When you enter Markus Baur’s office, you cannot overlook his great passion. Around his desk are numerous aquariums full of turtles. Baur runs a sanctuary for reptiles and amphibians in Schwabing. Together with the Academy for Zoo and Wildlife Protection, he has now founded a new project: the Munich Urviecher. The aim is to recognize and protect the habitats of the animals in Munich.
SZ: Which reptiles and amphibians can the citizens of Munich encounter in the parks?
Markus Baur: We have many different types here. In addition to a few toads, various newts and lizards can also be found in the Munich gardens and parks. That speaks for the quality of the green spaces. But there are also snakes here, which makes me personally very happy. The grass snake, for example, is found everywhere in Munich. Other snake species such as the Aesculapian snake have also been sighted. We even have adders here.
Aren’t they dangerous?
On paper, the adder is a poisonous snake, but it is so shy of people that it poses no danger. She lives in the middle of the city, but there are no bite accidents. In general, we don’t actually have any dangerous animals in Germany. The various snakes are also completely harmless because they don’t bite and don’t want to have anything to do with humans. Amphibians do have skin toxins, but at most they produce a nasty taste in their mouths.
You speak of the green spaces in Munich. But where do you meet reptiles and amphibians most often?
These are mainly areas that are not too tidy. Good tips are, for example, the high banks of the Isar or areas at the edge of the forest or the heath areas in the north of Munich. But we also find reptiles and amphibians in the city. That was less the case a few years ago, but they are now returning to Munich.
How so? +
Because the Munich green areas with their plants offer a great alternative habitat. Outside the city there are only corn, rapeseed and grain fields, some of which are farmed right up to the asphalt road – no green strips or flower strips. Because of agriculture, there are less natural areas there than in the urban areas close to the city.
When people meet a reptile in Munich’s parks, how should they react?
What matters is that citizens can have peace of mind. For my part, I feel a lot of joy because the animals can be seen more often again. Nevertheless, people should not touch the animals and certainly not catch them. It is best to report the finding of the animal and the location to us. Then, together with the city, we can protect the animals and possibly change and improve the habitat. It is also helpful to know the different animal species. But only very few do that.
But you want to change that.
Exactly. Although our sanctuary is mainly an animal shelter for confiscated, exotic animals, we also want to create something for the animals here in Munich. That’s why we founded the Munich Urviecher. Here we want to bring the local animals closer to the citizens – especially the children. We have to get them excited again so that the children don’t grow up afraid of animals and don’t take the purple cow for real. At school they only learn structural formulas and biochemistry, but they also have to see and feel the animals. For example, we create a teaching unit that we offer to Munich schools.
Nature conservation is also affected by climate change. Does it have an effect on the animals?
Not many changes can be seen at the moment. But of course, hot summers are problematic for temperature-sensitive species such as young amphibians, because they simply dry up. Global warming could also end badly for reptiles and their eggs. The gender of the newborn is not determined by their genes, but by their temperature. At an average of two degrees higher temperatures, only females will hatch. So that can be very problematic.
What are your hopes for the future?
For our project, I would like us to know more about where the animals live and what their conditions are like there. Hopefully the citizens won’t be afraid and will know what kind of beings they encounter. I would like the citizens and politicians in Munich to be more aware of nature and animal protection. Planting is now the motto.
Markus Baur explains which snakes, lizards and toads you can find in Munich:
Aesculapian snake
The Aesculapian snake likes the warmth and is therefore living more and more often in Munich due to climate change. You can find them regularly, especially in Freimann. With an average size of 140 to 160 centimetres, the Aesculapian snake is one of the largest snakes in Europe. But that doesn’t make her dangerous. Markus Baur describes her as “completely harmless”. In addition, it is not one of the poisonous snakes. The juveniles are often confused with the grass snake because both species have a yellow spot on their necks.
smooth snake
You can also meet small snakes like the smooth snake in Munich. She feels at home on barren, sparsely vegetated areas such as the Panzerweise or industrial areas. Compared to the Aesculapian snake, the smooth snake is significantly smaller with a size of 50 to 70 centimeters, but just as harmless. The non-venomous snake is often confused with the venomous adder because of its dark back color. However, it is significantly narrower and has smoother scales, which is why the smooth snake is also called smooth snake.
wall lizard
The wall lizard used to only live in southern Europe, but it found its way to Munich through train traffic at marshalling yards. Now they are crowding out the native sand lizard, reports Baur. In Munich, the wall lizard romps around mainly in dry and stony areas, and it likes it sunny and warm. The tail provides two thirds of their total length of 20 to 25 centimetres. The wall lizard is mostly brown in color with a pattern of black spots on its back.
common toad
The common toad is one of the most common amphibian species in Europe. You can find them all over Bavaria and also in Munich. Nevertheless, this widespread anuran is threatened: Small lakes, ponds or ponds are increasingly being built on and sealed. This not only deprives the common toads of their usual habitat, but also the space for their eggs. Males are up to nine centimeters long, females even up to twelve centimetres. And, Baur enthuses, “the eyes are beautiful”.
terrapin
The only turtle species that occurs naturally in Munich is the European pond turtle. With a length of eleven to 20 centimeters, it is not exactly large. The pond turtle is particularly at home in shallow, standing water, small streams or bank areas with dense vegetation, areas on the Isar, the West Park or the Erdinger Moos are examples of this. Males can become sexually mature as early as four years of age in warm regions, while females in colder regions sometimes only become sexually mature at the age of 18.