Balkan Locals Help Wildlife Survive Winter Freeze

With icy, sub-zero temperatures gripping the Balkans and imperiling many birds and animals, wildlife protection organisations and volunteers are battling to help them survive the savage weather.

The media in both Serbia and Croatia are encouraging ordinary people to make their own dog houses from cardboard, construction foil and Styrofoam.

In the Serbian capital, Belgrade, the city's Stari Grad neighbourhood has meanwhile set up special dog houses with blankets and food inside, to help the city's stray dogs get through the freeze.

Opštinsko mini-prihvatilište za pse je primilo prvu gošću! ???#cuvamoStarigrad #zima2017 pic.twitter.com/F3tzceCPTt

— Čuvamo Stari grad (@CuvamoStarigrad) January 12, 2017

In the Croatian capital, Zagreb, the city asylum for animals at Bizovec has called on people to donate new or used blankets of all kinds, so they can keep their stray dogs and cats protected from frost in their cages.

As part of its "Winter Warm for All" campaign, the asylum said blankets are vital for keeping animals "warm while they await their new homes".

"Winter has shown its teeth, and dogs, especially puppies, need a warm place to sleep. We, therefore, ask citizens to organise themselves in their neighbourhoods among their friends, relatives, in schools or firms where they work ... Make something useful for others, because it won't cost you anything and will make you feel good," the animal welfare centre said.

Another shelter for animals in the Croatian city of Rijeka has called for donations of blankets and straw, which is also excellent for isolation from the cold.

NGOs are warning people that stray cats like to sleep near the warm engines of cars on the streets, to keep warm themselves.