In Europe, the beginning of the mowing season in early summer creates a serious threat to the fawns that are hidden by their mothers in high grass.
This situation has been addressed in a systematic way by the Rehkitzrettung (Fawn Rescue) organisation, combining technology with community cooperation to provide protection for such vulnerable animals. The primary mission of the organization is to minimize fawns’ injuries and mortality during the mowing season. With hunters’ and farmers’ help, and new methods of rescue, Rehkitzrettung is making farmlands safer for young roe deer, saving in recent years more than 19,380 fawns.
A vital component of the Rehkitzrettung is the use of a drone fitted with thermal imaging cameras. The drones search fields for the body hat of concealed fawns in advance of mowing. That technology has been beneficial after having found numerous fawns that would be virtually impossible to catch sight of in the tall grass. Those can then be moved to safety without injury with a significantly reduced threat of getting hurt.
Policy Relevance
This study is more proof of the importance of hunters’ management measures for game and non-game species. Even more, in an actual context, when the impact of climate changes is increasing all around the world. Hunters and game managers measures, such as drone surveillance, providing water and food, are deeply contributing to achieve the goals of the EU biodiversity strategy for 2030, fighting the effects of global warming and strengthening the resilience of biodiversity in this new reality.
Hunters’ close collaboration is essential for the success of the Rehkitzrettung. Having lived close to nature and in harmony with it for centuries, hunters highly contribute to rescue operations by acting quickly and efficiently capturing the fawns and moving them to a safe place. Such cooperation emphasizes once again the positive and key impact that hunting has on nature and wild species conservation.
The project also advocates for community involvement. It offers training programs to volunteers, such as hunters and farmers, on how to use drones and thermal cameras. Through this network, the students acquire fawn rescue skills, which improves the effectiveness of the whole process and enlarges the project’s scale and impact.
Outside real-time rescues, the organization educates the general public on fawn protection. The organization puts in place workshops and informative events that teach society the dangers that fawns undergo and the need to conserve wildlife.
Rehkitzrettung has been quite successful in reducing fawn mortality rates, partly due to the collaboration with hunters and local volunteers. This example of cooperative conservation work must be followed, and the hunters’ workforce, strong will, and motivation for a Europe rich in biodiversity must be taken into account. Therefore, European policies must support hunters’ work in favor of nature preservation and involve them in the discussion on how to reach EU environmental goals, as well as hunters are already voluntarily contributing to the EU’s Biodiversity Strategy for 2030.
This project builds on a growing interest in using the latest technology to protect wildlife at critical times of the year, e.g. Karlsruhe Drone Rescue Project.
For more information please check out: https://www.rehkitzrettung.ch/
Source: Verein Rehkitzrettung Schweiz/Rehkitzrettung.ch
