Cluster: Science

Appeal lodged over wolf death sentence

This content was published on Aug 19, 2009 Pro Natura and the WWF said on Wednesday that they have filed legal motions to halt the hunt for two wolves in canton Valais and one in canton Lucerne. The country’s wolf management plan is “clearly to the detriment” of the canine predators, the groups said. Pro Natura and WWF maintain that flocks need adequate…

Climate solutions

Caves of “hell”

This content was published on Aug 18, 2009 Located in canton Schwyz in central Switzerland, the Hölloch caves are the longest – at nearly 200km – in western Europe. “Hölloch” translates into English as Hell’s Hole, but the first syllable of the word means “slippery” in the local German dialect. Text provided by Gregor Bättig, vice-president of the Hölloch Cave Research Association. Images…

Large dinosaur tracks found high in the Alps

This content was published on Aug 15, 2009 A team of paleontologists from the Natural History Museum in Basel found last week the footprints of a predatory dinosaur at 3,300 metres in Ela Nature Reserve, Switzerland’s largest park. Basel museum officials said on Saturday that the tracks also represent the largest known specimens from the time period. The prints are 40cm long and…

Climate solutions

Vineyard netting proves deadly for birds

This content was published on Aug 13, 2009 BirdLife Switzerland says thousands of birds, including endangered species, get caught in the nets and die painfully. The organisation has now issued an appeal to winegrowers to follow the official guidelines for erecting nets. According to a study by the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, only around five per cent of 228 vineyards investigated…

Climate solutions

Harsh winter takes its toll on wildlife

This content was published on Aug 12, 2009 Because the ground was covered in snow for a longer period than normal, the animals could not forage for food and their fat reserves were insufficient to make up for the deficiency, according to the Federal Environment Office which released its annual hunting statistics on Wednesday. Overall last winter more than 23,000 roe, red and…

Climate solutions

Earth’s rainiest zone is creeping northwards

This content was published on Aug 9, 2009 If the band continues to move, there could be consequences for the one billion people living under it who depend on the rainfall for their freshwater supply, as climate conditions could change. The research, led by the University of Washington in Seattle in the United States, and including Rienk Smittenberg from the Federal Institute of…

Climate solutions

Novartis CEO claims attacks “changed his life”

This content was published on Aug 9, 2009 In an interview with the SonntagsBlick newspaper, the 55-year-old chief executive said the attacks have changed his life and that more needs to be done to rein in the animal-rights extremists believed responsible for the “wicked” acts. Last week Vasella’s home in Austria was set on fire. In July his mother’s urn was stolen and…

Climate solutions

Teaching travellers the ways of the Alps

This content was published on Aug 7, 2009 It’s part of a project called Via GeoAlpina that was initiated by the International Union for Geological Sciences and Unesco for the International Year of Planet Earth, which finishes at the end of this year. The idea is to run the project alongside the Via Alpina, a journey crossing all the countries of the alpine…

Climate solutions

Rescue dogs make a splash

This content was published on Aug 7, 2009 Flailing and splashing, a panicky-looking woman cries out from the middle of the lake, and a Belgian Shepherd leaps from a nearby boat.

Lake Geneva gas project launched

This content was published on Aug 7, 2009 The company hopes to strike it rich and find the equivalent of 70 years’ worth of gas. Drilling is expected to start in November and the first results should be ready in 2011. After approval from the Swiss government and canton Vaud, the local Noville communal authorities gave the project the go-ahead in April after…

Cluster: Science

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Cluster: Science

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Appeal lodged over wolf death sentence

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Caves of “hell”

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Large dinosaur tracks found high in the Alps

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Vineyard netting proves deadly for birds

More

Harsh winter takes its toll on wildlife

More

Earth’s rainiest zone is creeping northwards

More

Novartis CEO claims attacks “changed his life”

More

Teaching travellers the ways of the Alps

More

Rescue dogs make a splash

More

Lake Geneva gas project launched

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