‘Obesitships’ from Nieuwegein may be cut back, residents resist

The sheep and goats in some of the animal meadows of Nieuwegein were not just too fat, no, they had morbid obesity. Cause: the rice and macaroni pans that were fed by local residents to the two -hooks. The result was that more than two years ago the sheep had to go on a waste retreat at the children’s farm in IJsselstee. Some of the animals were no longer saved, and had to be asleep by the vet. For the rest of the animals, the months -long strict diet brought off his fruit. A year ago, the animals on target weight-after an intensive feed-the-animal-not campaign for local residents-were replaced in their meadows.

The story of the obesity animals reads like a soap. And that is not over. This time municipal lack of money stands in the way of the happiness of the animals. Nieuwegein stands for major financial challenges by the government by the government’s contribution from the municipal fund and the closing of the meadows is on a list of forty possible austerity measures. The municipality expects a shortage of « 5 million » in the coming year, which will rise to « 7.5 million in 2029 ».

‘Difficult choices’

The idea is now to « step by step by step by the city that the city counts to 1 in 2029 ». The latter meadow is affiliated with the children’s farm. With the closing of the meadows, « in the long term (2029) will be saved structurally € 55,000 a year, » the spokesperson said in a written response. It encounters fierce reactions among local residents. « We see that the proposal does a lot with people. We understand that. But no matter how annoying, we have less money to spend. »

Our park and the animal meadow are an important part for joy, relaxation

So « difficult choices » must be made. But local residents do not agree. A petition has started to preserve the animal meadow in Park Kokkebogaard, where there are also deer and goats next to sheep. Not only for the animals, but also the needs of man is central to that call. « Our park and the animal meadow are an important part for joy, relaxation, » the petition says that has already been signed more than a thousand times. It is feared that if the animal meadow will disappear, « part of the relaxation, peace and pleasure » will also disappear.

During a consultation moment at the Nieuwegein city council, a resident, Bert Gozems, recorded it for the meadow at the Gerbrandypark, one of the parks where the animals were overweight. It went well anyway, he argued in a three -minute argument. The animals have remained healthy and on weight, according to Stadskrant The mill porter said.

According to the message from that newspaper, councilor Gerben Horst (CDA) then asked if it would not be a good idea to have the meadows and animals managed by volunteers. But « whether it is wisdom to leave working with the animals to not qualified residents instead of the professionals who now manage the animal pastures, » that was very much the question, according to Gozems.

In July this year, the city council will make a decision about the future of the animal meadows.

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