About eighteen months ago, I received an email from Bosnia and Herzegovina sent by IOV member, Dr. Ruzica Soldo. In it, she explained that a project was underway near her hometown of Siroki Brijeg to build an animal sanctuary to protect and, hopefully, propagate the few remaining specimens of a breed of small cow, horse and donkey found only in Herzegovina. The animals were once commonplace, but during the Bosnian War the breeds almost disappeared.

In subsequent emails from Ruzica, I learned that land for the sanctuary had been purchased and a water system installed. Local and regional governments had given money for the project and construction had begun.