Austrian Vice Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache will donate his salary to an animal therapy organization while he is on paternity leave, according to local media.
Strache, leader of the far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ), whose wife Philippa gave birth to a boy on January 1, told OE24 he is taking a one-month break from politics to be with his family.
He said his monthly salary of about €19,000 will be donated to the Schottenhof association in Vienna, which specializes in using horses and donkeys to help children with physical, mental or social impairments. The organization lists Austrian motor racing legend Niki Lauda among those who have donated in the past.
The association's manager, Michaela Jeitler, told OE24 she is not aware of the vice chancellor's donation plans but they "sound great."
Strache's wife is the animal welfare officer of the FPÖ.
Austrian politicians are not covered by the country's parental leave rules, according to Der Standard.
