“I’ve always loved animals,” begins Pia Krauss, the woman from Brasov who earned her place in the virtual adoptions section this month. Having her origins in Germany, Pia had her first guinea pig back when, in Romania, nobony knew the meaning of the word “pet”. “When I was about six years old, I had a guinea pig that I took with me everywhere I went. He used to sit on my shoulder, half-hidden by the hood of my coat. I had several rabbits – big, with black and white spots – that I used to play with a game with called “rabbit’s laundry”, meaning I cleaned them all the time with a brush. Later I put some sand on them and then brushed them again, etc. I had many other large and small stuffed toys as well: monkeys, leopards, anything. They all slept beside me, with their heads outside the blanket so that they could breathe”, Pia tells us with so much fun.
Today, Pia Krauss is the happy owner of an Andalusian horse that she loves very much. „He is called Comico and turned seven on February 9th. He’s an Aquarius like me. Comico is pure relaxation: with him I forget all the stress of the week! We are both still learning, and it will probably always be like this: the art of horse riding and caring for horses are topics that are endless”, confesses Pia.
No difference between helping people and animals
Pia has visited the sanctuary twice so far. „ My impression is very good, I feel that the people who work at the sanctuary are doing something really useful. The bears who were kept in incredibly unnatural and miserable conditions near restaurants, people’s houses, factories, had to be rescued and brought closer to a normal life. The sanctuary in Zarnesti is providing as natural a life as possible for these bears; they are being treated well, not like stuffed toys, and I like it very much. I find that the staff runs the sanctuary with much love and commitment and leads a real fight for the animals and for fund-raising, which is extremely difficult”, says Pia.
A Marketing Manager in retailing, Pia has made room in her busy schedule to fight the cause of the bears. She “virtually adopted” Cocolino and Cristi – not for herself, but to offer a unique present to the loved ones. „ Why do I help? I do what I can and I admire all those who dedicate so much of their time to help animals or people in need. I don’t see a big difference if the purpose is a noble one and it comes from the heart”.
