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Animal shelters struggle with overload and declining donations

Animal shelters struggle with overload and declining donations
Saxony's animal shelters are facing financial bottlenecks and space problems (archive photo). / Photo: Sebastian Kahnert/dpa
From: DieSachsen News
Saxony's animal shelters are reaching their limits: falling donations and insufficient state aid are causing financial hardship for many facilities.

Saxon animal shelters are feeling the strain and are calling for better support. The payment for the fulfillment of assigned statutory duties is "still completely inadequate", explained Michael Sperlich, head of the Saxony State Animal Welfare Association. Funding is available from the Free State of Saxony for construction investments and the neutering and care of street cats, for example. "These funds are inadequate, even though there are federal states that provide even less funding for animal welfare."

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Animal shelters are repeatedly on the brink of insolvency

Donations traditionally only account for a comparatively small proportion of funding in eastern Germany, Sperlich told the German Press Agency. Inheritances and legacies cannot be planned. "In this respect, most animal welfare organizations are always on the verge of insolvency. The number of donations is not decreasing, but the average amount per donation is falling."

In addition to financial concerns, animal shelters also have a space problem. "The animal population in German animal shelters is high everywhere, and almost all animal shelters are at the limits of their capacity", emphasized the head of the association. After the "completely nonsensical mass purchases of pets during the pandemic", masses of animals are still being reported to shelters. One focus is on dogs and cats with behavioral problems.

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