https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Germany in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed The hot weather in Germany is good news for wasps, but not necessarily for people. Here’s what you need to know if you encounter the stinging critters this summer. https://www.thelocal.de/20220816/explained-how-to-deal-with-wasps-in-germany Tue, 16 Aug 2022 17:47:58 +0200 explained-how-to-deal-with-wasps-in-germany An estimated 5 million people in Germany make use of a garden allotment; here's what you need to do to become one of them. https://www.thelocal.de/20220413/explained-how-to-get-a-kleingarten-in-germany Wed, 13 Apr 2022 18:47:50 +0200 explained-how-to-get-a-kleingarten-in-germany Berliners are protesting - online and in person - against the possible culling of a peaceful pig dubbed Elsa who gained worldwide fame for stealing a nudist's laptop bag as a chase ensued. https://www.thelocal.de/20200818/save-the-cheeky-but-peaceful-sow-berliners-protest-culling-of-boar-who-stole-nudists-bag Tue, 18 Aug 2020 13:53:23 +0200 save-the-cheeky-but-peaceful-sow-berliners-protest-culling-of-boar-who-stole-nudists-bag A wild boar that went viral after stealing a nudist's laptop by a lake in German capital Berlin last week could be caught up in a local cull, an official said Friday. https://www.thelocal.de/20200814/boar-that-stole-german-nudists-laptop-may-be-culled Fri, 14 Aug 2020 17:43:55 +0200 boar-that-stole-german-nudists-laptop-may-be-culled Villages in the Alpine region say they are struggling to cope, as Germans looking for escape from corona restrictions descend on the hills en masse. https://www.thelocal.de/20200718/bavarian-alps-struggle-under-weight-or-corona-stay-cationers Sat, 18 Jul 2020 15:45:27 +0200 bavarian-alps-struggle-under-weight-or-corona-stay-cationers Germany's oldest national park celebrates its 50th birthday this week. A journey through its "ancient woods" reveals a world of deadly beetles and busy beavers. https://www.thelocal.de/20200719/germanys-oldest-national-park-turns-50-with-plans-to-grow-further Sun, 19 Jul 2020 17:39:15 +0200 germanys-oldest-national-park-turns-50-with-plans-to-grow-further Sniffer dogs, drones and electrified fences: Germany is deploying a full array of defences to stop boars from bringing swine fever into the country and avert a disaster for its thriving pork industry. https://www.thelocal.de/20191211/germany-on-alert-as-swine-fever-nears-border Wed, 11 Dec 2019 10:00:06 +0100 germany-on-alert-as-swine-fever-nears-border The urban landscape of Berlin may not be well known for its wildlife. But a descendant of biologist Charles Darwin has found the city is attracting one particularly loud bird. https://www.thelocal.de/20190524/sleepless-in-berlin-nightingales-flock-to-scruffy-city-parks Fri, 24 May 2019 10:23:28 +0200 sleepless-in-berlin-nightingales-flock-to-scruffy-city-parks The Black Forest was voted the most popular destination amongst our readers. It was mine too - but, perhaps, for all the wrong reasons. It took an icy winter trip to find out. https://www.thelocal.de/20181123/weekend-wanderlust-chasing-a-hoax-across-the-black-forest Fri, 23 Nov 2018 18:16:09 +0100 weekend-wanderlust-chasing-a-hoax-across-the-black-forest Ancient forests, romantic meadows, crystal-clear lakes – Germany is graced with many natural wonders. So, it’s no surprise that strolling through nature is as German as grilling sausages. https://www.thelocal.de/20180912/get-back-to-nature-and-embrace-the-wilderness-like-the-germans Wed, 12 Sep 2018 18:57:14 +0200 get-back-to-nature-and-embrace-the-wilderness-like-the-germans There were 500 cases of tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) last year in Germany, the second highest number ever recorded, according to researchers at the Robert Koch Institute. https://www.thelocal.de/20180307/tick-borne-viruses-in-germany-last-year Wed, 07 Mar 2018 10:55:04 +0100 tick-borne-viruses-in-germany-last-year A district court in Frankfurt on Friday ruled that a woman who sued her neighbour for close to €4,000 in damages to her car must deal with nuts falling from trees. https://www.thelocal.de/20180129/walnut-trees-allowed-to-shed-walnuts-frankfurt-court-rules Mon, 29 Jan 2018 13:20:51 +0100 walnut-trees-allowed-to-shed-walnuts-frankfurt-court-rules Researchers in Germany have documented a steep decline in flying insects at dozens of nature reserves in the past three decades, and agricultural pesticides may be to blame, said a study on Wednesday. https://www.thelocal.de/20171019/insects-decline-dramatically-in-german-nature-reserves-study Thu, 19 Oct 2017 10:21:45 +0200 insects-decline-dramatically-in-german-nature-reserves-study Naked people pretending to be giraffes standing between cars or acting like monkeys climbing trees have become a regular sight in Stuttgart this summer, due to an artistic campaign in the name of nature and freedom. https://www.thelocal.de/20170919/stuttgart-laid-bare-in-the-name-of-freedom-nature-and-art Tue, 19 Sep 2017 18:43:28 +0200 stuttgart-laid-bare-in-the-name-of-freedom-nature-and-art Stuttgart's ambitious S21 rail project has suffered from delays, spiralling costs and almost constant protests from the start. But one of the reasons behind the set-backs is much smaller (and scalier) than you'd expect. https://www.thelocal.de/20170908/how-rare-lizards-causing-15-million-worth-of-delays-to-stuttgarts-new-rail-system Fri, 08 Sep 2017 17:22:17 +0200 how-rare-lizards-causing-15-million-worth-of-delays-to-stuttgarts-new-rail-system Orangutans, chimpanzees and bonobos are the nearest relatives of humans in the primate world, and like us, they can tell when a person is wrong in their beliefs, researchers said Wednesday. https://www.thelocal.de/20170406/german-researchers-find-out-apes-can-tell-when-humans-are-wrong Thu, 06 Apr 2017 11:22:09 +0200 german-researchers-find-out-apes-can-tell-when-humans-are-wrong Apparently there are too many beavers in Bavaria. But they're also simultaneously under protection status. Luckily those clever southerners have found a solution. https://www.thelocal.de/20170216/why-bavarians-are-eating-beaver-with-their-beer Thu, 16 Feb 2017 17:51:39 +0100 why-bavarians-are-eating-beaver-with-their-beer It's news every arachnophobe in Munich is no doubt thrilled to hear: two types of spider new to the region have been discovered in the Bavarian capital - and one of them bites! https://www.thelocal.de/20161020/two-new-spider-species-discovered-in-munich Thu, 20 Oct 2016 15:51:56 +0200 two-new-spider-species-discovered-in-munich Rewe, Germany’s second largest supermarket chain, is banning plastic bags from its stores, a move it says will save 140 million of them from ending up in the trash each year. https://www.thelocal.de/20160601/supermarket-giant-to-completely-stop-providing-plastic-bags Wed, 01 Jun 2016 13:08:15 +0200 supermarket-giant-to-completely-stop-providing-plastic-bags Excessive partying on the banks of Munich’s idyllic Isar River is having a devastating impact on the environment, nature protection agencies warn. https://www.thelocal.de/20160321/munichs-isar-river-being-killed-by-partying Mon, 21 Mar 2016 11:59:19 +0100 munichs-isar-river-being-killed-by-partying