Amsterdam is building tiny staircases to help cats exit its canals
The tiny wooden staircases aim to save felines and other animals from drowning in areas with high walls.
According to animal welfare organisation Dierenambulance Amsterdam, 19 cats have drowned in the city's canals in the last six months – six of them in the city centre.
Judith Krom from the Party for the Animals (PvdD) proposed that Amsterdam spend an unused €100,000 fund found in the city's biodiversity plan to fund the wildlife exit points.
Councillor for animal welfare Zita Pels had already supported the plan but had previously noted that 'funding was lacking', said PvdD.
On 10 July, the Amsterdam City Council voted in favour of Krom's motion.
Krom said: 'A simple measure can prevent enormous animal suffering.
'The adopted motion demonstrates that as a city, we take responsibility for protecting the lives of animals.'
The Dutch capital will work with Dierenambulance to identify areas where cats are most likely to drown before the small animal escape routes are installed.
Steps will then be built at the highest-risk locations later this year to help cats safely climb back onto the shore.
It's not the only city taking steps to improve canal safety for animals.
In June, Amersfoort, a nearby city in the Netherlands, announced the construction of around 300 cat traps along its quays and canals this year.
Amersfoort councillor Johnas van Lammeren said: 'Unfortunately, animals that end up in water in areas with high quays or quay walls can't get out and drown.
'Together with the animal ambulance, a research agency, and residents from Vathorst and other areas, we've mapped out where cat traps are needed. We'll be installing hundreds of them in the coming period, preventing a great deal of animal suffering.'
The municipality plans to install approximately 300 cat stairs per year as part of an animal welfare sub-environmental program that the municipal council adopted in 2024.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNN
4 minutes ago
- CNN
Denmark zoo asks people to donate unwanted pets to feed predators and imitate ‘natural food chain'
A zoo in northern Denmark is asking pet owners to donate their unwanted guinea pigs, rabbits, chickens and even small horses – not to put them on display but to feed them to the zoo's predators. The Aalborg Zoo wrote in a Facebook post that it is trying to 'imitate the natural food chain of the animals'. 'Chickens, rabbits and guinea pigs form an important part of the diet of our predators,' it wrote in the post alongside an image of openmouthed, sharp-toothed lynx. 'That way, nothing goes to waste — and we ensure natural behavior, nutrition and well-being of our predators,' the zoo added. On its website, the zoo said the donated animals will be 'gently euthanized' by trained staff before being served up as food. The zoo is home to carnivorous predators such as the Asiatic lion, European lynx and Sumatran tiger. The zoo's public request has drawn lively debate online with some protesting the idea of turning pets into prey, and others praising the zoo's efforts to maintain natural feeding behaviors. Deputy director of Aalborg Zoo, Pia Nielsen, said in a statement shared by The Guardian the initiative has been in place for years and is common practice in Denmark. 'For many years at Aalborg Zoo, we have fed our carnivores with smaller livestock. When keeping carnivores, it is necessary to provide them with meat, preferably with fur, bones, etc to give them as natural a diet as possible,' Nielsen said. 'Therefore, it makes sense to allow animals that need to be euthanized for various reasons to be of use in this way.' 'In Denmark, this practice is common, and many of our guests and partners appreciate the opportunity to contribute. The livestock we receive as donations are chickens, rabbits, guinea pigs, and horses.' CNN has reached out to Aalborg Zoo for comment. It's not the first time that Denmark's zoos have come under scrutiny for the way they feed their animals and control populations. In 2014, the Copenhagen Zoo in the Danish capital euthanized a healthy young giraffe named Marius to avoid inbreeding, despite a petition trying to stop the move. Its carcass was used partly for research and partly to feed carnivores at the zoo – lions, tigers, and leopards. Weeks later, public criticism flared again when the zoo euthanized four of those lions, to make way for a new male in hopes to breed a new generation of cubs.
New York Times
7 hours ago
- New York Times
A Zoo in Denmark Wants to Feed Your Pets to Its Predators
A zoo in Denmark is asking pet owners to donate their animal companions — their guinea pigs, rabbits, chickens and even small horses — to feed to its predators. In a Facebook post last Thursday, the Aalborg Zoo noted that it welcomed animals that, regardless of circumstance, might be nearing the end of their lives. These animals would be 'gently euthanized' by trained employees and then used as food for the zoo's predators, like its European lynx, the zoo notes on its website. Lions and tigers are also part of the zoo's predator exhibits. The donations would help the zoo mimic the natural food chain by feeding whole prey to its predators, the post said: 'This way, nothing goes to waste, and we ensure natural behavior, nutrition, and well-being for our predators.' The post linked to the zoo's website, which described the process for donating horses as food. 'Our needs vary throughout the year, and there may be a waiting list,' the site explains. For horses, certain conditions must be met, including the horse not having recently been treated for an illness. 'The horse will be delivered alive to Aalborg Zoo, where the horse will be euthanized by a zookeeper and a veterinarian and then slaughtered,' the zoo website says. The zoo also accepts chickens, rabbits and guinea pigs, during weekdays 'between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., but no more than four at a time.' The Facebook post attracted swift backlash, with one commenter describing 'a terrible trend of indifference with animals in Denmark.' Another commenter wrote that 'feeding pets is absolutely unacceptable.' Aalborg Zoo did not immediately respond to request for comment. A spokeswoman for the zoo told Popular Science that 'for many years' its employees 'have fed our carnivores with smaller livestock.' Other commenters on Facebook praised the initiative and even requested more details about how to donate their animals. One described their own experience donating a rabbit as a 'super nice and professional experience.' Signe Flyvholm, who lives in Denmark and has visited Aalborg Zoo for the past 40 years, said that the social media post made her want to donate her horse. 'She could make a difference by being used as food,' Ms. Flyvholm said. 'She is a very loved horse.' Ms. Flyvholm said her horse needed to be put down because the cartilage in its hooves was turning into bone. But the horse, which weighed over 2,000 pounds, was too big for the zoo, she said. Instead, Ms. Flyvholm decided to donate her horse to a different organization that will use the animal for biofuel or fertilizer production. It's not the first time that Denmark's zoos have come under fire for their unvarnished approach to death. In 2014, the Copenhagen Zoo euthanized a healthy young giraffe named Marius because his genes were already well-represented among the captive giraffes. The zoo invited members of the public to watch the giraffe's autopsy as an educational opportunity and then fed Marius's remains to some of its big cats, including its lions. Weeks later, the zoo euthanized four of those lions: two cubs and their parents. The zoo said the lions were killed to prevent the male lion from breeding with his daughters and to prevent a newly arrived young male lion from attacking the cubs. The deaths prompted an outcry from animal rights activists but also reflected a trans-Atlantic philosophical divide toward zoo management. American zoos often lean heavily on contraception to prevent zoo populations from booming, whereas European zoos often allow their animals to breed — arguing that it is good for the animals to be able to engage in these natural behaviors — and later euthanize 'surplus' animals.
Fox News
13 hours ago
- Fox News
Pope Leo XIV inspires over a million young Catholics at Rome faith gathering
Rome became the epicenter of a global faith movement over the weekend, as more than 1 million young Catholics answered Pope Leo XIV's call for faith and service. "My young brothers and sisters, you are the sign that a different world is possible," the pontiff told the Jubilee of Youth crowd in Tor Vergata, encouraging the sea of young faithful to embrace dialogue over division. Father Michael Tidd, headmaster at the Delbarton School in Morristown, New Jersey, told Fox News Monday that Pope Leo's message deeply resonated with the audience. "I think what Pope Leo says that resonates so well is that he's not afraid to ask hard questions and to challenge young people to live their faith more deeply, more authentically, to go beyond themselves and not just worry about their own concerns, but seek the good of their brothers and sisters," he told "Fox & Friends." According to Tidd, the pope's ability to connect stems from a natural "ease," a way of communicating that is neither overbearing nor condescending. Rather than lecturing the young Christians, he speaks to them personally, with a touch of warmth and wisdom. "He has an ability to engage readily, and you see that in his smaller audiences and the audiences at St. Peter's Square and certainly even here, his ability to catch their attention and to have them listen to him, not as someone who's admonishing them or chastising them, but someone who is encouraging, almost like a coach," Tidd observed. "[He's] encouraging them, motivating them to seek a deeper relationship with Christ, and also to bring the fruits of that relationship to their relationships with their brothers and sisters." The pope presided over a prayer vigil Saturday evening on the outskirts of Rome where he answered questions from young pilgrims, followed by a Sunday mass.
