For the past three weeks, as a part of the morning meetings, we have been discussing the cow problem of our town. I've posted pictures before of the cows in the garbage and just roaming around, seemingly wherever they please. Well, the Summer of 2012 marks the stop of that. Although, for the most part the cows are harmless, they are causing damage to the town. Breaking parts off of the steps, spreading garbage everywhere and being an unwanted attraction for tourist and passer throughs. Some towns in Albania have the same problem with pigs. Property rights, land and other, are very blurry here.
Now before the cows were addressed, the stray dogs were. At one point in time I counted a pack of 23 dogs, all together. When night falls, for some reason these dog's pack mentality becomes stronger and their brains are set on full on attack mode. One day I went into work and wasn't strongly advised not to go out after dark that week but was downright ordered not to because after the clock struck midnight, workers would be on the hunt for the dogs. I spare you the head count but needless to say, the stray cows can't be handled like that because they actually belong to someone. Luckily, the little puppy I feed hotdogs to is still around. Unluckily, the dog outside my bedroom window that likes to bark at 5:00am every morning to get fed is still there. And the rooster that crows at 3:00am.
Today's meeting became a little dramatic because the police feel like it's not their job to keep watch over the cows they do collect and place in a fence area 24/7. Some people think the cows aren't a problem and actually like them. Some people think they should be handled like the dogs. Either way, visible change is something that the new administration has been very successful with and wants to keep it that way. Hopefully the Cow Conflict of 2012 will be taken care of and addressed properly before it becomes pushimë or vacation time for the summer.
