Overview
- The Deutsche Wildtier Stiftung announced the selection after an open online vote that, for the first time, included the general public.
- Scientists and the foundation warn that highways, rail lines, canals and administrative boundaries are isolating populations and eroding genetic diversity, described as the beginning of an extinction process.
- Germany hosts about 220,000 red deer across roughly one quarter of the country, with many displaced from semi-open habitats into forests.
- The foundation calls for more green bridges and other connectivity measures and seeks to prohibit the hunting of animals during migrations.
- Reporting highlights a Baden-Württemberg rule restricting red deer to about 4% of state land, with near-total culling required elsewhere.