Interim balance: 70 island sheep use the summer holidays for busy mowing work!

2023-07-23 10:00:10

Since the start of the season, the City of Vienna’s “animal lawn mowers” have mowed an area equal to 450 beach volleyball courts on the Danube Island

Vienna (OTS) – Due to persistent rainfall in spring and recurring summer showers, the near-natural meadows in the north of the Danube Island were able to develop well. An interim balance shows: The animal mowing brigade of the City of Vienna – Vienna Waters department is busy this year. So far this year, the island sheep have mown a substantial area of 5.8 hectares, which corresponds to more than 450 beach volleyball courts.

Natural lawn mowers replace mechanical mowing

As natural lawn mowers, the fur noses of the Kablhof company in the Mostviertel replace the mechanical mowing in the north of the Danube Island. The animal mowing crew stays within a fenced-in pasture for around a week. Once the area has been sufficiently grazed, the mobile fence is moved and it is the turn of another area. At the beginning of the season, 30 sheep were working in the field for the City of Vienna – Vienna Waters Department, but the herd has now increased to 70 animals in view of the rich food supply.

“As it turns out, the sheep enjoy the summer on the island and literally like to eat the natural meadows! They not only mow the meadow areas quietly, but also make an important contribution to the biodiversity on site: on the areas grazed by sheep there is a constant supply of flowers, from which a wide variety of insect species benefit,” says Ulli Sima, city councilor responsible for the Danube Island.

Sheep grazing supports biodiversity

Particularly fast-growing plants are kept in check by sheep grazing. Tender undergrowths get more light and can develop better. While meadow sage and white clover are at the top of the menu, the sheep prefer to leave other plants, such as safflowers, where they are. The result is meadow areas with longer and shorter stands of plants that serve as habitats and food sources for butterflies, mantis and grasshoppers. The thistles, which the island sheep prefer to avoid, benefit wild bee species such as the felt leafcutter bee: they particularly like to fly at the purple flowers.

Beastly beautiful summer holidays on the island!

During daily visits, shepherds fill up the water troughs of the island sheep and check that everyone is okay. The two ewes Luisa with her lambs Lana and Louie as well as Rosi with Ronja and Rufus will be there this year. While Luisa and Rosi are already experienced regular guests, the four lambs are spending their summer holidays on the Danube Island for the first time.

Sheep grazing has been carried out since 2019 and is part of the EU project LIFE DICCA, which the City of Vienna – Vienna Waters department started in autumn 2018 on the Danube Island. In this project, various measures are carried out to adapt the Danube Island to the challenges of climate change.

rk-Fotoservice: www.wien.gv.at/presse/bilder