Now at Aiderbichl

Seriously ill woman kept 50 birds in room

Vet Marianne Wondrak organized the transport of the 50 birds from Salzburg Zoo to the Gut Aiderbichl sanctuary.

(Bild: Markus Tschepp)

Authorities took her zebra finches from a woman from Salzburg. After some confusion and a stopover at the zoo, the animals ended up at the Gut Aiderbichl sanctuary. 

"The lady was very helpful and lovingly kept the birds in their own room." Vet Marianne Wondrak has nothing bad to say about the previous owner of the latest additions to the Gut Aiderbichl sanctuary in Henndorf. But: "She is now seriously ill and simply could no longer look after her 50 animals." The authorities recently took all the zebra finches away from the woman - now they have found a new home at Gut Aiderbichl.

The birds were previously housed at Salzburg Zoo. "That wasn't a permanent solution, we couldn't keep them," says zoo curator Lisa Sernow. Visitors did not get to see the finches. "They were immediately quarantined and flew around in an aviary," says Sernow.

After examinations, it quickly became clear that the birds were healthy, so the search for a new home for the 50 zebra finches began. "We heard about the case and were happy to take them in," says Aiderbichl vet Wondrak.

On Thursday, she and two keepers from the sanctuary collected the birds from the zoo. They were transported to Henndorf by car in transport boxes. At Gut Aiderbichl, the finches are placed in the large aviary - together with a number of budgerigars. Wondrak: "We don't want the finches to multiply any further. We will create nesting opportunities for them, but we will always collect the eggs."