Published27. April 2024, 05:05
LUGA Lucerne: petting zoo and small enclosures – is that still contemporary?
At the annual Luga exhibition you can pet cows, horses and sheep in an animal tent. Swiss animal protection expresses criticism.
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The animal exhibition on the Luga does not worry anyone present.
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Those responsible on site are not worried about volume or lack of space.
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However, Swiss animal protection: “Too little privacy, too little retreat, too little exercise, too much stress could be changed.”
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Luga explains that everything was approved by the canton’s veterinary office.
The Luga has been taking place in Lucerne for years. Not much has changed in the tent with the animals in the last ten years. A tent with horses, cows, sheep and pigs in enclosures that you can pet.
Everyone can pet the mares and foals
Mares and their foals are housed in four enclosures. Visitors can pet the horses. The boxes are about four meters long and six meters wide.
A young woman makes her horse available for the Luga and doesn’t worry: “The horses like to be the center of attention.” She doesn’t have to worry about space either, because the animals can retreat to the back of the box. “If we notice that the animals are having too much, they are taken out immediately,” says the owner.
12 piglets and mother pig in a small space
The mother sow and her twelve piglets also live in one room for ten days. A Swissporz employee is responsible and says: “So far we have only had good experiences.” The animals would get used to the conditions very quickly.
Petting zoo owner knows his animals exactly
Tony Kaufmann from the adventure farm has been making his animals available for the petting zoo for 14 years. Goats, ponies, calves and piglets stand in the tent next to the other animals. “I know the animals very well,” says Kaufmann. This way he knows exactly which animals he can take to the petting zoo.
“The animals we have with us really enjoy the attention,” says Kaufmann. The ability to retreat is important, and only seven to ten people can enter the enclosure at the same time.
“It’s not OK”
When asked, Julika Fitzi from the Swiss animal protection agency STS said: “The Luga, as an 11-day event, is certainly stressful for the animals.” The main thing to criticize about this year’s exhibition is: “The tethered cows had their heads completely shaved, which is not at all okay from an animal welfare point of view.”
Fitzi criticizes the exhibition of animals if it places severe restrictions on the animals and they cannot avoid visitors and the noise. This is particularly problematic with petting zoos. Although animal husbandry complies with the legal requirements, if the STS had its way, there would still be a lot of room for improvement. “Too little privacy, too few opportunities to retreat, too little exercise, too much stress and much more could be changed,” says Fitzi.
Veterinary service approved everything
Exhibitions with animals are permitted with a permit from the veterinary service. All requirements are specified in detail. «The dimensions are regulated in animal protection legislation and the LUGA enclosures are usually even larger than required by law. The subjective impression can be misleading,” says Dr. Martin Brügger, head of the canton’s veterinary service.
“Animal protection is very important to us and we work closely with the cantonal veterinary office,” says exhibition director Linda Gabriel. There are retreat rooms for all animals that can be entered at any time. The animals also have daily exercise in the arena and in the Allmend riding hall. “We implement the wishes of the STS and thereby exceed the legal animal welfare standards,” says Gabriel.
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