Obituary pig Bernadette
Treats and people made her friends
Bernadette was one of the pig princesses in Gut Aiderbichl’s pig palace in Henndorf. She became an Aiderbichler at the age of eleven months after she should have been put to sleep.
Everything that does not conform to the “norm” in breeding has to go
Bernadette was one of the noble princesses in the Pig Palace for 11 years
Spacious stables with thick straw beds, delicious pig feed, lots of fellow pigs and caring, attentive keepers – Bernadette had really hit it off. The pigs that live on the Gut Aiderbichl farms until the end of their lives are almost all free-range. They love to be able to move around and don’t want to spend their time in cramped stalls on slatted floors. Bernadette walked up from the pig palace to the courtyard every day to see what was going on.
The secret favourite place – the animal buffet and the feed room
One day, Bernadette was walking round the farm again when she made a detour towards the animal buffet and into the goat shed. That’s where the feed room is. Bernadette sniffed curiously along the path until an animal keeper stood in front of her and gave her an apple and other treats. From that day on, the area around the animal buffet was Bernadette’s favourite place.
The children loved Bernadette
She liked to lie buried in the straw by the animal buffet and only showed either her beautiful pig ears or her trunk. Little children’s hands carefully freed Bernadette from the straw and then, with the help of an animal keeper, were able to stroke Bernadette’s belly. A soft, satisfied grunt was the answer. Bernadette also liked to stop in the middle of the path and demand a back massage. And again she grunted contentedly and then walked on.
A slipped disc prompted a bitter decision
Bernadette suddenly suffered from a slipped disc and was given painkillers to try and improve her condition. But the pain would not stop, and an operation on a big pig like Bernadette would unfortunately not have helped. We all knew what that meant. After consultation with the vets, it was unfortunately necessary to let Bernadette go. Thankful that she was not alone, Bernadette walked quietly over the Rainbow Bridge. A great sadness and many tears accompanied our special pig personality Bernadette on her last journey.
Where there is a lot of emotion, there is also a lot of suffering.
– Leonardo da Vinci
Dear Bernadette,
thank you for showing us all these years how to be happy when we’re not so happy. Light-hearted and with your typical smile, you always gave people confidence and joy.
Take care, dear Bernadette!
From: Gisela Pschenitschnig, Gut Aiderbichl
