Heat tragedy in Radeberg: Can the irresponsible breeder remain?

Heat tragedy in Radeberg: Can the irresponsible breeder remain?

in Radeberg. Last Wednesday, July 5, 2025, 25 rabbits of the Silver Champagne breed were freed from a predicament from officials and committed volunteers. The animals, which were kept in far too small boxes and under extreme heat conditions, suffered great suffering. Three of them died before help arrived. The police were alerted by concerned residents who had heard the suffering rabbits. The owner, a 74-year-old German breeder, had accommodated the animals during the day in the blazing sun and without adequate exercise, like the Saxon Zeitung reported.

The surviving rabbits are currently housed in the Radeberger animal shelter. Ines Malkusch, the boss of the animal welfare association, started a call for donations to secure food and litter for the need. But the story takes a legal turn: the police initiated an administrative offense procedure because the behavior of the breeder violates the Animal Welfare Act. According to the Animal Welfare Act, animals may not only be protected from physical suffering, but also from abuse and inadequate care. For this purpose, the veterinary office could issue a animal keeper ban.

What is at stake?

For an animal keeping ban, there must be certain violations, such as inadequate nutrition, care and freedom of movement. The veterinary office was informed, but was not on site. Now it is checked whether the breeder will no longer be allowed to hold rabbits in the future. Interestingly, such a ban applies indefinitely and affects the special species in which the violations were found. However, the breeder has the option of submitting an application for the ban to be lifted if he is able to prove that he will take care of the well -being of his animals in the future.

"We not only want to save the existing animals, but also make it clear that such violations are not tolerated," said Malkusch. According to reports, there are already seven animal keeping bans this year, but none especially for rabbits. In the animal welfare community, there is agreement that the enforcement of animal welfare law must be improved in order to counteract future ill-treatment at an early stage.

The legal background

The Animal Welfare Act, which applies to all animals in Germany, hits Haltern's responsibility to ensure that it is appropriate. Violations can be punished both according to the Animal Welfare Act and the Criminal Code. A ban on animals can be issued by the responsible authorities if repeated or roughly violated the legal requirements. However, there are significant challenges to cope with, reports listed in the cabaret show defects in the enforcement of animal protection law standards. The animal protection association reports that animal welfare violations are often not adequately pursued because the authorities lack resources.

With the incident in Radeberg, it is now clear how important it is to keep your eyes open to grievances and act quickly. Let us not leave the voices of the animals unadorned! Everyone can make a contribution, be it by donating or reporting grievances. Animal welfare is a common task and each of us is in demand.