Hamburg (dpa / lno) – Cases of animal hoarding are not common, but often sensational. In Hamburg, 25 cases have been documented since 2009 in which so-called animal hoards had to take their far too many animals away, as a senate response to a small request from the animal welfare expert of the CDU parliamentary group, Sandrokap, revealed. Sometimes there were 25 cats in a household, sometimes 13 dogs, 14 cats, 62 mice, 18 axolotls as well as various water snails and fish. “Animal hoarding is an addiction to collecting animals. It’s a disease,” said cap of the German press agency.
The number of unreported cases is likely to be high because not all cases are documented. According to the Senate, suspicious transaction reports that have the characteristics of animal hoarding are only recorded in three districts. “Since 2015 a total of 34 suspicious transaction reports have been recorded in these districts. The suspicious transaction reports have not been confirmed in all cases,” said the answer to Kappe’s request. A total of between 700 and 1000 animals are “seized” in Hamburg each year.
“The responsible authorities only evaluate the cases from the point of view of animal law and often forget about those affected,” said the CDU politician. However, they suffered from a mental illness and needed professional help. According to the Senate, special counseling offers are not available for this group of people. “The health department of the respective district office will be informed as and when required,” it says.
Not enough for cap: “The authority should offer all animal hoarders a therapy offer. Otherwise, they will start again to hoard animals in a manner that is not appropriate to the species. This must be prevented for the benefit of all those involved.”
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210419-99-258264 / 2
Written small inquiry with answer from the Senate
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