There's no speed limit in effect for deer being driven away from an autobahn in northern Germany. The road has been closed to traffic in an effort to get the animals to safety and to protect drivers.
Image: picture-alliance/Reiner Bernhardt
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After months endangering traffic as they grazed at the roadside, the deer were to be driven away in a weapon-free battue on Wednesday, close to the northern German city of Rostock. About 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) of the A20 autobahn were closed between junctions Dummerstorf and Sanit Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. local time (0700-1500 UTC).
A team of 12 "hunters" and 25 road maintenance employees were deployed by the Ministry of Transport in the northern German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania to drive out the deer. The original plan to cull the animals was canceled following resistance from the state's enviornment ministry.
A spokesman for the regional hunting federation, Ulf Peter Schwarz, warned against a delay in the deer's eviction. "If there's an accident, there'll be a great fuss," Schwarz said.
No guarantee of success
A search carried out by the environment ministry on Monday night, using a thermal imaging camera, discovered four deer along a 3-kilometer section of the highway.
"As soon as the location of the deer is spotted again, the fences on the relevant section of motorway - left and right, over a distance of about 40 meters - will be opened, and escape routes in the direction of the road will be shut off," State Environment Minister Till Backhaus explained.
Following previous attempts to evict the deer, the animals simply relocated further down the highwayImage: picture-alliance/dpa/K. Schindler
The plan is for the deer to then escape into the open field, although there is no guarantee they won't return to the roadside.
Deer 'faithful to habitat'
Previous attempts to dispel the deer from areas inside a special protective fence designed to keep wildlife off the autobahn, proved less than successful. After reportedly walking along the fence until the next junction, the deer soon resettled on the grassy banks of the autobahn.
"The animals are very faithful to their habitat," a spokesperson for the transport ministry said.
Foraging in the city
City dwellers in some areas don’t have to go to the zoo to observe wildlife. The biologist Bernhard Kegel has written a book on wild animals in urban centers with examples from around the world.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Shy hunters
Foxes are not uncommon in Berlin. In parks and green areas, they find shelter and a varied food supply. In addition to rats, mice and other small animals, foxes eat waste from garbage bins. They usually shy away from people. And a ban on feeding them aims to keep it that way.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
From the steppe into the cities
An encounter with a coyote, on the other hand, can be dangerous. The wild dogs populate urban areas such as this park in Los Angeles. They prefer to hunt mice and rabbits. If they feel threatened by humans, they are known to react aggressively.
Image: Getty Images
Lessons forgotten
"Big cities have unfortunately forgotten how to deal with wildlife properly," says the biologist Bernhard Kegel. In his recently published book "Tiere in der Stadt" (Animals in the City), Kegel writes about the newly occupied habitats of wild animals as well as the opportunities and risks associated with them - for humans and animals alike.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Friend or foe?
Stray dogs inflict numerous injuries on people in some regions, according to Bernhard Kegel. After a four-year-old child was bitten by stray dogs in Romania, the government allowed the animals to be killed. Caught dogs are allowed to be fed for only 14 days. If no new owner is found, they must be put down. Bucharest alone has some 64,000 stray dogs.
Image: Getty Images
Passengers without a ticket
In Moscow, Bernhard Kegel has even observed stray dogs riding the subway. "They know exactly where they need to get out again," Kegel says. For the most part, the dogs and humans enjoy a peaceful coexistence, but problems do occur, he adds, when people with leashed dogs enter the territory of stray dogs.
Image: GRIGORY SOBCHENKO/AFP/Getty Images
Family trip
Although wild boars have not yet been spotted in subways, they don't mind the proximity to people and traffic noise. This sow is underway with her piglets in the middle of Berlin. "The clever animals realize very quickly that they are not prey here," says Bernhard Kegel.
Image: Florian Möllers
Well-integrated
This raccoon prefers to dig in trash cans rather than dirt. The nocturnal predators are especially widespread in and around the city of Kassel. Their numbers have grown noticeably from the few introduced at nearby Lake Eder in 1934. The raccoon is not native to Germany; its natural habitat is in North America.
Image: Florian Möllers
Holy and tame
Monkeys appear to be well-prepared for city life. Thanks to their climbing skills and dexterity, they have no trouble digging into trash. But in some countries, they don’t have to make the effort. In India, langurs embody the monkey god Hanuman, according to Hindu mythology, and are worshipped - and fed.
Image: SAM PANTHAKY/AFP/Getty Images
Treated with respect
This also applies to cows: In India, they naturally inhabit inner cities and are allowed to move around freely - even on roads. Accidents between cattle and cars are commonplace. About 40,000 cows live in the capital of New Delhi alone. Killing cows is banned in most Indian states.
Image: Getty Images
"Jurassic Park" in Bangkok
Monitor lizards are penetrating the Thai capital. These primeval-looking reptiles can grow up to three feet long. Although their bite is poisonous, it's not life-threatening to humans. The food supply of insects, spiders and small animals is very abundant in green parts of the city, such as here in Lumpini Park.
