Wildlife

Grass steppes from the tree line upwards to a maximum altitude of 3,000 metres above sea level. They favour the southern slopes of the mountains, as these are the first to be free of snow in spring. There, they build their burrows in the ground; their winter burrows can lie up to seven metres below the surface.

Marmots are very social creatures; they live in family groups of up to twenty animals, each consisting of a dominant pair and their offspring.

Roots, tubers, grasses, herbs, shoots, flowers, seeds and fruits. Adult marmots eat up to 1.2 kg of green vegetation a day.

Marmots mate immediately after hibernation, that is, in spring, typically between mid-April and the end of May.

There are around 130,000 of these animals living in the wild in Switzerland. Their population is considered stable and they may be hunted.

After a gestation period of around 34 days, the female gives birth to up to six young. Marmots become pregnant approximately every two years.

Marmots can be found at the Männlichen, near the Eiger Glacier and at Grindelwald First.

Golden eagles pose the greatest threat to adult marmots. For young marmots, foxes, stone martens and ravens can also be dangerous. When a marmot spots a predator, it lets out a shrill whistle to warn the others.

Alpine marmots hibernate from October to April. Before hibernating, they gather dry plant material and bring it into their nest chambers to pad them out and insulate them against the cold.

Snowstorms and long spells of bad weather can prove fatal for young animals if they have not built up sufficient fat reserves. Some animals also fail to survive hibernation for the same reason.

Forests; prefers coniferous and mixed woodland, right up to higher altitudes. Sometimes also found in parks and gardens.

The animals build a dome-shaped nest high up in the forks of tree branches, using twigs, leaves and moss. They are mainly solitary and only come together to mate. Squirrels can live for up to 6 years.

Seeds from conifers, beechnuts, hazelnuts, walnuts, acorns, berries, mushrooms, birds’ eggs and young birds. Squirrels create many food caches to help them get through the winter.

December to March. During the mating season, several males and one female engage in fierce mating chases.

Squirrels are widespread, but are not found in large numbers anywhere. They are not considered to be at risk in Switzerland, but their populations have declined significantly over the past few decades. They are a protected species in Switzerland.

After mating, the female has a gestation period of around 40 days and gives birth to an average of four young per litter. The young leave the nest for the first time at around 6 weeks and are suckled for 10 weeks. The female is solely responsible for rearing them.

Squirrels are active during the day and are easy to spot. They can be found throughout the region, including in the villages.

People, goshawks, pine martens, ravens and grey squirrels.

The bushy tail serves two important functions: it acts as a counterweight to help the squirrel balance, sit, run and jump, and it keeps the squirrel warm whilst it sleeps.

Climate change, parasites (ticks, fleas, mites and worms), forests heavily fragmented by roads. Monotonous forests in terms of tree species and tree age, which can lead to food shortages.

In summer, you sometimes see cows being transported by helicopter on ropes. This is usually a serious matter, as these flights are carried out mainly to rescue injured animals.

Cows wear bells whilst out in the pastures so that their farmers can find them more easily, for example at night, in fog or in remote valleys. In Switzerland, cows are usually kept in barns during the winter, where they have a small outdoor area in front of the barn.

Cows carry their calves for about nine months, just like us humans. As with us, cows only produce milk once they have given birth to a calf. As milk production decreases over time after calving, dairy cows are inseminated on average once a year.

Cows are strictly herbivorous. They eat grasses, herbs and clover. In the barns, they are given hay, silage and concentrated feed. They need between 16 kg and 20 kg of food per day.
Cows are ruminants, which means that during their rest periods, they regurgitate what they have eaten to further break down the food particles, which ultimately aids the digestive process. Cows also drink up to 100 litres of water a day.

Cows have a very keen sense of smell; they can smell much better than they can see. Cows’ spatial and colour vision is less developed than that of humans. This means it takes them a little longer to recognise what is approaching them. You should therefore always move slowly and carefully when handling cows. They find it difficult to interpret rapid movements, so they perceive them as a threat. This is one reason why they often react strongly to dogs.

They live in small herds of 20 to 30 animals and form close bonds with one another. Licking one another strengthens their bonds and has a relaxing effect.

When passing cows in pastures, you should walk past them slowly, keeping as much distance as possible. Speak calmly to the cows to make your presence known. Do not approach the animals – they are not cuddly toys! If the animals approach you, do not run away. Cows can run at speeds of up to 40 km/h over short distances. So they’d be faster than us humans anyway. Instead, stand still, make yourself look big by holding your arms and walking sticks aloft, and speak loudly to the animals to discourage them from coming any closer. Stay calm and move away slowly whilst keeping an eye on the animals.

There isn’t just ‘the cow’; there are many different breeds of cow. Amongst those widely found in Switzerland are the following: Simmental, Brown Swiss, Swiss Fleckvieh, Holstein and Eringer. Fully grown cows weigh on average between 500 kg and 800 kg. Bulls weigh between 1,000 kg and 1,500 kg. The natural life expectancy of a cow is around 20 years. Dairy cows in Switzerland live for an average of 5 to 6 years.

Between the tree line and the snow line. At altitudes of up to 3,500 metres. Found at lower altitudes in winter than in summer.

Capricorn are social herd animals. Outside the mating season, males and females live in separate herds.

Grasses, herbs, lichens, shoots and buds from young shrubs and trees. In winter, dry grass and ground-cover plants. Ibex are ruminants.

December and January.

The capricorn is a protected species in Switzerland, but is hunted to control its population.

The females carry their young for five to six months and give birth to one, or rarely two, young. The young are suckled by their mother for up to a year. The female ibex share the task of rearing the young.

The rear Lauterbrunnen Valley, Wengen and the Eiger Glacier.

Wolves, bears and lynx – but as there are now only a few wolves and lynx left in Switzerland, and almost no bears, they have hardly any natural enemies apart from humans. Young or sick animals may fall prey to vultures, eagles and ravens.

Capricorn can live for up to 20 years. Capricorn bleat in a similar way to goats; they also use whistles to warn of danger.

Habitat loss due to climate change and human activities; low genetic diversity.

Wooded areas ranging from the lowlands to the tree line; in summer, also regionally above the tree line and in adjacent meadows.

Roe deer are usually found either alone or in small groups. In autumn and winter, they often gather in larger groups. They are mainly active at dusk and at night.

They prefer protein-rich herbs, grasses, perennials, shrubs and trees – roe deer are very fussy and won’t simply eat a tuft of grass.

The so-called mating season begins around mid-July and lasts until mid-August. During this time, the males engage in fierce battles over their territories.

The roe deer population in Switzerland is estimated at around 140,000. The animals may be hunted; around 40,000 are killed each year, whilst several thousand more fall victim to road traffic and mowers every year. They are protected only in the canton of Geneva, where a law prohibits private hunting.

The females are pregnant for around 9 to 10 months and give birth to an average of two fawns. They leave the fawns in meadows, where the young are better protected from foxes and wild boars. Unfortunately, the fawns often fall victim to farmers’ mowers there; when danger threatens, the young remain motionless in the grass.

In and around forests, throughout the Jungfrau region, mostly in meadows on the edge of the woods. They can sometimes be spotted from the gondolas too.

Wolves, birds of prey, foxes, lynx and wild boar are natural predators of roe deer; they pose a particular threat to fawns.

If you come across a fawn in a meadow, you must under no circumstances touch it with your bare hands. The fawns are deliberately left there by their mothers, who will find them again. The fawns are naturally odourless; if a human touches them, they take on that person’s scent and can then be detected by predators.

Harsh winters with deep snow, predators, extreme weather events. The greatest threat, however, comes from humans – through road traffic, mowers, hunting and dogs.