Luxembourg's Minister of Agriculture, Food and Viticulture, Martine Hansen, at the animal shelter in Gasperich;
Credit: MA
On Tuesday 12 December 2023, Luxembourg's Minister of Agriculture, Food and Viticulture, Martine Hansen, visited the animal shelter in Luxembourg-Gasperich for an overview of the current situation in such shelters in the Grand Duchy.
Animal shelters in Luxembourg are regularly faced with an influx of animals surrendered or abandoned by owners who find themselves overwhelmed by the scale of the responsibilities (financial, time, logistical) that caring for a pet represents, noted the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Viticulture.
During their exchange with Minister Hansen, those in charge of the Gasperich animal shelter stressed that raising public awareness of the problem of the abandonment of pets is an effective instrument to tackle this influx. Consequently, the ministry is relaunching its awareness campaign "Un animal n'est pas un objet" (an animal is not an object).
The timing of this campaign is considered important since the question of pets being given as presents re-emerges in the context of the end-of-year holidays. Minister Hansen recalled that before obtaining a domestic animal, any future owner must be aware of the responsibilities and costs that this entails. "Adopting an animal means making a long-term, daily commitment!" she emphasised.
In addition, Minister Hansen noted that structures lack the resources to collect abandoned animals, particularly in the north of the country. As such, she appealed for solidarity from municipal administrations in order to study the possibility of installing a new animal shelter on their territory. As announced in the coalition agreement, the government would financially support such construction.
