Six squirrels live in an aviary in Wolfgang Reiland's garden in Hallbergmoos - they are only released into the wild in spring.
Hallbergmoos
- They keep making headlines and touching hearts: squirrels that got stuck in manhole covers or rodent babies who have lost touch with their families.
They depend on the help of people.
In Munich, the Eichhörnchen Schutz eV rescues such animals.
They now also have a wonderful home in Hallbergmoos: Wolfgang Reiland has set up a rescue station in his garden on the edge of Goldach Park - and it has been bustling there for a few days.
A veterinarian nursed the foundlings up
The association has given Reiland's care to six young animals.
The orphaned foundlings were born at the end of August and beginning of September and looked after by a vet.
Until they can be released into the wild in spring, they live in an aviary in Reiland's garden.
Wolfgang Reiland tells the daily newspaper how he became a foster father: “A few months ago I read the reports about two squirrels in the Münchner Merkur.
One got the name Gulliver because it was stuck in a manhole cover.
The other was baptized Olivio because it had to be doused with olive oil to get it out of a predicament, ”he recalls.
In mid-September he contacted the association and offered to help.
The reaction was immediate: shortly afterwards, two board members stood in front of Reiland's door and looked at the location: "They were enthusiastic and said they had never seen anything like this before."
Best entertainment between wool bags and ropes
Now, a few days ago, six squirrels moved in with their foster father.
Since then there has been a lot of life in the booth, the aviary a little madhouse.
Branches, ropes, discarded fire hoses, goblins for sleeping, hanging woolen bags, a ship, a coconut, bird feeder and a fabric hose: the "home accessories" make the aviary a paradise for diurnal rodents that do not go into hibernation.
Reiland even integrated two apple trees that were already there.
Squirrels travel in nature at up to 25 km / h, feeding on nuts, seeds and fruits.
Sunflower seeds, apples, carrots or corn kernels are of course also available daily at the buffet in Reiland's garden.
And because the animals are hand-raised, Emmi - she is the most trusting -, Hardy, Aunt Ruth, Trump and Barack, as Reiland baptized them, aren't particularly shy either.
+
Heavenly conditions: This is what the squirrel sanctuary looks like in Reiland's garden.
© Austria
The 58-year-old built and set up the sanctuary himself with tips from the protection association: “It took me about 100 hours to set up and set up.” Prefabricated components of the aviary, roof and side panels made of Plexiglas form the housing.
There was 950 euros from the pot of the working group, which the community makes available.
Landscape gardener Rudi Zeilhofer donated wood and bark mulch, and contractor Hermann Hartshauser laid the foundation for free.
The construction yard cut the tree slices, members of the AK Gold-Achpark helped out.
When Reiland initiated the creation of the Goldachpark a few years ago, one of the goals was to bring squirrels there too.
“Back then I asked the landscape planner to plant trees and shrubs that would be on squirrels' food lists.
The squirrels also build their goblins there and are invisible in them to enemies such as foxes, martens, birds of prey, owls, dogs and cats. "
+
Food from the boss: Wolfgang Reiland takes care of a squirrel that has retired to the wooden house.
© Austria
Two squirrels have actually settled in Goldachpark, the AK leader knows from personal observation.
Unfortunately, so far without offspring.
One of them has been a regular onlooker since the young animals moved in.
"I hadn't seen them for a while until the time when the young animals moved into the sanctuary." Now the neighbor from Goldachpark often stops by for a "snack", grabs a few nuts from the bird feeder, that Reiland has attached to the outer wall of the aviary for the guest.
The young animals will live in the aviary until May, then they will be released into the wild and keep their conspecifics company in the Goldachpark.
Eva Oestereich