Pro Natura names polecat animal of the year 2024
Published: Wednesday, Jan 3rd 2024, 09:30
Updated At: Wednesday, Jan 3rd 2024, 09:30
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The polecat is the animal of the year 2024. According to the nature conservation organization Pro Natura, the species, which belongs to the marten family, is intended to promote well-connected cultural landscapes with plenty of places to hide.
Pro Natura wrote in a press release on Wednesday that in order for the hunter, which is classified as "vulnerable" on the Red List, to recover in Switzerland, a nationwide nature network is needed.
Polecats roam the countryside at night in search of prey. To survive, they need the protection of hedges, piles of branches and stones, ditches or streams. The discreet animals would rather take a long detour than move across open areas.
Threatened habitat
According to Pro Natura, such a natural network of paths has been largely destroyed in Switzerland. This means that polecats have to leave their cover again and again and cross roads. 151 polecats run over were recorded in the 2022 wildlife statistics.
In the middle of the last century, the Swiss cultural landscape was still strongly characterized by small structures. For decades, however, hedges and shrubs have been removed and streams and ponds have been filled in, as these would make it more difficult to use machines in agriculture.
According to the nature conservation organization, structurally rich agricultural landscapes and wetlands are now among the most threatened types of landscape in Switzerland. As a result, the habitat of the polecat and its prey has also shrunk drastically.
Frogs and toads
According to Pro Natura, protecting these habitats of the polecat would also help numerous other animals, such as frogs, toads and other small animals.
This is also important for the polecat. In addition to the decline in suitable habitats, the decrease in amphibian populations is also making life difficult for the animal, according to Pro Natura.
In spring and summer, polecats eat so many frogs and toads that they only rarely have to emerge from their roosts in winter. For example, to defecate or to catch easily accessible prey such as a hen's egg or cat food. In the fall, up to a third of a polecat's body weight can consist of fat.
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