Benny from Bavaria
What's wrong with falling in love with a bull calf?
Today we are telling you about the rescue of a small, weak bull calf. Benny was born on a farm in Germany almost two years ago. The farmer said that he was too small, wasn’t putting on weight and would therefore have to be slaughtered earlier. A farmer lives from what the harvest and the animals bring him, that is clear and just as much an old law as the fact that the earth is round.
A young lady, Kaja, fell head over heels in love with the small, tender bull calf and discussed with the farmer that she would look after the little one, whom she named Benny. The farmer then said “OK, that means feeding him a bottle of milk at 7am and 6pm every day”. Kaja was happy and came to the farm every day before work and in the evening after work to feed her little four-legged darling.
Benny is an animal with a heart, soul and organs and deserves respect
Little Benny was lucky that Kaja had taken notice of him. The two of them cuddled and played with each other, which again shows that animals need feelings and affection just as much as we humans do.
Being a farmer these days is certainly no easy task. The world has become a different place. It’s about performance, money, supplying consumers and competition. Above all, it is also about survival, and it may not always be possible to care for an animal that is out of the norm, too small and too weak. Let’s also try to understand the other side…
We will always be known for the footprints we leave behind(Dakota)
We humans owe animals respect and species-appropriate husbandry. We have domesticated cattle, horses, dogs, etc. Humans are taking away the habitat of foxes, deer, birds and many other animals, more and more forests and green spaces are being covered with concrete or built on and gardens no longer consist only of shrubs, trees and meadows.
How heart-warming it is to see how the young lady took care of little Benny so that he could simply live. She searched for a species-appropriate stable where the little bull with the gentle saucer eyes could live with other cattle. She never let him out of her sight, the contact was always there. That means having respect and feelings for a living being and taking responsibility.
Life took a different path and Benny should be allowed to be part of it
The lady had a daughter and there was less time for Benny. There was also a change of residence, but Benny was to stay close to her.
The search for a new stable began. One was found, but he would have lived there in a tethered stall. This was not an option for the animal she cared so much about.
Tethering
It is now illegal to keep horses tethered, for example. Since 1997, the EU directive has only allowed pigs to be kept using this “technique” by way of exception. For cattle, this form of husbandry is still in the conversion phase. An area of 2 to 3 m2 must be available for each cow. According to the Animal Welfare Act, there must be a 90-day break from tethering. The permanent tethering of cattle has been banned in Austria since 2020.
Benny should have it better
No tethering for Benny. The young mother got in touch with Gut Aiderbichl and lo and behold, Benny was accepted at Gut Aiderbichl Iffeldorf.
She helped with the loading of her protégé, he went calmly and serenely into the transporter, accompanied by tears of joy from the animal-loving woman. She was simply happy that he did not have to be slaughtered and that he has a happy life ahead of him.
Benny had said goodbye to his foster mum without any major problems, as if he had sensed that everything would be fine now. He has now settled in well at the Iffeldorf cattle barn.
We will of course continue to report on Benny’s first grazing and his new friends … Here is the exclusive video of his arrival in Iffeldorf.
