Action movie star Jean-Claude Van Damme has come to the rescue of a three-month-old Chihuahua after a legal dispute between Norway and Bulgaria.
A dog named Raiya was sold to new owners in Nawayway in September but officials there did not register him because he traveled on a fake Bulgarian passport.
Norway tried to take the animal back but Bulgaria refused to take it back due to EU rules on the transport of live animals, the dog suffered from an incurable disease – until the legend of the Belgian film became involved.
Van Damme, known for his martial arts action films, launched an emotional campaign on social media, including a selfie embracing his Chihuahua, which eventually convinced the Bulgarian Food Safety Authority to accept the dog back.
“I request, please, for my birthday, the Food Safety Authority, change your decision,” Van Dumme submitted a petition to save the dog, wrote over the weekend.
“They made a mistake, people who didn’t do the paperwork properly … but they can’t kill that little Chihuahua.”
The Food Safety Authority says Rhea will undergo a medical examination when she returns to Bulgaria and will be placed for adoption.
Yavar Gichev of the animal rights group Four Paws told AFP on Monday that Bulgaria should be congratulated for showing flexibility but called for tougher controls on illegal breeders and animal traffickers.
“Exporting pets from east to west and northern Europe is a lucrative business,” he said.
The dog’s forged passport meant he would have been put down under Norwegian law on November 20.
Raiya’s misunderstanding coincides with the story of Panka Guy, who was sentenced to death in May 2018 after straying on Bulgaria’s border with Serbia.
Panka was rescued due to an international campaign in his defense, which was linked to former Beetle Paul Paul C. Cartier.
