Amsterdam’s canals are an iconic part of the city’s identity – they’re a UNESCO World Heritage Site, after all – but paired with the combo of narrow streets, they pose a bit of a hazard to the city’s furry creatures.
That’s why Amsterdam has decided to take a leaf out of Amersfoort’s book. The neighbouring Netherlands city has, since June, installed hundreds of little wooden staircases along the banks of its canals to ensure that cats (or any small animals) have an escape route should they fall in, and now it looks like the capital could do the same.
While cats can swim, many of them fall into canals when they get startled – in Amsterdam, that’s easily done – and tragically, 19 have drowned in Amsterdam over the last 6 months. We can’t have that.
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So, thanks to a proposal by pro-animal party PvdD, city councillors have reportedly voted to earmark €100,000 to make the canals safer for wildlife.
But, a staircase is no good if it’s too far away. That’s why Amsterdam will consult animal welfare organisation Dierenambulance to identify where cats and other animals find it hardest to escape. The council will then use this information to work out where to place them.
‘A ladder can really save their life, as long as there are enough of them,’ said Maggie Ruitenberg from Katten Kenniscentrum, a feline information centre, to euronews.
No timeline for these important (and adorable) installations has been announced yet, but if you’re in ’Dam in the next couple of months, keep your eyes peeled.
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