Cats in danger: why hunters are allowed to kill in Germany!

Cats in danger: why hunters are allowed to kill in Germany!

In Germany, an alarming trend becomes clear: thousands of cats are legally shot by hunters every year, often under cruel circumstances. A shocking case from Schleswig-Holstein recently attracted public attention when the hangover Gismo was found dead in the snow by his owner, with an obvious bullet hole. According to his owner, the hangover was shot by a hunter. But the incident is not only there, because as schwaebische.de are allowed in many federal countries, under certain conditions. While in some areas such as Saarland the shooting of pets has been banned since 2014, cats can be shot from the next building in other federal states at a distance of up to 500 meters because they are considered "wild".

the legal bases

The Federal Hunting Act forms the legal basis for this practice, which is intended to ensure the "protection of the game" from attacking pets. A researcher of the German Animal Welfare Association makes it clear that the fear of wild cats is largely unfounded and appeals to the responsibility of the pet owners not to have their animals roamed unattended. However, the NABU expresses concerns about the "poaching", especially for birds, and blenders the hunters responsible for such acts, as peta.de . It is estimated that around 200,000 cats are killed in Germany annually, whereby only five federal states can lead detailed statistics.

The situation is becoming increasingly critical, since the killings of cats come across the population to broad rejection. Many owners report heavy emotional trauma after the loss of their animals. Despite these massive protests and the demand for a pet protection law, the legal situation for many cats in Germany remains threatening. Expert: Warning inside warn that killings are not a sustainable solution. Instead, they call for the introduction of a castration obligation to stop the uncontrolled propagation of cats and thus reduce the suffering of the animals.