More than 450 cases of animal cruelty reported

The TWO has represented the interests of animal welfare since 2005. It is managed by Eva Persy. As the “animal advocate”, the animal welfare ombudswoman guarantees in official procedures that the interests of animal welfare are taken into account.

In the 2019/20 working period, she was involved in a total of 454 cases in which people had been reported for violations of the Vienna Animal Welfare Act. These ranged from dogs left behind in cars in the heat, to deliberate mistreatment of a guinea pig, to inadequate restaurant turtles.

Increasing sales of “Corona pets”

In addition, there were 100 approval procedures in which the ombudsman’s experts were able to set specific requirements for approving events or facilities with animals. “In the Corona year 2020, the number of official proceedings was significantly lower,” said Persy, who expects a significant increase again in the next few years.

The information offered by the Vienna Animal Welfare Ombudsman Office has already increased in digital form. A short video series on animal welfare law or the Vienna Expertise Course, which was held temporarily online, were cited as examples. The website www.tieranwalt.at and the Facebook page launched in 2019 have been redesigned.

“In the pandemic, many people promised themselves consolation or a change from everyday corona with a pet,” reported Persy. In some cases, the advisory services prevented hasty decisions. The now increasing animal taxes show, however, “that unfortunately not all new pet owners were aware of the great responsibility and task that an animal brings with it.”

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