Hansel and Gretel
They didn't get lost in the forest
Hansel and Gretel were not discovered in a cuddly house, but were screaming for their lives in an animal flap for cats and rabbits. The flap was far too small and so Hansel and Gretel were rescued in the middle of the night by the Klagenfurt fire brigade. Hungry, they pounced on the food and allowed themselves to be stroked by the rescuers. While the pigs fell asleep with a full belly, the staff at the animal shelter thought about where the two abandoned pigs should spend their future lives.
The trip went to Gut Aiderbichl in Carinthia
Gut Aiderbichl has been committed to the protection of species since its foundation, and so, in addition to Hansel and Gretel in Carinthia, four more Kune-Kune pigs live on our farms. Casanova, Harry, Potter and Djego live at Gut Aiderbichl Henndorf and have become the children’s favourites.
At the end of the 1970s, the New Zealand pig breed was threatened with extinction. A breeding programme was set up to ensure their survival, and Kune-Kunes are now bred in the USA and Europe as well as New Zealand.
With their short legs, they sometimes run away from our donkeys or ponies at lightning speed. When the sun is shining, the Kune-Kune pigs lie down comfortably somewhere on the edge of the path and begin to snore fervently. If you creep up quietly and stroke them gently on the belly, they stretch their short legs out towards you with pleasure and begin to grunt contentedly until they relax completely.
Hansel and Gretel have some new friends
Markus, the manager of Gut Aiderbichl Carinthia, explains that Hansel and Gretel are at the top of the pot-bellied pigs’ hierarchy: Flo and Liesi, Leo, Big Mama, Gusti, Zwergerle and Bärbel. The “newcomers” were immediately integrated into the existing group by the pot-bellied pigs. The pot-bellied pigs are out and about with Hansel and Gretel every day and the odd mischief can happen.
Although Hansel and Gretel have only been at the farm for just under three weeks, they have memorised an important time in their clever brains: feeding time. Almost to the minute, the two of them begin to clamour for food. There is always food in the pigsty, so in the afternoon they go squealing loudly to the feeding trough. Loud smacking gives Markus the impression that his two newcomers are completely happy with their living situation at the Köglerhof in Carinthia.
Markus knows the pigs’ personalities in the barn very well. He calls them all by name and even Hansel and Gretel know when they are meant after a short time, because pigs memorise people’s voices, they are extremely friendly and you often get the feeling that they are smiling.
“Thank you Markus, that we have found a home here on the farm!”. You can’t help but smile with satisfaction when two little Kune Kune trunks are stretched out towards you
A pig doesn't think and feel much differently than a human being
-so we try to treat them better than is unfortunately still the case.
