That was the Danish summer that was: Paragons and pariahs

Naturists rejoice at the return of long-lost animals whilst loading their guns to dispose of the undesirables

Aug 14, 2016

Is there less animal news during the winter when many of them are hibernating? Probably! Especially when some of them have been unseen for decades like the yellow swallowtail butterfly and golden jackal.

Both sighted in Jutland, a caterpillar of the papilio machaon, which has not been seen for 40 years, was found in Hodsager Plantage in west Jutland, while a jackal (they tend to only weigh 7-15 kg) was photographed in Lille Vildmose in Himmerland – the first in Denmark.

All in all, it’s been a busy summer for nature specialists!

Bird flu returns
Not least because bird flu is back, firstly detected among a flock of mallard ducks at Brenderup farm in western Funen in July, and then at a mallard duck farm near the north Jutland town of Nibe last weekend.

While thousands of birds have been killed at both locations to stop the spread, this particular strain is not harmful to humans.

Extermination time
Despite their unwelcome gift, there are no plans to exterminate the mallard ducks. The same can’t be said of the 12 invasive species present in Denmark that have been included on an EU eradication list.

All 12 – in total, there are 37 such species across Europe – have a negative impact on natural biodiversity. They are the raccoon, coypu, signal crayfish, Chinese mitten crab, red-eared slider, sacred ibis, muntjac deer, ruddy duck, topmouth gudgeon and green cabomba, plus two plants: Persian hogweed and western skunk cabbage.

Cows on the block
Meanwhile, another EU directive, this time regarding greenhouse gas emissions, could require Denmark to reduce its number of cows and pigs to reduce the amount of methane they produce.

Experts contend that Denmark must at the very least reduce its cow numbers to in turn cut its emissions by 39 percent by 2030.

Monkeying around
Elsewhere, in other animal-related news, stories about thriving birds were commonplace, from the growing colonies on the Øresund Bridge’s artificial island Peberholm to the hatching of white-tailed eagle and osprey chicks in Gribskov forest in northern Zealand.

And not to be outdone, a troop of 24 squirrel monkeys briefly thrived in the wild after escaping from their enclosure at Odense Zoo on Saturday. Zookepers did not have to look far and lured them back with larvae and pieces of fruit. (CPH POST)