Oscar winning American actress Hillary Swank was in Bucharest last week, and joined the growing list of celebrities to support Romania's 'cause célèbre' – the stray dogs. Swank said in an interview with Romanian daily Adevărul that her involvement with animal charity Vier Pfoten brought her to the city. “I joined them and asked them where would be the best place to go to support their efforts. They said: Romania!” said Hillary Swank, quoted by Adevărul. The actress spent the day visiting schools and institutions where the charity works, using rescued dogs to work with children and disabled people.

"Since animals have no voice of their own, they need a voice like mine to speak for them," said Swank. She believes strongly in the humane treatment of stray animals and supports animal rights causes around the world. When asked about the problem in Bucharest, Swank pointed out that there are stray dog issues in cities around the world, highlighting China, Indonesia and also the US, where many strays are put down if not claimed within ten days.

Liam Lever, liam@romania-insider.com