Saxony wildlife stations overwhelmed as heatwave drives swift chicks from nests
Over 500 reports of fallen swift chicks flooded Leipzig's wildlife rescue during a four-day June heatwave, but only 76 birds could be taken in. Volunteer-run stations across Saxony say they are at breaking point.
A late-June heatwave with temperatures around 40 degrees Celsius caused hundreds of young swifts to flee their overheated nests in Saxony, falling to the ground and overwhelming the region's volunteer wildlife rescue network.
Leipzig swamped by fallen chicks
During the four-day heatwave, the Wildvogelhilfe Leipzig received more than 500 reports of found swift chicks, said its head Karsten Peterlein. Only 76 of those birds could be admitted. The rest had to be turned away.
The others we had to turn away, it is a catastrophe.
Peterlein cited a lack of time, staff and money. His station has now imposed an admission stop.
- Reports
- 500 birds
- Admitted
- 76 birds
A single station for an entire region
In Bad Elster, Corinna Heinrich runs the only remaining rescue centre for small wild animals in large parts of southwestern Saxony and into Bavarian Upper Franconia. Her phone has not stopped ringing since the heatwave. She took in around 50 swift chicks in recent days, on top of the hedgehogs, bats and other animals already in her care.
If I were to stop, I would constantly think about what happens to the animals.
Each swift must be hand-fed every few hours. A single bird costs about 50 euros in feed to raise, Heinrich said. She cannot cover veterinary and food costs alone and says donations are urgently needed.
No state funding, volunteers at the limit
Most wildlife care stations in Saxony receive no permanent state support, according to René Sievert of the Nabu nature conservation association. The stations are privately run and almost entirely donation-funded. Many operators juggle animal care with jobs and family.
People who find wild animals are often desperate. They make phone calls for a long time and still find no one to talk to.
Outside office hours, authorities from hunting, forestry or nature conservation are often unreachable, Sievert added, forcing finders to turn to volunteer stations whose capacities are very limited. The emotional strain is high, and even experienced operators occasionally drop out. Tobias Rietzsch of the Rödlitz wildlife station in the Zwickau district is currently unable to take any animals for health reasons.
A nationwide squeeze
Heinrich and Peterlein both report that wildlife stations across Germany are full or close to an admission stop. "More and more are giving up," Heinrich said. The Nabu has recently launched a nationwide Wildtier-SOS app to help finders assess whether an animal needs help and to direct them to the right contacts.
