The case of “Jette,” the dog who was cruelly tortured and strangled—a case that is currently causing nationwide outrage—makes it clear, in the view of the German Animal Welfare Association, that animal cruelty in Germany must be prosecuted and punished more consistently.
“Jette’s cruel fate has deeply affected us. The public outcry and the widespread horror in this case show that society does not view animal cruelty as a trivial offense,” says Katharina Schneider, head of the legal department at the German Animal Welfare Association, and demands: “Violations of animal welfare laws must be consistently prosecuted, and existing legal options must be fully utilized.”
FULLY EXHAUSTING THE SCOPE OF PUNISHMENT
Although the Animal Welfare Act provides for prison sentences of up to three years or fines for intentional animal cruelty, in practice the full extent of the punishment is rarely imposed. Proceedings are often dropped, or violations are merely punished with fines. Convictions with a tangible deterrent effect remain the exception.
EFFECTIVELY MONITOR ANIMAL KEEPING BANS
The German Animal Welfare Federation recommends that anyone who observes animal cruelty or significant abuses in animal husbandry document the incidents and report them to the relevant veterinary authorities. To ensure consistent and swift intervention in suspected cases, the association calls for better staffing of the authorities. At the same time, animal ownership bans that have been imposed must be documented in a database accessible to official veterinarians and police nationwide. Only in this way can it be prevented that offenders who move to another county or state acquire animals again.
