Sheep graze the Lise-Meitner-Campus in Wannsee
Seven sheep and two lambs are now grazing on the campus in Berlin-Wannsee, replacing the lawn mower.
On 15 May 2019 they arrived at the campus in Berlin-Wannsee: Seven female sheep and two lambs of the domestic sheep breed "Skudde". By autumn, they will graze the semi-natural campus and thus contribute to biodiversity. By doing without extensive mowing, natural wild meadows are to be created that are particularly insect- and bee-friendly.
The sheep will initially graze on the eastern area of the campus, which is fenced and close to the bus stop. In a few weeks they will move to other grazing areas on campus. The animals belong to the shepherd Olaf Kolecki. He will come by regularly to take care of the animals.
Important note: Please do not feed the sheep, including vegetables or other apparently healthy feed, under any circumstances. The animals will find everything they need on the meadows.
The breed "Skudde" is on the red list.
The domestic sheep breed Skudde is on the red list of endangered farm animals. It is one of the oldest sheep breeds. Skudde is considered to be the smallest native domestic sheep breed, the animals are only about 60 centimetres tall when fully grown and weigh about 35 to 50 kilograms. The race is particularly suitable for the landscape-care.
Why is grazing with sheep an ecological gain?
Shepherd Olaf Kolecki explains: "The sheep bite the seeds of flowers, herbs and grasses when they eat and thus spread them. The passage through the digestive tract also contributes to the better germination of many seeds". In addition, seeds adhere to the animals' fur and fall off elsewhere. The step of the animals ensures that there are loosened, open places in the soil. This allows the seeds to germinate particularly well. Grazing with sheep creates wild meadows with a greater variety of species that attract bees and other insects.
Lise-Meitner-Campus is being ecologically redesigned
"Our goal is to make the Lise-Meitner Campus, which is already close to nature, even more ecological and thus to increase biodiversity. Grazing with sheep brings clear advantages over mowing with large machines. We are very pleased that the sheep are now here," says the sustainability officer, Dr. Karin Haas.