Animals traditionally play a major role in Bavarian politics. Just think of problem bear Bruno, who came to Bavaria in May 2006 and for a few weeks sent some people into raptures and others into sheer panic until he was finally officially shot down. Or the bees that almost turned the black Prime Minister Markus Söder into a green one through a referendum.
All that was missing was that he would have appeared as Willi at the Franconian carnival in Veitshöchheim, but the loyal companion of Maya the Bee may not have seemed suitable enough for him to be an alpha male. Completely in contrast to the Nuremberg polar bear Flake, even though he is a female polar bear. The then Environment Minister dedicated his disguise to her in 2009. He hasn’t been seen this fluffy since.
Since Hubert Aiwanger has been involved in state politics, it has become even more about animals, but not about their cuddly factor. He wants to have the wolf shot and the bear at the same time. You don’t even want to imagine what would happen to a polar bear if it got lost on the last remnant of the Zugspitze Glacier. Cormorants and otters are also said to be at risk. All of this for the benefit of animals that can be eaten or that are at least useful for landscape maintenance, i.e. carp or sheep.
Former farmer Aiwanger doesn’t give the animals names, something he told journalists who visited him on his farm right at the start of his political career. There were cows and pigs there, farm animals, in other words. It’s all the worse for the FW boss that there are a lot of people in the federal government, perhaps ideology-driven vegans, who can’t tell a pig from a cow. At least that’s what he shouts to the crowd when he gives the farmer’s leader.
On one such occasion, he recently brought up other animals that already have a bad reputation for historical reasons and are now said to be responsible for another evil. “Dasuffane Ratzn”, or drowned rats, could be the reason for the high nitrate levels in the soil. This is unlikely, according to experts, who continue to identify manure as the cause, but it certainly sounds impressive, especially with Aiwanger’s tongue.
Next week it’s carnival again in Veitshöchheim, so maybe things won’t be so serious. In any case, the political critters of the recent past should provide enough inspiration for creative costumes.