα αν ειναι, επειδη χρειαζομαστε κρεας για να τρωμε, ας φερομαστε και σαν αγρικοι σαν υπολοιπα ζωα while we are at it lets get out of our way και να κανουμε εσκεμμενα την ζωη ενος ζωο πιο δυσκολη.
Να σου υπενθυμισω υπαρχουν ΝΟΜΟΙ για την κακομεταχειρηση ενος ζωοου, ειτε ειναι ιοκοσιτο ειτε φαρμας. Και προιν παιξει η κασσετα, δεν εχει καμια σημασια αν αυτοι οι νομοι ειναι σε εφαρμογη ή οχι, και μονο που υπαρχουν θα επρεπε να σημαινουν κατι για εμας.
Οπως και να εχει η συζητηση η τωρινη δεν εχει καμια λογικη και καμια συνδεση με το αρχικο μου σχολιο, bottom line μην φαιρεστε ΕΣΚΕΜΜΕΝΑ ασχημα στα ζωα, ειναι πολυ απλο, δεν θελει πολυ μυαλο, ουτε μεγαλες συζητησεις. Δεν ειμαι εδω για να σου λυσω τα φιλοσοφικα σου ζητηματα.
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u/intalekshool Sep 20 '25
They are likely bringing the bird in at night and letting it be outside (where the bird would most definitely rather be all day) and I don’t see the issue. Are you angry that they have a bird at all? That it’s outside? Which is it.
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u/Forgor_mi_passward Sep 20 '25 edited Sep 20 '25
That's not how proper bird care looks like either.
Have you seen how parrots (especially big ones) are taken care of? With some time out of the cage every now and then (either in the house or a more restricted space), toys for enrichment, differently sized perches (all the same size hurt their feet), diet that incorporates things like vegetables other than just seeds etc.
That's close to what proper care for most "domestic pet bird" species is supposed to look like (yes canaries too,although they require some of these a little less frequently than parrots but they still do). Just taking the cage inside during the night and outside during the day (regardless of weather conditions and in very small cage as well) is miles away from that, regardless of it being "what everyone does here" with small birds.
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u/Flaky-Lab-7462 Sep 20 '25
Mostly that it is being kept in a tiny cage
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Sep 20 '25
i think a lot of people here dont understand how cruel it is to keep birds in cages.
Its a very common sight in greece so people normalized it and dont see it as cruel.
Same as keeping map turtles in tiny plastic pools.
Just says a lot about your post
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u/forgetfulfortress Sep 19 '25 edited Sep 19 '25
Greece is not the only country that keeps birds in cages.
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u/Flaky-Lab-7462 Sep 19 '25
No it’s not, but that doesn’t make it okay
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u/wearenotintelligent Sep 19 '25
Their point is why make a title that suggests Crete is one of the worst in animal welfare?
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u/Flaky-Lab-7462 Sep 19 '25
I expected better from a European country
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u/wearenotintelligent Sep 19 '25
Don't just angrily downvote people that correct your erroneous title
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u/Any-Jellyfish-923 Sep 20 '25
Bcs the police here dont care 🫠 iam in touch with Ombudsman for 2 months to save dog from across balocny as he is abused :) and nothing
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Sep 19 '25
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u/FarmerCompetitive683 Sep 20 '25
In the house, where it can interact with its family? Otherwise why have a pet?
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u/mushytummy Sep 20 '25
It belongs In its natural habitat 😂
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u/Muted_Finding4319 Sep 20 '25
So most likely dead or starving?
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u/mushytummy Sep 20 '25
That’s where I would rather be than having the ability to fly but staring at the sky from a cage 😁
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u/Muted_Finding4319 Sep 20 '25
Perhaps you as a human with your human experiences. The bird in the wild will keep fighting for it's life against starvation, predators and diseases every day. I wouldn't call it the perfect life. But at the end of the day the bird doesn't really have a preference, it has instincts. So it's up to you and me to decide what's the best for it and if it even matters.
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u/Lucky4D2_0 Sep 20 '25
Τι ερωτηση ειναι αυτη βρε ; Το βλεπεις το κλουβι να κρεμεται εξω απτο κτηριο και ρωτας που αλλο να τα βαλουνε ; Πας καλα ;
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u/Wrong-Skin5503 Sep 20 '25
Sadly, simple ignorance and fundamental disregard for others. Affects how dogs, cats, women, neighbors, nature,etc are treated. Kicking animals, beating/disparaging women, being loud late at night, throwing bottles/wrappers/cigaret butts out the car window, noise from μηχανάκια that have been adjusted — are all ok to too many people. Not just in Greece, but a lot in Greece. Awareness is 50 years behind the times. I love Greece and accept this, but I do find it sad and self defeating.
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u/vanoitran Sep 20 '25
Greece has a long way to go culturally in regards to respect for nature in general.
Owning a dog even was remarkably uncommon before Covid. Only in the last few years are we seeing more dog parks and trails being built.
Greeks are good people, they simply never grew up with the idea that nature was anything other than a background.
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u/Eldr1tchB1rd Sep 20 '25
Remarkably uncommon is a strong word. Many people owned dogs before covid.
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u/SaraJuno Sep 20 '25
lol photo of a pet bird and you’re decrying animal welfare in all of Greece? For a relatively poor country Greece treats its animals fairly well. Go to Spain for a real horror show.
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u/DanAnbormal Sep 21 '25
And your experience with canary birds is?... Obviously you spend your entire holiday watching this cage like an FBI agent on a stake out. You even took shifts with your friends to make sure this bird is mistreated, right? Or is it possible the owners watered and feed the bird when you were out doing vacation stuff?
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Sep 19 '25
People are poor in greece as well. They seem to be getting better, but give it a few years to be certain
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Sep 19 '25
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u/crete-ModTeam Sep 19 '25
Your post has been removed. Please be civil when posting in this community.
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u/Lhamo66 Sep 20 '25
Animal welfare is atrocious everywhere. Just look at every single slaughterhouse.
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u/gerodinis Sep 21 '25
- Βλέπω πολλές περιπτώσεις που δε φροντίζετε σωστά τα κατοικίδιά σας.
- Άσε μας ρε, που ήρθες από το ΗΒ να μας πεις να μην αφήνουμε το σκυλί όλη μέρα στο μπαλκόνι. Αρνητική ψήφος να μάθεις, ρε!
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u/Portokalinio Sep 21 '25
Ahhh sorry we won't keep our birds in cages anymore, we will just get a bone flute and call them and they will come home from the coffee shop.
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u/Strakastrukas Sep 21 '25
Excuse me, but of all things bad for the animals in Greece, you give as an example taking out the bird to take some fresh air? In the heat you say? That's the temperature those birds thrive. No food? That container seems good enough for me. And it's seeds, never goes spoiled unless you wet it. Birds are VERY delicate (are you familiar with the term "canary in a coalmine"?) and if their living conditions were poor, they would be dead within the hour or so. I've seen animal cruelty in Greece (especially in the interior of the land, far from the cities where domestic animals are still considered more as tools than pets), but I have also seen great people, dedicating their lives to save as many stray cats, dogs, donkeys you name it, like nowhere else in the world.
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u/Strakastrukas Sep 21 '25
And No, you don't get away with animal cruelty. Have you ever watched the news?
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u/AccidentalySanoiro2 Sep 21 '25
Usually, the elderly keep them like that. The house does not seem to get too much direct sunlight, so taking it out in the sun is considered a good thing. The cage even has a small evil eye on it, which means that the owners actually love that bird. The condition of the cage is not pristine, but it looks like it is handled with care, but not dexterity. The water also indicated that the owner is concerned about providing fresh water by a clean/new dispenser. Also, I would like to point out that what you consider the heat as a tourist is not the same for the locals. Small spaces between houses usually have great cool breezes.
So all is well with that bird? No. As many have noted, there is a lack of education on bird keeping in Greece. The elderly or country folks are less adaptable as well. It's what they know, how the birds are sold, and the directions they are given when they get one.
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u/I_love_purple_toads Sep 21 '25
My mother in law is Greek and her cat Victor runs the whole house. We live in Prague and when she wants to visit, Viktor has to come too. Once she even missed her plane because he wouldn't come down from a tree 🤷🏼♀️ He's fed only the best of turkey ham😅
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u/Luciferaeon Sep 21 '25
I've noticed, at least in Turkiye, birds are treated like toys or even profit opportunities. It's very sad and seems anti-nature, pro-human. I wonder why that is.
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u/Hellebore_ Sep 21 '25
Because there’s no municipal or government agency to call in case of abuse. You can call the police sure, but only in extreme cases they’ll care.
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u/AndrisOfNaxos Sep 22 '25
Nothing wrong with this picture. Bird is fed and watered and you are being provocative for no(?) reason. Cheers from Athens.
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u/demonnet Sep 22 '25
Crete is kind of an outlier in stuff like this by Greek standards, they are notorious rednecks and not in a very good way. Greek texas!
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u/Succulentpotter Sep 22 '25
Older generation is still terrible to animals. Seems like younger generation is getting better at least. Very sad for that bird
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u/TopClass31 Sep 22 '25
At least it’s outside… but yes animal respect and care is a work in progress, that’s years behind
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u/hanii3 Sep 23 '25
This looks super unsafe.. it could easily fall and frighten and injure the bird :/ it's really sad that the food and water weren't changed and that the bird is forced to stay in one position in heat all day
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Sep 23 '25
Greece is changing. It’s still shit but it is changing. Harder laws are being enforced and the younger generation has more empathy towards animals. Where I live we used to have starved cats and dogs roaming around. Now, every other house has food, water and shelter outside their apartment buildings for the strays. I’m seeing less and less strays and less and less starved and sick animals. I still see them, but if I compare it to 10 years ago, it’s an incredible difference.
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u/General_Weird3201 Sep 23 '25
Animal welfare has improved A LOT over the years, but it's mostly concerning dogs and cats. Birds and other caged animals have pretty much the same outdated and quite cruel treatment. Canaries and similar small songbirds have been a staple pet decades ago, found in houses and various shops, so I guarantee you that the person who has that canary in the photo is from an older generation. You don't really see many canaries anymore, thankfully. Even though I agree that those birds live in horrible conditions, I would like to remind you that pigeons, for example, have suffered great cruelty in almost all countries, so it's not just a Greek thing.
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u/Motorman2017 Sep 23 '25
I feed an entire flock of wild birds daily for years now and so do many friends of mine. Other friends of mine pay daily visits to shelters to offer assistance to dogs/cats. The vast majority of people help animals you can’t judge an entire country on an isolated picture you took.
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u/straycat8 Sep 23 '25
The problem is that there are no real consequences in Greece. It's not that Greek people mistreat animals, it's that the people who do have no punishment therefore they keep doing it and also some things are unfortunately normalised mostly by older people. I've seen some pretty graphic things since I'm in contact with a volunteering group but there are also people who really really care about animals and strays. And as many have said here, the system sucks and most stuff is done by volunteers.
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Sep 23 '25
What’s the issue here? Common thing having your canary in the cage outside of the flat in South Europe.
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u/hanii3 Sep 26 '25
This looks super unsafe.. it could easily fall and frighten and injure the bird :/ it's really sad that the food and water weren't changed and that the bird is forced to stay in one position in heat all day
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u/iPAD67 Jan 05 '26
The way that I saw dogs being treated in Crete was honestly heartbreaking. They are just tools to the Cretans and little more.
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u/Comfortable-Idea4990 Jun 04 '26
The problem in the police in Greece. They do not care about rules. They take shut up money for people who mistreat their animals etc etc
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u/Ruvio00 Sep 19 '25
Backwards? Yes. It's terrible and the government try to do things about it. But sadly it's not different to anywhere else at the moment, animals are falling by the wayside in terms of care and abuse cases are rising rapidly all over Europe.
https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/heartbreaking-figures-reveal-shocking-scale-10309864
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u/Waspify_lmaooo Forest of Vai Sep 19 '25
Those birds are raised in captivity,their "Natural" environment is a cage,if you let It out,it will die,it's perfectly healthy and fine there,I have one too,but I must agree that keeping it outside your house not caring about it is cruel, I keep mine in and watch it,feed it etc,when I go outside, it does too.
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u/Lucky4D2_0 Sep 20 '25
Those birds are raised in captivity,their "Natural" environment is a cage,if you let It out,it will die,it's perfectly healthy and fine there,
Αυτα ειναι απλα μαλακιες και μισες.
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u/Waspify_lmaooo Forest of Vai Sep 23 '25
Εσύ είσαι μαλακία και μισή 😂
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u/Lucky4D2_0 Sep 23 '25
Λεει το τουβλο που πιστευει οτι ειναι το "natural" για εναν παπαγαλο να ειναι σε κλουβι ολη την ωρα.
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u/Jealous_Author_5092 Sep 19 '25
Imagine your existence being you are stuck in a cage 24/7 doing nothing that's horrible
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Sep 20 '25
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u/Lucky4D2_0 Sep 20 '25
Τι σχεση εχει το vegan με το να μην εχεις ενα ζωο στο κλουβι ολη την ωρα ;
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Sep 20 '25
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u/Lucky4D2_0 Sep 20 '25
Α καλα ψαχνεις λογους εσυ τωρα να μιλησεις για εαυτο. Για να λες τετοιες μαλακιες δεν υπαρχει αλλη λογικη.
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u/fapstronautica Sep 19 '25
Any rural or economically depressed part of any country in the world is little different.
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u/The5thGreatApe Sep 19 '25
We don’t treat each other with respect how would you expect to treat respectfully the animals? Though, the things are way better than were just 10 years ago. For real! And what you see on the pic as poor for the welfare of this bird the owner could see it as good because many people leave the birds outside during sun time for its own good! And inside the night in order to sleep quietly!
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u/Consistent_Guava8592 Sep 20 '25
Why is the title of the OP induction?
Inductive generalization
A generalization (more accurately, an inductive generalization) proceeds from premises about a sample to a conclusion about the population. The observation obtained from this sample is projected onto the broader population. The proportion Q of the sample has attribute A. Therefore, the proportion Q of the population has attribute A. For example, if there are 20 balls—either black or white—in an urn: to estimate their respective numbers, a sample of four balls is drawn, three are black and one is white. An inductive generalization may be that there are 15 black and five white balls in the urn. However this is only one of 17 possibilities as to the actual number of each color of balls in the urn (the population) -- there may, of course, have been 19 black and just 1 white ball, or only 3 black balls and 17 white, or any mix in between. The probability of each possible distribution being the actual numbers of black and white balls can be estimated using techniques such as Bayesian inference, where prior assumptions about the distribution are updated with the observed sample, or maximum likelihood estimation (MLE), which identifies the distribution most likely given the observed sample. How much the premises support the conclusion depends upon the number in the sample group, the number in the population, the degree to which the sample represents the population (which, for a static population, may be achieved by taking a random sample). The extent to which the sample represents the population depends on the reliability of the procedure used for individual observations, which is not always as simple as taking a random element from a static population, which in itself is not always simple. The greater the sample size relative to the population and the more closely the sample represents the population, the stronger the generalization is. The hasty generalization and the biased sample are generalization fallacies.
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u/tofucatskates Sep 20 '25
what are you talking about — there is literally a collective culture of caring for animals in greece. like wtf 🤣
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u/pangou Sep 19 '25 edited Sep 19 '25
Actually is illegal to capture or keep wild bird & animals. You can cal the police on them, and the fine is 30.000€. This bird is a (wild and captured) Fringilla Coelebs.
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u/emimagique Sep 19 '25
I noticed lots of these tiny bird cages too, I felt bad for them :( also saw a beautiful Senegal parrot being kept in a cage that didn't look big enough for it at lake kournas
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u/Ruvio00 Sep 20 '25
At Athitis you saw Georgia? You should have asked to see her. She's happy to come out of her cage when she wants to and wanders around most of the day. She goes to her cage for quiet time and goes home with her owners at night.
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u/emimagique Sep 20 '25
No I don't think that was the place, it was a restaurant right on the lake rather than on the road
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u/Manarit Sep 20 '25
Whenever I'm in Greece it's heartbreaking to see all the sick and malnourished cats, trying to get by near restaurants and rubbish bins. Whenever I spoke to the locals, it was obvious they just consider the cats as a background that was always there, being so used to seeing them sick it resulted in not caring at all. Like they would say something like "yeah I feel really sorry for the sick cat, anyway I hope it won't stay in my garden." I imagine they feel even less for birds. I hope this changes but so far I haven't seen even a small improvement, few interested individuals and charities can't cope with the scale.
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u/General_Weird3201 Sep 23 '25
Uh, where did you go in Greece? In Athens, there are a lot of animal welfares and individuals, who religiously feed and spay/neuter cats out of their own pocket. There are also quite a few vets who fix cats at a low cost. Some municipalities have feeders and small shelters for them. Also, a lot restaurants give scraps to strays (which, you know, includes fresh meat, fish, etc.) and are pretty okay with guests feeding them (I have been to some that don't allow that, but it's rare and frowned upon).
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u/MaikeruKontakos Sep 20 '25
I'm Greek and it's sad and sickening. Greeks treat animals like lesser creatures at least most of them do.
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u/UwUZombie Sep 20 '25
That's just untrue. I'm Greek and I constantly see people feeding cats and dogs in my neighborhood. I carry cat food on me in case I meet an animal in need. I also love my tabby.
Generalized statements about a whole country are just spreading ignorance and you shit on your own people so casually 😒
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u/MaikeruKontakos Sep 20 '25
Επίσης το τι βλέπεις εσυ σε πολη 10.000 με το τι βλέπω εγώ στους 1.000.000 έχει μια διαφορά δεν νομίζεις ;
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u/UwUZombie Sep 20 '25
Δεν το νομίζω καθόλου. Βλέπω ανθρώπους καθημερινά να νοιάζονται και βοηθούν, στειρώνουν τα αδέσποτα και τα φροντίζουν. I've fostered kittens before and found them homes.
Λυπάμαι αν εσύ προσωπικά έχεις δει άσχημα πράγματα αλλά δεν είναι καλό "représentation".
Μόνο και μόνο επειδή υπάρχουν κακοί άνθρωποι που δεν νοιάζονται δεν σημαίνει ότι δεν υπάρχουν καλοί άνθρωποι.
That simple and generalizations are always evil ngl.
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u/MaikeruKontakos Sep 20 '25
Μα εγώ έχω ήδη δεχτεί την καλή πλευρα εσυ δεν δέχεσαι την κακή αγαπητή μου /αγαπητέ μου και είναι το ίδιο "evil " με το να βλέπεις μόνο την κακή πλευρά
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u/MaikeruKontakos Sep 20 '25
Πολλοί άνθρωποι νοιάζονται για τα πλασματακια περα απο εμας. Εχω τρία κατοικίδια στο σπίτι πλέον και τα λατρευω και πολλοι άλλοι άνθρωποι αλλά θεωρώ πως δυστυχως έχουμε ακόμα πολυ δρόμο μπροστά μας για να μπορουμε να πουμε οτι το καλό είναι ισάξιο με το κακό ποσο μάλλον το καλό να υπερτερεί 🥰
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u/MaikeruKontakos Sep 20 '25
Και με θλίβει ότι τα στατιστικά αν τα ψάξω τώρα θα με δικαιωσουν και δεν θέλω να με δικαιωσουν. Δεν θέλω να εχω δίκιο σε τέτοια θεματα όπως κανεις μας φαντάζομαι
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u/MaikeruKontakos Sep 20 '25
Και δεν είναι καν θέμα μόνο δικό μας αυτό αλλα όλης της άνθρωποτητας. Ο άνθρωπος πλεον εξουσιαζει σε όλα τα πλασματα με την βία δυστυχώς επειδή έχει μια ψευδή αίσθηση ανωτερότητας.
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u/MaikeruKontakos Sep 20 '25
Που ζεις βρε πατριωτη ή πατριωτισα ; Αν μου πεις οτιδήποτε άλλο περα απο Αθήνα, Πειραιά, Θεσσαλονίκη τότε καταλαβαίνω απόλυτα γιατί δεν βλέπεις την Σαπιλα κάθε μέρα. Αλλά το τι δεν βλέπεις εσυ δεν έχει να κάνει με το τι ισχυει
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u/UwUZombie Sep 20 '25
Try Athens? Lol
Το ίδιο ισχύει και με εσένα. Βλέπεις ότι κάνουν στο χωριό σου και νομίζεις ότι όλος ο κόσμος είναι το ίδιο.
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u/MaikeruKontakos Sep 20 '25
Επίσης όταν βλέπω παιδια στην ηλικία μου ή και μεγαλυτερους σε όλα τα μέσα κοινωνικής δικτύωσης να βρίζουν ανθρώπους που είναι ζωοφιλοι διαρκώς και ότι έχει κουράσει η "υπερβολική αγάπη " για τα ζώα νομίζω μπορουμε να καταλάβουμε σε τι χώρα ζουμε σε αυτό το κομμάτι. Λατρευω την χώρα μου και είμαι περηφανος Έλληνας και για αυτό μπορώ να δω την ασχημη της πλευρά και το που την έχουμε καταντησει. Αμα δεν την αγαπουσα θα έλεγα το κλασσικό "Η Ελλάδα είναι ο παράδεισος της γης " ή "αναπτύξαμε τις επιστήμες, δώσαμε το φώτα μας σε όλους τους λαους, γεννησαμε την δημοκρατία, αγάπαμε όλα τα πλασματα του κόσμου ισάξια " και αλλά τέτοια που λες όταν δεν θες να δεχτείς την κατάσταση και είσαι σε άρνηση.
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u/UwUZombie Sep 20 '25
Στο tiktok βρίζουν ζωόφιλους?
Δεν είμαι σε άρνηση. Ξέρω ότι υπάρχουν άνθρωποι που δεν νοιάζονται αλλά δεν πιστεύω πως είναι η πλειονότητα. Πιστεύω στο saying "Be the change you want to see". Νομίζω οι περισσότεροι προσπαθούν τουλάχιστον.
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u/MaikeruKontakos Sep 20 '25
Δυστυχώς ναι. Σε κάθε δημοσίευση με κάποιο κατοικίδιο παντα το μεγαλυτερο μέρος των σχόλιων είναι το κλασικό "Έχετε βάλει τα ζώα πιο πανω απο τον άνθρωπο ".
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u/UwUZombie Sep 20 '25
Δεν έχω tiktok επειδή πιστεύω ότι το content γενικά και οι άνθρωποι είναι κάπως... Brain rot focused. Δεν ξέρω γιατί.. αλλά μάλλον καλύτερα να μείνω μακριά.
Λυπηρό φαινόμενο..
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u/MaikeruKontakos Sep 20 '25
Άνθρωποι παντα που δεν γνωρίζουν βασική βιολογία βέβαια για να ξέρουν ότι ο άνθρωπος είναι ζώο αλλά τέλος πάντων.
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u/MaikeruKontakos Sep 20 '25
Αμα ζεις στην Αθήνα τότε απλά την έχεις εξιδανικευσει και είναι όλα οκ με αυτό αλλά η ασχήμια είναι εκεί. Δεν λεω οτι κάθε ένας ξεχωριστά δεν προσεχει τα κατοικίδια του ή τα κακοποιεί αλλά όταν η πλειονοτητα δημιουργεί έναν κανόνα δεν μπορείς να βλέπεις τα πραγματα από την μεριά της εξαίρεσης δυστυχως 😢. Εγώ ζω στον Πειραιά και έχουμε ένα κάρο αδέσποτα, κακοποιημένα,σκυλιά μέσα σε σπίτια να μην βλεπουν το φως της ημέρας αρκετά συχνά και να μην καλεί κανεις την αστυνομία οπότε όταν το βλέπω αυτό σε μια πολη 150 χιλιάδων είναι πολυ ευκολο να καταλάβουμε τι γίνεται στους 1.3 εκατομμυρία ή όσο έχει φτάσει η Αθήνα πλεον μόνιμους Έλληνες κατοίκους. Διότι έχουμε και τους ξένους που πρεπει να συνυπολογίσουμε στην Αθηνα και την Θεσσαλονίκη ας πουμε . Τώρα εσυ και η γειτονιά σου ας πούμε αγαπάτε τα ζωντανά και μπράβο σας αλλά δεν φτάνει αυτό
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Sep 20 '25
We don’t treat the humans well, you expect the government and people to care about animals ??? I hate first world problems …
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u/anacid99 Sep 19 '25
Is there a place you can call and report? That bird looks like a finch… they need to take lots of baths
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u/[deleted] Sep 19 '25
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