For farmers, the first mowing begins in May.
Since there are many meadows in the area right next to the forest, the farmers' association is now drawing attention to a problem that almost every farmer has to struggle with: the death of the mower, which overtakes tens of thousands of fawns in Germany every year.
In May, the farmers begin their first mowing.
Small fawns are particularly threatened.
The fawn rescuer, a device that emits sounds, provides a remedy.
Schöffau / Landkreis - Jörg Steinleinter, the author from Riegsee, recently wrote a book that is ostensibly a summer novel, but under the bowl an ode to agriculture emerges.
He has packed a lot of facts about agriculture in "rubber boot yoga".
For example, you can find out how many people a farmer feeds on average.
There are 130 rounded. Hardly any other profession characterizes the district with its many green meadows and cows.
For farmers, the first mowing begins in May.
Since there are many meadows in the area right next to the forest, the farmers' association is now drawing attention to a problem that almost every farmer has to struggle with: the death of the mower, which overtakes tens of thousands of fawns in Germany every year.
"Nobody wants to mow a little fawn together."
Anna Hindelang (21) and Theresa Singer (28) are concerned with the sad topic not only because they are both confronted with it in the family business, but also because they are familiar with hunting. Theresa Singer emphasizes: “Nobody wants to mow a nice little fawn together.” At home in Hofheim, she cultivates two areas on which the mother animals repeatedly release their fawns.
At Anna Hindelang from the Hoimahof near Schöffau, 80 percent of the meadows are affected.
Your grandfather, Anton Hindelang, started out as a fawn rescuer 50 years ago.
At that time he was one of the first to assemble iron pipes on the tractor in the hope of driving the young game or the hares out of the tall grass.
Later he set up sacks or lamps to startle them the day before the mowing.
There are good reasons for farmers to stand up for fawn rescue.
"The ethical aspect is important," emphasizes Theresa Singer.
Look at the economic one in the same way.
No farmer wants to find the animal carcass in the feed afterwards.
Can be fatal under certain circumstances - then also for the cows.
Farmers rely on so-called fawn rescuers
In the course of their hunting training, Singer and Hindelang dealt with the rescue of fawns. The days before mowing are essential. A look at the weather report and a short conversation with the hunter on site are recommended. “The hunters know how many goats are around,” explains Theresa Singer. The evening before, some people walk the areas for the first time, even if that is a huge effort. In the evening they mow a strip at the edge of the Hoimahof, says Anna Hindelang, whereby a few meters of grass should be left at the edge of the forest. In addition, the farmers in the region set up Kitzretter, small devices that emit acoustic or visual signals at irregular intervals and are supposed to scare away the fawns.
“The farmer is already in demand,” emphasizes Josef Sailer, the district chairman from Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
New generations of farmers are growing up and with them a trend towards big, brisk Bulldogs.
In addition, “the time windows are getting narrower and the spaces are getting bigger,” says Anna Hindelang.
This of course increases the pressure at work.
An opportunity: mow meadows from the inside out
But technical progress also has its good sides when it comes to fawn rescue. Meanwhile, more and more are relying on thermal imaging drones with which they fly over the area in the morning. In Seehausen, they recently bought a whole lot, says district farmer Christine Singer. Finally, the only thing that helps is the right mowing method - from the inside out. Some animals, even if they tend to crouch instead of running away, flee at the last moment. Of course, none of the measures are a guarantee. Last year Anna Hindelang caught a fawn. She would have preferred to save herself the sight.
