Nature has not
"painted" them properly
Hänsel and Gretel
From the perspective of Gut Aiderbichl
(written by Gisela Pschenitschnig)
Hänsel and Gretel are black and white spotted Tauernschecken. The farmer gave them to Gut Aiderbichl because due to the wrong coat pattern both are not suitable for breeding. I wanted to understand that, and have made myself clever about the breed of the Tauernschecke.
Features of the Tauern pinto goat
(plate pied mountain goat)
The Tauern goat is vital, long-lived and sure-footed, which it has to be, because it lives in the mountains and valleys of the Hohe Tauern around the Großglockner.
The coat of the Tauernschecke is short, brown-white-black or black-white pied. The head has a continuous pallor, the eyes and the ear area are strongly pigmented. This characteristic has been an important breeding objective, as the dairyman could more easily locate his goats when there was snow or when the flora turned brown in the fall.
It is interesting to note that a single animal, whosen coat coloration is different attracts the attention of an animal enemy attractsand the rest of the herd remains untouched. remains unaffectedbecause the similar body contours for the eye of the enemy quasi dissolve, and so represent a huge area. Through this special coat drawing the Tauernschecken from attacks of bears or also from lynxes well protected.
In breeding, care is taken to ensure that the areal pigmentation on the upper side of the body (neck, shoulders, back) is the same throughout.
Another very important characteristic is that dhe udder of the goat is set very high, so that it in the difficult alpine terrain edges or in the undergrowth brushwood. The Tauern she-goat produces a considerable amount of milk, with which the Pinzgauer cheese was made.
Hansel and Gretel's "little dots" may be drawn as they are
Hansel and Gretel do not show a plate pied coat, but they have black and white spots. Hansel's horns show an outward twist, while Gretel's horns look saber-shaped. This is just as it should be - the buck's horns grow with a twist outward and the goat's grow saber-shaped.
After arriving in Henndorf, Hansel and Gretel lived separately in the goat pen, and behaved quietly and attentively.
They have now made friends, which include for example Tati, Patrick, Moritz or Herbert-Elvis. Our Tati is currently introducing them to the intelligent tricks of the Aiderbichler goats, which include being a goat and guessing that there are edibles in the strollers and backpacks of the visitors, and getting them "somehow". Even if they are looked at so beguilingly by Hansel and Gretel and all the goats - please do not feed.
Animals are the best of friends. They do not ask questions and do not criticize.
~ Mark Twain
