Berlin’s wild side

Do you sometimes have the feeling that someone is watching you? Do you feel eyes boring a hole in your back but when you turn around, there’s nobody there? Take it from me, there is someone there. He’s just well hidden. Perhaps in the bushes or up a tree. He’s sitting there, hoping that you will disappear or perhaps drop a tasty titbit. And he might not be alone but worth two in the bush.

After all, there are around 10 million birds in the German capital. I learned that during my last visit to the Museum for Natural Sciences. The photography show “Biopolis” documents Berlin’s wild side from the angle of its human urban residents. I am surprised to learn that 3.5 million Berliners share their home territory with 6,000 wild boar and 3,000 foxes. Moreover, the television tower is the favourite perching point of endangered peregrine falcons.

But for me, what’s more interesting is how Berlin’s celebrity animals are doing. In 2008 it was the little racoon “Alex”. The dailies reported in detail about him moving into the underground car park of the Park INN on Alexanderplatz. I heard from the exhibition curator, Uwe Moldryk, that he’s still there. And the chancellery fox is still out and about, too. Along with several of his buddies, he regularly goes out foraging for food in the government district.

Look yes, feed no!

While I am gazing at the 250 photos in the exhibition, what surprises me is just how close animals and humans have become. With a slight feeling of unease, I look at the photo of a wild sow and her young trotting along a busy cycle path. They are no longer afraid of humans – probably because the way to every heart is through the stomach.

But feeding them is often not good for them. The wrong food can make them ill. And not everyone likes begging wild boar and foxes. That’s why fines of up to €5,000 can be imposed for “caring gestures” of this kind in Berlin. I, personally, think it’s better to simply observe animals in the city as they go about their business. So if you feel you are being watched again, just watch right back!