When the Bundestag's Budget Committee finalizes the federal budget on November 14 in its so-called reconciliation meeting, no funds are currently earmarked for animal shelters – despite the promise announced in the federal government's coalition agreement to support animal shelters with investments. The German Animal Welfare Federation, as the umbrella organization, is sounding the alarm: if support continues to be lacking, this will have serious consequences for animals and animal owners.
"We need political responsibility now – not sometime in the future. Without a functioning animal shelter, helpless animals remain unattended and people who have to give up their animals are left without any support in an emergency. The federal government must keep its promises," demands Thomas Schröder, president of the German Animal Welfare Federation.
Many animal shelters and similar facilities in Germany face enormous structural challenges: dilapidated buildings, increased energy and veterinary costs, and a shortage of skilled workers. According to estimates by the German Animal Welfare Federation, the investment backlog in German animal shelters is likely to be in the hundreds of millions. Without financial aid, it threatens to grow even further. In the more than 750 animal welfare associations with around 550 association-owned animal shelters and shelter-like facilities affiliated with the German Animal Welfare Federation alone, there is a shortfall of around 160 million euros for urgently needed infirmaries, energy-efficient renovations, and modernization.
Meanwhile, animal welfare activists in animal shelters and shelter-like facilities care for animals that have been found, confiscated by local authorities due to poor conditions, or surrendered by their owners. Every year, German animal shelters take in around 350,000 new animals. Forty-nine percent of animal shelters are fully occupied or even overcrowded. As a result, admission stops have to be imposed time and again: animal shelters are then unable to take in any more animals despite many requests – a massive animal welfare problem.
