As of: March 24, 2024, 9:00 a.m
By: Anna Katharina Kuesters
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A dead bird, a lifeless cat or even a fox: animals can also die in the garden.
Then you have to intervene and remove the carcass.
Anyone who looks after their garden quickly notices when something is wrong.
If gardeners discover a lifeless animal body, they should under no circumstances leave it lying there and wait and do nothing.
Depending on the animal and size, experts are needed to take care of the dead animal.
We explain how best to act on a case-by-case basis.
Smaller animals are allowed in the residual waste
Dead mice can be disposed of in the trash.
© Gianna Schade/Imago
In spring, for example, it can often happen that small birds fall out of the nest and lie lifeless on the ground.
Or a cat was hunting and left a dead mouse on the terrace.
Dead bats or small, lifeless hedgehogs can also be found in the garden from time to time.
Such finds are of course not beautiful, but they are part of life.
Put on disposable gloves and an FFP-3 mask.
This is important because mice can transmit the Hanta virus, for example, which can be dangerous to humans.
Take a spade and carefully lift the dead animal into a plastic bag and then into the trash.
The disposal of smaller dead animals in residual waste is permitted in Germany.
These include, for example, mice, rats and even small birds.
You can find even more exciting garden topics in the regular newsletter from our partner 24garten.de
.
Larger animals can also find their final resting place in the garden
However, cats or dogs that die in the garden must not end up in the trash.
This is prohibited by the
Animal Carcass Disposal Act
.
Apart from the fact that hardly any pet owner would do this, the animal carcasses are too large for normal garbage and the health risk cannot be estimated.
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However, a grave in the garden is possible for pets under certain conditions.
According to the German Lawyers' Information,
your garden must
not be a water or nature reserve.
If this is not the case, you must observe the following requirements:
The grave must be at least two meters away from public sidewalks
The grave must be at least half a meter deep.
The animal corpse must be covered with plenty of earth.
The animal must be packed in easily decomposed material before burial.
For example, a wool blanket or newspapers are suitable for this.
The dead animal must not have had a reportable disease.
If these conditions are met, nothing stands in the way of a burial in your own garden.
If the dead dog or cat is a strange animal that does not belong to you, contact the veterinary office.
This can help and identify the animal if it has an identification chip.
Dead wild animals found in the garden
The situation is different again with dead wild animals that you find in your garden.
Experts will dispose of a dead fox, a dead marten or even a dead deer for you, as it can never be clear whether the animals are infected with diseases.
So if you find dead wild animals in your garden, the first thing you should do is call the veterinary office.
Hunting authorities can usually also help in such a case.
In some cases, larger wild animal carcasses can be cremated in animal shelters or at veterinarians.
So if the other authorities can't help you, call a veterinarian in your area and ask them.