Animal abandonments increased again during the holiday season

Hamburg animal protection association takes stock: summer holidays again with many animal abandonments – high number of unreported cases feared

Hamburg. Before and during the Hamburg summer holidays, numerous holiday victims again came into the care of the Hamburg Animal Welfare Association of 1841 e. v. (HTV). Because not all people can or want to spend their holidays with their pets – unfortunately not everyone is responsible and instead abandons their animals during the holiday season. Since the club's own Süderstrasse animal shelter has to repeatedly stop admissions due to exhausted capacities, there are fears that there will be a high number of unreported victims of abandonment.

“Every year we are horrified at how carelessly unscrupulous people get rid of their family members during the holiday season. They abandon their pet somewhere where it will not be found in case of doubt. It is so sad that they risk great suffering or even the death of their pet,” says Janet Bernhardt, chairwoman of the HTV.

High number of unreported cases
The number of abandoned and rejected animals is high again during the holiday season, despite numerous stops in the animal shelter: Since the beginning of June, 176 found animals from the Hamburg city area have been taken into the HTV's Süderstrasse animal shelter and not picked up by their people – 51 of them in the first two weeks of the holiday alone. The HTV estimates the number of unreported cases of suspected holiday victims to be significantly higher, as not all animals were found in time and died in secret – and found animals could not be handed over to the animal shelter as found animals due to the repeated ban on admission.

In June and July, 7 dogs, 57 cats, 28 rabbits, 4 guinea pigs, 20 mice, 22 pet birds, 14 pigeons, 2 ducks, 16 turtles, 2 agate snails and 3 goldfish were presumably abandoned and taken into the club's own animal shelter.

For 22 of these animals (4 cats, 8 rabbits, 1 guinea pig, 1 agate snail, 1 cockatiel and 7 pigeons) All help came too late: they died on the way to veterinary care, fell asleep forever despite intensive treatment or had to be rescued despite all efforts.

Recording stops
Capacity in the animal shelter at the limit
HTV chairwoman Janet Bernhardt: “After 30 years of animal protection work, I could almost give up hope that our educational work will be fruitful and there won't be so many holiday victims. Nevertheless, I appeal once again to people: look for temporary accommodation during the holiday season and don't just abandon your animals. Holiday victims put an additional burden on our already full animal shelter. Already, some animal species can only be taken in by us in exceptional cases – and as soon as another animal has been picked up or rehomed There is a risk of a stop in admitting dogs.”

Experience shows that the number of abandoned animals continues to rise during the summer holidays and can reach a sad peak of more than 50 cases per week. The Süderstrasse animal shelter is already at its limit – admissions are currently stopped for cats, reptiles, pet birds (including parrots), aquarium animals and domestic poultry.

These are Hamburg's previous holiday victims
Numerous animals are ending up in animal shelters these weeks because they are obviously a nuisance to their people during the holiday season – most of them are simply abandoned and thus left to an uncertain fate. Here the HTV presents some examples of suspected or apparent suspensions:

Honey
Honey was injured and abandoned in a cardboard box next to garbage containers on Richardstrasse/Blumenau in Hamburg-Uhlenhorst on July 15th. The shock was deep and the little cat didn't want to be touched at first – now she shows us her cuddly, people-oriented nature. We are now treating your head wounds – and hope that everything heals quickly. Honey was born around the beginning of 2025 and was not chipped.

Dori
The Labrador-Great Dane mix girl Dori was found on July 14th at the age of just twelve weeks on the grounds of the AK Barmbek hospital in Hamburg-Barmbek. Dori was not chipped. Nobody has missed the dog child yet…

Amaretto & Tiramisu
Lionhead rabbit Amaretto and ram rabbit Tiramisu were found under a railway bridge on Billufer in Hamburg-Horn on July 21st. The long-eared bats were released there in a cage – their condition is mediocre.

Pixi & Pucki
Three sick guinea pigs were abandoned in a transport box in a parking garage on Farmsener Landstrasse in Hamburg-Volksdorf on July 10th. The rosette guinea pig Pixi is full of tumors, the smooth-haired guinea pig Pucky is probably suffering from a mammary tumor. It is uncertain whether the two will make it. The third guinea pig, Pebbles, died of a respiratory infection despite intensive efforts.

Caddy
Yellow-eared slider Caddy was found on July 16th on the golf course of a hotel resort on Lemsahler Landstrasse in the Lehmsahl-Mellingstedt district of Hamburg. Caddy was probably abandoned there and is just one of numerous scaly animals that have come into the care of the HTV in recent weeks – so a stop in the admission of reptiles had to be imposed.

The feather gang
The feather band consists of six cockatiels and was found on July 12th in Hamburg-Neuallermöhe on Agnes-Wolffson-Straße, abandoned in a transport box. The birds are not ringed.

Abandoning an animal is a punishable offense!
If you can provide information about these or other animal releases and found animals, please contact the HTV animal protection advice by telephone: 040 211106−24÷−12 or by email at tierschutzberatung@​hamburger-​tierschutzverein.​de. All information will be treated confidentially.

According to Section 3 Paragraph 3 of the Animal Protection Act (TierSchG), it is forbidden to abandon an animal that is kept in the house, business or otherwise in human care or to leave it behind in order to get rid of it or to evade the obligation to keep it or look after it. It is irrelevant whether the abandonment creates a concrete or abstract danger situation for the animal. In principle, tying someone to the animal shelter gate also constitutes abandonment. Abandonment is an administrative offense and can be punished with a fine of up to 25,000 euros in accordance with Section 18 Paragraph 1 No. 4 TierSchG. In individual cases, for example if the animal dies as a result of being exposed, this is a criminal offense according to Section 17 Animal Protection Act. This can be punished with a prison sentence of up to three years or a fine.