Every year, around 60,000 young fawns die in the Czech Republic due to the negligence of farmers and the indifference of people toward their lives. To combat this issue, various volunteer groups have formed across the country, whose members dedicate their free time to saving the lives of these young animals.
One such group is Zachraň srnče před sekačkou, led by its founder Irena Křesáková. The group aims to rescue fawns from being maimed or killed by farming equipment. These volunteers walk through the fields before the tractors mow, checking for young fawns hiding in the tall grass.
The volunteers of Zachraň srnče před sekačkou are not alone in their fight against the deaths of young fawns. The problem has become so severe that other groups have considered the cause. This year, a team of volunteers from central Bohemia has taken their efforts to the next level: they now use drones to search for fawns hiding in the fields.
The drones, equipped with thermal cameras, can detect the heat signatures of living beings. The volunteers then go into the fields to remove the fawns before the tractors come to mow. Using thermal cameras has made the process more efficient, and the team has already saved over 100 fawns in just one month.
Despite the success of these groups, there is still much work to be done. Negligence and human apathy toward the lives of these young animals continue to cause their deaths. The volunteers of Zachraň srnče před sekačkou and other groups like them are doing their part to combat this issue, but more awareness and action are needed to make a difference truly.
In the Czech Republic, fawns are born mostly from mid-May in overgrown meadows, where their mothers seek shelter. When they sense danger, they hide on the ground and do not move. This instinct is ideal against predators, but when it comes to farming equipment, it is often fatal.
Křesáková, the founder of Zachraň srnče před sekačkou, hopes that the group’s efforts will inspire others to take action as well. “I found out about this issue completely by chance through a report. It hit me. That’s when I said to myself that I have to do something about it,” she said in an interview.
The volunteers of these groups often have to wait until the tractors are done mowing before releasing the fawns back into the wild. While the use of drones has made the process more efficient, the volunteers still have to put in a lot of effort to ensure the safety of these young animals.
The fight to save the lives of young fawns in the Czech Republic is not just about rescuing individual animals. It is also about raising awareness of the issue and encouraging people to take action. With more people like Křesáková and her team, there is hope that this problem can be tackled and these young animals can be saved from an untimely death.