When you think of animal welfare, dogs and cats immediately spring to mind. But what about the animals that are forced to help us produce food – or that serve as food themselves?
Who is there for them? Who helps them? Shouldn’t we treat cattle and dairy cows in particular with respect and care? Shouldn’t we be grateful to them?
Get out of poor housing conditions
Christian is a volunteer at the Gut Aiderbichl animal welfare organization.
He was told that there was a farm with poor conditions for the bulls and dairy cows. The animal welfare activists immediately visited the farm to investigate.
The cattle were indeed in stalls that were far too small. Lying and standing, a few steps back and forth, that was all the animals could do. They were also tethered.
The floor of the stalls was barely covered with some old straw. There was no window and only artificial light. Not a very enviable life. No wonder the animals seemed apathetic.
Our hearts and thoughts go out to all living creatures!
Professor Daniel Weary is strongly committed to animal welfare. He works at the University of British Columbia in Canada and researches the topic of life trauma in cows.
One of his studies, which he conducted in 2014, clearly showed that poor husbandry can lead to permanent pessimism in animals.
This incessant state even causes the cattle to show visible and measurable restructuring in their brains.
In particular, the stress of growing up without a mother and the physical pain caused by dehorning show clear changes in the animals‘ brains.
Pure joie de vivre
The animal rights activists made sure that the cattle were freed from their miserable conditions.
Christian was on site and carefully approached the bull named Bandit. When he held out his hand to the bull and gently touched him on the head, the large animal immediately snuggled up to him.
Christian carefully undid the chain and opened the box. Slowly and unsteadily, Bandit stepped out. It must have been an incredible feeling for the bull.
He stood there uncertainly for a moment before he started to jump like a young calf. It was a real dance of joy that Bandit performed there.
His relocation went without a hitch. In his new large stable full of fresh straw and hay, the bull played sweetly and you could see that he was incredibly happy!
Christian and the animal welfare activists from the Austrian organization Gut Aiderbichl have not only completely changed Bandit’s life – the other animals have also been moved to decent accommodation where they receive the best possible care.
