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Features
- All Aboard: The No. 32 Tram
- Another great book about Romania in English
- Bucharest For Football Fans
- Bucharest In Your Pocket: 10 Years Old
- Bucharest Metro Challenge
- Bucharest Monopoly
- Carol I: Romania's First King
- Children's Bucharest
- December 1: Marea Unire
- Great books about Romania in English
- No Such Thing as Bad Press
- Rediscover Bucharest: Calea Victoriei
- Romanian Food
- Snagov, Caldarusani & Mogosoaia
- Stray Dogs in Bucharest
- Sunday Brunch in Bucharest
- The Bucharest Earthquake of 1977
- The Bucharest Metro
- The Smoking Issue
- The Transfagarasan Highway
Links
More features:
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Snagov, Caldarusani & Mogosoaia
When it comes to day trips out of the capital, Bucharest offers up a pretty woeful selection of sights.... -
Stray Dogs in Bucharest
Bucharest was once again in the news for all the wrong reasons at the end of January 2011 after a woman was mauled to death by stray dogs in the south of the Romanian capital.... -
Romanian Food
Let’s face it, nobody travels to Romania for the food. As with much of the Balkans the vast majority of what’s on offer is a localised - yet often vastly improved - version of Turkish cuisine, with Hungarian and Germanic influences clearly discernable in Transylvania.... -
Children's Bucharest
Bucharest is not the greatest city in the world to visit with children. The major problem is that the vast majority of the city’s museums – with a couple of honourable and notable exceptions - are dull, offer no interactivity and little to captivate little minds.... -
December 1: Marea Unire
December 1, Marea Unire (The Great Union) is currently Romania’s National Holiday.It is celebrated in Bucharest with a somewhat pompous, Cold War-style military parade through the capital that starts up at Casa Scanteii around 11:00 and usually circles around the Arc de Triumf.... -
No Such Thing as Bad Press
In 2000 the marketing director of a very well known telecoms company (it was the green one, back then) told us in no uncertain terms that he would never, ever advertise in Bucharest In Your Pocket because ‘our vision of Bucharest does not match yours.... -
Rediscover Bucharest: Calea Victoriei
No street in Bucharest has a history to match that of Calea Victoriei, the city’s most famous thoroughfare which runs - much as it has for more than three centuries - from Piata Victoriei in the north of the city all the way down to Piata Natiunilor Unite and the Dambovita river.... -
The Bucharest Earthquake of 1977
At 21:22, on the evening of March 4, 1977, Bucharest was hit by an earthquake measuring a whopping 7.... -
Sunday Brunch in Bucharest
Sunday Brunch is an integral part of living in Bucharest, and a genuine expat institution. All of the major hotels have their own brunch, and have clients who have been loyal to them for years.... -
The Bucharest Metro
It’s not the biggest underground railway system in the world, it isn’t the prettiest, and it certainly isn’t the most efficient.... -
The Smoking Issue
In May, flying in the face of what the rest of the civilised world is up to, Romania actually softened its existing anti-smoking rules.... -
Carol I: Romania's First King
Few visitors to Bucharest will leave without seeing the enormous horseback statue of Carol I - the first king of modern Romania - which appeared in front of the University Library in Piata Revolutiei at the end of 2010.... -
The Transfagarasan Highway
Some 40km east of Sibiu, the DN7C, also known as the Transfagarasan Highway, branches off the road to Brasov, heading straight for the towering Fagaras Mountain range.... -
Another great book about Romania in English
Along the Enchanted WayBy William BlackerApparently, in 1997, planes bound for Romania departed from the great media and financial centres of the western world carrying a sinister cargo: slick advertising executives hell bent on selling Romania’s dirt poor yet blissfully happy peasants all sorts of evil goods (such as – God forbid – shampoo) that they ‘neither needed nor wanted....
Stray Dogs in Bucharest
Bucharest was once again in the news for all the wrong reasons at the end of January 2011 after a woman was mauled to death by stray dogs in the south of the Romanian capital.
To paraphrase Mark Twain, the headline ‘Woman Mauled to Death By Stray Dogs in Romanian Capital’ had flown half-way around the world before the Minister of Tourism Elena Udrea - trying so hard to improve Romania’s image abroad - had even put her designer boots on.
For however much money will be spent on promoting Romania and Bucharest this year, what will people remember most? That’s right: the woman being mauled to death by stray dogs. It’s a shame, for while there are of course tens of thousands of dogs on the streets (who bite an average 75 people a day), the woman’s death is a tragic yet isolated case. (It’s been more than five years since dogs last killed somebody - a Japanese businessman - in Bucharest).
Yet while it would be incorrect and misleading to say (as some have) that ‘killer dogs roam Bucharest’s streets,’ there remains a genuine need for something to be done about this very real and often startling, even scary (for children especially) pest. We can only hope that the latest tragedy will finally goad the city council into finding a decisive solution to the problem.
Meantime, we suggest that you keep your wits about you and simply avoid any contact with stray dogs (which, it should be said, are found in far fewer numbers in the city centre than the suburbs). Do what we do: cross the road to avoid them, take detours.
And should the worst happen, go straight to the nearest hospital (the best Emergency Room in the capital is at Calea Floreasca 8: closest tube Stefan cel Mare) for rabies jabs. The vast majority (in fact, probably all) of Romania’s strays are rabies free: we suggest you take the side of precaution, however.
Update & Response
In the interests of objectivity, we were happy to publish a reply to some of our posts on the Bucharest stray dog issue, written by David Newall, of the Romanian Animal Welfare Coalition (RAWC), who puts forward the case for neutering, education and … street cleaning, and argues that mass killing is not the answer.
You can read David's article here.
To paraphrase Mark Twain, the headline ‘Woman Mauled to Death By Stray Dogs in Romanian Capital’ had flown half-way around the world before the Minister of Tourism Elena Udrea - trying so hard to improve Romania’s image abroad - had even put her designer boots on.
For however much money will be spent on promoting Romania and Bucharest this year, what will people remember most? That’s right: the woman being mauled to death by stray dogs. It’s a shame, for while there are of course tens of thousands of dogs on the streets (who bite an average 75 people a day), the woman’s death is a tragic yet isolated case. (It’s been more than five years since dogs last killed somebody - a Japanese businessman - in Bucharest).
Yet while it would be incorrect and misleading to say (as some have) that ‘killer dogs roam Bucharest’s streets,’ there remains a genuine need for something to be done about this very real and often startling, even scary (for children especially) pest. We can only hope that the latest tragedy will finally goad the city council into finding a decisive solution to the problem.
Meantime, we suggest that you keep your wits about you and simply avoid any contact with stray dogs (which, it should be said, are found in far fewer numbers in the city centre than the suburbs). Do what we do: cross the road to avoid them, take detours.
And should the worst happen, go straight to the nearest hospital (the best Emergency Room in the capital is at Calea Floreasca 8: closest tube Stefan cel Mare) for rabies jabs. The vast majority (in fact, probably all) of Romania’s strays are rabies free: we suggest you take the side of precaution, however.
Update & Response
In the interests of objectivity, we were happy to publish a reply to some of our posts on the Bucharest stray dog issue, written by David Newall, of the Romanian Animal Welfare Coalition (RAWC), who puts forward the case for neutering, education and … street cleaning, and argues that mass killing is not the answer.
You can read David's article here.
This is NOT the fault of the dog..this is down to mankind, yet, as always, its the dogs that suffer. I am the very proud owner of a dog that was rescued from Romania, she was rescued and fostered whilst having her checks and jabs and brought into the UK...and i could not wish for a more beautiful and rewarding dog. She is one of the lucky ones that get picked up and rehomed. It breaks my heart knowing so many never get that chance.
When I went to visit Romania I took my wife and 3 year old daughter. my wife and I wanted to slow down the pace and spend a Sunday afternoon in a local park. We were feeding some ducks when 3 dogs came out from behind some trees and tried to grab the bag from my wife. When she tried to push it away one of the other dogs bit her badly. she needed 14 stitches to close the wound. If we had these kinds of dogs living in our parks I'm thinking they would have been put to sleep. I just thank god they didnt go after our daughter Katie
I cani randagi a Bucarest sono molto pericolosi. Sono stato aggredito molte volte e da allora non ci vado più in Romania. Anche altri conoscenti hanno rinunciato alle ferie in Romania. Il turismo avrà da perdere. Secondo me non sono normali le persone che amano più un cane di un bambino. Sembrano impazziti con le loro incessanti richieste di soldi per i cani. Ma smettetela : non darò mai un soldo per i cani che mi condizionano la vita e mi terrorizzano.
Stray dog lovers, tell me one thing. What fault does a 10 year old kid have when s/he's playing in the park and suddenly gets attacked by stray dogs ? What fault does an 80 year-old woman living in the countryside have if she has to walk the same road packed with aggressive dogs everyday? I'm telling you: none.I am a very peaceful person who will never hurt anyone or anything, I am always walking, minding my own business, but those monsters will attack no matter if you bother them or not.So tell me please, what should I do?Because getting mutilated by a dog is by no means in my plans for the future.If you love them, take them home with you, keep them in your yard or whatever.We must have them killed or have them "dog lovers" paying for dog's food and shelter, but either way we must keep them off the streets.Welcome to Romania. Been living here since forever, still wondering how the hell we got in the EU.
I think the dogs in Romania are extremely dangerous. I was attacked several times and I prefer to never go back to that country.The dogs in Romania are wilde and aggressive.
comment for "AW"Dear "friend" unfortunatelly I don't see any difference between you and a stray dog. A human being is defined to be rational and to have feelings comparing to animals which don't. Even if you try to expose your facts as self-defense your pleasure to kill is obvious and cannot be hidden. Perhaps it's in american blood to kill other beings and to be proud of it. I'm sorry to say this because I've met american people with understanding and feelings but it's rarelier and rarelier... You should stay home in your "advanced" country or maybe kill yourself would be a better option for humanity... From your "idiot" romanian friend.
Dear "Anon"First of all don't be so cowardly and make your name public. How will you ever command respect from others if you are afraid to attach your own name to your views?Secondly if you are male don't use the "she asked for it" argument when comparing killing stray dogs who do not exhibit the same predatory behavior that some men exhibit toward women. I am a woman and I know male predatory behavior toward women. If a human uses his or her intelligence vis-a-vis a dog he or she is very unlikely to be bitten by a dog. A woman ultmately cannot use her intelligence against a man who is determined to sexually assault her.Thirdly read the evidence on spay neuter. There is too much evidence that shows that it does work. I worked on spay-neuter efforts in the Washington DC area in the 1990s and it did make a difference. Killing dogs en masses has not worked over the years; there is much evidence to show that this method does not work. If you did your research you would know the facts.Fourthly I am all too well aware that my own animal rescue efforts in thirty years in Eastern Europe were a "drop in the bucket." Who are you to lecture me about them?For your own sake anon acquire some humility.
I have been to Bucharest many times. I always carry a folding hunting knife - 4 inch blade - and I have used it 5 times when I have been approached by dogs. Simple, if a dog gets close enough the bite me, I slash it. I don't know how many of the 5 died as they were able to run away, but I assume all died of their wounds. A dead stray dog is a good stray dog. Romanians are idiots with this dog problem.
@Letitia"So things do happen. In most cases, trouble can be avoided if the human is smarter than the dog. "Yea, she's just asking for it wearing a skirt that short. Right? Blaming the victims of stray dog attacks is low. And I'm afraid the data doesn't support your no-kill argument either. Since outlawing euthanisia, Italy has seen a rising stray population, meanwhile Cyprus which stuck to it's guns is pretty much dog free. I'm glad you've saved "hundreds" of dogs over 14 years, but we are talking about hundreds of THOUSANDS in Bucharest alone.
"I have no recollection of the canine species having joined the human species, thus I do not see how human children can be considered "pests". Human society is built for humans to thrive along with nature, but not to be inconvenienced by it to the point of allowing members of the human species to be mutilated or even killed."
I was in several Romanian cities and there is indeed a dog problem there - the mayor in the city Roman got it more or less under control - but in Bucharest I saw plent of them. There is no money to feed and keep dogs - culling them would be indeed the "best option".
The main problem is why the Mayor/Government support the massive slaughterness of these innocent (most of them) dogs, instead of keeping them into special fields, promote the adoptions, and esterilize the female. They´re the most responsible of the suffer of all of these thousands of dogs, and also responsible about the damages some of these animals could do.
I have dealt with hundreds of stray dogs during 14 years of living in various Eastern European countries. I used to feed small colonies of them and sponsored the shipment of dozens of them from St. Petersburg, Russia to the Frankfurt, Germany shelter. Not once have I ever been bitten. That said, a lot of people don't know how to behave around animals, and in packs dogs can acquire another psychology. So things do happen. In most cases, trouble can be avoided if the human is smarter than the dog.Your call for a "decisive solution" to the problem harkens all too quickly to massive culling and the inhumane measure that the Bucurest city authorities have used to control the stray dog population in the past. "Typical" Romanian dog control also tarnishes the country's image.I take umbrage to IYP's labeling these dogs "pests." This is an entirely man-made problem; these dogs did nothing to deserve their cruel fate on the streets. It's unfair to call them "pests." Do you also label the glue-sniffing street children of Bucurest "pests?" How about a more englightened attitude, IYP.