I was about fourteen when I caught two partridges. They might have been a pair - I couldn't see a difference in gender. I had given them a nice spot in my aviary, well cared for. But after a while, one of them died.
Did that have to do with the captivity? And what was the life of the remaining male or female still worth? What would make it valuable again?
I still remember well the moment I took the partridge in my hands and threw it into the air outside. I saw how the bird seemed to hesitate for a moment, as if it couldn't believe this was really happening. Then it spread its wings and flew away. I followed it with my eyes until it disappeared behind the trees.
It took some mental effort to do that. I had put so much effort into catching that bird. But I really had to overcome something in myself to let it go - and at that moment I understood what freedom means to an animal. It was a literal action that I figuratively felt again when later a relationship with a girlfriend ended. Never again did I want to keep a person or animal dependent on me.
That realization didn't come suddenly. It was the final step in a long process that began when I was six years old.
From rabbit to insight
My first pet was a young rabbit that I had "earned" as a six-year-old by helping someone for an hour picking potatoes. I found it incredible: getting a rabbit for so little effort! After that first rabbit, many more would follow.
The first rabbit got a housing of 2 stacked potato crates with some wire mesh in front. Intuitively, I felt that an animal should have more space. Because we lived on a horticultural farm, there was enough space to fence off a piece of grass where the rabbits had relatively lots of space. They could even dig a burrow that was meters long, far beyond the fence. They didn't escape and thus they created their own familiar spot.
Later I let my rabbit run free for an entire winter. It gave me a special feeling that the animal always stayed nearby. One day in spring, my father was preparing the vegetable garden when his foot sank a bit into the ground. It turned out that "my" rabbit had given birth to six young from a wild specimen. Rabbits dig a burrow half a meter long, which they close to open it again in the morning and evening to feed their offspring. This is how they protect their young.
A pheasant that kept searching for freedom
I also had an aviary with parakeets. The birds had a spacious flight area. Once I caught a pheasant, which I put in the aviary. I was under the impression that I was doing the animal a favor. The animal was cared for, didn't have to be afraid of being eaten. In return, I wanted to watch it from time to time.
Every time I stood in front of the wire mesh, the pheasant nervously paced back and forth looking for a place to escape. I hoped she would get used to me, but that didn't happen. I released the animal again. It's not for nothing that keeping wild animals is forbidden.
By now I had started to doubt whether I was doing the right thing by keeping animals captive. And then came those two partridges.
From insight to action
A few years later I went to study psychology. It was a time when you discussed a lot about the important aspects of life. Initially I lived in a student flat where I met a vegetarian, who soon persuaded me to stop eating meat. It was a logical and easy decision in a process that had unfolded slowly and unconsciously over a long time.
Since 1976 I have been a vegetarian. Not eating meat will always remain so. Meanwhile, I am slowly working, step by step, to become vegan.
Because I have spent so many years dealing with pets, I have been able to experience well that animals are not really "grateful" for their care. The animal prefers to go its own way. I still enjoy watching animals and what I find most beautiful now is that an animal in the meadow greets me by briefly sniffing my hand and that we then each go our own way again, in freedom.
Why Animal Freedom exists
That insight - that freedom is not something an animal must "earn", but a basic right whose restriction requires justification - became the core of Animal Freedom. We don't oppose animal use because animals are "just like humans". We ask ourselves: what justifies our restricting their freedom?
In factory farming, that justification is completely absent. Animals are not kept captive there for their own good, but solely for our convenience and pleasure. That's why I believe factory farming should be banned - the animals there have too little freedom to behave naturally.
Animation of Animal Freedom logo
I realize that I have determined for many animals how long they would live and whether they would have young. That doesn't bother me, but keeping animals captive does. I have no objection to others eating meat, as long as the meat does not come from factory farming. The quality of life before death is more important to me than the timing when others decide that animals should die. I myself will never eat meat again.
What you can do
With this website, and together with others, we want people to realize what they are causing for themselves, others and animals with their choices. Looking back on my own process, I understand that this insight can take longer than seems logical. But it doesn't have to be difficult.
Three simple steps that have immediate impact:
1. Stop buying factory farm products
You don't have to become a vegetarian immediately. Just stop choosing meat, dairy or eggs from factory farming. That alone makes a world of difference for thousands of animals.
2. Tell others why
When people ask why you don't buy factory farm products, calmly tell your story. No sermon, just: "I don't want to contribute to keeping animals captive." Nothing more is needed.
3. Support the ban on factory farming
When the opportunity arises - in conversations, on social media, during elections - speak out for a ban on factory farming. Not because you want to convert others, but because it's simply the right direction.
Want to know more? Read the detailed articles with practical tips and concrete actions:
Because I have spent so many years dealing with