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Walkers feed ram to death - owner expresses an urgent request

2021-11-24T07:22:35.590Z


The sheep on the Bahnberg in Schongau delight many walkers, but they should not be fed under any circumstances. Bread can be life-threatening for them - the goat has now died.


The sheep on the Bahnberg in Schongau delight many walkers, but they should not be fed under any circumstances.

Bread can be life-threatening for them - the goat has now died.

Schongau

- Around 20 Coburg foxes, as the rare breed of sheep is called, graze on the Bahnberg in an exposed location. Right next to the residential area, many walkers pass the sheep on their way to the old town. “There were definitely 50 people standing along the fence on market Sunday,” says the shepherd, who doesn't want to read his name in the newspaper. Just a short time before, ten lambs had been born within two days - “two every eight hours. I practically went through two days, ”said the shepherd.

The shepherd is happy that the animals are well received.

He knows that things look completely different in a residential area, that complaints about noise or the like can hail.

However, the many people who pass the pasture also have their downsides.

The fact that many feed the animals has now become a major problem.

The ram suffered from kidney stones after feeding

The shepherd had to pick whole loaves of bread from the pasture this year.

"Sometimes people get extra bread from the bakery from the day before and then throw the whole bag over the fence to the sheep," he says.

The Schongauer knows that most mean it well, they may worry that the sheep can no longer find enough to eat in the pasture - but they are putting the animals in great danger, says the shepherd.

A few days ago he had to put his ram, which he had only had ten months ago, to be euthanized.

“A ram should never eat too much protein,” explains the Schongauer.

But that happened through the massive and uncontrolled feeding of strangers.

As a result, the buck suffered from kidney stones.

“He just screamed when he was pinging the pebbles,” said the shepherd.

The animal was given painkillers for a few days, but in the end all that was left was euthanasia.

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The warning sign on the fence is often ignored.

© Hans-Helmut Herold

Feeding can also have bad consequences for the other sheep - and especially the lambs.

They get flatulence from bread, and there is a risk of colic.

A sign on the fence draws attention to this, but some ignore it anyway.

Schäfer emphasizes: Sheep get enough to eat

And it's not just the bread.

While the shepherd collected most of the chestnuts from the pasture in autumn to dry them, chop them up and gradually mix them with the fodder, others came with whole plastic bags full of chestnuts to feed them to the sheep.

Some of them were already moldy, said the shepherd.

Another problem is the risk of suffocation.

The shepherd emphasizes that the sheep get enough to eat, and the lambs are also fed milk.

The animals could enter the stable at any time.

However, they have become used to the fact that people who walk past the pasture give them something.

As soon as they see someone, they come over and complain, says the shepherd, who worries about the development because he fears noise complaints.

The fences also have to be repaired again and again because the sheep greedily stick their heads through when they are fed.

After the ram died: animals are now in the stable

The Coburg foxes are a rare breed, there are only a few thousand animals.

The keeping is therefore even encouraged in Bavaria, says the shepherd, who breeds them with a herdbook.

In addition to the emotional loss, the death of the deckbuck also affects the shepherd financially.

The animal was worth 800 to 1200 euros.

The Schongauer does not breed full-time.

But it is just too time-consuming as a hobby.

"If at some point it's just work and losses, I have to consider giving up the sheep farm."

After the ram's death, the Schongauer decided to drive his animals into the stable earlier than usual.

Actually, he only does that shortly before New Year's Eve, when the first firecrackers are sold.

The shepherd hopes that it will be calmer for his sheep again in the coming year and that the people will stick to his request not to feed.

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Source: merkur

All news articles on 2021-11-24

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