The seasonal curfew for cats, which came into force again on April 1 and was imposed by the Lower Nature Conservation Authority of the Rhine-Neckar District Office in the town of Walldorf a year ago, continues to cause outrage. The German Animal Welfare Federation has once again protested against the decision in a letter to the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of the Environment and the Karlsruhe Regional Council, among others.
"The order is crazy, short-sighted and does not solve the actual problem. After the native crested lark population was deprived of habitat and food for so long that only two breeding pairs remained in Walldorf, cats now have to pay for the failure of humans. The curfew causes unacceptable stress for both the animals concerned and their owners. Anyone who disregards cat protection is not an animal rights activist, I wouldn't even say a species conservationist," criticizes Thomas Schröder, President of the German Animal Welfare Federation. "We would also have liked the mayor to take a clearer stance on this. We support the local animal welfare association in its fight against the order. The order must be withdrawn."
GENERAL RULING WITHOUT A PROFESSIONAL BASIS
The official decision was made very suddenly last year and without sufficient prior public participation. Furthermore, no experts in the field of animal welfare - such as the state animal welfare officer, animal welfare organizations or specialist vets - were involved in either the drafting or the review of the order. Furthermore, the ruling cannot be based on any reliable data on the number of deaths of small mammals and birds in Baden-Württemberg, Germany and the EU that are clearly attributable to cats. "A brief internet search is not enough to legitimize such cruel restrictions," says Schröder.
ANIMAL WELFARE AND SPECIES PROTECTION ONLY GO HAND IN HAND
The German Animal Welfare Federation points out that the decline of species such as the crested lark and many other bird species has been proven to be primarily due to the destruction of nature and the loss of habitats and food, including through the intensification of agriculture, increased development of fallow land, soil sealing through road construction and insect mortality. "Anyone who breaks down the complex issue into a simple 'bird versus cat' or 'species versus animal welfare' conflict is ducking the responsibility that we humans bear for all animals, playing two immensely important concerns off against each other and ultimately harming both," Schröder makes clear. "The national goal of animal welfare applies equally to all animals. There is no such thing as second-class animals. Meaningful and serious species protection can therefore only go hand in hand with animal welfare and compassion for the individual animal."
GUIDELINES
Together with the German Legal Society for Animal Protection Law and its Baden-Württemberg state association, the German Animal Welfare Federation prepared a legal opinion on the Walldorf general ruling in 2022.
