Animal abusers have it easy in Switzerland

class=”sc-97fd9fa8-0 jNFKxv”>

Since 2017, the name of a small village in Oberthurgau has been a symbol of animal cruelty.

The farmer Ulrich K.* (54) from Hefenhofen TG is said to have neglected and abused his animals for years: despite serious injuries and inflamed wounds, he did not treat mares, beat his animals with sticks and let them eat rotten leftovers full of plastic residues.

Inspectors found nearly a dozen foals on his farm emaciated to the bone. The skeleton of a horse had been lying in the mud for weeks. The farmer was on trial this week for multiple animal cruelty charges. The verdict is expected at the end of March.

Punishments disproportionate to animal suffering

The number of criminal prosecutions for animal cruelty has been increasing for years. This is evident from the current animal welfare report of the Federal Bureau of Agriculture. While only 475 cases were reported in 2017, there were already 721 in 2021.

And yet, even today, many animal abusers rarely have to fear the consequences. This is the conclusion of the Animal Protection Foundation, which has been systematically evaluating punishment orders and judgments in the field of animal welfare for almost 20 years. Their latest analysis says that “enforcement still has numerous shortcomings and animal welfare violations are often downplayed”.

The number of unreported cases of animal welfare violations is high and the penalties missed are often disproportionate to the animal suffering caused – offenders were fined an average of 400 francs.

Case Hefenhofen no longer possible today

Hefenhofen was also possible because the authorities blatantly failed for years: the name Ulrich K. had been known to the authorities for decades, numerous threats against officials had been registered. According to the indictment, Thurgau’s veterinary office found animal welfare violations as far back as 2013.

A few days after Blick made the situation public in 2017, authorities evacuated K’s farm. Longtime canton veterinarian Paul Witzig (67) is also under investigation. He would have ignored reports of neglected and dead animals and only carried out checks after prior notification.

Vanessa Gerritsen of the Animal Protection Foundation (TIR) ​​​​says: “These days the cantonal governments can hardly afford to let a case like Hefenhofen get out of hand.”

Urgent need for action in Ticino, Geneva, Valais

At the time, the canton of Thurgau had the matter investigated externally, and shortly afterwards carried out an extensive revision of the law and improved animal protection. Other cantons – sensitized by the scandal – followed suit: today there are more specialized departments in the police and the public prosecutor’s office and the different services work more closely together. Gerritsen cites the cantons of Bern, Zurich and St. Gallen as examples.

Nevertheless, according to Gerritsen, there is still “massive animal abuse” that is insufficiently prosecuted and punished. “Often, intervention is only done when animals are already in a poor general condition or even dead.” Urgent action is needed in the cantons of Ticino, Obwalden and Nidwalden, Geneva and Valais.

The veterinary authorities certainly have options to act against animal cruelty. In severe cases, veterinarians can remove the animal from the owner. According to the cantonal authorities, in Zurich and Bern this happens about 50 times a year, ie about once a week, in Aargau or in Vaud about 20 times a year, and the trend is increasing.

Veterinarians must be prepared for violence

Usually these are dogs that are neglected or abused by their owners. In agriculture, cattle and horses are affected. Most are sick, emaciated or aggressive.

For the vets, these are usually difficult assignments: from calling in a lawyer to physical abuse, you should expect all sorts of things, according to the authorities.

In the canton of Zurich, veterinarians are therefore accompanied by the police during such operations. In the canton of Bern, it is estimated that one in three owners take legal action against confiscation – in some cases complaints procedures follow for years.

* Name known to editors

Source:Blick