Running duck Trudi tells...
Trudi is a wild colored, brown running duck and unfortunately her partner passed away. As a result, the owners went in search of her new forever-home. A second duck was not to be purchased, and so the animal-loving people contacted Gut Aiderbichl. Dieter Ehrengruber agreed to take in Trudi, so she came to Iffeldorf where she can be visited by her former owners at any time.
The origin of the running duck
The sociable, funny running duck originally comes from Asia. It is also called bottle duck or Indian running duck. It is famous for a special passion: it likes to eat slugs and their eggs in the garden. This is also the reason why in many gardens running ducks are kept to curb the slug plague.
The running duck should have at least one partner, it is a herd animal and needs company. With a little patience, a good lettuce leaf or a mealworm, you can manage that the initially shy running duck becomes more trusting and sometimes even lets you stroke its silky soft feathers.
New addition to the duck family at Gut Aiderbichl Iffeldorf
So I was brought to Gut Aiderbichl Iffeldorf. I was so sad when my partner died. Ducks do not want to live a life alone...
Trudi was well received by the ducks, geese and all the other animals. The running ducks Gaggi and Macho have been living at Gut Aiderbichl Iffeldorf's Animal Visitor Centre for over a year.
Humans have - uh, how do you say - laws. Because of such laws, we had to leave our people. Gaggi, do you remember how we were taken away back then?
Yes, but I don't even know what that meant at the time, Macho. Somehow our people were excited. They were discussing, always looking at us, and one day we were brought to this place.
For Macho and Gaggi, a new forever-home had to be found due to lack of space. The owners live near Gut Aiderbichl Iffeldorf, and so Macho and his wife Gaggi were taken in.
Yes, and you were so excited at first. All the big meadows, the bathing possibilities and the other animals running around made you really happy. It's good to have you here. I really enjoy our waddling walks together across the meadows and yard...
Hilde is a five year old mast duck and enjoys being able to live a protected and peaceful life with the running ducks and all the rescued chickens.
I feel very good with you, and hope that as long as I run and quake, I can spend my life here with you.
Trudi may not forget her deceased partner, but she is obviously very comfortable with all her new feathered friends.
Can ducks grieve? They show their grief by their different, restrained eating behavior, they look for their partner, they are altogether quieter - until they recover again and, as in Trudi's case, until they get accepted by their new friends.
