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Corona: More wild animals end up in the Hamburg animal shelter | NDR.de – news

Status: December 25, 2020 10:32 a.m.

The Hamburg animal shelter has taken in around 10,000 animals this year – around 300 more than last year. Above all, the number of ingested wild animals has increased.

The Hamburg animal shelter has taken in around 10,000 new animals this year.

6,080 wild animals such as foxes, crows, owls, hedgehogs, swans and beech martens were brought to the Hamburg animal shelter, said spokesman Sven Fraaß. That was 522 more than in 2019. “On the one hand, this is due to the fact that, due to the lockdowns and the associated calm, especially in spring, more wild animals conquered the city – and then also sometimes crashed.” At the same time, however, it is also a big city phenomenon that young – supposedly orphaned – wild animals in particular are hastily collected and brought to the animal shelter. “The clarification on our part obviously doesn’t help either.”

Apparently more animals are conveyed over the Internet

In the case of the “classics” of animals such as dogs (867 animals in 2020) and cats (1,402), the numbers have again decreased slightly compared to the previous year. According to Fraaß, one reason for this could be that dogs are required to have a chip, says Fraaß. Another is the increasing placement of animals on the Internet.

That is a curse and a blessing at the same time: On the one hand, animals have been increasingly bought over the Internet since then. At the same time, however, people would get their “excess” animals back more quickly. “Because the Internet trade was successful more frequently and faster, it was not necessary to go to us,” said Fraaß.

Various puppies in a trunk © picture alliance / blickwinkel Photo: JS Peifer

AUDIO: The Hamburg animal shelter in Corona times (1 min)



More animals exposed, less mediated

He assumes that more people will have bought pets in the Corona year 2020 – the increased exposures are evidence of this. This year, 1,530 allegedly abandoned found animals were not picked up again. In the previous year there were a good 270 fewer. “It seems reasonable to assume that it is animals that were bought over the Internet out of Corona boredom and loneliness – and then abandoned because the time suddenly lacked or the work became too much, so the acquisition was not thought through. ” Because of the Corona-related strict appointment allocation for interested parties and because the animal shelter “does not give an animal to anyone in a Corona mood”, not as many animals could be passed this year as usual, said Fraaß.

A boa from the Niendorf enclosure

The animals recorded in 2020 included many exotic and unusual animals. Lizards, a spiny-tailed monitor, colorful Madagascar day geckos, 17 snakes – including a boa constrictor that was found in the Niendorf enclosure in October – a female peacock as well as horses, goats, sheep and many colorful parrots were temporarily cared for in the shelter. In addition, a giant crab spider, a tarantula and a scorpion are waiting for a new home.

Further information

Two dachshunds are sleeping on the floor.  © NDR Photo: Screenshot

With the corona pandemic, the demand for pets has increased – observes Frank Weber, head of the Franziskusierheim. (27.06.2020) more



A cat sits in its cage at the shelter.  © picture alliance / Henning Kaiser Photo: Henning Kaiser

The coronavirus also has an impact on animal shelters. In order to avoid spreading, the Hamburg facility also closes its doors (March 18, 2020) more




This topic in the program:

NDR 90.3 | NDR 90.3 Current | 25.12.2020 | 10:00 o’clock


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