Gerd Fischer, former Chairman of the Thuringia State Animal Welfare Federation of the German Animal Welfare Federation, passed away on August 30 at the age of 74. With his passing, animal welfare in Germany has lost a strong and consistent voice. The German Animal Welfare Federation, its regional association in Thuringia and all animal welfare activists organized in the German Animal Welfare Federation mourn with his family.
“Anyone who knew Gerd Fischer personally knows the great loss that his death means for German animal welfare. Gerd Fischer was an animal rights activist with heart and mind - his commitment will remain unforgotten. We mourn with his family,” condoles Thomas Schröder, President of the German Animal Welfare Federation. Kevin Schmidt, Chairman of the State Animal Welfare Federation of Thuringia, adds: “You can't use the word animal welfare in Thuringia without thinking of Gerd Fischer. With his always level-headed, realistic and fair manner, Gerd Fischer has achieved many important successes over the past decades. His path through life is paved with milestones for animal welfare, especially in Thuringia. We are eternally grateful for this.”
Gerd Fischer worked full-time as an office manager at the German Animal Welfare Federation and helped shape the work of the umbrella organization. During this time, he was instrumental in helping the German Animal Welfare Federation gain a foothold in the new federal states after reunification. At the same time, Gerd Fischer was also involved in voluntary work for 32 years: it was thanks to his commitment as Chairman of the Thuringia State Animal Welfare Federation from 1990 onwards that the state association and its influence in Thuringia were able to grow steadily. Starting with just three municipal animal shelters with limited capacity shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Fischer, in cooperation with the animal welfare department in the Ministry of Social Affairs, succeeded in establishing the association-run animal shelter business as Thuringia knows it today. Thanks to his massive efforts at a political level, in 1992 Thuringia became the first federal state in which animal welfare was given constitutional status. In his work, he initially focused in particular on the so-called wall dogs. After years of fighting, Gerd Fischer was also able to achieve the abolition of the so-called breed list in Thuringia in 2018. Fischer also demonstrated in Ukraine that animal welfare does not stop at borders: he played a key role in setting up the animal welfare and castration center in Odessa. As 1st Chairman of the Eisenach Animal Welfare Federation, Gerd Fischer strengthened practical animal welfare locally until his sudden death. The establishment of the local animal shelter remains his life's work.
