Animal crematorium
In an animal crematorium , animals are cremated, similar to cremation in humans. In most cases, these are pets such as dogs and cats, whose owners do not wish to be disposed of via an animal carcass disposal facility .
General
The cremation of pets and the burial of their ashes has increased in importance in recent years as an alternative to animal burial. Animals are cremated after their death in specially built animal crematoria, similar to cremation in humans, whereby these are primarily pets such as dogs, cats and small animals. Crematoria for sport horses are currently only in the planning stage in Germany.
In contrast to human crematoria, animal crematoria can be approached and commissioned directly by the animal owner or veterinarian. The pet owner can also express his wishes for the delivery of the ashes.
History and today's situation
The history of animal burial goes back thousands of years. Burial places for animals that were considered sacred were set up as early as ancient Egypt. Cats and dogs, falcons and ibis were mummified and buried in their own cemetery grounds. And Frederick the Great was also buried next to his favorite dogs.
However, apart from epidemic and war times in the Middle Ages, the cremation of pets has no tradition in Germany. In other European countries where cremation has always been more liberal, such as B. in the Netherlands or France, the cremation of animals has a longer tradition. In Germany, pets generally have a very high priority, but their whereabouts after death are often only very rarely thought about or talked about.
However, this is currently changing. It is no longer a sign of excessive affection to mourn an animal. After all, pets are sentient, thinking, and communicating creatures that will become family members over the years. Respectful treatment of animals is not only required by law in animal welfare, but is increasingly also promoted and demanded by society. Above all, the independent whereabouts of the ashes fit in with the modern way of life of animal owners. The ashes can be B. be taken at any time when moving - which is not so easy with a buried animal.
One sign of this development is the increasing number of new animal crematoriums in Germany. In the 1990s, Germany's first animal crematorium was opened in Munich. Another twenty in southern and northern Germany followed to this day.
Alternative options
There are three alternatives to bringing a deceased pet to an animal crematorium, but overall almost 90% of the pets are either given to a carcass disposal facility for disposal or are buried in the garden.
Alternative 1 - disposal
The most common alternative today is disposal of the pet in a carcass disposal facility (TBA). The animal owner leaves the animal at the vet and pays a contribution towards expenses. The vet will store the animal and arrange for it to be picked up by the nearest TBA. A carcass collection vehicle (comparable to a garbage truck) then picks up the animal carcasses and brings them to the facility, where they are mixed with other so-called animal by-products of category 1 (K1 material) that is "only for disposal" (i.e. not allowed to human consumption, as animal feed or in industrial products), shredded, sterilized and further processed. Products that arise from this mass are z. B. MBM as an energy source for cement factories, lubricating oil or biodiesel .
According to current federal legislation, this disposal of animal carcasses is prescribed by the Animal By-Product Disposal Act (TierNebG), which is based on EU Directive 1774/2002.
Alternative 2 - bury
In the ordinance for the implementation of the Animal By-Product Disposal Act (TierNebV), the legislature has approved an exception that is handled differently depending on the district or town:
According to Part 6, Section 27 Exceptions, this national ordinance may bury individual pets in the garden
- insofar as these are in suitable places specially approved for this by the competent authority or
- on an area belonging to the animal owner
- but not in water protection areas and
- not be buried in the immediate vicinity of public paths and places
- are covered with a sufficient layer of earth at least 50 centimeters thick, measured from the edge of the pit.
Burying pets in other ways or in other places, e.g. B. in forests, is therefore prohibited and can result in a fine of up to € 20,000 if you violate the rules.
Most veterinarians advise against burying pets. One reason for this is that other animals (e.g. following pets or wildlife) can dig up the carcass again. In the case of euthanized and / or previously ill animals, there is also the risk that medication can get into the groundwater and thus also into the human food cycle. The very long period of decomposition also speaks against simply burying animals. However, this form is still practiced quite often, especially in rural areas.
Alternative 3 - pet cemetery
If these two options are ruled out for a pet owner, either because he wants to bury his animal in a dignified form after many years of living together or because the local or personal circumstances speak against a burial on his own property, he can turn to a specially designated pet cemetery, and buy a grave for the animal there. As part of a rental and maintenance contract, this usually runs for 5 years with the possibility of extension and costs around € 300-800 plus gravestone, sign or special requests, depending on the cemetery and size of the animal.
Construction of an animal crematorium
Another option is to contact the nearest animal crematorium directly.
In contrast to human burials, it is not mandatory to use an undertaker. Since animal undertakers only have their own crematorium in individual cases, deceased animals are picked up by the animal owner or the veterinarian, collected in their own business premises and routinely transferred to an animal crematorium and the ashes of cremated animals are taken back on the return journey. The presence of the animal owner in the crematorium is then usually associated with a high expenditure of time and money. For this reason, more and more pet owners are turning directly to an animal crematorium in their area, which has the appropriate facilities for the public.
Animal crematoria also usually have their own special collection vehicles with which they collect deceased animals. A quality feature by which an animal owner recognizes a good animal crematorium (or a good animal undertaker) is a refrigerated vehicle specially equipped for this purpose, which is used to minimize the decomposition process of the animal's carcass while driving. Pious providers also forego vehicle advertising in order to be able to appear discreetly in front of the doctor's office or private house and not to focus on self-advertising.
A modern animal crematorium has the following areas:
- Public area with reception, lounge area (mostly with urn exhibition / showcases) and farewell room with the possibilities
- to say goodbye to the deceased animal again (depending on the state with direct laying out - e.g. Bavaria or through a pane of glass - e.g. Baden-Württemberg)
- through a window or a camera to observe the entry process into the furnace
- to be present during the entire cremation process
- to receive the ashes in an urn or other container.
The outdoor area should be designed in a decent and dignified manner in accordance with the operational purpose, which is already important when choosing a location for a new project.
- Technical area
with furnace room, in which the cremation furnace with exhaust gas cleaning, the entrance station with scales, a cold room or a cold room, the ash treatment with urn filling and a cleaning and disinfection station for equipment (tubs, vehicles, etc.) are located.
- Administrative area
with the offices, common room for employees and social area with a lock for the separation between work and residence
The course of a cremation
In general, animal crematoria offer two forms of cremation:
In the collective cremation , animals are cremated together. Since the ashes of several animals accumulate together, no more ashes are given to the animal owners. Instead, it is buried by the animal crematorium or scattered on a litter meadow.
With individual cremation , the animals are cremated in individual, marked zones of the oven - completely separate from one another. The ash remains unmixed and complete. It is given to the pet owner in an urn, an ash box or an ash bag. The pet owner is then free to choose whether to keep the ashes at home or bury them in a place of remembrance or scatter them.
Since a modern cremation oven is similar to the ovens used in cremation for people, the process of animal cremation is also similar. Basically it starts with the delivery or collection of the animal. Animal owners can usually simply contact the nearest animal crematorium by phone and clarify all formalities, appointments or questions. Whether you have your animal picked up or deliver it yourself is up to your options and wishes.
In any case, after delivery, the data of the animal, the animal owner and, if applicable, the veterinarian who carried out the euthanasia are recorded. The animal is then weighed and placed ready in a tub. In some animal crematoriums, a firebrick with a control number is also added at this point in order to rule out any mix-up. This stone remains with the animal during the cremation phase and is then placed in the urn with the ashes in the event of a single cremation. However, some animal crematoriums also have other systems to avoid mix-ups.
If the animal cannot be cremated on the same day or if the animal owner wishes an individual appointment to attend the cremation, the animal is first embedded in a cold room. This is usually operated at temperatures below –10 ° C / -15 ° C and is dimensioned so that a sufficient number of animals can be stored.
On the day of the cremation of the animal, the owner can, if desired, say goodbye again before the actual process begins. To do this, the animal is presented again on a table or cart. With the design of the ambience, the situation or the wishes of the pet owner are taken into account. The animal is then bedded on a drive-in trolley and, once the furnace operator has given its approval, the entrance door is opened and the drive-in trolley with the animal is retracted. The animal is placed on the floor of the oven and the oven door is closed after the carriage has returned to its starting position.
The duration depends on the size of the animal and can range from 30 minutes to 2.5 hours. During this time, there is no intervention in the automatically running cremation process. During the cremation, the body weight of the animal is reduced to around 3% (example: in a dog with a live weight of 30 kg, the ash weight after cremation is around 0.8 to 1 kg).
After the end of the cremation process, the remaining mineralized ashes of the animal are removed either via the entrance opening or via an ash door or ash shaft on the back of the furnace and, after the cooling phase, placed with the firebrick into the vessel that the animal owner has selected or brought with him. Usually this is then handed over to the pet owner in the farewell room or, if requested, also sent.
Other scope of services of an animal crematorium
In addition to their actual core service, modern animal crematories also focus on the proximity to the animal owner. They usually offer very close and personal support and advice themselves at no extra charge, which is also aggressively advertised. Thus they position themselves in this segment next to the so-called animal undertakers.
Statutory regulations for the operation of an animal crematorium
Animal crematoria are generally approved according to EU regulation 1774/2002. A distinction is made here according to § 12:
- Systems of low capacity (output <50 kg / h)
- High capacity systems (output 50 kg / h and more)
For pets of normal size (dogs up to approx. 70 kg in weight), a system with a low capacity is sufficient with the appropriate furnace and post-combustion chamber dimensions.
In the approval process, which usually runs through building law with a machine-technical annex according to the BImSchG , the regulations for the emission reduction in exhaust gas come into effect, as they are regulated in the TA-Luft as well as in the 27th BImSchV.
The most important requirement is compliance with an afterburning temperature of at least 850 ° C with a dwell time of the exhaust gas in the afterburning chamber of at least two seconds.
In addition to EU regulation 1772/2002, the Animal By-Product Disposal Act (TierNebG) and the Animal By-Product Ordinance (TierNebV), in which the hygiene regulations and their documentation are regulated in detail, apply to the operation, including the transport and storage of animals. Compliance with the overall package results in the issuing of a European approval number for the company (DE xxxxx) as well as regular monitoring by the veterinary authorities. Depending on the location, further restrictions or requirements can be issued in each federal state or administrative district.
Plant engineering
There are around five manufacturers of cremation ovens in Germany who are active on the market with their own oven concepts. In the past, a hearth or flat bed furnace with an afterburning chamber below has proven itself. The animal is cremated in the main combustion chamber with a flat bottom, also known as the muffle furnace; in the afterburning chamber, the flue gas from the main combustion chamber is post-burned under optimal conditions at over 850 ° C and a dwell time of at least two seconds to remove the remains of organic components, soot or destroy carbon monoxide.
For this purpose, the main and post-combustion chambers are each equipped with a burner that ensures the desired temperature via temperature control. Usually natural gas or liquid gas is used. Electric ovens are used less often.
A flat-bed furnace completely lined with refractory fireclay bricks has advantages due to the horizontal approach of the animal (analogous to cremation furnaces in human areas). As there is no grate construction, the cremation process on the hearth floor is heated evenly from all sides.
During the cremation process, the temperatures in the main and afterburning chambers, the furnace vacuum and, optionally, the oxygen content are regulated by the supply of secondary air. Cremation ovens without an exhaust fan work with the natural draft of the chimney.
The exhaust gases from the cremation furnace can still be between 700 and 1100 ° C. Accordingly, exhaust gas cooling must first be installed, which takes place either via an admixture of air, a heat exchanger or an evaporative cooler.
Depending on the system capacity, the required exhaust gas cleaning with dust separation follows. The decisive reduction in CO, organic components and residual carbon has already taken place in the afterburning chamber while maintaining the minimum temperature and with a supply of secondary air.
Small animal crematoria in Germany
In Germany there are animal crematoriums in Emern (Lüneburg Heath near Uelzen), Bad Zwischenahn (Ammerland district), Badbergen (Osnabrück district), Bedburg (Rhein-Erft district), Berlin-Pankow, Darmstadt, Dornheim (Ilmkreis-Thuringia), Erolzheim ( Biberach district), Falkenhagen (Prignitz district), Gummersbach (Oberbergischer district), Hanstedt (near Hamburg), Hohenwestedt (Rendsburg district, Eckernförde), Laudenbach (Rhein-Neckar district), Lauf an der Pegnitz, Munich, Oedheim (Heilbronn district) , Polch near Koblenz (Rhineland-Palatinate, Eifel), Remseck-Aldingen (Ludwigsburg district), Schramberg-Sulgen (Black Forest), Verl (Gütersloh district), Wesel (North Rhine-Westphalia), Willebadessen (Höxter district) and Willich (Viersen district).
Further animal crematoria are currently being planned or under construction (e.g. in Usingen / Hochtaunuskreis and in Korb / Rems-Murr-Kreis).
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Animal By-Product Disposal Act
- ↑ Example for the disposal and further processing of animals ( Memento of the original from January 29, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Animal By-Product Disposal Ordinance
