Six rats from Gilching could be expensive

Created: 01/11/2023 09:05

Some hate it, others love it: a rat in action © Bernd von Jutrczenka

Six tamed rats could be expensive for the community of Gilching.

Gilching

– As part of the subsidy deliberations for the 2023 budget, the animal welfare association Starnberg was on the list of applicants in the Gilching Finance Committee on Monday.

"That was really the only topic that reached me, even on vacation in a distant country," said Mayor Manfred Walter - he was told that the municipality would have to pay for six pet rats as found animals with immediate effect.

"That's eight euros per day per rat.

We have to pay for that, we have an obligation to do so because the found animals were exposed and found in Gilchinger Flur," Walter opened.

"On the one hand, we spend a lot of money on reducing the rat infestation in certain regions, and then we have to pay for the maintenance of six rats, which are called pets.

Anyone else understands that.” It would be cheaper if the animal shelter agreed to the previously paid 1.20 euros per inhabitant as a voluntary subsidy, which would also compensate for found animals.

Walter admitted that the animal shelter in Starnberg was in a shockingly bad condition and that the working conditions for the employees were unreasonable.

“Nevertheless, they do a very good job.

However, the municipalities are not responsible for financing.

This is one of the tasks of the Free State of Bavaria.

But he simply refuses to pay and wants to pass the costs on to the municipalities.

Walter reported on the now “tough negotiations” with the management of the animal shelter and on a “generous financial offer”.

“We offered 1.60 euros per inhabitant.

Unfortunately, no response has been received to date.

I very much hope that the animal shelter will accept our generous offer.” Hoping for an agreement, the municipality has already provided a subsidy of 30,500 euros for the Starnberg Animal Welfare Association.

Uli Singer