This is the animal of the year 2024

The polecat is the animal of the year 2024. It belongs to the marten family and, according to nature conservation organization Pro Natura, is intended to promote well-connected cultural landscapes with many shelters.

In order to recover the hunter, who is on the red list as ‘vulnerable’, in Switzerland, a nature network across Switzerland is needed, Pro Natura wrote in a statement on Wednesday.

Polecats roam the landscape at night in search of prey. To survive they need the protection of hedges, piles of branches and stones, ditches or streams. Because the discreet animals prefer to take a long detour rather than move through open areas.

According to Pro Natura, such a natural network of trails in Switzerland has been largely destroyed. The polecat must always leave its cover and move through streets. According to autumn statistics, 151 polecats were run over in 2022.

Halfway through the last century, the image of the Swiss cultural landscape was still strongly influenced by small buildings. However, for decades hedges and shrubs have been removed and streams and ponds filled in, because these would make it more difficult to use machines in agriculture.

Today, such structurally rich agricultural landscapes and wetlands are among the most endangered landscape types in Switzerland, according to the nature conservation organization. As a result, the habitat of the polecat and its prey has shrunk drastically.

According to Pro Natura, protecting these polecat habitats would also help many other animals, such as frogs, toads and other small animals.

This is also important for the polecat. In addition to the decline in suitable habitats, the decline in amphibian populations also makes life difficult for the animal, according to Pro Natura.

Because: In spring and summer, polecats eat so many frogs and toads that they rarely have to leave their habitat in winter. For example, to defecate or to grab easily accessible prey such as a chicken egg or cat food. In the fall, up to a third of a polecat’s body weight can be fat. (sda)