Karla Kühn, a doctor of biology who specializes in zoology and wildlife expert, founded the wildlife sanctuary ten years ago. She had actually wanted to go into research, but then something happened that turned her world upside down. It was nothing more than an encounter, more precisely a fox encounter, just as she had finished her studies. At some point on the way to getting her doctorate, her boyfriend left her. She didn’t even notice it until a week later. “If it takes a week, i.e. seven days, until I notice that he is no longer there,” she had thought to herself at the time, “then he actually had no right to be in my life.” Secretly, she was actually happy she was now able to devote herself completely and undividedly to her studies. With her diploma in her pocket, she started her journey home. At that time, she was already living in a small house on the edge of the forest when she saw the fox, a wounded fox. His left forefoot was caught in a cruel trap.
Karla had approached the fox carefully to take a closer look at its injury. He had clearly fallen into a trap that was now hanging on his paw. Still, he seemed to trust Karla. As soon as she realized what was going on, she called a good friend, a veterinarian, who freed the fox from the trap, but unfortunately also from the paw, which could no longer be saved. Now Karla was sitting there with a fox that showed no signs of returning to freedom. Up until that moment she had been convinced that as a human being one should not interfere with the processes of nature, because until now it had always ended badly. According to this simplistic reasoning, she should have forced the fox back into the wild, but he wouldn’t allow it. He stayed. Therefore, she expanded her beliefs to mean that one should leave wild animals alone, just like the rest of nature, but if a living being is harmed by human intervention, then as a member of that species one is obliged to do so to help living beings. Even if it wasn’t your own fault, it was still morally necessary to correct other people’s mistakes. So, she built a large aviary right next to her house, where the fox lived from then on. “What are you doing with the fox?” her neighbor asked her one day. “I’ll take care of him,” Karla explained. “How long?” was the next question. “As long as he wants,” Karla explained.
The story of the rescued fox did not remain secret. Soon another wild animal was brought to her. “You take care of injured wild animals?” the man had started, carrying a fawn under his arm. “I wouldn’t have known about that until now,” Karla replied, frowning. But the man had only silently pointed at the fox. It was the moment when Karla finally realized that it should be her job. Shortly afterwards, the wildlife sanctuary was founded. Little by little she built accommodation for a wide variety of animals. The hardest part was the fight for public support. “The hunter should shoot them. It doesn’t cost anything,” the man at the office had explained to her, but Karla had managed to present her protégés in such a media-effective way that the authorities gave in. The association was founded so that she could also receive donations. In addition to the classic supply and release activities, she also offered seminars and workshops to bring people closer to the local flora and fauna in order to achieve greater awareness of this sensitive ecosystem. In the last ten years she has probably looked after over a thousand wild animals. That was celebrated on this day. Anyone interested was invited. But there were not only positive reactions. Already in the first year, the opponents had shown their power. One evening the fox, the little, affectionate three-legged fox, disappeared. At first Karla thought he had gone away, but instinctively she went to look for him. She also found him, tied up in a sack and brutally beaten to death. A message that couldn’t have been more unmistakable, but there was still a note that said: “Go away or you’ll regret it!” But instead of following through on this threat, she installed an alarm system and had a statue made in memory of the little one Fox with three legs, who fell victim to the cruelest beast, man.
Would you like to know what happens next? Then stop by here on November 2nd, 2023.