Turned Down

Upper Austria Refuses to Provide Funding for Animal Rescue Organizations

Without the animal rescuers, who do their work on a volunteer basis, many poor creatures would not survive.(Bild: Matthias Lauber/laumat.at)

The animal rescue organizations “Icara” and “Tierengel,” which are struggling with financial difficulties due to a massive drop in donations, recently had a meeting with Provincial Councilor Martin Winkler (SPÖ). However, the councilor responsible for animal welfare was not present in person.

“We met with four staff members from his department,” explains Icara director Josef Georg Pold. Their hope that the state would reward their volunteer efforts with a grant was not fulfilled. “They said there was no money available for that.”

Instead, the state officials reportedly presented the two animal rescue representatives with a proposal that would cause bad blood in practice. “They said that in the future, whenever the police or fire department calls us, we should explain to them that we’ll bill them for our services. But that would have unpleasant consequences for us,” says Pold.

With professional equipment, injured animals can be well cared for.(Bild: Tierengel Austria)

Higher mileage reimbursement for problem dogs
After all, the reverse situation could also arise, where animal rescuers need assistance from the fire department. “If the fire departments were to bill us for that as well, it would be extremely expensive for us, because their rates are higher than ours.”

However, the animal rescue organizations and the state have agreed to charge 1.1 euros per kilometer (instead of 80 cents) in the future for mandated transfers of problem dogs.