A growing number of Danish pets are being thrown out with the rubbish, reports Denmark’s largest animal welfare organisation, Dyrenes Beskyttelse.
In 2014, the organisation registered 2,365 animals that were thrown out by their owners and left to die in the rubbish container – a 50 percent increase compared to the previous year.
Zipped in bags and thrown away
According to the organisation, cats, in particular, are being discarded.
Some 1,792 abandoned cats were found by Dyrenes Beskyttelse last year, which was 600 more than in 2013.
“It’s disgusting and disrespectful. With every case, I get angry that someone can betray their animal and leave it to an uncertain fate,” Jens Jokumsen, a project manager at Dyrenes Beskyttelse, told Jyllands Posten.
“What upsets me the most is the fact that the trend is rising. We’ve had nearly 1,000 cases more compared to the year before – it’s unbelievable.”
Domesticated animals cannot survive ‘in the wild’
According to Jokumsen, domesticated cats are not accustomed to fending for themselves, and if thrown out they won’t be able to survive.
Besides cats, Danes also often throw away rabbits, guinea pigs and hamsters.
“You have to remember that every time we take a cat, a rabbit or kittens out of a box or bag, there was someone who put them down there, put the lid on or zipped a bag. It’s a disgrace,” Jokumsen noted.
