Animal cruelty in Carinthia: Workers switch off heaters - 1,000 chicks dead!

Animal cruelty in Carinthia: Workers switch off heaters - 1,000 chicks dead!

A shocking case of cruelty to animals caused a sensation in Carinthia. A Romanian worker who was charged with the State Court of Klagenfurt had the heating system switched off in a rearing stable due to a termination via WhatsApp. As a result, around 1,000 chicks died in the cold. The 33-year-old father of three children admitted that this act was a revenge for his termination, which took place after a serious work accident. The company owner confirmed that the termination was issued by the worker by message and stated that there were difficulties.

Prosecutor Daniela Zupanc said that the chicks under three degrees had no chance of survival and that they could also crush themselves in such a drop in temperature. The worker confessed fully and paid 3,400 euros in compensation for the died chicks. Judge Christian Liebhauser-Karl ultimately decided on a diverse measure, so that the worker got away with a fine of 750 euros. According to information, he has now changed jobs and works in the transport industry.

relevance of the case in the context of the animal welfare laws

The events related to the incident are part of a growing number of animal welfare procedures in Carinthia. This is particularly relevant because since the amendment of the Animal Welfare Act in the spring of 2024 in Austria, tightened sanctions and more frequent controls in commercial animal husbandry apply. In the first quarter of 2025, several procedures for cruelty to animals were opened in livestock farming before the Klagenfurt regional court, many of them with sometimes harder punishments.

In Germany, on the other hand, previous studies show that torture on utility and pets are hardly sanctioned. This is proven by the fact that around 700 million animals are slaughtered annually and in 2020 only 1,027 people were convicted of animal welfare offenses, 95 percent of which were only fined. The statistics do not differentiate between private and commercial animal owners. In addition, judgments for animal welfare crime can hardly be expected in agriculture.

challenges of law enforcement

Another point that complicates the Situation around animal welfare is the restrictive application of animal welfare law. Often animal cruelty malversations do not get to know the public prosecutor, and official veterinarians often do not lead criminal issues. On average, a pet owner only expects a routine check every 17 years. The claim raised to proof of pain or suffering, for example, is also quite high, which makes criminal prosecution difficult.

The demand for a fundamental reform of animal welfare law is getting louder in order to implement the regulations more effectively. In addition, better communication between the various authorities is aimed at to pursue and punish crust about animal actions. href = "https://www.lto.de/recht/hintergruende/h/tierschutz-tierquaelerei-nutztiere-strafrecht-tierschutz-Sankungs-followed"> lto pointed out that ... A further analysis of lto