No Euro without a little game of predictions. After two brilliant campaigns, Pépette, Vedrin’s divining turtle, takes a breather from the bench and lets new friends onto the field. All come from the marsh refuge, in Coutisse (read below).
The principle is very simple: two flags, two nations, two bowls. And only one tipster who will therefore choose the bowl of his favorite.
Footballers sometimes have a pig character and that’s good because it’s Mimi, the Vietnamese pig, who is there for the Red Devils’ first match, this Monday evening, against Slovakia.
“Mimi was found by a walker in a nearby wood. She had been abandoned there. tells Laura Noël, the manager of the Marais refuge, in Coutisse. “Vietnamese pigs have been the big fashion. But the owners don’t always realize the constraints when the animal grows up. They are overwhelmed and some have no qualms about getting rid of them, through abandonment.”
But in Coutisse, Mimi has regained her famous health. “She likes being around ponies very well.”
You will see it in the video posted on our site lavenir.net,
Mimi still plays a dirty trick on our Red Devils. But it also leaves the door of hope ajar. History that the Belgian Euro does not end… in blood sausage.
In Coutisse, 500 animals on the Christmas ark
Prettily wooded hills, vast meadows on which some magnificent horses gallop, a farmyard where the goats rule the roost, in the middle of small colorful wooden houses… This little corner of paradise is the refuge of the marsh , a Walloon branch of Veeweyde, the royal society for the protection of animals perched on the heights of Coutisse.
“Currently, we welcome between five and six hundred animalslocates Laura Noël, the manager of the shelter. They are mainly horses but also deer, ducks, geese… A bit of all the animals on the farm.”
All of Laura’s protégés and her team have a painful past in common, one of deprivation and mistreatment. “These animals are entrusted to us after seizures carried out by the police or teams from the UBEA (Animal Welfare Unit). And these last few months, it’s been crazy, it doesn’t stop.” The day of our visit, Laura and her team knew that they were going to be called upon for four new seizures.“There are several scenarios”says Laura Noël.Some very elderly owners are overwhelmed and can no longer care for their animals properly. Sometimes, they are even the ones who ask us. Others refuse to open their eyes. And then there are all the complaints and denunciations. Today, people are much more sensitive to animal abuse. They see horses in bad shape, abandoned in a pasture, and they no longer hesitate to call the authorities. But the UBEA teams are really overwhelmed.”
Undernourished horses, stray animals abandoned on the side of a road or in a wood, animals which bear traces of beatings and abuse… When they arrive at the Marais shelter, the newcomers most often have a sad appearance. “We take care of their diet and hydration but, more often than not, we also provide them with veterinary care that they have not received for a very long time.” A team of eight workers and caregivers ensure the revalidation of these hundreds of animals.“At Veeweyde, we know what we are doing. The institution has been protecting animals for over a hundred years. They were pioneers. And here, in Coutisse, my parents, (Richard and Marie-Claire Noël), took over the management of the refuge thirty years ago. For me too, it’s my whole life. smiles Laura.“There are hard times, when seizures multiply and we wonder if we will still be able to accommodate additional animals. But when we see them getting back into good shape, looking good, it gives you enormous motivation again.”Once embarked in Coutisse, the animals are also lucky to find their little place on this Christmas arch.
