Birds of prey in Bavaria: The silent hunt for protected animals!
Birds of prey in Bavaria: The silent hunt for protected animals!
in Bavaria, nature conservation crime increases alarming, especially against protected birds of prey. Criminal practices such as poisoning, shots and the use of impact traps are no longer uncommon. According to Merkur , the number of objections of nature conservation associations accumulates the population to sensitize and report incidents.
regions with particularly frequent incidents include the district of Neustadt an der Aisch - Bad Windsheim, the Regensburg area and the surrounding area of Straubing. In 2024, twelve birds killed by poison were identified in Bavaria. The main danger comes from Carbofuran, a nerve poison that has also been banned in the EU since 2008, which is also life -threatening for humans and pets.
methods and motifs of the perpetrators
The perpetrators often use perfidious methods. In some cases, toxic baits, such as prepared pieces of meat or eggs, are designed. A cruel example is the case of Nittendorf, where a living pigeon was used as a bait whose wings were trimmed and which was prepared with poison. These so-called "Kamikaze pigeons" are used to attract birds of prey and thus protect your own bird stock.
The Landesbund für Vogelschutz (LBV) estimates that the number of crashes of bird killings is serious, since many dead birds remain both undiscovered and are not reported. Despite 67 reimbursed advertisements for illegal bird of prey in recent years, there have been no convictions or charges. However, the investigative authorities have increased their efforts to act against this form of crime, even if the perpetrators can often not be determined.
a terrifying trend
An incident from March 2023 is particularly worrying when a hunter in Hahnbach, Upper Palatinate, discovered the carcass of a sea eagle female. An autopsy showed that the animal had died of a fatal dose of rat poison. It remains unclear whether the eagle was specifically poisoned or eaten a poisoned carcass. This case is part of the 25 counted nature conservation crimes in Bavaria of the past year, such as Süddeutsche reported.
The analysis of the incidents shows that 19 owl or birds of prey were poisoned, and six protected birds were also shot down. According to Andreas von Lindeiner, the species protector in the LBV, the statistics are only the "tip of the iceberg". Perpetrators are often individual hunters or breeders who try to protect their animals from possible predators.
Even if the number of birds found in 2024 appears, the high number of unreported cases is pointed out. Attentive strollers regularly make the finds of dead birds. The LBV calls the population to report every observation in order to strengthen the efforts to combat nature conservation crime. Repeated reconnaissance campaigns should help to raise awareness of the protection of these animals.
according to DetailsQuellen