animals

The world’s biggest New Year’s Eve horse race to be held in Budapest!

Horse race

There are several New Year’s Eve horse races around the world, although most are held in England. But the biggest in the world is held in Budapest!

Trotting New Year’s Eve at Kincsem Park

The largest such event even in terms of size is the Trotting New Year’s Eve (Ügetőszilveszter) event held in Kincsem Park. This was shared by the park’s director. He also pointed out that this year, for the first time, the event will also serve as a donation point.

When guests arrive at the park, they will be able to drop off their donations of non-perishable food to support the work of the Hungarian Interchurch Aid (Ökumenikus Segélyszervezet) in supporting families in need. In addition, 5 percent of the price of all food and drink will be donated to the charity, and there will also be an auction, Travelo says.

Programmes to expect

What can we expect this year? There will be a Hungarian Pony Championships “super final”, which was launched in the park for the first time in 2022, as well as horse and greyhound races. A party tent is also awaiting visitors. Hungarian hurdler Balázs Baji, world bronze medallist and European silver medallist, will be on hand as a guest to run in the star race.

Trotting New Year’s Eve kicks off at noon on 31 December with the running races, including the actor-athlete-journalist competition. The races also commemorate two acting legends and former competitors, Ferenc Zenthe and István Bubik. The most prestigious race will be the TIPPMIX – Equestrian Prize with the best horses on the track, and there will also be a greyhound race at the National Greyhound Stadium in Kincsem Park.

The public can enjoy the excitement of betting and competition with a ticket for as little as HUF 300 (EUR 0.74). More information can be found under the Trotting New Year’s Eve Facebook event.

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Success: Hungarian Lipizzan horse breeding traditions on UNESCO cultural heritage list!

Hungarian Lipizzan horse breeding traditions

The Hungarian string band tradition and Lipizzan horse breeding traditions have been among new inscriptions on the UNESCO List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, the Directorate of Intangible Cultural Heritage at the Skanzen Open Air Museum in Szentendre said on Thursday.

The Hungarian string band tradition had been submitted for inscription independently by Hungary and the Lipizzan horse breeding traditions were submitted jointly by Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Hungary, Italy, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia, the statement said.

The UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity also includes from Hungary the Busó festivities at Mohács, folk art of the Matyó embroidery, falconry and indigo dyeing. The UNESCO Register of Good Safeguarding Practices includes from Hungary the Táncház method and the folk music heritage according to the Kodály concept.

The Millennium House in Budapest's City Park
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Bird flu detected again in Hungary

Bird-flu-poultry

Bird flu has been identified at a goose farm in Békés County, in southern Hungary, food safety authority Nébih said on Wednesday.

Protection and surveillance zones were established after the H5N1 virus was detected at the farm with 3,080 geese, Nebih said. The animals were being destroyed to prevent further spread of the virus, it said. Restrictions and mandatory examinations are in place in Bács-Kiskun and Csongrád-Csanád counties, and poultry must be tested before transport nationwide, Nébih noted.

Bird-flu-poultry
Read alsoHungary cleared of bird flu, says health authority

Love for horses part of the Hungarian and Szekler identity?

culture-horse-equestrian-history

Support for equestrian programmes should continue, no matter how hard times are to come, the state secretary for policy for Hungarian communities abroad in the Prime Minister’s Office said in Targu Mures (Marosvásárhely) on Friday.

“A love for horses is part of the Hungarian and Szekler identity,” Árpád János Potápi told the 3rd Szekler Land’s Equestrian Forum, a closing event of the Transylvanian Equestrian Programme supported by the Hungarian government. Potapi noted that his office had allocated 220 million forints (EUR 533,000) to support 80 equestrian associations in Transylvania this year.

“Besides financial support, the equestrian sector can thrive through a cooperation of its players and through sharing experience,” he told public media after the forum. Tibor Kolozsvári, a municipal councillor for Harghita County and the local commissioner of the programme, said “equestrian sport is undergoing a Renaissance in Szekler Land” with 2,000 children active in horse-riding in Transylvania and over 10,000 people participating in horse-riding events.

bird guide tata
Read alsoThe Tata Bird Guide is published: collaboration, spectacular graphics, more than 250 species of birds

Hungary is spending EUR 47 million on the conservation of indigenous animals

Hungarian Buffalo Livestock Farm Animal

The Ministry of Agriculture has allocated HUF 19.2 billion (EUR 47.6 million) to farmers for the purpose of preserving indigenous breeds of domesticated animals, state secretary Zsolt Feldman said on Saturday.

The aim of the tender is to maintain a viable stock of protected or endangered native agricultural breeds of animals in their natural environment and according to the traditional ways of rearing and feeding them, Feldman said.

Interest in the funding was beyond expectations, with farmers applying for support for a significantly larger number of animals than in earlier similar tenders, the state secretary said. In the first round, around 1,720 livestock owners became entitled for the funding over three years.

Further applications may be submitted in January 2023, and the commitment period for all beneficiaries will last until the end of 2024, the state secretary said.

food store spar inflation price hungary (2)
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Dangerous disease detected again in Hungary

Bird-flu-poultry

Bird flu has been identified at two goose farms in Bács-Kiskun County, in southern Hungary, food safety authority Nebih said on Friday.

Protection and surveillance zones were established after the virus subtype H5N1 was detected at the farms, Nébih said, adding that more than 1,200 geese were being destroyed. An order for poultry to be kept indoors is in effect in Hungary’s seven high-risk counties.

Bird-flu-poultry
Read alsoHungary cleared of bird flu, says health authority

Dorka the missing dachshund found after three years!

dorka the dachshund

Blikk, a Hungarian tabloid has reported about a wonderful meeting. Dorka the dachshund was lost three years ago near Kunszentmiklós, Hungary. Her owner, Kinga, did not give up hope and kept searching for the puppy, informing local vets and shelters about the search.

“While other people dream of winning the lottery, I wanted one thing: for her to escape from where she was, find a bona fide person and have her chip read. Then she could come back to me,” Kinga told Blikk.

Recently, however, the Tisza Animal and Nature Protection Association (Tisza Állat- és Természetvédő Egyesület) was alerted by the puppy’s chip, and the animal welfare workers informed Kinga that they had found Dorka. Fortunately, the dachshund, who is in good condition, has not forgotten her owner. From now on, they will take better care of each other, nlc.hu writes.

all saints day hungary
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The Tata Bird Guide is published: collaboration, spectacular graphics, more than 250 species of birds

bird guide tata

In an exemplary project, the conservationists of Tata and the representatives of Platán joined forces to create the Bird Guide. It collects more than two hundred and fifty species of birds living around the Tata lakes in a single publication. The book is available in English as well as Hungarian.

Tata is a town of just 23,000, but its reputation is bigger than that. The nickname ‘City of Waters’ is well known, but thanks to the Wild Goose Festival, it has also become a favourite destination for many tourists in addition to birdwatchers. Not far from the capital, it is easily accessible, and history lovers will also find something to see here thanks to the Esterházy family. And if all that wasn’t enough, there is a 200-year-old plane tree on the shore of the Öreg Lake (Old Lake). On top of that, next to it, the Platán empire with some of the best catering in rural Hungary can be found.

Tata: the oasis of waterfowl

Hungary is rich in lakes, but Tata is an exceptional place for birdwatchers. Here, the natural and built environment intertwine, and animals can be seen in a unique way in Europe, almost up close in the heart of the town.

Common shelduck, greater white-fronted goose, European nightjar, water rail, spotted redshank, collared flycatcher, European greenfinch, Eurasian nuthatch, common kingfisher and short-toed treecreeper. The Old Lake of Tata and its surroundings have become famous in Europe primarily as a gathering place for wild geese. However, the area is also a resting and nesting place for many protected and highly protected bird species.

From the end of September to mid-March, wild geese from Scandinavia and Siberia, via the Netherlands and Germany, take over Old Lake and its surroundings. It’s worth visiting the ‘city of waters’ for the spectacular views alone, but if you take more time to explore the area, you can see more than 200 species of birds.

öreg tó old lake
The Old Lake in Tata. Source: Erika Gáncs

The municipality was awarded the status of Ramsar City a few years ago: for decades, it has been listed as a Ramsar site on one of the most important international lists of wetlands and waterfowl protection. Tata is also part of the EU’s ecological network, Natura 2000, which protects biodiversity.

Bird guide: book, experience, exhibition

The creators of the Bird Guide are Péter Csonka and Szabolcs Kókay. The two nature lovers have been friends for decades and have long been planning to create a guide to the bird species living in and around Tata.

Péter Csonka is a bird and nature conservationist, head of the Duna-Ipoly National Park Directorate (Duna-Ipoly Nemzeti Park Igazgatóság, DINPI), president of the county organisation of the Hungarian Ornithological and Nature Conservation Association (Magyar Madártani és Természetvédelmi Egyesület). He has been involved in bird photography since 1999 and is also the founder of the Hundred Valley Nature Conservation Association (Száz Völgy Természetvédelmi Egyesület) and the Tata Wild Goose Festival (Tatai Vadlúd Sokadalom). In 2017, he was awarded the Hungarian Silver Cross of Merit (Magyar Ezüst Érdemkereszt) for his work, and in 2022, he was awarded the Silver Medal for the City of Tata.

Szabolcs Kókay is one of the most important Hungarian nature painters and illustrators, a self-taught artist. Szabolcs Kókay is one of the most important Hungarian nature painters and illustrators, a self-taught artist. He has been featured in the Society of Wildlife Artists exhibition in London and in the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum’s “Birds in Art” exhibition in the US. His work has been awarded several times in the British Birds, Birdwatch Artist of the Year and Spanish Sociedad Gaditana De Historia Natural illustrator competitions. He is the illustrator of several English language textbooks.

“Spending time in nature has an impact on our character, because we are exposed to different impulses. We can smell the scents, see the variety of butterflies, the texture of the bark and rocks of the trees, or the way the air moves across the meadow. It is a proven fact that these experiences make us more balanced,”

says Péter Csonka.

“It’s worth using this Bird Guide with open eyes and ears to experience the wonder that nature has to offer. In nature, we need to open all our senses and let go of any thoughts that might hinder this intimate experience. In nature, we need to purify ourselves, to recharge. Nature walks and birdwatching are not only a great way to build community, but it is also scientifically proven that they have a beneficial effect on our health and the balance of our mind and spirit, which is why it is important to pass on our love of nature to our children and to keep it alive,”

he adds. The Bird Guide provides detailed information on exactly where, when and what birds to look for and observe in the area.

An exhibition of Szabolcs Kókay’s illustrations will open on 14 October at the Esterházy Castle to coincide with the publication of the Bird Guide. The illustrations are remarkable because they show small details of the birds and their environment – their movements, colours and lights – that photographs cannot reproduce.

The exhibition is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 10.00 AM to 6.00 PM for a month.

Platán has taken up the initiative

The book could not have been published without adequate funding, but fortunately the authors found a loyal partner. For Platán, which has been operating in a building of the former Esterházy estate in Tata for 13 years and has recently been renovated, an old dream has come true with a book about the wonders of the surrounding nature.

Tata is a very special tourist destination, not only because of its historical and natural values, but also because of its unique gastronomic offer, thanks to Platán. The company has put Tata on the gastronomic map of the country from the very beginning with the Platán Bistro on the lakeside. It has recently become one of the region’s top restaurants thanks to its dedicated team and the transformation achieved through the collaboration of Michelin-starred chef István Pesti and interior designer Zoltán Varró.

varró varga pesti tata
Zoltán Varró interior design, Vivien Varga, Platán manager, and Michelin-starred chef István Pesti. Source: Erika Gáncs

The result is the Platán Gourmet Restaurant, which has been awarded the Dining Guide’s Best Country Restaurant of the Year award (az Év Legjobb Vidéki Étterme) for the second time this year. Since its opening, Platán has been committed not only to preserving the spiritual heritage of the Esterházy family and the gastronomic traditions of historical Hungary, but also to preserving the natural values of Tata. (For more information about Platán, please visit Platán Gourmet Restaurant and Courtyard on Facebook, Instagram, Platán Bistro on Facebook, Instagram, Platán Tata website.)

Alpár Kató, founder of Daily News Hungary and Helló Magyar, has personally visited Tata last week:

The eponymous tree, which was brought from Versailles by the Esterházy family in 1785 and is now one of the city’s iconic plants, has been taken care of by the Platán team since its inception. The newly published Bird Guide has also been embraced, and two paintings by Szabolcs Kókay can be bid for on the Platán website for a month. The proceeds will be donated to the Tatai Mecénás Public Foundation and the organisers of the Tata Wild Goose Festival, who will also offer free guided tours around Lake Tata.

platán fa plane tree
Plane tree (Platán fa) planted in 1785. Tata. Source: Alpár Kató

You can buy the book from Monday, 17 October in the Platán and in the shop of the Esterházy Castle for HUF 5500 (EUR 13.3). Platán will also distribute it free of charge to schools in Tata and to the city library.

platán varró design
Varró Design in Tata. Source: Erika Gáncs

Read the Hungarian version of this article on HellóMagyar.

Iconic stone lions restored to Budapest's Chain Bridge bridgehead. Photo: BKK
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What are the most common diseases for aging cats and dogs?

animal cat

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As your pet gets older, it will get frail and probably develop a disease or condition that affects its health. Much like the human body, an advanced age leads to a weakened immune system and some organs start having complications. Don’t worry though, most of these are treatable and your pet can have a painless old-age.

Here are the most common diseases for aging cats and dogs;

Kidney Problems

The kidneys eliminate waste and toxins, and maintain balance in the body. When the kidneys do not function properly, toxins accumulate in the body, resulting in kidney failure. This lapse in proper kidney function can be caused by aging in cats and dogs. As you pet ages, their kidneys may become less efficient at removing waste and toxins.

Prolonged kidney failure is referred to as chronic kidney disease (CKD). A pet suffering from CKD may display symptoms such as drinking more water, frequent urination, vomiting, and weight loss. Luckily, CKD may be treatable if discovered early enough. A visit to a veterinary will enable them to take the best course of action.

Heart Problems

Yes, senior cats and dogs can also suffer from heart problems. Common heart diseases for older cats and dogs include cardiomyopathy and congestive heart failure. These diseases affect blood pumping throughout the body, leading to other problems such as general body weakness, breathing difficulties, vomiting, and coughing.

Heart diseases can be complicated to treat in senior pets. Be sure to take your cat or dog to the vet as soon as you notice any of the symptoms of heart disease.

Thyroid Disease

Senior cats and dogs are at high risk of developing thyroid problems. The thyroid is a gland that produces and releases thyroid hormone. This hormone controls metabolism in your pet’s body.

Cats and dogs commonly develop hyperthyroidism; this means their thyroid gland is producing excess amounts of thyroid hormone. This puts the metabolism of the cat or dog in overdrive, which can cause further problems such as severe heart disease, breathing problems, diabetes, and obesity. Some symptoms of hyperthyroidism include hyperactivity, increased appetite with weight loss, and increased thirst and more frequent urination.

Thyroid problems in cats and dogs can also be treated. Make sure to take your senior cat or dog to the vet for diagnosis and treatment if you spot any symptoms.

Arthritis or Joint Problems

Cats and dogs can be very agile and active when they are younger. In their daily activities, they may often jump and climb on different surfaces. However, these activities can be very taxing on their joints, and as the animal ages they can develop osteoarthritis.

Your pet can be very good at making joint pain, particularly cats. Subtle signs to loo for include the animal spending more time than usual sleeping and less time playing, aversion to climbs such as stairs, limping, difficulty standing or walking, licking or chewing at the aching joint, wincing in pain when they get picked up, and irritability.

If your older pet portrays any symptom of joint pain, talk to your vet about the best treatment. Unfortunately, arthritis in cats and dogs is not curable. Proper nutrition and treatment can reduce their pain and slow down the progress of the disease. This means that your pet will be on medication and require regular visits to the vet for a prolonged period.

Loss of Vision and Hearing

Much like a human, your older cat or dog may experience hearing and/or vision loss. Advanced age can naturally affect the eyes and ears, or the internal body systems dedicated to hearing and vision.

You can identify vision loss if your pet starts to bump into objects, falling, or develops redness or cloudiness in their eyes. Symptoms of hearing loss include sudden disobedience, behavioral changes, and nervousness.

Hearing and vision loss are usually permanent in older cats and dogs. Fortunately, there are some actions you can take to make your pet’s life easier. You can avoid rearranging furniture or adding new obstacles in your home or teach your cat or dog signals to help you communicate after the hearing and vision has declined.

Dental Diseases

Yes, aging can also affect your pet’s teeth. Dental diseases are slowly progressing diseases. Since your pets do not brush their teeth, they can develop severe dental problems over their lifetime.

Cats and dogs can suffer from dental diseases such as cavities, gingivitis, and reabsorption of teeth and bone infections from tooth decay. The symptoms for dental diseases in aging pets include bad breath, loose teeth, gum inflammation, bleeding from the mouth, excessive drooling, and reluctance to eat.  Dental diseases can eventually cause infections in the body, weight loss, kidney damage, or heart diseases.

Proper eating and playing habits and regular checkups of your pet’s mouth can help them keep their teeth and gums healthy, even when they get older.

Cognitive Dysfunction

Cognitive dysfunction in aging cats and dogs may manifest similar to senility in humans. Your pet’s brain function may slow down as it gets older. Signs of cognitive dysfunction in cats and dogs include increasingly uncharacteristic aggressive behavior, confusion, irritability, anxiety, and increased meowing or barking. You may also notice personality changes, memory loss, and repetitive behavior.

Talk to your vet if you notice your pet showing any of these signs. While cognitive dysfunction may be incurable, there are treatment options available that can make life easier for your aging cat or dog.

Caring For Your Senior Pet

Taking care of your aging pet can be tough, but with proper care, regular checkups, and lots of love, they can have healthy and happy senior years.

To protect yourself from the financial load of caring for an aging dog, ensure you get good dog insurance. This will help you get the best veterinary care for your aging pet and ease them of the difficulties of advanced age.

A three-year-old lion had to be put down in Hungary

We had to help Nara, a young 3-year-old lioness, into her final sleep, the Veresegyházi Bear Sanctuary website says.

“We had to help Nara, a young 3-year-old lioness, into her final sleep,” the Veresegyházi Bear Sanctuary website says.

Nara was already known to have certain abnormalities due to inbreeding. Nara and Nolen were born out of the marriage of a pair of siblings, which had a negative impact on their development. Until this summer, this had not caused any major health problems for Nara.

The first signs appeared at the end of June and surgery became necessary after the diagnosis was determined. However, this was not carried out because, despite constant veterinary care and medication, the lion’s condition continued to deteriorate and he could not have withstood the severe stress of surgery. On the advice of the veterinary team, the sanctuary therefore decided to permanently euthanise Nara.

Nara was very popular with the general public. She was brought to the shelter at the age of five weeks and bottle-fed by the keepers.

“She waited until the last minute to be pampered by her caretakers, so it’s difficult and poignant to say goodbye.”

– they wrote on their website.

dog
Read alsoAn Austrian woman brutally tortured 19 dogs in Hungary

Things to know before you move to the Hungarian countryside

landscape countryside house

Dreaming of the tranquillity of the Hungarian countryside? Fresh air, bright sky with a glass of drink in your backyard – as we would all like to imagine it. Here are some stories to prove you wrong.

We do not mean to scare anyone away from moving to the countryside. These are obviously handpicked examples from the readers of Sokszínűvidék. And you can meet bad neighbours anywhere. If you do not have one, you are probably it. Also, if you want to feel better about your own neighbours, do not miss these funny anecdotes – all are true stories recalled by readers.

Budapest, Danube, view
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Gossip girls

We all know the old lady archetype who knows everything about everyone in the village. It turns out that sometimes they seem to know more about you than you do actually. One reader recalled a story when she went home to her parents’ house to wash her clothes as the washing machine broke down at her boyfriend’s place. The old lady who lived next door put together the pieces and started spreading the rumour that she was dumped and kicked out of her boyfriend’s place because she accidentally broke the washing machine.

The fresh air

Most people in the countryside have experienced the pungent smell of the dunghills, usually placed carefully next to the fence. It was a recurring issue readers were complaining about. Many people also mentioned that some neighbours used dirty sewage water for watering the plants. Also, as much as we love animals, it is not ideal when they are kept right next to our house (pigs, chickens, ducks or dogs) in cages that are rarely cleaned. It is not only a sad sight but can be rather smelly too.

If not the animals, it is the smoke. All winter and summer long. Something is always burning whether it is for heating or to get rid of waste. One neighbour figured, for example, that the best way to get rid of the overgrowing weeds was burning down the whole yard.

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The quiet environment

Are you bothered by late-night parties in the city or the constant noise of traffic? Well, if you are unlucky enough you can also encounter neighbours in the country who like to turn up the radio to the max while doing work in the garden. What adds to the experience is if they use a lawn mower, chainsaw, or whatever other loud machinery they can get their hands on. Do not get scared though, life in the countryside can be indeed quiet. But there will be times you will have to put up with a barking dog or the signature sound of the lawn mower at 7 AM on a Sunday.

Close-knit community

Lastly, one of the readers shared the story of their elderly neighbour. He was not bothering them so much, but he wandered a bit too freely around the area. One time they heard a noise coming from downstairs in their house and went to investigate – only to find him in their kitchen. He went over to ask for boards to build a bench in his backyard. Problem is, they obviously did not have boards nor was he in a bench-building shape physically…

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Heights, spiders, thunderstorms? Hungarians’ deepest fears revealed

Spider fear survey Hungary (2)

Ever wondered if anyone shares your deepest fears? Whether it’s anxiety about being alone, heights, spiders or even thunderstorms, chances are you’re not the only one.

Interested in identifying which phobias are the most common, the experts at PsychicWorld.com collated a seed list of the 15 most well-known phobias and analysed Google search findings in order to find out the most common phobia in Hungary.

Key Findings:

  • The most common phobia in Hungary is trypophobia, with an average search volume of 5,200 searches a month. Whether it’s pancakes, sponges or honeycomb, people with this phobia fear small holes, particularly when they appear in clusters.
  • Agoraphobia (fear of open spaces) and arachnophobia (fear of spiders) rank in second and third place, with 1,000 and 600 average searches per month respectively.
  • Hungary’s least searched-for phobia is hemophobia, or fear of blood, with only 20 monthly searches.

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The most common phobias in Hungary

Ranking

Phobia

Phobia meaning

Average Monthly Search Volume

1

Trypophobia

fear of holes

5,200

2

Agoraphobia

fear of open spaces

1,000

3

Arachnophobia

fear of spiders

600

=4

Acrophobia

fear of heights

400

=4

Claustrophobia

fear of confined spaces

400

=6

Mysophobia

fear of germs

100

=6

Thanatophobia

fear of death

100

8

Trypanophobia

fear of needles

80

=9

Cynophobia

fear of dogs

60

=9

Social Phobia

fear of social situations

60

=11

Ophidiophobia

fear of snakes

50

=11

Astraphobia

fear of thunderstorms

50

13

Monophobia

fear of being alone

40

14

Aerophobia

fear of flying

30

15

Hemophobia

fear of blood

20

*= signifies a joint ranking

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The most common phobias in Europe

Ranking

Phobia

Phobia meaning

Average monthly search volumes per country

1

Trypophobia

fear of holes

2,991

2

Agoraphobia

fear of open spaces

2,810

3

Arachnophobia

fear of spiders

877

4

Acrophobia

fear of heights

679

5

Claustrophobia

fear of confined spaces

665

6

Thanatophobia

fear of death

286

7

Trypanophobia

fear of needles

240

8

Mysophobia

fear of germs

229

9

Cynophobia

fear of dogs

197

10

Social Phobia

fear of social situations

182

11

Aerophobia

fear of flying

177

12

Ophidiophobia

fear of snakes

165

13

Monophobia

fear of being alone

149

14

Astraphobia

fear of thunderstorms

110

15

Hemophobia

fear of blood

103

Methodology

  1. PsychicWorld.com sought to discover the most common phobias in Europe and the US.
  2. ​A comprehensive seed list of popular phobias was compiled utilising multiple websites, including: Verywell Mind, MedicineNet, Money Inc, The International Psychology Clinic and Knowinsiders. Only phobias that appeared more than once across the different articles were taken into consideration.
  3. A refined list of 15 phobias was created.
  4. Following, a complete list of all 44 countries in Europe was extracted from Worldometer. The following countries were omitted from the research, due to lack of data: Holy See, Liechtenstein, Monaco and San Marino. Out of 44 European countries in total, data was collected and amalgamated for 40.
  5. Average monthly search volumes for each phobia across all countries were then gathered utilising the search analytics tool Ahrefs. Search volumes for keyword variations, such as: fear of heights, fear of spiders and fear of flying were also collected for US and UK searches in order to obtain accurate results.
  6. All phobias were then ranked based on the number of countries they had appeared in, so that the most common phobia could be determined.
  7. All data was collected on 25/8/22 and is subject to change.

An Austrian woman brutally tortured 19 dogs in Hungary

dog

In a small village in Zala County in Hungary, a woman kept 19 dogs locked up in her family home. As she left the dogs without care, charges were brought against her. – reported Zala County Prosecutor’s Office. 

The dogs’ health was in danger

Csaba Pirger from the Prosecutor’s Office said that until last July, the 67-year-old woman kept 29 pets in Misefá, in her family house and in her yard. According to hvg, there were 19 small dogs closed in the house and the garage. In addition, she did not provide them with conditions suitable for their species and their physiological needs. As the animals emptied their urine and faeces on the floor, the whole house smelled. The conditions endangered the health of the animals, which could have caused permanent damage to their health. Moreover, the badly kept dogs could have died due to lack of care.

mouse rodent animal
Read alsoVIDEO: Watch this man snogging his mice on tramline 4-6 in Budapest!

They charged the Austrian woman with animal cruelty

Last July, the Zalaegerszeg police seized the dogs, writes origo.hu. They brought them to animal protection organisations where the animals received veterinary care. More than nine dogs were diagnosed with serious illnesses. Although the animals would have needed medical treatment, the woman did not take the dogs to the vet. Therefore, the woman is responsible for the suffering of the dogs. The Zalaegerszeg Public Prosecutor’s Office brought charges against the Austrian woman for animal cruelty.

More than 200 animals were rescued in the last two years

According to Index, similar cases happened in Budapest, too, where more than 200 animals were rescued in the last two years. Since February 2020, 88 crimes involving animal cruelty have been registered in the capital. During this time, the police together with their partners rescued 200 animals. The most memorable rescue operation was Sanyika, the penguin who escaped from the zoo, and was then adopted by the Zugló police. Among the rescued animals were dogs, cats, deer, horses, goats, pigs, deer and rabbits. Moreover, the police helped a family of ducks, salamanders and even a whole family of bees.

bondit_peak_mountain
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VIDEO: Watch this man snogging his mice on tramline 4-6 in Budapest!

mouse rodent animal

Absolutely nothing to see here, just a man smooching his pet mice on board a tram in Budapest. This is not a drill!

If you thought you would not see someone caressing his pet mice with their tongue in broad daylight, you were wrong. Recently, a man and his mice got on a tram – nothing strange about that, right?

But according to a video posted on Reddit, the gentleman, after letting his two pets out of their cage, took one in his hand and after a little petting, started snogging it. Meanwhile, the other rodent was running around on the ledge of the tram next to its owner, writes szeretlekmagyarorszag.hu.

See it for yourself! Here is the video posted on Reddit:

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Hungary is an illegal dog-breeding powerhouse

rottweiler puppy dog animal

Hungary is an important player in the international network of dog breeding and illegal dog trade. We are known abroad as a major dog breeding power. Passports issued by veterinarians play a key role in the trade in dogs bred under cruel conditions for export.

Animal abuse, illegal business

Passports issued by veterinarians, without which the animals would not be allowed to travel abroad, play a key role in the trade in breeding dogs for export. Unfortunately, this world has not shortage of brutal animal abuse and cruel conditions.

As a Telex documentary revealed, according to veterinarian Dr. Dalma Kárpáti and lawyer Dr. Cecília Kajó, there are veterinarians in Hungary who are involved in the papering, documentation of the animal cruelty business. They issue passports with fictitious dates of birth without having seen the animals. This is how traffickers are able to take puppies out of the country who are not even old enough to travel under the current laws.

“The smaller and cuter it is, the sooner people take it from the petshops,” veterinarian Dr. Gabriella Markus in the documentarty, explaining that this is the reason why breeding dog dealers do not wait until the animals are 15 weeks old, after which they can be legally exported. The expert also pointed out that this practice is not only an attack on the animal, but also constitutes private and public fraud.

Profitable business

Blank passports may only be ordered from the Hungarian Chamber of Veterinary Surgeons (MÁOK) by veterinarians who are members of the Chamber, provide veterinary services in accordance with the legal requirements and undertake to keep a strictly numbered record of the animal passports and to regularly record the required data in the Chamber’s records, Telex writes.

In recent years, the main source of income of MÁOK Kft. (the Chamber’s wholly-owned company) has been the empty pet passports. These documents have been purchased at a net price of HUF 400-600 (EUR 1.02-1.53) and made available to veterinarians at a net price of HUF 2,100-2,400 (EUR 5.35-6.12) since 2020.

Huge income, no control of passports issued

In 2020, MÁOK Kft. sold a total of 108 959 blank passports to veterinarians at a net price of HUF 2126 (EUR 5.42), and in 2021, it sold a total of 109 578 blank passports at a net price of HUF 2205 (EUR 5.62). The company thus received a net inflow of HUF 231 million (EUR 0.59 million) two years ago and HUF 241 million (EUR 0.61 million) last year.

As regards the control of passport-issuing practices by veterinarians, the Chamber of Veterinary Surgeons monitors the obligations to record, report or register data, but does not control the circumstances under which passports are issued.

The Telex documentary

You can watch the documentary below with English subtitles:

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Read alsoVIDEO: confused emu halted traffic in a Hungarian city

VIDEO: confused emu halted traffic in a Hungarian city

emu-bird-animal-traffic-hungary

An Australian emu caused a great surprise in Nagykőrös, Central Hungary. Below you check out the video that one of the drivers made.

An emu showed up on the streets of downtown Nagykőrös. A driver said that the animal seemed confused while hopping around on Kecskeméti Street. Fortunately, somebody was quick enough to record the scene. 

You can see that the bird is desperately trying to find a way out of the dangerous car traffic, blikk.hu reported. 

Here is the video:

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Read alsoCute kangaroo spotted in North Hungary – VIDEO

Cute kangaroo spotted in North Hungary – VIDEO

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We reported before that police pursued and captured a kangaroo in Budapest’s 21st district last week. Now another marsupial was spotted in North Hungary’s Börzsöny mountains. You can check out the video taken of the animal below.

As MTI reported then, police chased a kangaroo for 5-6 kilometres in the Csepel district in the southern part of the capital before capturing it in a blanket, without causing any injury to the animal. The marsupial was returned to the Budapest Zoo, where he still lives today. However, the police could not determine from where the kangaroo escaped or the identity of its owner. HERE you can check out the photos and watch the video the police made last Sunday.

Somebody shared a video on Facebook about another kangaroo wandering in the wilderness of North Hungary’s Börzsöny mountains. The marsupial was spotted between the Paphegy and Királyrét. Interestingly, the kangaroo was not afraid of the car or the people sitting in it. Furthermore, rtl.hu confirmed that the tape is real.

It is hard to tell the type of the marsupial. Its fur is more greyish than reddish. It is imaginable that it is an eastern or western grey kangaroo (Macropus giganteus or Macropus fuliginosuso).

Here is the video:

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21 thousand Hungarians want to protect sharks hunted for their fins

Over 21,000 valid signatures have been collected in Hungary in support of the European Citizens’ Initiative entitled “Stop Finning – Stop the Trade” against the killing of sharks for their fins, the National Election Committee (NVB) said on Thursday.

The committee established that out of the 23,986 signatures collected online by the organisers of the campaign, altogether 21,715 were valid. The NVB will send its documents verifying the authenticity of the signatures to the initiative’s contact staff to be forwarded to the European Commission, it said in a statement.

The citizens’ initiative needs one million signatures from across at least seven member states to be valid.

The minimum number in Hungary is 15,750 valid signatures.

Stop Finning aims to end the trade of fins in Europe. The European Union is one of the world’s leading exporters of fins and a major transit hub of global fin shipments, the statement said.

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