This was announced by the non-profit private foundation behind the organization in a press release on Wednesday. However, the demand for animal rescues was many times higher: In total, calls for help for 12,559 animals were received last year. In total, the sanctuaries housed almost 9,000 animals in 2024 - more than ever before.

1,661 Animals Taken in at Gut Aiderbichl: Reasons Vary

The reasons for the high number of requests ranged from animal hoarding - the pathological keeping of a large number of animals - to sick or deceased pet owners, to farm closures or separations and divorces of owners. Animals that were sick, disabled, or threatened with slaughter were also rescued. "Decisions are made based on the urgency of the situation," emphasized an animal rescuer from Gut Aiderbichl.

The majority of new arrivals last year came from Germany (43 percent) and Austria (40 percent), 10 percent from a street dog project in Romania. The rest came from countries like Spain, Italy, and Switzerland. Gut Aiderbichl highlighted the rescue of 14 donkeys from an animal hoarding scenario, the intake of around 30 Galgos hunting dogs from Spain, which were abused or abandoned after the hunting season, or a cat neutering project in Austria. Three of the 31 sanctuaries are open to visitors. Gut Aiderbichl is mainly financed through entrance fees, sponsorships, donations, gifts, and inheritances.

(APA/Red)

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