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Animal adventures: Berlin’s wild animal world

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?

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.

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