Another lockdown is coming to a town in Baden-Württemberg this summer, although it's only for cats. Local authorities have told people to keep their pets inside for a few months to help protect endangered wildlife.

Cats in German town forced to stay inside this summer

Cats in Walldorf-Süd, Baden-Württemberg, will be subject to a lockdown this summer, after local authorities ordered people to keep their pet cats inside until the end of August. The district office issued the order across the southern part of the town of Waldorf to try and protect crested larks, a local bird species which is facing extinction. According to the district office, the fate of the crested larks depends on “the survival of every single young bird”.

Any cats that manage to sneak outside during the summer months must be reported to the authorities, with owners obliged to try and get their cats to return indoors. Owners that let their cats outside could face a fine of up to 500 euros. A more severe fine of 50.000 euros may also be imposed on the owner of any cat that kills one of the six crested larks living in Walldorf.

The measure will be in place between April and August for the next three years.

German authorities deem cats a threat to endangered species

The local district office explained that the crested lark is currently classified on the red list for endangered species. Apparently, there were only three breeding pairs left in Walldorf last year, all in the southern part of the town. The birds breed on the ground, making them particularly vulnerable to cats. “Cats pose a particular threat, and the measure is suitable, necessary and appropriate,” local authorities said.

It has been recommended to residents with outdoor cats that they leave their pets with family or friends that live outside the southern part of the town during the summer months.

The Wiesloch-Walldorf Animal Welfare Association has said that it will look to legally challenge the measure, according to local media. “Please keep calm,” the association’s chairman Volker Stutz said in a statement. “I assure you that we will do our best to stop this disproportionate measure.”