Serbian Center Cares for Old, Forgotten Animals

Serbian Center Cares for Old, Forgotten Animals

　　Serbian Zeljko Ilicic saved his first horse from death 12 years ago and found his calling.

　　Ilicic is now 43. He set up the Balkan country's only horse sanctuary¹ in 2015. It is found on a small piece of land in Lapovo in Central Serbia.

　　The sanctuary is called Old Hill. In the Serbian language, it is Staro Brdo. Around 80 horses have passed through it over the years. Ilicic has taken in tortured, old, and abused horses. But he also takes those that had lived well but could no longer be looked after by caretakers.

　　Animal care is an ongoing² difficulty in Serbia. The country has little money and struggles with corruption³ after years of crisis and conflict in the 1990s.

　　While officials run shelters for dogs, there are no state-supported places for horses. Ilicic's sanctuary today provides shelter and care for many animals.

　　"I witnessed the sad destiny of a horse that was about to be put down," he said, recalling the first animal he saved. "I decided⁴ to try to bring him back to life and to keep him if he survived. And he did."

　　One of Ilicic's favorite horses over the years, he said, was a local race winner that eventually died peacefully of old age.

　　Another, now 28, was in a number of Serbian movies before retiring to the sanctuary. The horse struggles to move its legs because of a disease called arthritis⁶.

　　Some horses end up in a place where they are "neither a pet nor a working machine" on farms, he said. So, they become difficult for people to keep.

　　Violeta Jovic works at the sanctuary. She remembers a time in 2020 when officials stopped a truck filled with over 20 illegally transported horses. The horses were on their way to be killed.

　　She said they were all in bad condition but that the sanctuary found new homes for most of them. Three of the horses remained under their care.

　　"This is no longer volunteerism, or a hobby, or a job," she added. "This has become my life."

　　The sanctuary tries to find new homes for as many animals as possible to ensure there is always space for new ones. When a horse is ready for a new home, the sanctuary starts looking for possible caretakers.

　　Staro Brdo today looks after many different kinds of animals. Those animals include nine horses, two donkeys, a buffalo⁷, seven pigs, and several cats, dogs, and chickens. The sounds of different animal noises fill the small sanctuary when visitors arrive.

　　Among the animals are seven cats that were found as babies in a closed plastic bag, and seven baby Yorkshire pigs that were rescued from a waste center. Now, they are fully⁵ grown animals that enjoy being with people.

　　The sanctuary operates on donations. But Ilicic said he hopes to become self-supporting through different programs, including therapy riding.

　　So far, Serbian officials have helped by repairing local roads. And Ilicic has worked with officials to support the health of animals that people in the area keep. But there is still no system to register his sanctuary as an official horse sanctuary.

　　He said, "We are the only ones in the Balkans at the moment and we hope that, in time, we will be recognized by the state."

　　Words in This Story

　　sanctuary – n. an area where wild birds or animals are protected and encouraged to produce young

　　destiny – n. what happens to somebody or what will happen to them in the future, especially things that they cannot change or avoid

　　arthritis – n. a disease that causes one or more joints⁸ of the body to become painful and swollen⁹

　　pet – n. an animal that a person keeps at home for pleasure, rather than one that is kept for work or food

　　hobby – n. an activity that a person does for pleasure when not working

　　therapy – n. treatment of either physical or mental health problems, usually through means other than medication

1 sanctuary   

n.圣所，圣堂，寺庙；禁猎区，保护区

参考例句：

• There was a sanctuary of political refugees behind the hospital.医院后面有一个政治难民的避难所。
• Most countries refuse to give sanctuary to people who hijack aeroplanes.大多数国家拒绝对劫机者提供庇护。

2 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

3 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

4 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

5 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

6 arthritis   

n.关节炎

参考例句：

• Rheumatoid arthritis has also been linked with the virus.风湿性关节炎也与这种病毒有关。
• He spent three months in the hospital with acute rheumatic arthritis.他患急性风湿性关节炎，在医院住了三个月。

7 buffalo   

n.(北美)野牛；(亚洲)水牛

参考例句：

• Asian buffalo isn't as wild as that of America's. 亚洲水牛比美洲水牛温顺些。
• The boots are made of buffalo hide. 这双靴子是由水牛皮制成的。

8 joints   

接头( joint的名词复数 )； 关节； 公共场所（尤指价格低廉的饮食和娱乐场所） （非正式）； 一块烤肉 （英式英语）

参考例句：

• Expansion joints of various kinds are fitted on gas mains. 各种各样的伸缩接头被安装在煤气的总管道上了。
• Expansion joints of various kinds are fitted on steam pipes. 各种各样的伸缩接头被安装在蒸气管道上了。

9 swollen   

adj.肿大的，水涨的；v.使变大，肿胀

参考例句：

• Her legs had got swollen from standing up all day.因为整天站着，她的双腿已经肿了。
• A mosquito had bitten her and her arm had swollen up.蚊子叮了她，她的手臂肿起来了。