Prague, Oct 14 (CTK) – The first animal crematory in Prague, which was opened in the eastern neighbourhood of Bechovice recently, mainly burns down dead dogs, which form 70 percent of the animals cremated, and the rest are mostly cats, its owners Jan Sipek and Jan Simon told CTK yesterday.
Other species make up about one percent of all animals cremated, Sipek said.
The time and price of cremation depends on the weight of the animal. The price reaches up to 10,000 crowns for big animals.
The biggest animal to be cremated in Bechovice so far was an Irish Wolfhound weighing 77 kg.
The furnace can burn down animals up to 130 kg of weight, Sipek said.
The law binds owners either to bury their dead pet on their own plot or take it to an animal rendering plant. Another possibility is its cremation.
The Bechovice crematory has been operating since July, burning down ten to 12 animals a day on average.
The owners of the animals can bid farewell to their pets in a ceremonial room before the cremation.
“To most owners, the most important thing is to be sure of having the ashes of their pet,” Sipek said.
Apart from the simplest urn, made of plastic, the clients can buy environment-friendly urns or ones made of ceramics, metal or alabaster.
A part of the ashes can be used to produce a jewel or a glass decoration.
Sipek said it is difficult to find a plot to build an animal crematory on. In Bechovice, the building is situated among logistics halls in an industrial area.
A petition against a similar project in Zlicin, on the western outskirts of Prague, has been signed by 4,000 people, and an animal crematory planned in Olomouc, north Moravia, has met with people’s opposition as well.
The first Czech animal crematory was opened in Brno in 2003.
Besides cremation, people can also bury their pets at special animal cemeteries which can be found in Prague, Brno or Kutna Hora, central Bohemia. Such a burial costs several thousands of crowns.
($1=23.853 crowns)
