Last 12 months, half of the money donated went to the animals themselves and to the upkeep of the shelter. The shelter claims that it rigorously evaluates future homeowners and doesn’t permit animals to be taken by individuals who present worse situations than will be discovered within the shelter. According to Latvian Radio’s latest ‘Atvērtie Faili’ (Open Files) investigation nonetheless, issues might not be as they appear – dogs might even be given to folks with out properties themselves.
The homeless man
It is a sunny August afternoon. In the underground pedestrian tunnel close to the Riga Central Railway Station, Latvian Radio meets Angela Naturina. Latvian Radio and Angela are in search of a person often known as ‘Vladimir’ within the tunnel. He is homeless and was once seen begging right here. “He sat right here, it was his place. In the afternoon he was all the time right here,” says Angela.
Vladimir had a number of dogs. They normally slept on a bit of cardboard or blanket subsequent to the proprietor whereas the person requested passers-by for money. Angela seen the pets and began bringing them pet food usually. “He was normally with an old canine. And then I noticed him with a brand new canine and thought – it is unusual {that a} homeless individual has a brand new canine,” says Angela.
Vladimir instructed Angela that he discovered the puppy in a rubbish can and named her Gerda. “After a while, I went there once more and noticed that the canine was clearly pregnant, anticipating puppies.”
Angela was stunned by this. She had beforehand supplied to pay for the sterilization of the canine, however Vladimir refused, saying the canine had already been sterilized. “I requested, what are you going to do with the puppies? He stated – I do not know, I’ll give them to somebody! I requested – the place do you reside? Then he stated that he lives within the small backyard allotments of Lucavsala [a small and partially run-down island in the River Daugava].”
Angela supplied to take the canine to the vet in order that the delivery may be monitored and the puppies have a protected haven. “I referred to as my buddy, I stated – Sasha, will you go along with me? I do not know the place that homeless man lives, I’m by some means afraid to go there alone.”
Both ladies managed to search out Vladimir’s home within the small vegetable patches of Lucavsala. “It was small, actually like a cardboard, veneer home, made from some sort of boards. There had been two drunk males and two dogs who can assault one another at any second, actually little or no area – two or three meters.”
Angela agreed with Vladimir that she would take the pregnant canine to the shelter and that when the puppies now not wanted their mom’s milk, she would return the sterilized canine to him. Just two days later, beneath the supervision of a veterinarian, eight puppies had been born to Gerda on the “Mežavairogi” animal shelter in Ķekava parish.
The gasoline station
“When I went to Mežavairogi, the administration checked the canine’s digital chip. It turned out that the registration in Vladimir’s identify was performed by Ulubele,” says Angela.
Ulubele animal shelter is situated in Stopiņi parish and is the most important animal shelter in Latvia. It had beforehand given the canine to the homeless Vladimir. The chip additionally comprises the canine’s registered handle. When checked, it turned out to be not a non-public handle however a gasoline station on the foot of the Salu Bridge in Rīga, near Lucavsala.
Photo: Baiba Kļava/Latvijas Radio
The animal-loving Angela obtained an disagreeable shock a month later. “After that I used to be invited to the police. It turned out that he [Vladimir] filed a grievance with the police that I stole his canine and that I’ve to pay him 600 euros for every puppy,” says Angela.
According to her, it was not Vladimir who wrote the appliance addressed to the police on a number of pages of A4 format. Danuta Priede, head of the “Mežavairogi” animal shelter, who was additionally questioned by the police, has related ideas.
“He was delivered to us at the shelter by a girl who appeared as his lawyer, a Mrs. Rumjantseva, as we discovered later,” says Danuta Priede, head of the “Mežavairogi” animal shelter.
Jelena Rumjantseva, who got here to “Mežavairogos” along with the homeless man and submitted the person’s software, has publicly referred to as herself a volunteer for Ulubele, Latvian Radio stated.
“I used to be actually stunned by how a lot curiosity there may be on this man getting his canine again with out having the ability to help it – he has no place to reside, he is begging in a tunnel, and it appears regular that he has to return a canine with eight puppies. Any regular individual there, a affordable individual understands, thank God, that animal is now not there and regular care is supplied for it,” says Priede.
In Vladimir’s submission to “Mežavairogi” it’s written that he thought that his canine Gerda was at Ulubele. However, he later discovered that the canine was elsewhere. In the doc, he asks for the return of his property – 9 dogs – and claims the incident is a fraud.
Priede heard one thing else from Vladimir himself. “He stated he did not need the puppies. But I say — you perceive what your lawyer wrote in that doc? He says — I do not know what she wrote there. I simply signed.”
“He instructed me that sure, an individual from Ulubele drives him, a lady who helps him feed his canine, who brings him meals and takes care of him like half of that animal.”
The animal shelter
The Ulubele shelter has signed a contract with Riga City Council for catching and housing stray and homeless dogs. Priede admits that if the puppies had been born within the gardens of Lucavsala close to Vladimir, they’d shortly find yourself on this shelter. “I do not understand how a lot it could cost the Riga City Council to catch eight puppies within the gardens of Lucavsala. I assume that it could be 1000’s, as a result of at the moment, if I’m not mistaken, puppies had been saved till they had been three months old.”
This quantity is so giant as a result of the municipality pays for 56 days within the shelter for puppies. For grownup dogs solely 14 days are paid for.
When Gerda’s puppies had grown, the “Mežavairogi” shelter discovered them a home. Gerda was already sterilized and given to Vladimir in Lucavsala. “We perceive that legally this canine belonged to this individual. We perceive that, and we don’t have the suitable to take away it simply because we prefer it,” admits Priede, head of the “Mežavairogi” shelter. Gerda was again in Ulubele a 12 months in the past and was shortly adopted. She presently lives in Saulkrasti.
Photo: Baiba Kļava/Latvijas Radio
Ulubele shelter in Stopiņi is managed by Ilze Džonsone. Undoubtedly it does numerous good work. “We have numerous animals, now there are by no means lower than 500 on website day-after-day,” says Džonsone.
The shelter may accommodate a couple of hundred extra, however then the animals could be crowded. “This is our principal building, right here is the completely satisfied room the place animal adoptions happen, in addition to the veterinary clinic,” says the supervisor of Ulubele.
The shelter doesn’t put animals to sleep. Džonsone says that Ulubele rigorously evaluates the adopters, as a result of the shelter feels answerable for every animal. “We’re making an attempt, we’re making an attempt. We have… I’ll present you later, we’ve got types that the adoptive guardian fills out, then we’ve got discussions with them.”
People who want to undertake ought to be capable to present equal or higher housing situations than the shelter itself. “We do not need to put animals in worse situations than they’ve right here,” Džonsone stated.
When requested concerning the homeless Vladimir and his canine Gerda, Džonsone says that the canine got here to the shelter as a result of she was caught straying. “Well, if it is the proprietor’s canine and the proprietor reveals up inside 14 days, we do not decide him by his monetary standing, whether or not he is a millionaire or a poor individual. The animal is returned with a chip, registered, however all duties – whether or not to sterilize the animal or no matter – are as much as the proprietor. “
However, Gerda’s microchip info reveals that the canine stayed in Ulubele for greater than 14 days. Therefore, in keeping with the regulation, the canine needed to discover a new proprietor. Why did the shelter as a substitute give the canine to the homeless and register the animal at a gasoline station?
“Well, you realize, the handle given by the proprietor of the animal, we additionally report it because the place of holding,” explains the supervisor of the shelter.
When Latvian Radio managed to discuss to Vladimir within the pedestrian tunnel, he stated that Ulubele introduced meals to his dogs in the gardens of Lucavsala. Džonsone says that the meals supply is a gesture of assist.
“Very usually, if the needy come into our sight, properly, normally they’re individuals who assist handle cat colonies, we assist, sure, with meals,” notes Džonsone.
Several municipalities have contracts with firms for catching stray animals, together with the Ulubele-linked Dzīvnieku policija (Animal Police) and Zoopolicija (Zoopolice). Therefore, dogs and cats usually are not solely accepted within the Ulubele shelter, but in addition delivered by these firms.
“In precept, we serve the municipalities of Pierīga, Rīga, Ropaži, Sigulda, Salaspils. On the one hand, it is vitally tough, however then again, though the municipalities solely pay a small quantity for 14 days, it’s nonetheless some sort of common earnings,” says the pinnacle of the shelter.
Cooperation between Riga City Council and Ulubele began greater than ten years in the past. Between 2014 and 2022, the affiliation obtained important money from the municipality – almost a million euros.
Two years in the past, the Center for Combating Bureaucracy of the Riga City Council revealed a report wherein it revealed a sequence of shortcomings and lack of management within the municipality’s settlements with Ulubele. When requested what was checked, Aigars Evardsons, the senior skilled of the Center, stated on the time: “It is exactly concerning the accounting of animals – how the catching, lodging and care of stray homeless, helpless animals is organized.”
According to the report, the municipality suspected that unregistered dogs had been within the shelter. In this manner, Ulubele was doubtlessly making an attempt to considerably improve the variety of animals whose upkeep is paid for by the Riga City Council.
“The contract stipulates that month-to-month transactions for the service carried out are based mostly on the experiences submitted by the service supplier. Thus, it’s not possible to regulate what we really pay for within the municipality,” defined Evardsons.
The council had additionally paid for the upkeep of puppies in Ulubele for a very long time, though the animals weren’t in a shelter, however in short-term properties. This signifies that the animals had been cared for by folks unrelated to Ulubele. “As a part of this inspection, we additionally turned to the Agricultural Data Center, which particularly lists and registers animals. In this case, it is about dogs,” stated Evardsons.
It turned out that the shelter housed dogs that weren’t registered with the Agricultural Data Center. Džonsone rejected the accusations on the time. “At that point, the laws didn’t require it, and it was an interpretation of the laws. We had very lengthy discussions with the Food and Veterinary Service about it. Once upon a time, the one criterion was that an unregistered canine couldn’t be launched from the shelter, and we fulfilled this in good religion,” she says.
The accountable official misplaced his job within the City Council and with the amendments to the regulatory acts, shelters had been now not allowed to maintain animals not registered within the Agricultural Data Center. In order to watch the settlement course of, a strict management system was launched within the municipality.
Since the introduction of the brand new management system, the variety of dogs admitted to the shelter has decreased by a 3rd. But the quantity that “Ulubele” receives from the Riga City Council has halved.
The billionaire donor
Questions concerning the work of the shelter, that are associated to funding and its use, usually are not solely raised by the affiliation’s cooperation with the capital’s municipality, reported Latvian Radio. Ulubele additionally receives money from donors. In recent years, increasingly more folks donate to the shelter. Last 12 months donations had been greater than 580,000 euros. However, solely half of that quantity went to the animals and the upkeep of the shelter.
Since 2015, one among Ulubele’s most beneficiant donors has been a foreigner: Israeli-Canadian businessman, Mark Igal Scheinberg. In the final eight years, he has donated practically one million euros. According to Forbes journal, Scheinberg is a billionaire who made his fortune within the on-line playing business, and now has a world property empire. The “Paradise papers” leaked from the authorized agency “Appleby” reveal that his businesses are additionally intently related with the low tax zone of the Isle of Man, the place he formally resides, according to the Financial Post.
In the final two years, “Ulubele” has spent a lot of the donated money on authorized providers. Last 12 months it was 160,000 euros in accordance the annual experiences of Ulubele. The complete income of Ulubele final 12 months was 797,262 euros, whereas bills had been 771,846 euros.
Previously, the one regulation agency that supplied providers and was beforehand listed on the shelter’s web site is owned by Džonsone’s partner, Aivars Borovkovs. The firm register info additionally reveals that Ulubele usually palms on a part of the donation money to its basis ‘Animal Police’ (‘Dzīvnieku policija’). Both Džonsone and Borovkovs are on its board. In the previous few years, this affiliation has obtained greater than 200,000 euros from Ulubele.
However, within the Animal Police experiences, this money doesn’t seem as a donation, however as earnings. Therefore, the affiliation doesn’t should publicly report on their use.
When requested how the shelter copes with money issues, Johnson says: “Well, we attempt to break even, nevertheless it’s a really, very tough mission, as a result of one thing all the time breaks. If you have been in a position to do one thing, it is because of donations… We need assistance across the clock,” says Džonsone.
She says that she additionally doesn’t discriminate between donors based mostly on how they earn their earnings.
“We do not restrict donors in any means and we do not flip away any assist as a result of we simply cannot afford it. And I imagine that anybody — whether or not it is a cigarette vendor, a payday mortgage, an alcohol vendor, no matter, or a playing operator — if these businesses are authorized in Latvia, then we’ve got no cause to refuse assist!” She didn’t touch upon why Mark Scheinberg is such a very beneficiant donor.
The move of money each to and from Ulubele, in addition to the truth that using money can’t be simply traced, prompted Latvian Radio to hunt the opinion of the “Delna” transparency NGO . Its lawyer Krista Asmusa said: “It is evident that if on one aspect these funds are transferred as a donation and on the identical time they’re accepted differently, then it definitely raises additional questions.”
Asked concerning the shelter’s spending on authorized providers, Asmus stated, “It appears disproportionate, provided that it is an animal welfare organization, I actually personally do not perceive how one-third of the earnings will be dedicated to authorized providers.”
Photo: Baiba Kļava/Latvijas Radio
According to her, donors ought to understand how the organization spends their money. “Are these individuals who donate to Ulubele conscious that the funds go to a different basis, to not Ulubele?”
How does the primary establishment within the nation answerable for animal welfare – the Ministry of Agriculture (ZM) – assess the scenario with regard to donations to Ulubele? Agija Mediņa, head of its Animal Trade, Welfare and Feed Department, says: “People ought to consider the so-called commercials of every shelter – I’ll name it a gimmick or commercial – the place they ask for a donation for every animal.”
According to her, this follow additionally exists in different international locations, as a result of shelters have completely different funding fashions. “Each case should be evaluated individually, as a result of the struggling of animals can very properly have an effect on society. As quickly as we need to donate money to one thing, we should perceive who we’re donating to and for what function it is going to be used.”
Angela Naturina, who rescued Gerda and her eight puppies, believes that each shelters and establishments should be sure that animals find yourself with caring homeowners.
“It issues what palms the canine goes into,” says Angela. In her opinion, it shouldn’t be allowed that dogs are intentionally handed over to homeless folks. And it also needs to be extra strictly managed. “Just a query – how can it’s checked? Where is the perform, the place is the authority to confirm it?”
