During mowing

Rescue from the air for helpless baby animals

A Bambi is, of course, completely helpless.

(Bild: Michael Breuer)

2000 helpless fawns die a horrible mowing death in Styria alone. Rescue from the air was almost banned by Brussels. Hunters and the City of Graz offer a special drone service.

The mowing season has started - while deer are giving birth to their young. These completely helpless wild animal babies, which instinctively push themselves deeper into the grass when in danger, don't stand a chance when it comes to mowing. Thousands of them are torn to pieces or horribly mutilated.

However, rescue is increasingly coming from above, especially in our federal state. Drones are used to track down fawns before mowing, which are then brought to safety by hand (but only well protected by tufts of grass and gloves) to the edge of the meadow, where the mother later fetches them.

Berhard Zechner shows how to bring fawns to safety correctly

(Bild: Zechner)

Private individuals are increasingly offering this service. Western Styrian Bernhard Zechner from the fawn rescue service, for example, whose commitment has already helped hundreds of baby deer to survive, has already been awarded the "Steirerkrone" animal welfare prize by the province of Styria for his great work.

The hunting community has also been intensifying the fight against fawn deaths for years. "Various hunting associations offer the option of using drones", emphasizes State Hunting Master Franz Mayr-Melnhof, "please simply contact the local hunters". If it is not possible to use drones, many offer the service of searching the areas in question carefully, including with dogs, before mowing. Private individuals with a lot of land or farmers should definitely take advantage of this - to save lives

Use of drones

(Bild: Zechner)

The drone that was purchased in Graz has already completed 100 missions since 2021 and saved even more "Bambis". Animal welfare councillor Claudia Schönbacher (KFG) appeals specifically to farmers: "Please use this free service for safe mowing, it can prevent a lot of animal suffering." Please call: 0316/872-3256 (Klaus Hejny).

Exemption only applies for this year

This valuable rescue from the air was almost thwarted by EU regulations. These would have stipulated a minimum distance from inhabited areas. Animal welfare councillor Anton Lang (SPÖ): "This would have made fawn rescue using drones almost impossible within the legal framework." Together with the hunting community, he is now campaigning for Austria, like Germany, to be granted an exemption - which will hopefully last longer than just until the end of the year.