CyberShield donates 800 euros to FAPAS

Anfang September 2023 waren Christian und Adela im Somiedo Nationalpark im Kantabrischen Gebirge in Spanien. Dort trafen sie sich mit Roberto Hartasánchez, dem Präsidenten der NGO FAPAS (Fondo para la Protección de los Animales Salvajes)¹. Bei einer privaten Führung erhielten die beiden einen sehr guten Überblick vor Ort und viele interessante und leider auch traurige Informationen.

Since its founding in 1982, FAPAS's motto has been: Financial independence, practical solutions, and social awareness. With these parallels to CyberShield, one's heart is warmed.

But why is an organisation like FAPAS even needed in the Cantabrian Mountains?

FAPAS states: "In general, the wolf is blamed for all the problems that agriculture and, more generally, rural and impoverished areas face. Wolf attacks on livestock are particularly effective in promoting a negative attitude among rural populations towards anything related to the conservation of wildlife and nature protection." The bears, eagles, and vultures face similar challenges. Therefore, despite the FFH protection status.⁵ The EU is hunting these animals without authorisation.

However, for a healthy ecosystem, we need all animals, including predators. At the same time, we need fewer interventions by humans, who are further and further restricting the habitats of many animals. In some areas, humans have completely eradicated certain species, such as wolves, bears, and vultures in Germany. FAPAS states: "Over the past 35 years, we have managed to prevent the extinction of bears in the Cantabrian Mountains, to allow wolves to survive in protected areas, nature reserves, and biosphere reserves, and to stop the vulture population from being further decimated by poisoned baits."

What exactly does Fapas do to protect animals?

Planting (and protecting) fruit trees for the bears
Patrols with specially trained dogs to detect poisoned baits
Reporting poachers
Educating the population
Training for livestock farmers
Scientific monitoring to check the actual stock and its development
Development of concepts to protect farm animals from attacks (especially bees)

A little digression...

Nur weil wir Dinge tun können, heißt das nicht, dass es gut ist diese Dinge umzusetzen. Man denke im Zusammenhang des Artikels beispielsweise an den Gebrauch von Schusswaffen, der nicht der Selbstverteidigung dient. Oder das Auslegen von Giftködern mit der Absicht unschuldige Lebewesen zu töten. Im erweiterten Sinn könnte man Sklaverei, Zwangsmissionierung oder die Ausbeutung von Dritteweltländern in Frage stellen. Die Liste der Dinge, die wir tun können, aber vielleicht lieber nicht tun sollten, ist sehr lang. Dass hier in der Gegenwartsform geschrieben wird, soll auch ein Hinweis darauf sein, dass all diese schrecklichen Dinge auch heute noch existieren! CyberShield ist der Meinung, dass der Mensch eine moralische Verantwortung hat, sich um Schwächere zu kümmern und sich für eine bessere und friedvollere Welt einzusetzen!

CyberShield is doing this at various levels:

We signed the WIN Charter in 2022 out of conviction.
We launched our school project in 2023
We donate older but still functional IT devices to Labdoo
We support the Lebenshof Tierlieben with 500,-/month for 1 year
We promoted culture in rural areas by being the main sponsor of a photography competition for local residents in 2023.
We have carried out clean-ups
Our perspective is also reflected in the composition of our team, of which we are very proud: we are a diverse group of people on two continents, shaped by different religions, cultures, and beliefs. We discuss, we laugh, we work together - but above all, we respect each other. For CyberShield, this is what the norm looks like. However, the reality elsewhere paints a different picture: religious wars, economic wars, exploitation, or persecution of minorities (both human and animal), etc. Therefore, CyberShield would like to emphasize once again how happy we are to have such a dedicated and peaceful team! You are the best!
Und hier unser neuestes Engagement:
Wir haben im September 800,- Euro an FAPAS für neue Wildtierkameras gespendet

FAPAS hatte bereits Wildtierkameras. Doch nachdem diese nicht nur Tiere und Wilderer aufgenommen hatten, sondern auch wissenschaftliche Mitarbeitende, die bei dem Versuch Wölfe zu besendern fast das ganze Rudel ausgelöscht hatten (hier die Hintergrundgeschichte dazu: https://vimeo.com/837107925?share=copy ), waren die Wildtierkameras auf einmal verschwunden… FAPAS möchte nun neue und bessere Kameras erwerben, die nicht mehr aufspürbar sind.

Klar, dass wir hier unterstützen! Die Wildtierkameras leisten einen wichtigen Beitrag zur wissenschaftlichen Arbeit von FAPAS und zum Aufspüren von Wilderern.

We are doing a lot to protect bears and wolves, but who protects us from these animals?

A legitimate question. We have compiled some information here:

What should I do if I encounter a wolf?²

First and foremost, one should be aware of the extraordinary luck one has at that moment! Wolves are very shy animals that avoid contact with humans. Therefore, encountering one is a great event!
It is probably still a young and therefore curious animal.
Take out your phone slowly and calmly to take photos of this unique encounter. Enjoy the sight!
If you do feel uncomfortable: make yourself tall and clap your hands/make noises.
Under no circumstances should you feed them or leave food scraps lying around. This would cause wolves to lose their fear of humans, and that would be a death sentence for them.
Seit der Wiederkehr der Wölfe nach Deutschland im Jahr 1998 gab es keinen einzigen Übergriff auf Menschen. Zum Vergleich: allein im Jahr 2022 kamen 6 Menschen nur in Deutschland durch Jagende um und 5 Weitere wurden durch diese verletzt.³ Übrigens werden in Deutschland jedes Jahr ca. 200 Menschen vom Blitz getroffen.⁶
So nobody needs to be afraid of wolves. Nevertheless, we should respect these predators and not harass them.

What should I do if I encounter a bear?⁴

Bears are very shy animals that avoid contact with humans. Therefore, encountering one is very unlikely.
It's best to stay on the hiking or mountain biking trails in bear country and make "normal" noises. A bear bell is also an option because most encounters occur when the bear is surprised. It's helpful to enjoy nature with a keen awareness and, for example, to avoid using headphones.
In an encounter, it's important to behave defensively so that the bear doesn't feel threatened. Unlike wolves, which would run away, bears may opt for the "attack is the best defense" strategy (even if it's just a mock attack).
Remain calm at all times—neither appearing fearful nor aggressive. Continue calmly or move away from the bear. Under no circumstances should you run away. Bears can reach speeds of up to 55 km/h. The average person can run about 12 km/h (the fastest human in the world can reach 44.72 km/h).
If the bear does attack, lay on the ground on your stomach.
Auf keinen Fall Füttern oder Essensreste herumliegen lassen. Dadurch verlieren Bären die Scheu vor dem Menschen und das wäre ihr Todesurteil.
In the last 20 years, there have been 8 bear attacks recorded in the Alps. The risk is therefore very manageable. Nevertheless, one should not provoke contact.