Report presented

Awful balance: 276 times alarm due to animal cruelty

The authorities intervened in 224 cases because the keeping of cats and dogs was not compliant.

(Bild: Claudia Huber)

The "Krone" has reported extensively on this: In a community in Attergau, a farmer allowed all the cattle in his barn to be neglected. Only when neighbors raised the alarm with the Vöcklabruck district authority was this unbelievable torture stopped - this was not an isolated case, as figures from the state's animal ombudsman's office now show. 

Of 104 animals "rescued" in the municipality in Attergau, 94 had to be killed - their condition was so pitiful. The figures presented yesterday, Tuesday, by animal ombudswoman Cornelia Rouha-Mülleder show that this was by no means an isolated case. In 2023, there were 276 reports of abuses in animal husbandry - an unprecedented figure. In addition, 452 administrative penalty proceedings were initiated.

"Animals are not commodities"
In 160 cases, this related to the keeping of cattle and pigs, while there were 224 proceedings concerning the keeping of cats and dogs. Rouha-Mülleder and the provincial councillor responsible for animal welfare, Michael Lindner (SPÖ), emphasize that "pets are not simply objects of utility, but social beings that need care and attention".

The initiative "Tierschutz macht Schule" ("Animal welfare goes to school") aims to teach children how to treat animals. The target group is children in the 3rd and 4th grades of elementary school.