About Us
Making a difference for animal welfare in Albania
Animal Rescue Albania is a leading animal welfare organization dedicated to protecting animals in Albania through rescue, rehabilitation, advocacy, and legal reform. Beyond frontline rescue work, the organization has played a pivotal role in driving systemic change, most notably by initiating the landmark citizen petition #1ligj4putra to criminalize animal abuse, abandonment, and killing in the Criminal Code.
Animal Rescue Albania actively monitors the enforcement of animal protection laws, collaborates with international partners, and engages government institutions to strengthen legal frameworks, aiming to ensure that acts of cruelty toward animals are properly investigated, prosecuted, and no longer go unpunished.
Our Story
In October 2017, a video was published on Facebook showing two teenagers in Albania killing a dog by hitting it on the head with an axe, solely to post the act online.
The video reached our page and we publicly denounced it. It sparked massive outrage in public opinion, and we received many reactions urging us to do more. After a large protest, we decided to use a constitutional provision that allows at least 20,000 adult citizens to submit a petition to Parliament requesting the approval of a law.
In a record time of just one month, we collected around 55,000 signatures. Based on this, we drafted several provisions to the Penal Code that criminalized violence against and the killing of animals.
In 2019, Parliament approved part of these provisions, making history, as it was the first time in Albania that the Penal Code recognized violence against and the killing of animals as criminal offenses.
The story of Bardhi (as we named the white puppy who was killed) served at least one good cause: the future protection of animals in Albania. Our organization considers this moment the peak of its activity and a major achievement.
Meet The Team
Founding members
Juliana Shiroka
Indrit Osmani
Julia Guga
Jonel Kristo
Rezart Gurashi
Ankinoda Papa
Enea Lepuri
Arlinda Gjata
Mariza Bytyçi
Julia Baftjari
Anila Muçmata
