Many animals lost their owners in the devastating floods in mid-July. And many owners of their animals. The Remagen animal shelter is helping to reunite.
Remagen – After the flood disaster in the Ahr Valley, many animals are brought to the animal shelter. On the one hand, these are found animals that were discovered by helpers or neighbors, said the head of the responsible animal shelter in Remagen in the Ahrweiler district, Madeleine von Falkenburg.
In addition to cats and dogs, they also include turtles, reptiles and koi. On the other hand, many pet owners are currently turning to the animal shelter and the Ahrweiler District Animal Welfare Association to temporarily care for their animals.
“Many people who have lost everything want to keep their animals safe,” said von Falkenburg. Those affected are currently moving from one accommodation to another. Cats in particular did not take it well. The animal shelter then gives the animals to known foster homes, where they are looked after until the owners can take them back in. The home manager expected that the number of these inquiries will continue to increase.
Animal owners are also supported through an animal aid fund that has been set up and donated to – with the purchase of feed or the purchase of equipment. They also help with veterinary costs. Quite a few animals are sick because they swam in the oil, said von Falkenburg. A horse was rescued injured in Sinzig after it was swept away by the river.
It is a problem if the animals are not chipped and registered – so that they cannot be assigned to their observer. One must therefore reckon with the fact that many animal fates remain unexplained. This also applies to dead found animals. Any animal found should be reported to the Remagen animal shelter – to coordinate inquiries from seekers, said the animal shelter manager.
Because many animals are missing: two dogs that were swept away by the water at the Sahrtal campsite in Altenahr, a cat that could no longer be evacuated during the flood night in Sinzig-Bad Bodendorf – or two cats that were with us in Kreuzberg (Ahr) were swept away into the house.
The flood almost completely destroyed a non-profit-run pond and animal enclosure in Sinzig. As Martina Weiland, the treasurer of the association Tier- und Naturfreunde Schwanenteich, said, the flood devastated the area enormously. “All the buildings, fences and enclosures were destroyed.” Only the bird aviary that had been built withstood the water – but was still severely damaged.
Almost all of the 150 animals – including goats, sheep, horses, geese – were brought to safety in good time. They are currently distributed to foster homes and should all come back when the site is rebuilt, said Weiland. Only one cat is still missing. dpa
