Nominal “adoption”

The Hungarian grey cattle is one of the legally protected domestic animals native to Hungary. It is a true Hungaricum, one of the world-famous characteristics of the Great Plain.

The Hungarian Grey Cattle can capture anyone's attention with its beauty, its boldness, its imposing appearance suggesting ancient power. The breed reached its lowest point in the 1960s and has been on the rise ever since. Importantly, when kept outdoors in winter and summer, they are disease resistant and graze on taller, more vigorous vegetation. Therefore, they do not damage grassland by grazing or trampling, and plants recover quickly from chewing. The cow calves easily and is very attached to her calf, protecting it jealously. If it dies, it can wander and search for days. It is interesting to note that the oldest known Hungarian grey cow lived 32 years. The grey cattle is a rugged, hardy breed, but not a fussy, easy-to-handle breed. So, as tempting as their beauty is, it is recommended to admire these animals from a fair distance.

Anja, Ödon, Raffael:

Hungarian grasslands sometimes seem endless. Sometimes an animal gets lost in the drive. This is what happened to the little bull calf, Ödön, who was found and taken into care by our colleagues. But his mother was looking for him and after a few days she found him with us. We asked their owner if they could stay in Szépalma, since it had turned out this way. Now that Anja and Ödön have become part of Szépalma, they are sure to have a forever home with us. What we didn't know at the time was that Anja was already pregnant and had given birth to Raphael in the care of Szépalma.

Bella and Rose:

Bella's birth was a complete surprise to us, the "accident" happened when Tony was a bull calf when he arrived and was let loose with the cows, and later little Bella was born, a Carpathian-Bornered-Grey cattle mix. It was not planned, but we are delighted to have a lovely new addition to our family in Schoenalmai.

Tony:

Tony is a cattle of the Carpathian Borzder breed of exceptional beauty, who lives with the grey cattle. We were contacted by a desperate well-wisher. On the farm where he kept his animals on a tenant basis, he met a young bull calf, Tony. He knew that if the calf's fate went as planned, he would be sold, fattened up somewhere and slaughtered. Even though he knew that this was the "normal" thing to do, he did not want to accept that this was the fate of Tony, whom he had grown so fond of. He kept looking for a solution. As we were deeply touched by the story, we decided that Tony could join the Schoenalma guild.

The breed has roots dating back to the 4th millennium BC. The upright, straight-horned woolly sheep of the then Mesopotamian area is thought to be the ancestor of the modern racka, but no source clearly proves when and how the first sheep was introduced into the Carpathian Basin. Some theories claim that they arrived with our conquering ancestors, others claim that they are of Asian origin and spread during the migration of the people. Similarly, there is some debate about the characteristic V-shaped horn, which is upright and twisted around its vertical axis, and which may have spread through mutation and selection, but may have been introduced by other peoples. However, with the spread of breeds with better meat, milk and wool yields, their numbers began to decline. The decline was so great that after the Second World War it was only thanks to the enthusiastic breeders in Hortobágy and Debrecen that the racka did not disappear from our country. It is a very hardy breed, resistant to the adverse weather conditions and harsh housing conditions, with a lively temperament, shy and not handy. A distinctive feature is the horn, which is worn by both ewes and rams.

The racka ewes of Schoenalma were owned and bred by an Austrian artist. The dams were retired and became the wards of the animal welfare organisation Gut Aiderbichl in 2018, where one last generation of lambs was born. They then arrived at Szépalma in 2019 as one big family and have been a lovely addition to the farm's pastures ever since.

In Pannonhalma, the black and brown-furred she-goat lived in a shed. A neighbour lady heard about Szépalma on a TV programme and decided to inform the Szépalma staff about the goat's plight. On the basis of this information, the management decided that it was worth investigating the matter personally.

Colleagues arriving on the scene were shocked to find Samu all alone with a chain around his neck in a messy, barren yard. The chain had already grown into his flesh, leaving painful wounds on his neck and the rest of his body. When the goat saw our colleagues, you could read it in his eyes; "How good you are here, take me anywhere!"

The goats' digestive system is mainly based on plant food. Samu lived mainly on dry bread and other kitchen waste, which is definitely not appropriate and healthy for a small ruminant. After Samu was abandoned by his former owner, the goat was transferred to Sépalma. Even after only a short time in transit, he couldn't get enough of the beautiful green hay. After his arrival, he was neutered as a goat and when his health allowed, he was put in with the other goats and sheep in our herd, which made him so happy that he was jumping around the pasture with happy four-legged leaps. One of our most hands-on goats ever since, he can be led and, with the right motivation (his carers know what kind of reward he likes), he's up to little tricks.

Everyone has heard of a dog in need of rescue, wandering on the road unattended, endangering his life and the lives of others on the road. Well, Mici was one of those strays, only he didn't bark, he barked. He was wandering with his companions, and it was thanks to a Facebook ad that the Foundation's staff learned of Mici's existence. When our colleagues arrived to take Mici away, the miners from Dudar told us that Mici had companions before, but their owner had died and they started wandering aimlessly. Mici was then wandering alone, having lost his companions. The miners, however, tried to take good care of Mici, so he almost lived in the mine. As he was clearly not safe and his care was not being taken care of, our colleagues, with the agreement of the Mayoress of Dudar, moved him to Szépalma, where he has been living peacefully with his fellow animals ever since.

The mangalica is one of the legally protected domestic animals native to Hungary and a world-famous pig breed. It is traditionally reared in free-range conditions, so it requires more space than its breed mates and is more tolerant of environmental factors. The two mangalica in the Sépama also require large areas of land and wetland. This gives them ample opportunity to carry out the camel activities that are important to them, such as trekking and tidal flats. Our chef will never make a tasty meal out of them, nor will they be given any kitchen waste, their menu consists solely of grains and vegetables. His herd has been keeping mangalica pigs for decades, but even the generation before the current one died out in emaciation. Reading our columns, some will feel that this is a waste, but pigs have the intelligence of three-year-old children, they recognise their reflection, they have a network of relationships, they have an organised system of relationships, they have a long term memory and they can form close relationships with humans. So it's understandable that it's not just the caretakers at Sépalma who are so attached to the two furry ruffians. Their official names are Béb and Mici, but some of our colleagues and guests also like to call them Perec and Kréker. This shows how much they are loved and important members of the animal community.