Animal rescue is one of the tasks of the fire brigade, as is rescuing people from emergencies or fighting fires. Across Germany, firefighters turn out dozens of times a day to help pets or rescue wild animals – whether it’s the squirrel stuck in the manhole cover, the horse stuck in the ditch or the famous cat that can’t get down from the tree on its own.
Based on figures that are not entirely up-to-date, there are a good 120 rescue missions for animals every day throughout Germany, which also includes when the emergency services of the 23,000 fire brigades nationwide are alerted about insects. The German Fire Brigade Association counted a total of almost 45,000 such operations in 2020.
Four-legged friend not properly supervised? An invoice may then be due after the animal rescue
It can be expensive for pet owners when the fire brigade is called out for their four-legged friend. A case from Berlin in 2012, for example, became famous: At that time, the fire brigade freed a terrier from a badger’s den in an eight-hour action – which ultimately cost the owner 10,000 euros.
The cost of animal rescues can vary widely across the country, as each municipality determines how much its fire department is allowed to charge for it. In general, the fees depend on how many people and equipment were used and how long it lasted.
In Hamburg, a fee for animal rescues, which has been in effect since January 2021, recently caused a stir. At the time, the increasing costs for the taxpayer were cited as the reason for their introduction. Wild animals continue to be rescued free of charge because they have no owners to whom an invoice can be sent. Some example costs for animal rescues are now available from Hamburg.
The fee was introduced in the northern German metropolis because the number of animal rescues in the Hanseatic city had recently risen sharply – to a good 1000 a year. According to press reports, the criterion for charging a fee is whether an owner has lost control of his animal.
Conversely, this also means that you don’t pay a fee if you call the fire brigade because a strange animal is in need. Because the respective owner must then also pay for such a use.
Sources: Hamburg citizenship“Hamburg evening paper“, “mopo“, “Bild.de“, “TZ” German Fire Brigade Association“day 24“