Shopping goes wrong: this is why alpaca Violet was in court
Orford (Australia) - "I'm afraid you'll have to stay outside today." That's what Violet the alpaca must have heard when she was kicked out of an Australian supermarket. All she wanted to do was accompany her owner Abbygail on her shopping trip. For her, everything is clear: discrimination!
This or something similar is what happened in a supermarket in Tasmania.
As the Australian news channel"ABC News" reports, Abbygail-Nigella Borst wanted to go shopping in the local supermarket with her alpaca Violet, but she and her furry friend were thrown out of the store.
The reason: Alpaca Violet is considered "livestock" and not a pet, so she is not allowed to enter the supermarket and would have to wait outside the door for Abbygail. But the owner doesn't put up with this and takes the supermarket to court.
Violet and Abbygail are not an unknown duo in Tasmania. Time and again, videos appear on social media in which the pair can be seen in various public places such as the airport, a supermarket or even a bank.
Together with her husband Desmond Gaull, Abbygail also runs a small YouTube channel on which they regularly share insights into life with their somewhat special four-legged companion.
The two have often attracted a lot of attention
Court rules in favor of Abbygail and Violet
Abbygail's lawsuit was taken all the way to the Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (TASCAT). There, a senior judge has now given the verdict: "Violet is described as an assistance animal. Among the documents provided to ADC by the complainant, Ms. Borst, was a medical certificate stating that Violet was being used as part of a therapy [...]."
Violet was trained as an assistance animal by Abbygail herself. "She helps me interact with people in public, and she lets my caregiver know if I have a seizure," she says in an interview with the station.