About us

D.E.: "Looking instead of looking away, acting and enlightening, protecting and preserving - these are the elementary principles of Gut Aiderbichl.

Our founder, Michael Aufhauser was convinced that it was our duty as human beings to stand up for the weaker ones. To give them a place in society. In order to counteract the torment and suffering of animals, the idea was born in 2001 to create a place where animals who have had to experience terrible things are cared for in a species-appropriate and loving way. He has dedicated his entire life to the dream of Gut Aiderbichl - a dream that came true over 20 years ago."

D.E.: "In short: Protecting animals, providing a home, creating encounters. We rescue animals from emergency situations and give animals a loving and species-appropriate home on our home farms. This way we can guarantee that they will never have to suffer fear again.

However, Gut Aiderbichl sees itself as much more than a place to go for animals in need. We also see our task as bringing people closer to the idea of animal welfare. That is why we have declared three of our farms (Gut Aiderbichl Henndorf, Iffeldorf and Deggendorf) to be so-called meeting farms. Here we would like to give our vision a space. A space where people and animals can meet without constraint and full of trust. In this way, we achieve that the stories of our animals become even more tangible and that animal suffering gets a face."

D.E.: "Michael Aufhauser's vision, which began over 20 years ago with the laying of the foundation stone for Gut Aiderbichl Henndorf near Salzburg, has developed into a Europe-wide animal welfare community. Because the suffering of animals is not a national grievance, but extends across the whole of Europe. Gut Aiderbichl has grown steadily and become a driving force for animal welfare: Gut Aiderbichl now includes around 30 farms in six European countries (Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Romania, Hungary and France). On these farms, people achieve great things and look after the welfare of more than 8,000 rescued animals 365 days a year (as of 2023).

We receive calls for help every day. But our capacities are also limited. It is a hard step for us every time we have to turn down a project due to lack of space. One focus for the next few years is therefore clearly the expansion of our farms. At the same time, with targeted public relations work, we would like to achieve a change in the awareness of our society - with regard to the living creature animal - in the long term."

D.E.: "Targeted education and, in connection with this, active press and public relations work is a declared goal of Gut Aiderbichl's foundation statutes. Because the thousands and thousands of nameless animals, which have to live their lives in fattening farms or under other appalling conditions, have a soul. They feel fear, grief, pain. But they have no voice to tell their stories. That is our task at Gut Aiderbichl: we want to give the voiceless a voice. Because in addition to rescuing animals and giving them a home, this is exactly what we understand by "active" animal welfare: the continuous work to change public opinion and create a new awareness regarding animals as living beings and how we treat nature. That's why we bring animal suffering into the public eye."

D.E.: "We are always happy to hear from anyone who would like to support us on a voluntary or honorary basis. If you are interested, please feel free to contact our estate managers at any time. However, you can help our animals the most with a regular donation or sponsorship. Because Gut Aiderbichl is dependent on donations or bequests. Only in this way can we ensure that all our animals continue to be lovingly cared for and that we can continue to grow - for the benefit of the animals."