Ludwig Ankenbrand

Ludwig Ankenbrand (21 April 1888 – 6 March 1971) was a German Buddhist, journalist and activist for animal welfare and vegetarianism.

Life

Ankenbrand was born in Nuremberg in 1888 to a family of freethinkers. He graduated from the Eberhard-Ludwigs-Gymnasium in Stuttgart. As a teenager Ankenbrand met his idol Christian Wagner (1835–1918) in a village near Stuttgart. Wagner was a farmer and poet who refused to slaughter his cattle.

Animal welfare

Ankenbrand was an ardent campaigner for animal welfare. He has been described as consistent in his beliefs. He did not eat meat and he condemned all hunting activities including fishing as unethical. He also opposed the fashion industry slaughtering birds for their feathers. After the end of the war they were repatriated to Germany.

Selected publications

Tierschutz und moderne Weltanschauung [Animal Welfare and a Modern Worldview] (1906) Unserer Vöglein Luft und Leid: Vogelschutzgedichte [The Air and Suffering of Our Little Birds: Poems for Bird Protection] (1930)