Amsterdam, Netherlands is famous for its scenic canals, but they pose a potential danger to local animals. Recently, there have been frequent reports of cats accidentally falling into the canals and dying. To protect these small animals in the city, the city council has passed a new proposal to install wooden escape ladders, allowing cats that accidentally fall into the water to escape and climb out on their own.
According to reports from foreign media, statistics from the Dutch animal welfare organization “Amsterdam Animal Rescue Team” show that in just the past six months, 19 cats have tragically drowned in the canals, with 6 cases occurring in the city center.
To prevent cats from drowning, city council member Krom proposed installing small wooden stairs along the canals, so if cats accidentally fall in and can’t climb the high walls, they could use these to escape. The proposal has been approved, with the city allocating a budget of 100,000 euros (about 490,000 ringgit). Krom said: “The passing of this motion demonstrates that as a city, we have a sense of responsibility to protect animal lives.”
The city government will collaborate with the Amsterdam Animal Rescue Team to identify the areas where cats are most at risk of drowning, and then begin building the ladders, which are expected to be installed this year at the highest-risk locations.
Rutenberg, a representative of the Cat Information Center, mentioned that cats may accidentally fall into canals when startled. Therefore, as long as there are enough of these ladders, they could truly save their lives. In addition to Amsterdam, the nearby city of Amersfoort has also adopted this safety measure for cats, setting up around 300 cat escape devices at local piers and along the canal banks.