Wild animals in winter distress

Winter costs deer, hares & co. an enormous amount of energy

Especially in snowy conditions, any escape is very strenuous for wild animals.(Bild: Andreas Tischler)

Forest rangers appeal to hikers and walkers to give the sensitive forest dwellers, who are in physical energy-saving mode, the rest they need: "It's about their survival!"

Whether it's torpor, sleep or 'just' hibernation - our wild animals need plenty of rest during the cold season, which will inevitably bring even more snow and freezing temperatures. This is because foraging and moving around require a lot of strength and energy. Especially when they are driven into flight in the mountains and in the masses of snow there," warns the experienced huntsman and gamekeeper Friedrich Hardegg from Schwarzenbach, where the Pielach Valley - also in purely topographical terms - is preparing to take on an Alpine character.

The game needs the hay carefully scattered in the cribs by hunters.(Bild: Gabriele Moser)

Game reacts sensitively to disturbance
Markus Graf Hoyos zu Rosenburg und Horn also supports this ecological appeal as part of the joint "Naturverstand" campaign with the "Krone" newspaper. "Whether you are hiking in the forest or taking part in leisure activities such as ski tours, the habitats of many wild animals, which are particularly sensitive to disturbance in winter, should be respected and avoided as far as possible," urges the chairman of the blue and yellow or deep green main association of local agricultural and forestry businesses.

Our wild animals need a lot of energy and strength to escape in winter. This can be fatal for deer, hares and the like.

Markus Hoyos, Obmann der Land & Forstbetriebe

Bild: Imre Antal

Use nature, protect nature
The forest owner's most important recommendation is to only use designated routes and paths in line with the motto "Use nature, protect nature" and give wild animals the peace and quiet they need. They have already reduced their activity level to a minimum by reducing their body temperature and blood circulation. Hoyos emphasizes: "Only if we don't disturb deer, stags, squirrels, martens and all other creatures of the forest now can they survive."