Our Victories for Animals

Real achievements in the protection of animals

Since its establishment, CAAI has been working consistently to put an end to cruelty against animals in industry and to bring about legislative change. Below are some of our most significant achievements over the years:

2018
Launched a National Citizens Initiative to ban fur farming.

📄  51,234 signatures were collected and officially submitted to the Bulgarian Parliament.

2022
Ban on the mink import and breeding in Bulgaria

The Ministry of Environment and Water issued an order banning the import and breeding of American mink in Bulgaria.
The ban was appealed by mink farmers in court.

2023
“Fur Free Europe” – Strong Public Support

The European Citizens’ Initiative “Fur Free Europe” collected 1.5 million signatures across the EU.
Together with partner organisations, CAAI contributed 77,506 signatures from Bulgaria.
Based on signatures per capita, Bulgaria ranked 6th among all 27 EU Member States.

2024
500 Animals Saved from Educational Experiments Every Year

A cooperation agreement was signed between:

  • Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Forestry

  • Doctors Against Animal Experiments (Germany)

  • International Network for Humane Education (InterNICHE)

  • KAZHI

🤝 As a result, 500 animals per year are spared from experiments for educational purposes.

2025
March
Exposure of an International Animal Abuse Network

Following a report and investigation by CAAI, two Bulgarian nationals were identified as creators of an international network producing pornographic videos involving violence against animals.

2025
June
Final Victory Against Mink Farming in Bulgaria

The Supreme Administrative Court issued a final ruling upholding the 2022 ban on the breeding and import of American mink.
Earlier that year, the last mink fur farm in Bulgaria closed down.
This saves the lives of up to 128,000 mink every year.

2025
July
Crimes against animals in Bulgaria now facing harsher punishments

Bulgaria has taken a historic step toward strengthening animal protection with the entry into force of amendments to the Criminal Code. The changes introduce higher fines and prison sentences of up to 12 years for extreme cruelty toward animals.

2025
July
American mink added to the EU List of Invasive Alien Species

The most commonly farmed species of animal for its fur has now been added to the EU List of Invasive Alien Species. This will make it impossible to establish new mink farms and will further reduce the scale of this industry. We have achieved this success thanks to our membership and joint work with Eurogroup for Animals and Fur Free Alliance.

2025
November
International Investigation in Brazil

CAAI participated in uncovering an organized network producing pornographic videos involving violence against animals in Brazil.

2025
December
CAAI won a campaign award from the Bulgarian Biodiversity Foundation

We are happy that we won an award from the Bulgarian Biodiversity Foundation – for the ban on the import and breeding of American mink in Bulgaria.

2026
February
Further Criminal Network Uncovered in the town of Svishtov

Following a report and investigation by CAAI, two more Bulgarian nationals were identified as creators of videos involving the torture and killing of animals.