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Badgers And Other Animals July 14, 2003 We have some friends from Australia who have recently bought a house in the south of France, and in a recent email they described an encounter with a badger one evening on the way home from a night out. Coming from Australia, they had not seen a badger before and asked me for some information on these creatures. This started me thinking about the animals native to Europe that are perhaps unknown to my friends in other parts of the world. Here in Sweden we are lucky to live in one of the least densely populated countries in Europe and have a wide variety of animal life to enjoy and sometimes to be wary of as we take advantage of that ancient Swedish tradition of Allemansrätten, or Everymans Right. This is an old custom that permits anyone to camp anywhere for a night, or to walk, ski or paddle a canoe anywhere, as long as the area is unfenced or not too close to a private home. With large tracts of forests and a myriad of lakes and rivers to explore there is ample opportunity to observe some of these animals in their natural environment. Along most of the major highways in Sweden you will find moose fences, designed to keep these large animals from straying from the forests across the road and causing accidents. But it is impractical to fence all roads and you are quite likely to suddenly encounter one of these enormous creatures while driving along the minor roads. A recent radio report stated that over 7,000 road accidents are caused by moose (or should that be mice) on the road every year. Like the Australian wombat, the Swedish moose appears to have little or no road sense, but while hitting a wombat can be a very harrowing experience, colliding with a moose is far worse. There is also conflict, of a different kind, concerning wolves. Although not numerous in Sweden, we quite often get reports in the newspapers or radio of sheep being attacked and killed by wolves and despite a protected status, there are sometimes reports of wolves being shot by farmers trying to protect their animals from these beautiful predators. But the wolf is rarely seen and it can usually only be traced by footprints in the snow – indeed, a local wildlife centre here in Värmland is now offering excursions, to search for wolf tracks, in addition to its already large display, devoted to aspects of the Big Four predators of Scandinavia, namely the Wolf, the Bear, the Wolverine and the Lynx. We are fortunate to live close to a small lake with a large forest nearby and on a few evening walks with the dogs we have come across badgers in the forest, and again they are frequently seen crossing roads in the summer evenings. We are also lucky to have a family of beavers living in a small stream that feeds into the lake and it is amazing to see how quickly they can eat through a fair sized birch tree with their formidable front teeth. Other animals that we have seen in the locality are hedgehogs, that reminds me of a miniature spiny ant-eater and in spring time there are always hares to be seen in the open fields. Surprisingly though, there are no rabbits in Sweden, other than those kept in captivity as pets and as prized rabbit jumping contestants, of course. Unlike Australia, which has some of the most venomous snakes in the world, Sweden has only one venomous snake, and that is not particularly dangerous. Readers from England will recognise the adder or viper. Perhaps the most dangerous creature in Sweden, one that most people fear more than any other, is the beast that attacks without provocation, in large numbers, and reduces the strongest person to a quivering wreck in a few moments: the mosquito. In the summer the forests are full of mosquitos and walking in the forests searching for blueberries, lingon berries or the many varieties of mushrooms can definitely be a health hazard. Hälsningar till nästa vecka, ------------ About the author: Robin Alan Bell is an Englishman by birth, but migrated to Australia back in '72. Married and divorced there. Spent the last 3 years living by myself on a remote farm in rural New South Wales with no mains electricity, water etc. All power, heating was from natural resources (solar, wind, wood). "Met" a Swedish girl on the internet, came to Sweden for a holiday, loved the place (and the girl), moved to Sweden permanently Christmas 2001 and married the girl in Easter 2002. Living happily ever after... Email Robin Alan Bell: sosoft@ozemail.com.au Comment on this column in the forum. Tell a friend about this site! ------------ |
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