Suche
Mein Konto
Hamster abandoned in Rastatt: Police are looking for witnesses for animal cruelty!
In Rastatt, a hamster was abandoned at a bus stop and had to be euthanized due to its condition. The police are looking for witnesses.
Hamster abandoned in Rastatt: Police are looking for witnesses for animal cruelty!
In Rastatt, a hamster was abandoned at a bus stop in appalling conditions. According to the police, who reported on the incident meinka.de, the animal was without food and water for at least two days and has apparently been suffering from neglect for a long time. The little rodent had been abandoned along with its cage.
An attentive passer-by noticed the abandoned animal and immediately alerted the police. She immediately took the hamster to a veterinarian, where the animal's worrying health situation became apparent: the hamster was infested with many mites and maggots. Despite their best efforts, the vets had to euthanize the little friend due to his poor condition.
The legal environment
Abandoning animals in Germany is not only morally reprehensible, but also legally punishable. According to Section 26 Paragraph 1 Letter e of the Animal Protection Act, abandoning or abandoning an animal is classified as animal cruelty; both active abandonment and passive abandonment are prohibited by law, as the website tierimrecht.org makes clear. What is important here is not whether something actually happens to the animal, but rather the risk to its well-being by leaving it in an unsafe place.
The police are now looking for witnesses who can provide relevant information about the incident. Once again, we can only hope that such cruel acts do not go unpunished. As a current study shows, animal welfare crimes are rarely prosecuted in Germany and the convictions are often lenient, the outcome is often limited to fines, as also reported on lto.de.
Shocking statistics
In 2020, only 1,027 people were convicted of animal welfare offenses and a remarkable 95 percent of these convictions were for fines. Unfortunately, most cases are dropped and prison sentences are rarely given. A study has shown that there is often a lack of communication between public prosecutors and veterinary authorities, meaning that acts of cruelty to animals often go unreported.
This shameful fact is alarming, especially given the shocking reports of mistreatment in animal husbandry. So what about the consistent application of animal protection law? Many are already calling for comprehensive reform to make regulations more effective and fair.
The incident in Rastatt once again makes it clear that legal regulations alone are not enough to ensure the welfare of animals. It also requires community commitment and vigilance to detect and report animal welfare crimes early.