no. 16/06 - GstaadLife print edition
no. 16/06 - GstaadLife print edition
no. 16/06 - GstaadLife print edition
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GSTAADLIFE<br />
No. <strong>16</strong> August 18 20<strong>06</strong> www.gstaadlife.com<br />
Gstaad Symposium: little chance<br />
for improvement in the Middle East<br />
The sixth annual Symposium in the Gstaad<br />
Palace hosted around 100 guests on Wednesday<br />
August <strong>16</strong>. Arnaud de Borchgrave’s wit and<br />
insightful comments about the dilemma in the<br />
Middle East, and the three course meal that<br />
followed were well-received by the international<br />
audience. At the end of the efficientlyorganized<br />
event, Taki Theodoracopulos, the<br />
show master, could <strong>no</strong>t resist giving a sneak<br />
preview of what was in store for next year:<br />
“an even better speaker than Arnaud.”<br />
“This is the sixth symposium and the first time<br />
we can welcome a guest speaker for the second<br />
time.” With these words Theodoracopulos<br />
welcomed the reputed journalist Arnaud de<br />
Borchgrave to the Gstaad Symposium 20<strong>06</strong>. de<br />
Borchgrave left a lasting impression at his<br />
last appearance in 2001. Only two weeks before<br />
9/11 he foresaw the threat terrorism was about<br />
to pose. With this record, and his 50 years of<br />
experience in foreign affairs, the audience was<br />
prepared for a<strong>no</strong>ther groundbreaking talk,<br />
themed: “The Middle East; seeds of global<br />
conflict.” The following is an overview of what<br />
de Borchgrave had to say:<br />
Changing fabric of society<br />
The media’s approach to society has been<br />
changing. A journalist simply has to be able to<br />
“steal ideas, have a little literary k<strong>no</strong>wledge and be<br />
charming.” The dumbing down of the media has<br />
in turn caused the dumbing down of the people.<br />
There is a “constant melodrama of constant<br />
triviality.” It seems to have had an effect on society,<br />
letting “the 10 commandments become an issue of<br />
multiple-choice.” At the same time new trends<br />
have been emerging on the internet. Any blogger<br />
can <strong>no</strong>w “be heard if he has an attitude.” They<br />
bring out the private sphere to the public,<br />
blurring the margins between the two. “One <strong>no</strong><br />
IN THIS ISSUE<br />
A night to remember PAGE 3<br />
Sports / Talking point PAGE 4<br />
Gstaad Film PAGE 5<br />
Cats and Dogs PAGE 7<br />
longer k<strong>no</strong>ws when one is on record.” This new<br />
attitude to information has pushed democracy into<br />
crisis: “only those who lie can be re-elected. Truth<br />
is Washington’s second language.”<br />
Move to Islamic radicalism<br />
The simplification of issues in the media to a<br />
matter of right and wrong, and the emergence<br />
of the internet have had a strong impact on<br />
Muslims. Since 9/11 there has been a surge of<br />
“jihadism.” Online jihadism is particularly<br />
threatening. The internet can reveal how to<br />
compose bombs with household products, but<br />
also sign-up locations of radicals and safe<br />
mosques. Tech<strong>no</strong>logy is facilitating recruiters,<br />
and strengthening the networking of radicals.<br />
This has caused their number to jump. “200,000<br />
of 1.8 million British Muslims were in favor of<br />
the bombings in London, 600,000 would prefer<br />
Islamic law to British law, and the vast majority<br />
believe that the war on terror is actually the war<br />
on Islam.”<br />
The crossfire<br />
These figures speak in clear terms. de Borchgrave<br />
argued that, “The clinch between Israelis and<br />
Palestinians is the source of most problems in the<br />
Middle East, and has established the breeding<br />
ground for Islamists.” Looming over events in<br />
the region, the US propels this. “For Iran and<br />
Syria, Israel is simply a battalion of the US” – an<br />
immediate threat. “There is a human propensity<br />
towards totalitarianism in menacing situations,”<br />
which is why Hitler, Stalin, and <strong>no</strong>w jihad<br />
leaders have gained so much ground. “The aim<br />
of the jihad is to get back what others took,”<br />
namely Israel. Indeed, “Hizbollah’s cause can be<br />
compared to the ANC’s in white South Africa, or<br />
the US position in its war of independence.”<br />
Whilst the resolve of radicals has been strengthening,<br />
“Israel’s invincibility has been diminishing.”<br />
Its wars of the 60s and 70s were a matter of days,<br />
but the most recent one has been a stalemate.<br />
This may tempt Israel to go nuclear. However<br />
with many nuclear powers active in the region,<br />
“the US is struggling to push the nuclear genie<br />
back into the bottle to prevent an escalation.”<br />
This might prove difficult after “having lost<br />
all credibility in the Middle East.” Its attempt<br />
to attain “omnipotence through democracy” in<br />
Laura Scherz, Byron Rupp, Peter Liva<strong>no</strong>s<br />
and George Nicholson before the talk (l to r)<br />
George Nicholson,<br />
Princess Alexandra<br />
Schönburg and<br />
John Sutin (l to r)<br />
Arnaud de<br />
Borchgrave<br />
Prince Shabib bin Taimur, Alexandra de<br />
Borchgrave, Carlos Fix and Antoinette<br />
de Scheel (l to r)<br />
Marusa Nicholson, Andrea Goulandris<br />
and Taki Theodoracopulos (l to r)<br />
NEW<br />
continued on page 3<br />
Photos: Timothy Kilchenmann
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The Power of Flowers
August 31: a night to remember<br />
As in the case of JFK, everyone remembers where<br />
they were the night Princess Diana died while<br />
being chased by paparazzi into a Parisian underpass.<br />
(It is an annually retentive grief which will<br />
reach its apotheosis on August 31 2007, the tenth<br />
anniversary of her death.) In my case, I was in a<br />
deep, drunken discussion with Jeremy Menuhin,<br />
son of Yehudi, and Oliver Gilmour, a close friend of<br />
mine who is a conductor. We were at chalet<br />
Agnela, in the Oberbort. When things got too hot -<br />
Oliver is aggressive and very opinionated - I went<br />
down to my writing den and turned on the telly. And<br />
there it was. I woke up Nigel Dempster of the Daily<br />
Mail, the numero u<strong>no</strong> gossip columnist of his time,<br />
and we watched in horrified silence. There was an<br />
added twist of fate. I had spoken to Diana about six<br />
hours earlier and had asked her if she was serious<br />
about Dodi Fayed. She had laughed, and let me to<br />
understand what I had always suspected; the<br />
whole romance bit was a publicity stunt, and her<br />
way of getting back to the royal family that had<br />
shunned her. But let’s take things from the top.<br />
I first met Diana at a friend’s wedding in 1987.<br />
When I was introduced to her by Nicky Haslam,<br />
I was very drunk and slurred my words. She<br />
thought I had a speech impediment, so she took<br />
my hand and slowly articulated “Take your time,”<br />
or words to that effect. “Oh, let him be, Ma’am,”<br />
said an exasperated Nicky, “he’s just drunk.”<br />
When I began writing the Atticus column in the<br />
Sunday Times, I often intimated that the popular<br />
Diana was unstable and would one day bring<br />
down the monarchy. Around 1994, during a<br />
dance, a friend came up and told me that the<br />
princess would like to speak to me. I went over to<br />
her table and she asked me to sit down. But, as<br />
luck would have it, and being a bit worse for wear,<br />
I missed the chair and ended up under the table.<br />
She burst out laughing, looked down and asked<br />
me, “Do you really believe that I’m crazy?”<br />
Although in my cups, I came up with a good one;<br />
“All I k<strong>no</strong>w is that I’m crazy about you.”<br />
continued from page 1<br />
Iraq has failed so far, and taking a harder<br />
line towards Israel is out of the question because<br />
of the powerful Israeli lobby APAC.<br />
“Escaping this dilemma with the current<br />
administration is proving to be close to impossible.”<br />
With the internet helping the radicals,<br />
a crisis in democracy, and the oversimplification<br />
of events in the media preventing a better<br />
As they say in that well-k<strong>no</strong>wn film, it was the<br />
beginning of a beautiful friendship. She suggested<br />
we have dinner in my house, and when I told her<br />
that the last thing I needed was paparazzi parked<br />
outside watching my comings and goings, she<br />
smiled that alluring smile of hers and said, “They<br />
only catch me when I wish them to.” Her method<br />
was fool-proof. She would leave Kensington Palace<br />
lying down in the boot of her car. A driver would<br />
then deposit her in some dark street where a small<br />
white Peugeot was parked. He would then return<br />
to KP and wait for her call to pick her up later and<br />
return her to the palace in the same manner.<br />
There was absolutely <strong>no</strong> romance between us. She<br />
said little, but I knew about the Pakistani doctor<br />
and when I asked her about him she just smiled<br />
without saying yes or <strong>no</strong>. She once asked me to invite<br />
all the major editors to my house so she could<br />
have a tête-à-tête with them. I knew I was being<br />
used but didn’t mind at all. The fun part of that<br />
evening was the arrival of Louis Francke after dinner.<br />
Young Louis had <strong>no</strong> idea he was sitting next to<br />
her and asked her whether she was from Russia.<br />
When she asked where he was from he said one<br />
word; Gstaad.<br />
Needless to say, I changed my tune in my Atticus<br />
column. I became her greatest champion, to such<br />
an extent, in fact, that a<br />
major royal asked me to<br />
lunch and popped the<br />
question. “Are you having<br />
a romance with her?”<br />
When I said it was <strong>no</strong>t even<br />
close, he said, “But then<br />
how could you change your<br />
opinion so quickly?” Well,<br />
it was those droopy eyes<br />
and the teasing that did it. Tapies<br />
My wife and daughter once<br />
opened a letter from her<br />
and began to imitate her.<br />
Diana was a great user,<br />
and she knew that men<br />
understanding on all sides,<br />
de Borchgrave has a<br />
pessimistic, or what he<br />
calls a “realistic optimistic<br />
outlook” on conflict in the<br />
Middle East.<br />
By Timothy Kilchenmann<br />
ARNAUD DE BORCHGRAVE<br />
Arnaud de Borchgrave is a respected journalist. In the past decades he has been senior<br />
editor of Newsweek and editor-in-chief of the Washington Times and Insight magazine, where<br />
he significantly increased both circulation and influence. In 1991 he became editor-at-large of<br />
the Washington Times. Seven years later, de Borchgrave became the President and CEO of<br />
United Press International with the mission to pilot it into the digital age. Since stepping down<br />
from this prestigious role, he has returned to being editor-at-large for UPI, and directing the<br />
transnational threats initiative at the centre for strategic and international studies.<br />
liked compliments about<br />
their masculinity and their<br />
k<strong>no</strong>wledge of history. At<br />
least I do.<br />
So when the Dodi-Diana<br />
headlines broke, I happened<br />
to be in Gstaad. When Nigel<br />
Dempster arrived I told him<br />
my gut feeling was that it<br />
EDITORIAL<br />
Taki Theodoracopulos<br />
was all a sham. When I read she was in Paris on<br />
that last fateful day, I rung her up on her private<br />
mobile, a number I had very rarely used before,<br />
in front of an unbelieving Nigel. “Hello stranger,”<br />
she cooed. “I’m ringing on a professional basis,”<br />
said yours truly. “Will you be wearing a shador<br />
any time soon?” She burst into laughter and said,<br />
“You k<strong>no</strong>w better than that.”<br />
The rest we all k<strong>no</strong>w about. Her closest friend,<br />
Rosa Monckton, agrees with my theory. Not many<br />
do. But it’s a very sad day indeed when rumours<br />
that Prince Philip had her k<strong>no</strong>cked off reach the<br />
small screen, and when publicity hungry police<br />
officers “look into” her death as a possible murder.<br />
Prince Philip and the Queen deserve better than<br />
that on her eightieth birthday. Conspiracy theories<br />
are almost as bad as the crime they profess to<br />
uncover itself. By Taki Theodoracopulos<br />
BUCH BILD GALERIE<br />
KIRCHSTRASSE<br />
3780 GSTAAD<br />
T 033 744 89 66<br />
Opening times: Tue–Fri 14–18h Sat 10–<strong>16</strong>h Closed Sundays and Mondays<br />
MASTHEAD Editorial: Alexandra de Scheel alexandra.descheel@gstaadlife.ch; Antoinette de Scheel antoinette.descheel@gstaadlife.ch; Xavier Ferguson xavier.ferguson@gstaadlife.ch;<br />
Frank Müller frank.mueller@gstaadlife.ch; Rauda Al Qubaisi rauda@gstaadlife.ch Peter Kuntze-Schneider (Advertising) peter.kuntze@gstaadlife.ch<br />
Publishing, Conception, Printing: Müller Marketing & Druck AG, Gstaad. Subscriptions: Tel. 033 748 88 74, Elsbeth Wyss 3<br />
Ins_Kuenstler_EU_USA_hoch.indd 1 23.8.20<strong>06</strong> 8:54:15 Uhr<br />
Fazzi<strong>no</strong><br />
Serra<br />
Private collection<br />
with artists from<br />
Europe and the US<br />
Baselitz<br />
Photo: Timothy Kilchenmann
SPORTS / TALKING POINT<br />
Team Land Rover wins 1 st Cartier Gold Cup<br />
The 1 st Cartier Gold Cup was held at<br />
Gstaad-Saanen airfield between August 17 and<br />
20. Despite changeable weather conditions,<br />
records crowds turned out to see Team Land<br />
Rover, owned by Fabien Pictet and his son<br />
Sascha, grab victory in the closing seconds of<br />
an exciting final against Ricardo Tattoni’s Team<br />
Cartier by the slim margin of 7 1 ⁄2 to 7. Milo<br />
Fernandez Araujo, one of the world’s best polo<br />
Talking point<br />
Gstaad à discrétion<br />
Pierre E Genecand<br />
President, Polo Club Gstaad<br />
<strong>GstaadLife</strong>, No. 14, August 11 20<strong>06</strong><br />
“For me, it’s good when you have the paparazzi.<br />
When we have important people, we need to<br />
have one or two paparazzi. We have to live with<br />
them all over the world. We might have them<br />
here already but you never k<strong>no</strong>w. For us, it’s <strong>no</strong>t<br />
an issue. If I have 100 paparazzi, I’m happy.”<br />
Marcel Bach<br />
Organizer, Country Night Gstaad<br />
Das Magazin, No. 33, August 19 20<strong>06</strong><br />
“[Gstaad] people are <strong>no</strong>t so into being in the<br />
papers as in other places, such as St Moritz,<br />
Photo: made available<br />
players, was the star of the show, carrying his<br />
team to victory despite sustaining a shoulder<br />
injury. Overall feedback regarding the event,<br />
which was organized for the first time by Pierre<br />
E Genecand and his new team at the Polo Club<br />
Gstaad, was very positive, and local residents<br />
and VIP guests alike were able to soak up<br />
the atmosphere in the expanded tent and polo<br />
village. For full results visit: www.gstaadlife.com<br />
where people go to champagne parties in order<br />
to make themselves seem more important than<br />
they actually are. The tendency of our guests<br />
is to take step down the ladder.”<br />
Desmond Corcoran,<br />
<strong>GstaadLife</strong> reader, August 18 20<strong>06</strong><br />
“I have been reading with mounting alarm,<br />
the recent interview in <strong>GstaadLife</strong> with the<br />
new president of the Polo Club. It seems that<br />
having had to suffer the constant <strong>no</strong>ise of<br />
the rampant construction industry we are <strong>no</strong>w<br />
to be invaded by hordes of paparazzi and all<br />
the attended evil that comes with these people.<br />
Obviously this person has <strong>no</strong> sense of the<br />
serenity and beauty of this valley where we<br />
have chosen to live, our security, or any respect<br />
for our privacy. One can only hope that he comes<br />
to understand the ways of Gstaad.”<br />
Tell us what you think:<br />
• Visit the new <strong>GstaadLife</strong> website at<br />
www.gstaadlife.com and press ‘Comments’<br />
under the “Talking point” article, or<br />
• Send an email to talkingpoint@gstaadlife.ch<br />
Photos: Raphaël Faux
And Action! Gstaad Film short film festival<br />
From August 25 to 27 the second <strong>edition</strong> of the<br />
international short film festival, Gstaad Film,<br />
will take place. As a platform for artists who<br />
have extended their work into the field of film,<br />
rather than professional directors, it is the only<br />
film-festival of its kind.<br />
There are only two restrictions for entries; the films<br />
must be shorter than 10 minutes, and they are <strong>no</strong>t<br />
allowed to be cartoons. Beat Michel, director of<br />
Gstaad Film, explains the idea was initiated two<br />
years ago by Wandelbar International and the<br />
Filmpodium Saanenland. “If artists compete with<br />
professional directors they often have a hard stand.<br />
Also, with this format we do <strong>no</strong>t have to measure<br />
ourselves against all the big festivals.”<br />
Visitors have the choice of either viewing<br />
“Screening 01” in the Grand Hotel Bellevue’s<br />
private cinema, or “Screening 02” in the Wandelbar<br />
Lounge. The two screenings each have a<br />
different set of 12 films. The short films are<br />
shown in three blocks of four, and in between<br />
each block there is short break. Michel explains,<br />
“The festival is meant to be more of an<br />
exhibition that a rigid film viewing. People<br />
are meant to be able to move freely from site<br />
Important Numbers<br />
Medical emergency number 0900 57 67 47<br />
Saanen Hospital 033 748 02 00<br />
Hospital in Château-d’Œx 026 924 75 93<br />
Fire-brigade 118 · Police 117<br />
Car accident service<br />
7 days, 24 hours, Tel. 033 744 88 80<br />
For additional useful numbers please<br />
visit www.gstaadlife.ch/usefulnumbers<br />
RELIABLE<br />
WEATHER<br />
Don’t forget to check<br />
page 2 of your<br />
Anzeiger von Saanen.<br />
CHURCH SERVICES St Peter’s English-speaking<br />
Anglican Church, Château-d’Œx<br />
Sunday August 27: 17h30. Scripture union, Rev. Clive Atkinson<br />
Roman Catholic Church St Josef, Gstaad<br />
Friday August 25: 18h00 Santa Misa (f); Saturday August 26: 18h00 Holy Mass;<br />
Sunday August 27: 11h00 Holy Mass in Memorial of Lilian Murdoch; <strong>16</strong>h00 Santa<br />
Misa (esp); Wednesday August 30: <strong>16</strong>h30 Rosary; 17h00 Holy Mass<br />
For your next stay in Gstaad:<br />
***** Gstaad Palace: La Grande Terrasse, Snack & Barbecue, Le Grill, The Lobby Bar &<br />
GreenGo Nightclub, Beauty&Spa, 4 tennis courts, Olympic size outdoor pool, and<br />
squash. Tel: 033 748 50 00, Fax 033 748 50 01, info@palace.ch, www.palace.ch<br />
***** Grand Hotel Park, Gstaad: 99 rooms, Spa Chakra Wellness-Care, Restaurants:<br />
“Le Greenhouse”, “Die Pa<strong>no</strong>ramaterrasse”, “Le Grand Restaurant”, “Marco Polo”,<br />
“Le Chalet Waldhuus”. Tel: 033 748 98 00, www.grandhotelpark.ch<br />
***** Grand Hotel Bellevue, Gstaad: GaultMillau Hotel of Year 2003, 70 beds, 2,500 m2 SPA, “Restaurant Prado”, Restaurant “Coelho” with sun-terrace, “Bellevue-Bar”,<br />
“Porsche 911 Club”, “Car<strong>no</strong>tzet”. Tel: 033 748 00 00, www.bellevue-gstaad.ch<br />
to site, watch the screenings intermixed, at their<br />
own liberty.” During breaks the artists will<br />
be around for discussion. This format enables<br />
a fair comparison of the short pieces, giving<br />
everyone a chance to make up their mind which<br />
film they truly like best.<br />
The second <strong>edition</strong> of the festival was originally<br />
intended for last winter. A lack of films forced the<br />
organizers to push the event back to the summer.<br />
This step was worthwhile. With 140 signed-up<br />
films, the number of applications has more than<br />
doubled since the original date. “This is probably<br />
because the participants were given more time to<br />
complete their pieces,” says Michel. “We are going<br />
to keep this experience in mind and hold these<br />
festivals every other year, at least until it becomes<br />
better k<strong>no</strong>wn.” The organizers are also optimistic<br />
about the number of visitors: “An event by<br />
Dutchartdesk will run at the same time, so the<br />
interested people will be in town.”<br />
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By Timothy Kilchenmann<br />
August 25 20<strong>06</strong>, 19h30, Galerie wandelbar<br />
and Grand Hotel Bellevue, Gstaad.<br />
For more information visit www.gstaadfilm.ch<br />
Friday August 25 until<br />
Thursday August 31 20<strong>06</strong><br />
50th Menuhin Festival Gstaad<br />
EVENTS / LOCAL NEWS<br />
Herrmann golf<br />
competition August 20<br />
Gabriele Steers<br />
on the driving range<br />
before the match<br />
Charlie Werren and<br />
Karl Krogstadt<br />
ready for battle<br />
Marianne Matti, Walter Herrmann,<br />
Jane Herrmann at the start<br />
19h30 August 25 - London Symphony Orchestra, Festival Tent, Gstaad<br />
22h30 August 25 - Les Nocturnes de Mozart, Gstaad Chapel<br />
19h30 August 26 - London Symphony Orchestra II and Maxim Vengerov,<br />
Festival Tent, Gstaad<br />
<strong>16</strong>h30 August 28 - The Magic Flute for children by Saanenland Music<br />
School, Festival Tent, Gstaad<br />
20h00 August 30 - Friends with the Genie – “Abbé” Bullinger and Mozart,<br />
Saanen Church<br />
20h00 August 31 - Laureates from the Geneva Arts Society,<br />
Rougemont Church Visit www.menuhinfestivalgstaad.ch<br />
Gstaad Art Film Festival INFO: 076 437 71 21<br />
Screening of International Short Film Festival for Artists starts<br />
today at the Galerie wandelbar & Grand Hotel Bellevue, Gstaad.<br />
Visit www.gstaadfilm.ch<br />
20h00 Brass Band Concert INFO: 079 669 50 03<br />
Enjoy a concert by the Brass Band in the Promenade in Gstaad<br />
directed by Michael Bach. Email samuel.matti@bkw-fmb.ch<br />
20h30 Folklore Night Lauenen<br />
Live folk music at the Hotel Wildhorn in Lauenen.<br />
Email hotel@wildhorn.ch or call 033 765 30 12 for more information.<br />
Friday August 25<br />
13h00 Powerstation Art – Vernissage INFO: 079 358 55 33<br />
An exchange project between Switzerland and the Netherlands<br />
focusing on culture and integration of children at the Galerie<br />
Wandelbar in Gstaad. Visit www.powerstationart.ch/en/<br />
20h00 Dixi-Night<br />
Dixi-Night at the Gasthof Derby in Zweisimmen.<br />
Email gasthof_derby@bluewin.ch<br />
INFO: 033 722 14 38<br />
Sunday August 27<br />
10h00 La Pascal Richard INFO: 079 448 09 25<br />
The cyclists will pass through Saanenland on their 95 km / 135 km journey.<br />
For more information visit www.pascal-richard.ch<br />
13h00 Suufsuntig<br />
Enjoy this joyful event drinking and watching the<br />
INFO: 033 765 36 55<br />
“Champion Cow” Queen of the Alps in Unters Blatti, Lauenen.<br />
18h00<br />
Try soup and other products from the Bernese Oberland<br />
INFO: 033 733 40 20<br />
in Schiessanlage Mannried, Zweisimmen. Visit www.gnusswuche.ch<br />
events<br />
5<br />
Photos: George Nicholson
A NEW ORANGE BOX IN GSTAAD.<br />
HERMÈS CHALET CENTRAL, GSTAAD. TEL. 033 744 4321
If dog, cat, or any other<br />
common pet has an<br />
accident in Saanenland<br />
there are several<br />
courses of action that<br />
might be appropriate.<br />
For smaller injuries,<br />
such as cuts, one can<br />
visit the local vet. For more serious injuries,<br />
such as fractures, taking the pet to clinics in<br />
Thun or Interlaken may be necessary.<br />
For all pet injuries, irrespective of their severity,<br />
it is best to get in touch with a local vet first. The<br />
two main vets in Saanenland, Dr Neff and Dr<br />
Hauswirth, spend much of their time touring<br />
farms, so agreeing an appointment in advance<br />
is necessary to ensure the vet’s presence in the<br />
practice at the agreed time. For emergencies,<br />
they work together to ensure that one or the<br />
other is always on call. Whilst the pattern of<br />
who works on which day and who covers<br />
which weekend is irregular, either Dr Neff or<br />
Dr Hauswirth is always available on their office<br />
number. Emergencies will even be tended to in<br />
the middle of the night.<br />
Dr Neff and Dr Hauswirth can treat small<br />
problems locally. They can medicate, deal<br />
with wounds and do tests on common pets. Only<br />
exotic animals can sometimes be beyond their<br />
expertise. Starting from September, the list of<br />
injuries that can be dealt with will lengthen<br />
substantially. Dr Hauswirt will retire and will<br />
be replaced by Dr Frolos. She intends to offer<br />
X-rays, blood tests and simple operations. It is<br />
hoped that expensive trips to the animal clinics<br />
in Thun and Interlaken will therefore become<br />
less common.<br />
Even after Dr Frolos takes over, extensive<br />
treatment, for example surgery, will still need to<br />
take place in Thun or Interlaken. These animal<br />
clinics are open 24 hours a day, with specialized<br />
doctors on call day and night. Making the step to<br />
the clinic should be checked with the local vets.<br />
A doctor in Thun commented, “pet owners often<br />
lack the expertise to determine whether their<br />
pet’s injury is an emergency or <strong>no</strong>t.” Therefore it<br />
is recommended that pets are always brought to<br />
the local vet to be checked first. This gives the<br />
vet a chance to stabilize the injury, and then<br />
make an informed decision about whether or<br />
<strong>no</strong>t a trip to down the valley is necessary. They<br />
can also suggest the form of transportation<br />
that is most appropriate. Usually a car or taxi<br />
is sufficient. In exceptional circumstances,<br />
where time is critical, or if the pet is particularly<br />
prone to further injury, a helicopter may be<br />
recommended. The clinic in Thun has a football<br />
field next door, which, with advance <strong>no</strong>tice, can<br />
be used for landing. No matter what situation a<br />
pet is in, help is at hand.<br />
Finally it is worth remembering two things. Firstly,<br />
GSTAAD FYI<br />
Keeping the dogs barking and the cats meowing<br />
One reader’s experience<br />
Driving from Gstaad to Feutersoey, we came<br />
upon a dog that had been hit by a car. It was<br />
badly wounded, but completely conscious and<br />
in great pain. The man who had driven over the<br />
dog had called the police who had just arrived at<br />
the scene, and there were four or five officers<br />
there when we arrived. There was a friend of<br />
mine with the dog in the middle of the road. It<br />
was <strong>no</strong>t possible to move the dog without a<br />
muzzle, a blanket and a stretcher, and having<br />
only been called out for a dog, the police had<br />
only brought a dog cage. They went to get<br />
a stretcher, and we had the blanket and the<br />
muzzle in our car. The police were mainly<br />
interested in finding the owner of the dog, which<br />
only had a collar without a name tag or a chip.<br />
We kept insisting to find a vet and that we would<br />
pay for all the expenses. Then we finally got<br />
them to start calling the<br />
different vets. It was<br />
Sunday, and there was <strong>no</strong><br />
vet available; either they<br />
were <strong>no</strong>t answering or they<br />
were in the Alps. We tried every small animal vet<br />
from Bulle (where someone answered the phone<br />
but was <strong>no</strong>t able to handle this case) to Thun.<br />
They were the closest that could take care of her.<br />
But by this time the dog had been lying in the<br />
sun and police car for some considerable time,<br />
and doing 45 minutes on the road would have<br />
given her <strong>no</strong> chance to survive. We therefore<br />
called for a helicopter. The police drove with her<br />
to Saanen airport and one policeman, two pilots,<br />
and my husband flew with her on the 15-minute<br />
ride to Thun. They were able to land on the<br />
football field just across from the clinic, where a<br />
taxi and the police were there to help.<br />
Her front leg needed to be amputated, and she<br />
had several fractures in her hind quarters. That<br />
same evening they were able to contact the<br />
owner, who drove to the clinic and elected to<br />
have her put to sleep. Maybe she could have been<br />
saved but it would have taken some time for her<br />
to live a <strong>no</strong>rmal life. If the owner had <strong>no</strong>t showed<br />
up we would have taken care of her.<br />
Animals have the same feelings and feel pain just<br />
like we do; they also have the same right to live<br />
if are you <strong>no</strong>t able to reach a vet, you can and<br />
should get in touch directly with the animal clinic.<br />
Secondly, standard insurance does <strong>no</strong>t cover these<br />
costs and they must be borne privately.<br />
INFORMATION<br />
Dr Neff: 033 744 35 31<br />
Dr Hauswirth: 033 744 31 41<br />
By Timothy Kilchenmann<br />
Animal Clinic Thun: 033 222 44 77<br />
Animal Clinic Interlaken: 033 822 21 41<br />
on this earth.<br />
It is <strong>no</strong>t because<br />
we are more<br />
intelligent that<br />
we should treat<br />
animals without<br />
respect. It is <strong>no</strong>t right that it was impossible<br />
to find a vet during the weekend. For humans<br />
there are always doctors on duty. The police<br />
came to the scene but without a list of different<br />
vets, and suitable first aid supplies such as a<br />
stretcher, muzzle etc. They were in <strong>no</strong> hurry<br />
to get the dog to a vet to alleviate its suffering,<br />
except for the suggestion to take her to a forester<br />
and have her shot in the head. I do <strong>no</strong>t think they<br />
would do this with a person or a child.<br />
7<br />
Photos: Art collection
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