Behavior in encounter with wild animals

What you need to know

Encounters with wild animals are exciting, instructive and touching, but sometimes also not without danger. For example, an injured animal may react aggressively, a sick animal may be at risk of infection, or a mother animal may want to protect her supposedly threatened offspring.

Therefore: Show respect and tolerance towards the animals, which ultimately only follow their natural instinct.
How to behave if you encounter an apparently abandoned, injured, helpless or sick wild animal, you can read in the leaflet Keep away from wild animals!".

The general rules for encounters with wildlife are:

• Treat animals with respect.
• Keep calm and stay collected.
• Keep your distance.
• Respect warning signals.
• Stand still, pull back slowly and calmly. Avoid noises and hectic movements.
• Give the animal a place to retreat.
• Always leash dogs when walking. Dogs follow their hunting instinct and are perceived as a danger by wild animals!
• Never feed wild animals.
• If the animal does not retreat on its own, make yourself tall and speak loudly to the animal. (e.g. when encountering a wolf).