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The Netherlands has many programs to protect wild and domestic animals, as well as to ensure that human contact is safe...

The Netherlands has many programs to protect wild and domestic animals, as well as to ensure the safety of humans when in contact with animals. Nalog.nl is also participating in one of these programs - under our care is the pet of the zoo "Ouvehand" lemur Eva (more on this here и here). However, animal-related problems in the country still have a lot to solve. 

Position of Minister Pete Adema

Minister for Agriculture, Nature Protection and Food Quality Piet Adema addressed Parliament with an overview writingdedicated to the protection of animals in the country, dated January 19, 2023. The Minister also gave interview leading Dutch publication De Telegraaf.

Wild and feral cats

Note! There are approximately 2,9 million domestic cats in the Netherlands, and estimates of the number of stray cats vary greatly. At the same time, more than 60 cats become orphaned annually.

Recently, the government received the results of a large-scale study of stray cats involving more than 30 stakeholders, including provinces, municipalities, conservation organizations, animal welfare organizations. According to the study, feral domestic and stray cats have an untidy appearance, often behave aggressively and are carriers of Toxoplasma. The health and well-being of such animals is much worse than that of pets.

By their nature, cats tend to quickly become feral without proper care, and then the only place they can live long enough is a shelter. Municipalities spend about 4,8 million euros annually on shelters for orphan cats.

Chipping cats

The government considers chipping to be the optimal solution to the problem of stray cats. Arguments for these:

  1. With the obligatory microchip, lost cats will be able to reunite with their owners faster and more often.
  2. The owner of a cat can be held liable if he ignored his duties in caring for the animal and it was found somewhere - at present, the owners of most stray cats cannot be traced.
  3. It will be possible to clearly distinguish between feral domestic and stray cats.

At the same time, chipping involves the creation and maintenance of an animal registration system, and this entails considerable costs. It is not yet clear to the government how long the implementation of this solution might take.

Are pugs and chihuahuas banned?

In recent years, animal rights activists and veterinarians have regularly protested against the trade in animals with unnatural characteristics. Minister Adema believes it is time to introduce a ban. For example, there are many well-known dog breeds (Pugs, Bulldogs, Maltese, Boxers, Shih Tzu) that, according to researchers, suffer from short muzzles, and therefore regularly suffer from respiratory diseases. Chihuahuas, Pomeranians, and some other breeds also often suffer from headaches because their skulls are too small for a brain. The same goes for cats with floppy ears, for example: these cats experience a lot of pain and suffer from lameness as they get older.

Adema does not yet know which pets will be banned. The list will be compiled based on scientific data: "We want to have a well-founded list". Now the government is working on a ban on keeping animals and a ban on shows: “If a ban on keeping animals is introduced, this automatically means a ban on trade and import”.

Animal suffering

According to the minister, people often choose "characteristics they like", such as a flat nose or floppy ears. “People have the best of intentions, but often don't know that animals are constantly suffering. For example, dogs with too short muzzles constantly suffocate..

Minister says it also affects him "like a person"when he sees the suffering of animals. However, it will not allow immediate disposal of the animals that now live in people's homes. "It will not happen. However, we make sure that such new animals are no longer sold. We are also working on a ban on display: this means that we will ban these animals from being shown in commercials, on Instagram, and so on. Thus, we will prevent the purchase of these animals.”

Publication Date: 03.02.2023
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