Obituary donkey Georgia
She was like a fairy
Georgia came to the Gut Aiderbichl farm in Henndorf with Felix, Seppl and Leonie two years ago. The owner of the four donkeys was ill and no longer able to look after his pets. So the quartet of donkeys were cared for by friends of the owner, who contacted Gut Aiderbichl's animal emergency center and asked for the donkeys to be taken in. The sick owner agreed. We photographed Georgia, Felix, Seppl and Leonie regularly and videos were also taken and sent to the man. He was no longer able to visit his animals himself. Knowing that his donkeys were doing well, the old, sick man sadly passed away.
Like all new arrivals, the four donkeys were examined by a vet as soon as they arrived. Georgia told us that something was wrong with her legs. The examination revealed that she was suffering from laminitis. This is an incurable, chronic disease of the hooves that can be very painful for the affected animals.
Together with the vet, therapies were discussed to get Georgia's suffering under control, which was ultimately successful.
Georgia had something fairylike about her. She was well-behaved, elfish and lovable. She always reminded us of the Greek donkeys that lived with us for many years. Like the Greek working donkeys, Georgia was humble and devoted to people. You got the impression that she always wanted to do everything right, although she never did anything wrong. Her faithful, dark eyes only ever told us a little about her life, she didn't want to entrust us humans with many secrets.
But there was one thing she couldn't hide from us: her genuine love for her donkey Seppl. Faithfully, she always walked around the farmyard with him when he wasn't chasing after yet another donkey mare in heat. She would then elegantly look away, only to be back in the stable with Seppl in the evening, as if he was only loyal to her.
Recently, it was noticed that Georgia was lame and the vet who was called in did everything he could to help Georgia. The laminitis was at a very bad stage again, the treatments weren't working and she must be in a lot of pain.
These are the moments when the animal keepers hang their heads, the vet gets a worry line, but one thing is clear: the animals must not suffer. That's when you hear Michael Aufhauser again "... then comes the moment when we have to close our hearts a little and let reason do its work. The animals must not suffer ...". The animal keepers and all her friends were with Georgia as she slowly and with relief closed her eyes forever. Georgia crossed the Rainbow Bridge far too soon, she was only 27 years old. We would have loved to have accompanied our Georgia fairy even longer. She is now in a world without pain and is sleeping somewhere in donkey heaven under a shady tree.
Give those you love wings to fly away, roots to come back and reasons to stay.
- Dalai Lama
Dear Georgia,
Thank you for letting us be your companions. We are convinced that every donkey has a special character, yours was soft, lovable and gentle. Unfortunately, your life candle went out too soon, but we know that you had a beautiful, painless life where you are now grazing. Take care, dear Georgia. We will keep you in our hearts.
