From the perspective of an Aiderbichler
Cruelty to animals is a global problem
A few years ago, our hearts stopped: Eleni, a young kitten, whimpered locked in a plastic bottle in a Greek cemetery. Fortunately, Gut Aiderbichl is now known far beyond the country’s borders and more and more people who help animals abroad are turning to us. As in the case of little Eleni. We see it as our duty to help animal lovers when it comes to rescuing animals from an emergency situation.
The little Greek cat Eleni was found in a plastic bottle
In the course of an animal rescue in Greece, Aiderbichler animal rescuers were made aware of a horrific discovery. Greek animal friends were caring for cats living in a small cemetery. One day they became aware of a pitiful whimpering in a rubbish container. They couldn’t believe their eyes: there was a PET bottle in the skip and a young cat crammed inside… The bottle had been cut open, the cat had been pushed inside and, to prevent it from escaping from its terrible prison, the bottle had been wrapped in adhesive tape.
The symbolic power of Eleni in the plastic bottle
When I talk about the trapped cat in the plastic bottle during a guided tour, people shake their heads and horror spreads.
Little Greek Eleni has become a happy Aiderbichler cat because she was freed from her deadly ordeal thanks to kind people.
Over the past twenty years, Gut Aiderbichl has been able to help countless mum cats and kittens. We tirelessly endeavour to show that animals are living beings and have feelings.
Plastic has thousands of animals on its conscience
I can’t get the term plastic out of my head. Wherever you look, this invention follows us: along the motorways, in farmers’ fields, microplastics are contained in many cosmetic products such as shower gel, skin scrubs, etc. In fact, plastic products have become a real hostage to nature.
Are we living in an “I don’t care society”?
Can people really care what happens to all this rubbish? Can people not care that three quarters of the rubbish in the world’s oceans grows by many tonnes of plastic every year? It takes several thousand years for plastic to completely decompose into microplastics. People cannot be indifferent to this.
“I don’t eat fish or marine animals”
Is this thought enough to save the world’s oceans and the animals that live there?
All the many plastic particles in the water are detected by the various fish, mussels or rays, for example, using their sense of smell. The animals think it is food and suck up everything that smells like food. Thousands choke on the plastic or suffer fatal blockages and succumb agonisingly to the plastic in their bodies. Is it just an animal?
Two minutes to think about the earth, Eleni in the PET bottle and the animals in the vast oceans
“… I gave you water, food, light, for a long time we kept the balance. Made me arable, cared for what I offered you, looked after, lived…” (verse from “The earth speaks”, anonymous author).
“As long as we have to protect animals from humans, we have achieved nothing. Only when we no longer have to protect animals will we have reached our goal, then we will have changed something: US” (Michael Aufhauser).
There is only one earth on which we live and on which we are guests. There is a plan B for many things in life, but there is no second earth.
Remember this when you pick up a plastic bottle or a plastic shopping bag. Yours sincerely, Gisela
