Fawn rescue mission: Bichler searches for young animals with a drone
Created: 05/19/2022, 7:00 p.m
By: Felicitas Bogner
Saves many animals with the help of a drone: Wolfgang Herm, founder of the Loisachtaler Fawn Rescue.
© arp/A
Drone expert Wolfgang Herm from Bichl flies over the meadows in the Loisach valley before mowing.
In doing so, he often saves the life of young wild animals.
Bichl –
These days the hay harvest begins for the farmers in the Tölzer Land.
When the weather is dry, the farmers drive down their fields with large mowers.
This is a great danger for young wild animals.
Finally, between May and July, fawns seek shelter in the tall grass.
In their hiding places, however, they can hardly be discovered by farmers when mowing.
Many therefore fall victim to agricultural machinery - according to estimates, the number in Germany is around 100,000 fawns, hares and meadow breeders per year.
In order to prevent young animals from being injured or even killed by the sharp knives of the mowing vehicles, Wolfgang Herm from Bichler founded the “Loisachtaler Rehkitzrettung” association two years ago.
Herm himself works in the Bichler outdoor pool, but also has the part-time business "Herm Search and Rescue Systems".
He makes available both his professional equipment and his free time in the early morning to rescue young animals.
Search for hidden boys early in the morning
Together with hobby hunter Benedikt Schwaller and sometimes Mayor Benedikt Pössenbacher, who also has a hunting ground in the Loisach Valley, he searches the fields early in the morning.
“We usually start around 5 a.m.
The grass is still cold there and I have to be at work by eight,” explains Herm.
“In Bichl, all farmers now take advantage of this offer.
But we also search the fields of farmers in Kochel and Benediktbeuern,” he reports.
Last year, 20 farmers made use of the "Loisachtaler Fawn Rescue".
In Benediktbeuern, however, you cannot fly all fields with the drones.
Because here in many places there is a ban on flying due to the bird sanctuary, explains the Bichler.
When searching for fawns and other animals in the field, Herm flies over the area to be mowed with a drone and thermal imaging camera.
He has already prepared a route for this at home.
Then, when he sees a warm spot while flying, he positions the drone over the spot so the hunter can locate the animal.
This puts the young animal in an air-permeable sack.
"After mowing, the animals are released again," says Herm.
"Depending on that, often at the edge of the forest, but we always stay there until we see that the mother has found her young again." The hunter only touches the fawns with gloves so that the animals do not take on any foreign smells.
Otherwise there would be a risk that their mothers would no longer accept them.
Fawn rescuers need more drone
The complex and voluntary work saves the lives of many newborn wild animals.
Last year, Herm and Schwaller searched a total of 223 hectares in the Loisachtal and found 38 fawns and two hares before mowing.
As pleasing as the results are, Herm also emphasizes that last year, due to the fact that the mowing times were reduced to the few fine weather days, "not all inquiries could be made," he regrets.
The purchase of another drone is therefore on the agenda.
Herm is dependent on donations for his commitment to the young animals.
After all, a corresponding drone with a thermal imaging camera costs over 5000 euros, as he explains in more detail on his homepage.
Herm is also always happy to have volunteers help with the search operations.
additional Information
The bank details for donations to the Loisachtaler Rehkitzrettung are: Sparkasse Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen IBAN: DE15 7005 4306 0011 8051 16. Further information and contact details are available online at www.loisachtalerrehkitzrettung.de
also read
Tölzer unpacked shop is fighting for survival
Federal road 472 near Bad Tölz: work on the threading track
You can find more current news from the region around Bad Tölz at Merkur.de/Bad Tölz.
