Dierenambulance Brabant Noord-Oost (Dabno) and Stichting Hokazo from Uden have disagreement and that is why they have stopped their cooperation immediately. That was apparent this weekend from a Facebook message. What are the consequences for the animals in this region?
Dabno is a regional animal ambulance with volunteers. They do not receive a subsidy.
Hokazo is a local animal shelter with volunteers, a few paid employees and one own ambulance. They receive financial support from the municipality. If Hokazo is not available, Dabno normally takes over from them.
Only help with emergencies
Hokazo has stopped collaboration with Dabno. A Dabno spokesperson said that they can no longer pick up every report in the Uden region.
They do not know where to place the animals now and which veterinarians they can go. “We can move to adjacent emergency shelter centers, but it is not intended that Due has those animals.”
Dabno, however, still drives to emergencies in the Uden region. “If an animal is injured or if the police or fire brigade calls us, we will still drive. Even if a stray animal cannot stay with the reporter, we will come.”
What should reporters call?
According to Hokazo, an attempt was made to work with Dabno, but that was not going smoothly. “We have therefore made the choice to do our work independently of each other,” says Rob van Venrooij of Hokazo.
Van Venrooij says that Melders can always call Hokazo. “If our ambulance is gone or we are not available, detectors will always be called back. If people don’t get hold of us, they are free to call Dabno. That we have no cooperation with them, has to do with policy and not with animal welfare.”
Madders from the municipalities of Bernheze, Boekel, Land van Cuijk, Maashorst and Meierijstad can therefore call both Hokazo and Dabno. Hokazo is not always available and Dabno only drives in an emergency.
Disagreement is more common
The DierenLot Foundation supports regional and local animal aid organizations. They see it happen more often that such parties get disagreement. “Everyone in the Netherlands can start an animal ambulance. It is not a protected profession. If you stick a sticker on your car today and communicate that you are an animal ambulance, then you are,” explains Jane van den Berg, spokesperson for the Dierenlot Foundation.
And that is where the shoe often pinches. Because if there is dissatisfaction within an organization, someone can set up their own animal ambulance. “The question is to what extent this benefits the animal,” says Van den Berg. “That does not mean that everyone who therefore starts an animal ambulance does not do this with the good intentions or has no knowledge.”
DierenLot Foundation does not tolerate it when animal aid organizations they support are publicly negative about another organization. “Since we are also pretty strict. But the animal world is a world full of passion, which makes it not always easy to get out of a good relationship with each other.”
What is the role of the municipality?
When it comes to animal welfare, there are many legal tasks and powers at national and provincial authorities. Municipalities also have legal tasks and obligations regarding animal welfare.
For example, they have a duty of care, but also a retention obligation for roaming animals. The latter means that they have to take care of and temporarily absorb stray animals, who probably have an owner.
Municipalities have a game of money for animal welfare. They decide for themselves which organizations they support. “It is arranged differently for a game shelter, no standard money is available for that. Depending on the municipality, it is whether they free money for it. The province increasingly provides support to wild shelter centers,” says Van den Berg.