Biodiversity
Animal adventures: Berlin’s wild animal world
Berlin may remind you of a concrete desert, but the wild animal world of the capital is diverse. What is Berlin so attractive for foxes, raccoons, wild pigs, and the largest number of birds in the whole of Germany?
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The Fox is going on
If you do, suddenly, after a night of drinking in Berlin, a Fox face, not to Worry – you’re not hallucinating. The entire city has become a habitat for foxes, says conservationist and wildlife consultant Katrin Koch. In fact, studies show that there are now more Fox build in the city than in the woods.
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Playful Raccoons
Not only foxes could you run unexpectedly across your path. Raccoons are found everywhere in Berlin. You are climbing with a preference for houses, and play in gardens and Parks or even on busy streets. Raccoons are exclusively cave-dwelling animals. And, as on the Land, whether in roofs, chimneys, or in hollowed out trees, caves are in the city more often.
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Wild pigs on a tour of discovery
As wild foxes and raccoons in the middle of Berlin is not already scary enough, you could also to a wild boar. They live usually in the city outskirts, but lately they come more and more often in the centre of the city, says cook. The good news: you still have the bear attacked no one and represent no danger – as well as foxes and washing.
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Good Day To You, Mr. Beaver!
Although beaver are not in Berlin, you have made the city in the last decade to your home. This is because the species is protected and it is not allowed to hunt them. Today, the Havel and the Spree of beavers are populated – so you take the teeth beware the furry animals with the above, if you participate in one of the numerous water of Berlin, runs a bath.
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Art Flyer Bat
Gotham may be the home of Batman, but Berlin is the city of the bats. One of her Favorite hangouts, the citadel, in the district of Spandau, where thousands take a huge Wintering site under hardware. But you can also use in your fall flights in the centre of the city – building then act as an artificial rock walls.
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Sweet Bunny
No matter whether it is just a hot summer day or a snowy winter’s night, if you look closely, you will see the sweetest Berlin of all: Bunny! Rabbits love in Parks, such as the Kleist Park, spend loitering around, or jump suddenly from a Bush. I have even been surrounded by a Fox, a rabbit family in the middle of Berlin seen. Maybe I should go less to celebrate.
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The Rarest of all
The biggest Sensation of the Berlin wild animals is also the rarest: the white-tailed eagle. According to cook, the first white-tailed eagle in 2002, returned to Berlin, after almost a century. He is the largest bird of prey to offer to the Berlin. The next Time you see flying around a large brown bird with a large wingspan and a yellow Beak in Berlin, take a photo!
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The Roommate
The most famous hawk in Berlin, the tower is a hawk. They like to live high above us, where there is fresh air and enough space, as in wall openings or Bay Windows. Kestrels are protected by the nature conservation Federation (NABU), has installed in the whole of Berlin nest boxes to schools, churches and industrial buildings – and thus to the residents of the Apartments, like most of Berlin.
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The naughty Berlin Sparrow
Berlin is the city with the largest number – and diversity – of birds in the whole of Germany. These songbirds as well as birds of prey, and even large gulls. The cutest, however, is the cheeky Berlin Sparrow that eats you with joy from the Hand. While the Population of Sparrow is declining in other German cities such as Hamburg, is flourishing in Berlin, literally.
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Animal good Party with the night owl
One of the most characteristic wild animals of Berlin, the night owl, or the party animal. Their habitat in the districts of Neukölln, Friedrichshain and Kreuzberg. The species are a good example of the glitter-covered bodies, the preference for Club-Mate and their fascination for electronic Beats recognize. In the early hours of the morning, you can party animals sleeping in the subway find.
-
The Fox is going on
If you do, suddenly, after a night of drinking in Berlin, a Fox face, not to Worry – you’re not hallucinating. The entire city has become a habitat for foxes, says conservationist and wildlife consultant Katrin Koch. In fact, studies show that there are now more Fox build in the city than in the woods.
-
Playful Raccoons
Not only foxes could you run unexpectedly across your path. Raccoons are found everywhere in Berlin. You are climbing with a preference for houses, and play in gardens and Parks or even on busy streets. Raccoons are exclusively cave-dwelling animals. And, as on the Land, whether in roofs, chimneys, or in hollowed out trees, caves are in the city more often.
-
Wild pigs on a tour of discovery
As wild foxes and raccoons in the middle of Berlin is not already scary enough, you could also to a wild boar. They live usually in the city outskirts, but lately they come more and more often in the centre of the city, says cook. The good news: you still have the bear attacked no one and represent no danger – as well as foxes and washing.
-
Good Day To You, Mr. Beaver!
Although beaver are not in Berlin, you have made the city in the last decade to your home. This is because the species is protected and it is not allowed to hunt them. Today, the Havel and the Spree of beavers are populated – so you take the teeth beware the furry animals with the above, if you participate in one of the numerous water of Berlin, runs a bath.
-
Art Flyer Bat
Gotham may be the home of Batman, but Berlin is the city of the bats. One of her Favorite hangouts, the citadel, in the district of Spandau, where thousands take a huge Wintering site under hardware. But you can also use in your fall flights in the centre of the city – building then act as an artificial rock walls.
-
Sweet Bunny
No matter whether it is just a hot summer day or a snowy winter’s night, if you look closely, you will see the sweetest Berlin of all: Bunny! Rabbits love in Parks, such as the Kleist Park, spend loitering around, or jump suddenly from a Bush. I have even been surrounded by a Fox, a rabbit family in the middle of Berlin seen. Maybe I should go less to celebrate.
-
The Rarest of all
The biggest Sensation of the Berlin wild animals is also the rarest: the white-tailed eagle. According to cook, the first white-tailed eagle in 2002, returned to Berlin, after almost a century. He is the largest bird of prey to offer to the Berlin. The next Time you see flying around a large brown bird with a large wingspan and a yellow Beak in Berlin, take a photo!
-
The Roommate
The most famous hawk in Berlin, the tower is a hawk. They like to live high above us, where there is fresh air and enough space, as in wall openings or Bay Windows. Kestrels are protected by the nature conservation Federation (NABU), has installed in the whole of Berlin nest boxes to schools, churches and industrial buildings – and thus to the residents of the Apartments, like most of Berlin.
-
The naughty Berlin Sparrow
Berlin is the city with the largest number – and diversity – of birds in the whole of Germany. These songbirds as well as birds of prey, and even large gulls. The cutest, however, is the cheeky Berlin Sparrow that eats you with joy from the Hand. While the Population of Sparrow is declining in other German cities such as Hamburg, is flourishing in Berlin, literally.
-
Animal good Party with the night owl
One of the most characteristic wild animals of Berlin, the night owl, or the party animal. Their habitat in the districts of Neukölln, Friedrichshain and Kreuzberg. The species are a good example of the glitter-covered bodies, the preference for Club-Mate and their fascination for electronic Beats recognize. In the early hours of the morning, you can party animals sleeping in the subway find.
DW: Mrs Koch, concerned citizens to call if they encounter a wild animal in Berlin. To give what types of animals the Berlin citizens advice?
Foxes and raccoons are everywhere in Berlin – in buildings, in small gardens, urban gardens, even next to heavily traveled roads. The whole city of Berlin has become a habitat for foxes. Studies have shown that there is less of a Fox build in the woods than in the populated city. There are also many wild pigs, Martens and rabbits running through the streets.
Not to forget the birds. Berlin is the city with the largest number and variety of birds. We have songbirds and birds of prey, like the eagle, and in the last few years, many seagulls. There is a large colony of wild grey herons in the Berlin animal Park, the super find it there, because you can feed the zoo animals eat.
Berlin has become for large seagulls in the last few years to the home
What makes Berlin so attractive for these animals?
I think the main reason is that the animals here are obviously very good food. In Berlin foxes from the waste, or a pick nick remains of the people, and eat out of dog food, life and cat food bowls. They evolved from hunters to collectors.
You have to catch but also a lot of mice and rats, of which there are many in Berlin. Another reason why they like to live in the city, is that they are not hunted. You are relatively safe.
When you look at a city map of Berlin, looks like durchgrünt the city. We have the city of forests, we have routes great parks, many waterways and abandoned Railways. Along these corridors, you just go in the urban areas.
In addition, it is easy for the animals to find protection. Raccoons live in caves and in the city you can find more “caves” as on the country – be it rooms, roofs, Chimneys, or trees with cavities.
Normally, people call you, if you are concerned, because they meet a Fox. What are the wild animals people are most afraid of, and why?
The most common calls we get because of raccoons and foxes. Then marten come and wild pigs. The reason for the calls, the fear, but, rather, uncertainty is less because the animals behave differently, as we know it.
For example, the Fox. We know that the Fox, when he sees a human, his life runs because he is intensively hunted. This is in Berlin. Here there is no longer this so-called flight distances. You can get close to the people. Therefore, citizens often do not have the worry that it may be with the Fox there is something wrong or this rabies.
Raccoons like to eat discarded food in the city
There are known cases of rabies in foxes in Berlin?
No, no, no. In Germany it is distributed manually, which is why there is no longer this Fox rabies. The low escape distance has nothing to do with the disease, but that the Fox has adapted to the city life. If he still had a great flight distance, no longer could he survive in the city, because he would constantly take on people and their Pets.
Fear, you do not need to have prior to the foxes. To me, no case is known to have attacked people – and of no other wild animal in Berlin.
Respect you should have but still. You should adhere to a certain distance, because there are also wild animals. You can, of course, also bite, and warning sounds, when you push the Close.
Part of their work of nature conservation. Why is it so important to protect wild animals in cities?
The nature of life plays a very crucial role. To feel at home in Berlin, with one of them. It would not give the animals, we would have cars, only airplanes, cars and the road noise.
For the citizens of this city, the animals are great. You can’t even imagine how many people are happy when they see the first Time swift by, your road to fly. Or to hear if the Kestrel sits on top of the roof, and its mating calls. Or when a bat turns into the night of their laps in the front yard. Wouldn’t that be sad, if there are suddenly no sassy sparrows more, eat a try to get out of Hand? Without these animals we would completely lose the relation to nature.
Berlin has huge Parks and is a green oasis for many wild animals – as long as you have enough space
What can we do to protect you?
We need the unsealed surfaces that not only have the function to be green, but can also play a habitat function. You have a generous and green building, so that the animals have enough space to live. The populations of small birds such as the great tit decreases dramatically – because we overexploit land of our green and thus many of the food areas will be lost.
And if a species becomes extinct, like the Sparrow, for example, then other animals will die, like the Kestrel, which feeds on sparrows. This is a chain reaction. And the can make up to the people. Nature is nothing other than human protection. The don’t seem to understand people often.
Katrin Koch is working for Berlin’s wild animal advice service of the Federal nature conservation (NABU). The Interview was conducted by Anne-Sophie Brändlin.