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This means that the herd is not only complete, but has expanded compared to the previous year. There are also many young animals among the sheep that were born in winter. The sheep were well prepared for the summer: they were gutted and tended to their claws.
“I am pleased that we continue our pilot project as part of the EU LIFE DICCA project on the island, it is about adaptation measures and strategies against climate change in our climate model city,” said the Councilor for the Environment of the city of Ulli Sima (SPÖ) on Saturday. Natural sheep management is just one of many measures in the EU project. Extensive grazing of sheep contributes to increasing biodiversity and networking of biotope areas. Sheep always leave plants when they graze, creating grassland areas with longer or shorter plant stands.
Animals graze on the Danube Island
The sheep that graze on the island from May to October is an ancient “rare breed of farm animal”: the Krainer stone sheep. Carniolan stone sheep are robust, stress tolerant and frugal. They are good food users, ideal for dry areas and can also withstand heat well.
Under the supervision of a shepherd, the animals graze in various areas on the northernmost tip of the Danube Island and replace the mechanical cutting of the meadow. The sheep do not belong to the city of Vienna, but to the WUK bio.pflanzen company. Therefore, the sheep are cared for by the shepherd of the farm.
Sheep should not be fed
The sheep on Danube Island feed exclusively on what the meadows have to offer. They were particularly impressed by clover and wild grasses such as sage and yarrow, which thrive in wild meadows. After about a week, the movable grass fence moves to another area of the meadow. In this way, the sheep have “cut” a total area of around 73,000 square meters, that is, 7.3 hectares, in just under six months in 2019
The city noted that animals should not be fed. In addition, visitors must maintain a safe distance in times of the Corona crisis.
(Source: APA)
