Animal burial
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The ritual burial of dead animals has been practiced around the world for around 12,000 years. The earliest recorded animal burial (as an addition to that of a human) took place in Ain Mallaha in Israel. The first animal burial of a cat was carried out 10,000 years ago by the Cypriots , who already kept cats as pets . Animal burial was at its optimum in ancient Egypt. At that time, numerous animals that were considered sacred were lavishly embalmed and ritually buried. This included cats , crocodiles , bulls and falcons in particular .
History of animal burial
Animal burials also flourished in the early Middle Ages , with the Alemanni , Franks and Saxons , where wealthy deceased were buried together with their horses and (hunting) dogs , such as the late Saxon rider's grave of Schnelsen . Often the heads were buried separately from the bodies of the animals. At the horse burial in Wulfsen , three horses were buried in one grave. In most cases, the bridle was placed in the grave of the deceased. In the Saxon burial ground of the settlement chamber of Rullstorf in the district of Lüneburg , even a tame red deer was buried, which was probably used as a lure for wild deer when hunting. The most important horse burial ground in Germany is located there with up to 42 burials .
Animal burial today
Today the pet burial takes place in the course of a close relationship with the pet without the cultic character. The number of burials carried out by animal undertakers is growing rapidly. Today around 1.4 million cats and dogs die every year in Germany. There are now around 120 animal cemeteries available for the burial of these animals, and there is also the option of having the animal buried in a cemetery for animals.
There are around 180 animal undertakers who take on funeral services. These offer types of burial that are also common with humans. In addition to burial in the ground and cremation, there is also the option of having a space burial , a sea burial or a diamond burial carried out. However, cremation is the most common type of burial chosen. After the cremation of the animal, only bone fragments remain, these are ground and can then be buried in a burial urn or placed in stylish urns in the house or in the garden as a souvenir. A crystal or diamond burial is also possible years later, because some ashes can also be removed later from waterproof urns.
Cremation is basically and unlike humans offered as collective cremation, in which several animals are cremated together. The ashes are no longer given to the animal owners, but instead buried by the animal crematorium or distributed in beds. Mostly, however, the individual cremation is chosen, in which only one animal is cremated. The unmixed and complete ashes are then given to the pet owner in an urn, an ash box or ash bag. A burial in the garden or in a place of memory is left to the pet owner.
Most pets today die from being euthanized by the vet. The owners can then take their animal with them and bury it themselves or hire an undertaker. The animals that are left with the doctor after euthanasia are not buried, but sent to the animal body recycling.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Michael Müller-Wille: Horse grave and horse sacrifice in the early Middle Ages . In: Reports van de Rijksdienst voor het Oudheidkundig Boemonderzoek . No. 20-21, 1970/1971 , ISSN 0167-5443 , pp. 119-248 .
- ↑ Cornelius Hornig: The late Saxon burial ground of Rullstorf, Ldkr. Lüneburg . Leidorf, Buch am Erlbach 1993, ISBN 3-924734-32-1 , p. 117-137, here pp. 118-121 (dissertation).
- ↑ Current situation with animal burials (D)