STADTWILD | wild city animals

Early in my research on the parks of Berlin, I learned about the wild boars. I dreamed of seeing these boars in the wild and took trips to the forests with hopes of encountering them.

To my surprise, I finally managed to see them but in the most unexpected way. While biking to a friend’s concert in Teufelsberg (the old spy station in Grunewald Forest) I was heading up a hill when a family of four wild boars, two adults and two young ones, ran directly in my direction down the sidewalk!

I managed to jump out of the way. A bit shaken and sad for not having my camera, I started back up the hill when a family of three came down the same sidewalk, running from one green space to another forest area down the street.

That encounter changed my perception of the wildlife in Berlin. Before they were something to check off on a list of experiences I’ve had in Berlin.

Now I see them with more respect. These are beings in our midst who are trying to survive, just as we are. And they too are faced with managing the barriers and opportunities that urban life brings to their habitat.

For this segment of Park Project Berlin I spoke to Nicolas Bogislav von Lettow-Vorbeck, author of Stadtwild vom Amsel bis Zauneidechse.