Animal rights activists master a state of emergency
Created: 12/16/2021, 7:00 AM
From: Gabi Werner
The specially trained animal shelter Ulrike Meder (here with a dog statue) will take care of the dogs in particular after the new multi-purpose building has been completed.
© Thomas Plettenberg
It was an exceptional year for the Tegernsee Valley Animal Welfare Association.
Not only were there restrictions due to corona, there was also a major construction site on the premises of the Rottach animal shelter: the new multi-purpose building is now aiming for completion.
Weissach - Despite all the work and the fact that there was no dog house in the animal shelter due to the new building that was being built, Johanna Ecker-Schotte looks back with satisfaction on the year that has ended.
“We were able to master all of the problems,” says the chairwoman of the Tegernseer Tal animal protection association.
In total, there were around 250 protégés that the association and the animal shelter team took care of in 2021.
Thanks to an emergency kennel, dogs could also be taken in for a short time and then passed on to other animal shelters, reports Ecker-Schotte.
New dog house
Once the new multi-purpose building, costing almost one million euros, is in place, a new era will begin for the animal shelter in the Weissachauen - incidentally the only one in the Miesbach district. In the 290 square meter new building alone there will be ten spacious dog rooms as well as an own sick and quarantine station (we reported). However, according to Ecker-Schotte, the originally targeted opening date at the end of this year cannot be kept. It will probably be the end of January or the middle of February before the building can be put into operation. "Unfortunately, contaminated sites have repeatedly opened up," explains the chairwoman. The existing lines for the energy supply were also not to be found where they should have been according to the plan. All of this led to delays on the construction site,makes Ecker-Schotte clear. “The interior work is currently in full swing,” she says.
The animal welfare association accepted and referred 21 dogs in need for a short time in the year ending.
The police gave an abandoned animal into the care of the Rottach animal shelter three times at night.
As the institution responsible for the facility, the association is already prepared for the time after the completion of the new building.
As Ecker-Schotte reports, Ulrike Meder has been hired as a new employee who will take special care of the dogs.
The protégés
In addition to the dogs, the animal shelter in the Weissachauen in 2021 looked after more than 100 cats, over 30 rabbits, seven rats (“they still live with us”) as well as budgies and canaries.
Wild animals such as crows or a buzzard were partly nursed on site or brought to appropriate rescue stations.
The transfer of the animals to new owners continued despite the corona-related restrictions and the associated reduced public traffic, reports Ecker-Schotte.
“A spontaneous visit to the animal shelter is difficult at the moment,” she says.
The 2G regulation also applies here.
Rescue operation
As chairwoman of the animal welfare association, Johanna Ecker-Schotte has seen a lot of animal misery.
However, a case from last summer weighed heavily on her and her colleagues.
From July onwards, with official support, the association was able to confiscate a total of 139 "completely neglected" animals - 42 dogs and 97 cats - from a private household in the district (we reported).
“We secured the animals in several stages,” explains the Rottacherin.
The four-legged friends were then housed and treated in various animal shelters.
"That was a huge effort and the costs were extremely high," says Ecker-Schotte, who also reports on illegal animal transports, which the association is now increasingly dealing with.
Commitment to the game
After all, the committed animal rights activist repeatedly deals with agricultural and hunting issues and is not afraid of conflict.
“We are assuming that the state forestry has activated the winter feeding of the red deer early enough,” says Ecker-Schotter, thus addressing a topic that they consider tiresome.
The game must be accustomed to the feedings in good time in winter, demands the Rottacherin and emphasizes: "Anyone who still hunts on the move now sins against the creatures."
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