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The establishment of a  large connective biotope system with enough habitat and food for animals living in the wild is showing its effects: Where previously one hardly got a glimpse of a deer, hardly a brown hare or another free-living animal, today, in less than 10 minutes, you see some kind of animal walking over a meadow or between the hedges.

The number and diversity of birds, in particular, has increased enormously in recent years and bird friends see birds they formerly knew only from pictures. What is very special is the fact that the increasing pacification of the land is also reflected in the animals’ behavior. Where a few years ago, the deer immediately took to flight when a person approached, they now let well-meaning observers come somewhat closer. Animal mothers are underway on the land in broad daylight and let their offspring romp and tussle about in the open fields. Anyone who can see this, even if only once, senses the beginning of a New Era.

People from all nations visit the land of peace. They go for walks and watch the animals passing by and the changes in their behavior patterns through the measures taken on the land of peace.

Stands were set up for observing the animals, from which visitors can watch the animals and their behavior patterns during the day and throughout the night at any time of year. 

International guests, in particular, take notes to be able to give detailed reports in their countries about what they experienced.

A visitor from Ghana: “From the observation station, I watched a group of gray-brown birds.

There were about 15 birds of a kind that I don’t know in my country in Africa. It turned out that it was a family of partridges taking a dust bath together. They weren’t at all disturbed by me, even though I was only about 30 meters away from them. Partridges are on the list of endangered species in Germany.”

Visitor from Canada: “During a walk over the land of peace, we saw a group of brown hares romping about on a meadow.

After watching these lively goings-on for quite a while from up close, we noticed a mother deer with her fawn on the same meadow, about 20 meters farther away. She was looking for food and apparently showing her offspring all that a deer can find on such a meadow filled with delicious herbs and plants. We stayed very still and quiet. After several moments of observation, we couldn’t believe our eyes: A wild pig mother came with several little piglets onto the same meadow where brown hares, the deer family and we, the group of humans, were together, very nearby. None of us had ever experienced such a thing before. We were astonished at how ‘wild’ animals behave when people treat them with respect and good will…”

A bird friend from Switzerland: “I was so happy to be able to watch from the observation stand a pair of marsh hawks at the beginning of winter.

The marsh hawks are among the rarest species of breeding birds in all of Central Europe. They circled over one of the fallow fields in the connective biotope system. In an absolutely low-altitude flight they floated over the meadows, to then remain hovering almost over one point. And they didn’t even fly away when I left the stand in the evening, but continued their search for food. I have never before experienced such a thing in my observations up to now.”

Visitor from Luxemburg:

“There is a badger burrow very close to one of the observation stands. To observe these shy animals more closely, I positioned myself several meters away for several nights, hoping to be able to see the shy inhabitants of this unusual dwelling place. 

Because these animals are active at night when it is dark, I brought along a night-vision device with an infrared projector, to better watch what happened around the burrow. Finally during the third night, I heard noises. The big badger came out of his tunnel. He looked around curiously and noticed me, but didn’t let himself be diverted. He immediately began to enlarge the entry into one of his tunnels. He adroitly dug with his forefeet into the soil and shoved it behind him toward the shrubbery where the tunnel ended. He dug away for over half an hour and then disappeared into the night.

I went to the badger burrow again the next night. Nothing happened at all for two hours. Then again, a noise. I was firmly counting on the big badger, which I knew already, but I was wrong. Two young badgers, much smaller than their mother, came out of the burrow, and played happily away in front of the entry to their burrow. Then the mother came out of another entryway to the dwelling system. All three froze in place in front of the burrow for several moments. Then the little ones disappeared again into their home and the mother into the dark night. This was a very touching experience for me, because usually one can never see a badger up close."