Bucharest’s prefect, Mihai Atanasoaiei declared on Wednesday that the issue of stray dogs needs to be fixed in such a way to protect both the people and the animals, news agency Agerpres reports. In a debate over stray dogs in a Committee, part of the Chamber of Deputies, the prefect said that such decisions need to be taken by local authorities.

Atanasoaiei said that the Parliament needs to find a formula to help authorities pick up stray dogs from the streets, following various violent incidents involving stray dogs, some of them causing the death of the people involved.

He added that his main priority is the people, whom he has a duty to protect and underlined that a solution for the problem needs to include both the people and the dogs’ interests. President of the Committee, Sulfina Barbu said that the safety of citizens needs to be a priority but without breaching the rights of the dogs.