Obituary Kune-Kune Pig Casanova
An adventurer has said goodbye
In the summer of 2015, Gut Aiderbichl’s animal emergency centre in Henndorf received an animal emergency call. Five Kune-Kune piglets aged ten weeks were urgently looking for a home. The breeder phoned Michael Aufhauser, who in turn immediately sent Martina, the head animal keeper at the time, to bring the little rascals to Gut Aiderbichl in Henndorf.
The Kune-Kune pigs have their roots in New Zealand
Casanova, Harry, Potter, Diego and Roy belong to a breed of pig in New Zealand that almost disappeared from the scene at the end of the 1970s. At that time, there were only nine of these good-natured and people-friendly pigs left in New Zealand.
Thanks to a conservation breeding programme, the Kune-Kune pig breed lives on. They are not only bred in New Zealand, but also in the USA, Great Britain, the Netherlands and Austria.
The Maori and their special domestic pigs
Kune-Kune pigs are shorter-legged than European domestic pigs and have a very small snout that is always on the lookout for food. Their ears are known as prick ears, but they can also hang down, as in the domestic pigs we know. Similar to goats, decorative tassels or “piri-piri” in Maori hang from the thick cheeks on the left and right.The bristles are dense, long and soft and come in various shades of brown, black and white.Kune-kune translates as “fat and round”. On average, a Kune-Kune pig weighs 100kg.
Casanova and his siblings were “lucky”
When Casanova and his siblings moved into Henndorf, many things were suddenly different. The little rascals were free-range and their main destination was the shop in the Great Hall. When the “little ones” arrived, nothing was the same. The goods on the shelves were “reorganised”, the pigs had fun and the staff were always busy.
Casanova loved people and enjoyed being picked up as a piglet. They grunted, flirted with the delighted humans and, if they wanted, gave him a kiss.
The "Kunis" are the children's favourites
Most of the pigs at Gut Aiderbichl are free-range. Casanova and his friends seem to know when the visitors gather in front of the stable alley for the tour of the estate. He waited and knew: now there are pieces of apple or carrots. He sat down, opened his big mouth and happily caught the treats. Then he smacked his lips and grunted happily. He also loved it when little children’s hands scratched his tummy, back or behind his ears – Casanova’s world was in order. He lay down on the path with relish and smiled the most beautiful pig smile you can imagine.
Without warning, our Casanova said "Haere rā" - goodbye
One morning, Casanova fell asleep for good with no signs of illness. The animal keeper had just brought the food bowls for the “Kunis” and called them all by name. They all came, except Casanova. He gave no answer.
He lay in his straw bed and showed no sign of life. It was as if his heart had simply stopped beating. The animal keepers were completely shocked and sad and couldn’t stop gently stroking their favourite Casanova. As if they wanted to stroke him awake, but Casanova had said goodbye. Many tears and questions about why accompanied Casanova’s soul to the Rainbow Bridge.
Memory is a window through which we can see you whenever we want.
– Unknown
Dear Casanova,
We are grateful that we were able to accompany you for ten years. You put a smile on many people’s faces with your friendly manner. With your light-hearted nature, you touched people’s hearts and at the same time showed them what wonderful personalities pigs are. They are clever and like people.
You were particularly clever and clever when it came to getting a treat and in your spirit we will now feed your treats to your friends as well.
So long Casanova! We will never lose sight of your shining star.
From: Gisela Pschenitschnig, Gut Aiderbichl
