Obituary Paulchen
Paul's incredible story
Paulchen spent seventeen years at Gut Aiderbichl: the first years of his life at Gut Aiderbichl in Deggendorf, then since 2018 at Gut Aiderbichl in Kilb, where he sadly passed away at the age of seventeen.
When you delve into his story, it feels like you’re in the middle of a crime film. An incredibly tragic story took place 30 kilometres from Nuremberg. A young bull that had spent the first years of his life in suckler cow husbandry was to be slaughtered. He refused to get on the trailer that was to take him to the butcher. The farmer decided to outwit the animal and led a pregnant cow, which the young bull really liked, onto the trailer first. When he arrived at the butcher’s farm, panic broke out in the lorry and the young bull freed himself and his pregnant companion Frieda. The bull managed to escape, Frieda ran towards the motorway and was shot by the police – so as not to endanger the drivers. She died at the scene of the accident and the unbelievable happened: from the belly of the dead cow, the butcher, where the cow should have been slaughtered, took her little calf, which we christened Paulchen.
What was to become of Paulchen and the young bull Christian? The farmer who owned the animals agreed to take them to Gut Aiderbichl. Christian was still on the run and it was only on the second day of his escape that the vet managed to tranquilise Christian using a tranquiliser gun and bring him into an enclosure.
Little Paulchen, meanwhile, was waiting in a large crate with lots of straw for the journey to Gut Aiderbichl. Here he was to begin a secure, protected life for the rest of his life. He didn’t have a mum, but Christian, who was so in love with his mum Frieda, remained his best friend for many years.
Paulchen was a real ray of sunshine – all his life he was a cheerful character. He loved being allowed to run free on the farm, he loved the big, wide pastures in summer and all his fellow horses. Our Paulchen was a good-natured and friendly ox and never used his beautiful, long horns: neither on other cattle nor on humans.
Paulchen had recently been having problems with rumination and his entire digestive tract seemed to be very affected. He was examined and treated by the vet in the morning, but the medication didn’t help. In the evening, his keeper found him in the stable – Paulchen had quietly and secretly fallen asleep for good. He went quietly and calmly, in stark contrast to the day he was born.
He hadn’t told us about his plan to cross the Rainbow Bridge. Perhaps Paul let out a soft sigh of relief when his life candle was extinguished?
Death is the beginning of a new journey.
– Hermann Hesse
Written by: Gisela Pschenitschnig, Gut AiderbichlDear Paul,
We are very sad that you have gone on your journey. But what remains is the memory of a very touching fate of a little calf that lost its mother with a single bang before it was even born.Your life story is as incredible as the fact that you loved people despite your mum being shot dead.
You remain an important symbol of the instinct and cleverness of animals, which humans always underestimate.
Farewell dear Paul. After so many years, you are now with your mum in the big pasture. We will not forget you.
