Hellabrunner Naturschutz AG joins river cleanup

The primary aim of the Auer Mühlbach cleanup campaign is to remove unwanted materials from the river bed. To facilitate this effort, the water level of the river, which traverses the zoo from the Mühlendorf village to the Flamingo entrance, was reduced to a minimum for about two weeks to allow the removal of excess silt and branches. Hellabrunner Naturschutz AG used this opportunity to inspect the nests of the birds living along the banks of the river and under bridges on the zoo grounds. Bird species that are known to live in the Isar Meadows region include kingfishers, dippers, white wagtails, grey wagtails, greylag geese, moorhens, coots and tufted ducks.

In order to protect the habitat of these birds that occur naturally on the zoo grounds, the conservation team also collected discarded litter such as glass bottles, plastic packaging, etc. “Thanks to the outstanding commitment of Hellabrunner Naturschutz AG, we can proudly report that many species of birds that are worthy of protection find their breeding grounds here at Hellabrunn,” says zoo director Rasem Baban.

The Auer Mühlbach is such an attractive habitat for many species largely due to a number of conservation measures implemented by the Hellabrunner Naturschutz AG. These include installing logs on the river banks, which changed the structure on the river bed and created gravel banks. This in turn led to a change in current conditions, thus providing breeding sites for waterfowl and habitats for native fish species such as brown trout.

Hellabrunner Naturschutz AG is an in-house conservation team comprising staff from various departments: animal care, gardening, zoology, environmental education, workshop and the Zoo School. In addition to the annual inspection of the river, the group has set itself the task of preserving the habitats of naturally-occurring flora and fauna on the zoo grounds. These include over 37 different species of native birds. Conservation measures such as installing wild bird feeding stations and nesting aids help create an avian-friendly environment all year round. From autumn onwards, the feathered animals are provided with food to get them used to an alternative meal option for the winter. There are now eleven of these feeding stations dotted around the zoo, which visitors to Hellabrunn can discover, for example at the giraffe enclosure, in the Mühlendorf village, in the Polar World or at the elk enclosure.

Verena Dietl, chair of the supervisory board and mayor, is pleased with the diversity of wild native birds at Hellabrunn Zoo: "By providing and maintaining nesting sites, suitable habitat structures and feeding areas, the zoo actively protects nature on its grounds and in the heart of the city. This represents an important contribution to preserving our local biodiversity.” The Auer Mühlbach was refilled to its normal level on Monday, 23 October.