It's a heartwarming story: Moritz, a calf just a few days old, and his mother Melone, separated on a farm in Bern, were reunited on Tuesday thanks to the efforts of animal welfare organizations. Now they live peacefully on a farm in the canton of Basel-Landschaft.
As is often the case in the dairy industry, Moritz was separated from his mother shortly after birth. Male calves, considered unprofitable because they are too thin for fattening, are often destined for the slaughterhouse or for export to intensive farms in Europe. Some do not even survive the first days of their life, due to lack of care deemed too expensive.
But this time, Moritz's destiny has changed. During a campaign to castrate stray cats on a Bernese farm, activists from the organization “Antihelp” discovered the young calf and learned that it had been separated from its mother. After negotiations with the farmer, they managed to buy back the two animals.
This Tuesday, Melone and her cub were transported to the “Villa Kuhnterbunt”, an animal sanctuary located in Laufenlingen (BL). Their meeting was moving. “The transport and loading went well,” said Olivier Bieli, an animal protection activist involved in the operation. Moritz, although reluctant to drink at first, is now at his mother's side. “They are together again and that is the most important thing. We are grateful to everyone who made this possible, it’s a true Christmas miracle.”
