Building Public Trust through Animal Welfare Governance: A One Health–One Welfare Case Study of the Ierapetra Municipal Police and its Impact on Tourist Perceptions

Introduction:
Animal-welfare governance is increasingly recognized as an essential component of One Health and One Welfare, particularly in tourism-dependent regions where visitor wellbeing and destination image are influenced by animal-related incidents. This study examines how the Municipal Police of Ierapetra, Crete, a municipality with consistently high levels of companion-animal registration (217 per 1,000 residents), functions as an evidence-based example of municipal One Health and One Welfare implementation.

Methods:
A mixed-methods case-study design was applied. Official operational records from the Municipal Police (3,500 animal-related cases from 2010 to 2024) were analyzed to assess enforcement activity, incident types, and welfare outcomes. In addition, 32 tourist testimonies collected from May to October 2024 were examined through reflexive thematic analysis to explore emotional responses, perceived safety, and trust in local authorities. Several participants referred spontaneously to experiences in other Cretan municipalities, providing naturalistic comparative material. Quantitative and qualitative findings were integrated through triangulation.

Results:
During 2024, the Municipal Police handled 566 animal-related cases, representing 40.3 percent of its annual workload, responded to 78 percent of urgent incidents within 24 hours, and provided direct or indirect assistance to approximately 1,850 animals. Tourist testimonies revealed a consistent emotional pattern: initial distress when witnessing mistreated or suffering animals, followed by clear relief and increased trust after municipal intervention. Participants frequently associated timely and humane action with a more positive perception of Ierapetra as a destination, while insufficient responses in other municipalities were linked to ongoing distress and reduced intention to revisit.

Conclusions:
The findings show that structured municipal enforcement can implement One Health and One Welfare in practice by improving animal-welfare outcomes, reducing visitor distress, and strengthening public trust. This case offers a transferable governance model for Mediterranean and European tourist destinations seeking to integrate animal-welfare management into sustainable tourism strategies.