Jules Ruhl (1864 – 31 December 1936) was a Belgian animal welfare activist. During his life he was known as an apostle of animal protection.
Career
Ruhl who worked in Anderlecht founded the Brussels Society Against Cruelty to Animals in 1897. In 1908 he founded Veeweyde, the first shelter for lost and abandoned animals in Belgium. He was the editor of the magazine Nos Meilleurs Amis (Our Best Friends). He proposed Belgium's first animal protection law which was implemented in 1929.
Ruhl was a vegetarian in his personal life but was supportive of humane slaughter. He campaigned for the use of anaesthetics and humane killers in slaughterhouses as well as improving working conditions. He invented a humane pistol for killing livestock. He was a vice-president of the International Humanitarian Bureau from 1936 to 1938, an organization connected to the Animal Defence and Anti-Vivisection Society.
Death
Jules Ruhl died in 1936 on a platform at the Gare du Midi, during an accident from transporting horses to Paris.
Legacy
A statue was erected in Astridplein to honour Ruhl's animal welfare work. Jules Ruhl Street in Anderlecht is named in his honour.
Pierre Theunis made a sculptor of Jules Ruhl with an inscription on the front: "Jules Ruhl protector of the humble and the weak, defender of mistreated animals".
References
- ^ Foket, Lise (2020). "In de herinnering van de grootste dierenvriend van België: Jules Rühl (1864-1936)". Scriptiebank. Archived from the original on May 30, 2024.
- ^ "Our History". Veeweyde. 2024. Archived from the original on November 28, 2024.
- "Jules Ruhl". Reflex City. 2024. Archived from the original on November 28, 2024.
- "The International Humanitarian Bureau". Lonsea. 2024. Archived from the original on November 28, 2024.
- "Rue Jules Ruhl". Inventaire du patrimoine. 2019. Archived from the original on November 28, 2024.
- "Pierre Theunis (Anvers 1883 - Bruxelles 1950)". Lancz Gallery. 2024. Archived from the original on July 25, 2024.
- "City Guide 2016: A Typical Borough of Brussels: An Insider's Guide to Anderlecht" (PDF). Tourist Information Service Anderlecht. 2016. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 18, 2024.
