Austrian Animal Sanctuary Partners with Veterinary University

Gut Aiderbichl, an animal sanctuary in Austria, will collaborate with the Veterinary University of Vienna to provide practical training for veterinary students and research ways to improve the wellbeing of aging animals. The sanctuary, which houses around 1,000 animals rescued from farms, laboratories, and circuses, will host five to fifteen students weekly.

Students will gain clinical experience performing procedures like spaying and neutering, while also participating in research focused on the healthy aging of the sanctuary’s approximately 700 horses. Researchers aim to determine how to best provide a pain-free life for aging animals and recognize when suffering outweighs quality of life.

Gut Aiderbichl anticipates that the partnership will improve animal care based on study results and hopes to inspire greater interest in rural veterinary work among students. The sanctuary plans to share its findings widely to promote animal welfare.