Honorary President Wolfgang Apel 1951 - 2017
Wolfgang Apel was President of the German Animal Welfare Federation from 1993 to 2011. He then remained Honorary President of the federation until his death in 2017. He was an outstanding personality who achieved extraordinary things for animal welfare in his lifetime.

Vita
- Born in Bremen in 1951.
- Trained as a forwarding agent.
- Joined the Bremen state service in 1970.
- 1973 to 1984 exempted chairman of the staff council.
- Since 1978 honorary chairman of the Bremen Animal Welfare Federation and member of the board of the German Animal Welfare Federation.
- 1980 Appointed Federal Managing Director of the German Animal Welfare Federation.
- 1983 to 1985 Federal Treasurer of the German Animal Welfare Federation.
- 1991 to 1993 Vice President of the German Animal Welfare Federation.
- 1993 to 2011 President of the German Animal Welfare Federation.
- 2005 Awarded the Federal Cross of Merit 1st Class.
- 2016 Awarded the Order of Merit of the State of Berlin.
- Died on 04.02.2017 after a long and serious illness in Bremen.
- From 1987 to 2011, Wolfgang Apel was a member of the Animal Welfare Commission of the Federal Minister of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection.
- Chairman of the association NEULAND - Association for animal-friendly and environmentally friendly livestock farming
- Board member since 1988 and President of the Animal Welfare Federation for Berlin and the surrounding area since 2000
- From 1986 to 2011, member of the "Stiftung zur Förderung der Erforschung von Ersatz- und Ergänzungsmethoden zur Einschränkung von Tierversuchen" (Foundation for the Promotion of Research into Alternative and Complementary Methods to Restrict Animal Experiments) (set), which he co-founded.
- Until 2011, he represented the German Animal Welfare Federation as a member of the Animal Welfare Advisory Board of the state of Lower Saxony.
- Spokesman of the Animal Welfare Advisory Board of the State of Bremen for over 20 years and member of the "Beratenden Kommission Tierversuche" (Advisory Commission on Animal Experiments) in Bremen.
- Chairman of the Foundation of the German Animal Welfare Federation since 2000.
- Member of the Administrative Board of the German Agricultural Sales Fund.
Honorary Vice President Heinz Kourim 1932 - 2022
Heinz Kourim, Honorary Vice President of the German Animal Welfare Federation and Honorary President of the German Animal Welfare Federation, Bavarian State Federation, was an animal rights activist with heart and mind through and through. Animal welfare locally, in Bavaria and in Germany owes a great deal to him. He was also an early mover on animal welfare policy issues at European level.

Vita
- 1966 to 1980 1st chairman of the Landshut Animal Welfare Federation and Establishment of the Heinzelwinkl animal shelter.
- 1969 to 1991 President of the Bavarian State Federation of the German Animal Welfare Federation, of which he was Honorary Chairman until the end.
- After 1969, Kourim united the two then rival Bavarian state federations under the umbrella of the German Animal Welfare Federation and laid the foundations for the state federation to be active today with 115 animal welfare groups.
- 1979 Foundation of the first academy for animal welfare in Germany in the Beyharting monastery,until it became the Academy for Animal Welfare of the German Animal Welfare Federation in Neubiberg.
- Elected Vice President of the German Animal Welfare Federation from 1971 to 1975 and 1983 to 2007.
- Honorary Vice President of the German Animal Welfare Federation from 2007.
- Passed away on January 5, 2022 at the age of 89.
Honorary Vice President Dr. Hans-Hermann Lambracht 1927 - 2021
Dr. Lambracht had been associated with the German Animal Welfare Federation since 1979, initially as cash auditor, secretary, treasurer for many years and finally as honorary vice president. He was an impressive personality who helped shape animal welfare and the German Animal Welfare Federation in particular over many decades. His commitment encompassed animal welfare on a local, state and national level.

Vita
- 1991 to 2007 Federal Treasurer for the German Animal Welfare Federation.
- 1979 to 1985 Cash auditor for the German Animal Welfare Federation.
- 1985 to 1991 Secretary of the German Animal Welfare Federation.
- 1980 to 1998 Deputy Chairman and and Honorary Vice President of the North Rhine-Westphalia State Animal Welfare Federation of the German Animal Welfare Federation.
- In 1993, Dr. Lambracht was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit on Ribbon.
- The German Animal Welfare Federation awarded him the "Great Franz von Assisi Medal" in 1997.
- In 1999, he was appointed Honorary Vice President of the German Animal Welfare Federation.
- In 2000, he played a key role in the establishment of the "Foundation of the German Animal Welfare Federation".
- Passed away on January 10, 2021 at the age of 93 in his hometown of Iserlohn