The German Animal Welfare Federation celebrated the 20th anniversary of its Weidefeld Animal Welfare Center in Kappeln an der Schlei (Schleswig-Holstein) at the weekend. The facility, which is unique in Germany, is both a rescue and care center for domestic and wild animals in need as well as a training and information center. Over the past two decades, the animal welfare activists have taken in and cared for around 6,800 animals there - including many confiscated exotic animals that come from cruel private homes and for which animal shelters often lack space, money or the necessary expertise. There are currently over 400 animals living on the former military site. In addition to sponsors and donors, the Schleswig-Holstein Minister of Agriculture Werner Schwarz and Kappeln's mayor Joachim Stoll also congratulated the organization at the anniversary celebration.
"We are proud of the decades of successful animal welfare work at the Weidefeld Animal Welfare Center and would like to thank all the dedicated sponsors and the many animal-loving donors who make this extraordinary project possible," says Thomas Schröder, President of the German Animal Welfare Federation. "At the same time, however, this anniversary is also saddening: every animal here is a memorial to the ignorance of people who keep animals like living furnishings regardless of their species-specific needs. And as long as politicians avoid tackling the problem preventively, it will get bigger rather than smaller - more than ever, Weidefeld is a refuge for animals that cannot find a place in normal animal shelters."
SPECIALIZED ANIMAL WELFARE SOLUTIONS SUPPORT ANIMAL SHELTERS
The animal welfare work in Weidefeld near Kappeln an der Schlei began long before the official opening of the center: The 13-hectare site acquired by the German Animal Welfare Federation in 1995 provided the opportunity for a seabird rescue operation in 1998: after an oil spill on the North Sea, the animal welfare activists cared for 330 oiled seabirds. The animal welfare center was officially opened in 2003. Since then, the facility has been constantly expanded and adapted to acute needs with creative animal welfare solutions. The practical solutions to current animal welfare issues that are developed here benefit other animal welfare facilities throughout the country. The Lissi Lüdemann House, for example, where particularly difficult shelter dogs are treated and trained with a great deal of patience so that they can ultimately be placed with experienced owners, has been there from the very beginning. In this way, Weidefeld is also helping the increasing number of animal shelters that are acutely dealing with dogs that are difficult to place. A monkey house was added in 2011 and the reptile station was built in 2016, which is now home to around 170 animals. In 2019, the ruffed bear brothers Serenus and Balou and the brown bears Maya, Ronja and Mascha moved into the animal welfare center after the lease on their original home, the Anholter Bärenwald, could not be extended. There was a new arrival in March 2022: Malvina the ruffed bear, who had to be evacuated from a sanctuary near Kiev. All of the bears originally came from poor conditions - in Weidefeld they have found a safe, bear-friendly home. The center is also a training facility for animal keepers and a recognized volunteer site for the Voluntary Ecological Year.
VISITORS ARE WELCOME
The Weidefeld Animal Welfare Center is not an animal park or zoo, but interested visitors are nevertheless expressly welcome: Anyone who would like to see the work of the center for themselves can take part in a free guided tour every Monday to Thursday at 1.30 p.m. and Friday at 9.30 a.m. until October. Participation should be registered in advance by telephone (04642/987253) or e-mail (info(at)tierschutzzentrum-weidefeld.de).
