Obituary goat Herbert Elvis
Obituary Herbert Elvis, the Casanova among the goats
Herbert Elvis was intelligent, charming and could occasionally be a pain in the arse. But all in all, he was a particularly beautiful Saane goat who always wanted to get his head through the wall. And: he loved to flirt and cuddle in between.
He was lucky to have been born on the farm of an Aiderbichler
The situation is the same for goats as it is for cattle: Male animals are of no interest to the dairy industry and are slaughtered. Herbert Elvis was lucky enough to be born on the farm of an Aiderbichl employee who asked to take her Herbert Elvis to Gut Aiderbichl. If he had stayed in the herd, there would have been inbreeding, but slaughter was not an option. So Herbert Elvis came to Henndorf and turned the heads of humans and animals alike with his behaviour.
An orange collar was his trademark
His coat was snow-white, an orange collar was his trademark, it was purposeful. If Elvis didn’t want to go into the stable in the evening, the groomers would take him by the collar and lead “Sir Herbert-Elvis” with the big curl on his forehead into the stable.
He liked to hide when it got dark because he didn’t really want to go into the stable yet. Calls of “Herbert Elvis, where are you” could be heard all around the yard. Thanks to the snow-white coat that characterises Saane goats, he was easy to find even in the dark.
Passionate collector of all kinds of things
He loved horse halters and there are plenty of them at the Gut Aiderbichl Henndorf animal sanctuary. Slowly and mischievously, he strolled through the main stable lane or through the donkey stable and loved to pick up horse halters, which he then dropped somewhere.
Herbert Elvis loved to nibble from the other goats’ cereal bowls, which not every goat was happy to do.
Making mischief was a favourite pastime
As a Saane goat, he had no horns due to his breed, so it wasn’t really painful when he “pushed” his way out, as if to say, “Off the track, here I come!” This behaviour was not malicious, he just wanted to convey that he was definitely not going to get out of the way.
Herbert Elvis loved to steal treats from handbags, jacket pockets or food trolleys. He liked to sneak up from behind and grab the prey, then run off with a carrot or a piece of apple.
One of his favourite places was the Great Hall, where laughter and hysterical shouts would break out between the tables at his presence.
It was as if Herbert Elvis was talking to the people
When a tour of the farm began, he would sneak up quietly and stand in the middle of the group of visitors. He listened, tilted his head and sometimes it was as if he was “nagging along”. These were also the few minutes when he liked to lean back, be stroked, close his eyes and enjoy being the centre of attention.
Unfortunately, it was discovered a few weeks ago that Herbert Elvis had problems urinating. He was given an artificial urinary outlet by means of an operation. He recovered well, but the animal carers noticed that the good phase was soon replaced by fever and pain.
Herbert Elvis’ eyes were tired and his look wanted to tell us unmistakably: “I’m going over the rainbow bridge to my friend Zacki…”. In the presence of his keepers, Herbert Elvis fell asleep peacefully and forever at the age of five.
If you tame me, my life will be full of sunshine. I will know the sound of your step, which is different from all others.
– Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Dear Herbert Elvis,
You didn’t let yourself be tamed, but lived your character: mischievous, mischievous, mischievous and special. You recognised the people you liked by their voices. The daily routine went according to your head and not according to the keepers’ plan, because you always found a way to break out of a plan. You alone decided when to go into the stable, which bowl of muesli you would help yourself to and, above all, who you would let stroke and lead you. The marks you leave behind are special and deep. You will remain unforgotten for all of us. Take care, dear Herbert Elvis.
By: Gisela Pschenitschnig, Gut Aiderbichl
