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Dozens of violations of the ban on feeding wild animals recorded

Time and again, people in Berlin fail to comply with the ban on feeding wild animals. In the years 2020 to 2023, 37 violations were reported, the Senate Department for the Environment explained in response to a parliamentary question from CDU MP Dennis Haustein. Not all of these incidents were...

A wild boar runs across a street in the German capital in the early evening. Photo.aussiedlerbote.de
A wild boar runs across a street in the German capital in the early evening. Photo.aussiedlerbote.de

Animals - Dozens of violations of the ban on feeding wild animals recorded

Time and again, people in Berlin fail to comply with the ban on feeding wild animals. In the years 2020 to 2023, 37 violations were reported, the Senate Department for the Environment explained in response to a parliamentary question from CDU MP Dennis Haustein. Not all of these incidents were punished with a fine, the authority explained. In principle, however, illegal feeding of wild animals can be punished with a fine of up to 5000 euros.

In order to make park visitors aware of the ban, the parties involved are trying to improve educational work, "in particular through on-site advisory activities", the Senate added. One of the reasons given in Berlin's park regulations for the feeding ban is that the animals remain wild animals and should not be accustomed to being fed. In addition, "alien" food is harmful to them, which is why bread or food scraps should never be fed. "Leftover food attracts rats and other pests. In bodies of water, they lead to greater oxygen depletion and fish kills," it also says.

The district of Steglitz-Zehlendorf recently reminded people of the ban and appealed in particular not to feed wild boar. According to the report, it is a mistake to believe that the animals cannot find enough food on their own. On the contrary, wild animals have "excellent strategies" to deal with food shortages. They are not dependent on human help. Instead, there is a risk that wild boars will lose their fear of humans. "If the healthy distance between wild animals and humans is maintained, good coexistence is possible," it said.

Park rules in Berlin PM Steglitz-Zehlendorf - Do not feed wild boars Answer to parliamentary question (PDF)

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Source: www.stern.de

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