Woluwe-Saint-Pierre makes plans for pet cemetery

The Woluwe-Saint-Pierre city council has requested a subsidy from the Brussels-Capital Region to establish the region’s first burial ground for pets. While Ixelles has a burial site for housepets, it is only open to urns that hold ashes. In Woluwe, the pet would not have to be cremated for burial.

Mayer Benoît Cerexhe (CDH) told La Capitale that the municipality already has a site chosen – next to the people cemetery on Stokkelsesteenweg. There is space there for 170 pets, he said, and he hopes it can open by next year.

Earlier this year, Brussels state secretary for animal welfare offered €30,000 in available subsidies for pet cemeteries. “We didn’t hesitate to submit our plan for consideration,” said Cerexhe. “We have 300 square metres ready that borders the regular cemetery; it’s an ideal location.”

The site would only be open to housepets, Cerexhe emphasised, not to, say, farm animals. “We’ll take a look at how other such sites in Belgium operate,” he said.

One thing is for sure: Owners will be able to bury their pets without having them cremated. This will be the first cemetery of its kind in Brussels, as pets in the Ixelles cemetery must be cremated and buried in urns.

Woluwe’s chance of getting subsidies is high; so far it is the only municipality in Brussels that has applied.

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