Forest: How “Bambi” still harms nature conservation today
According to the German Hunting Association, 1.2 million deer are shot in Germany every year
Source: Soeren Stache/dpa
Hunting deer for conservation? For “Bambi” fans, that makes absolutely no sense. Even though the animal in the film is actually a white-tailed deer, it has shaped the image of the villain hunter ever since. But in reality it is much more complicated.
GBig wide eyes, a happily bobbing tail and four stumpy legs – since “Bambi” many people have had a clear idea of the distribution of roles in the forest: on the one hand the cute deer, which is actually a white-tailed deer, on the other hand the hunters who kill “Bambi’s” mother . But now this already crooked picture is upside down. Foresters and nature conservation organizations are demanding more deer to shoot, because according to them, these slow down the forest conversion that is so important in the climate crisis – according to some hunters but hesitate. A kind of culture war broke out around “Bambi”.
About 100 years ago the novel “Bambi – Eine Lebensgeschichte aus dem Wald” by the Austrian writer Felix Salten was published. About 20 years later, the Disney cartoon based on the book made “Bambi” famous. This was formative for generations of children – also for the Munich media scientist Maya Götz: “It shapes our image, how are you Deer. And he shapes the image of the hunter – namely: he shoots deer.”
In particular, the scene in which “Bambi’s” mother is shot during a hunt still has an impact decades later, as Götz found out in a study on fear and nightmares that films evoke. To do this, she interviewed around 630 adults from eight countries. “‘Bambi’ was one of the most frequently mentioned films,” says the expert from the International Central Institute for Youth and Educational Television of the Bavarian Broadcasting Corporation.
“Bambi” is still a “supergau for forestry,” says the Bavarian local caretaker Rudolf Neumaier, who wrote a book about deer. “The wild animal deer has become so popular through the “Bambi” brand that it is difficult to tell a story in which it is a vermin.” Neumaier is a hunter and observes the debate about the number of kills very closely. “I think it’s too quick to demand that deer populations be adjusted – or regulated, as it is euphemistically called.”
Ralf Straußberger, for example, demands this Federation of Nature Conservation in Bavaria. According to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, around 450,000 hectares of forest will have to be reforested in Germany in the next few years. But often the young trees have no chance to grow up because deer and deer these nibbled, says Straußberger. Above all in areas where the forest is damaged, the shooting quotas must therefore increase.
The fact that such a demand is met with a lack of understanding is also due to “Bambi”, says Straußberger. “Many believe because of the film that the deer the male deer is. You can see how a story can give the wrong impression,” explains the conservationist. In Salten’s novel, “Bambi” is a roebuck. In the film, which takes place in North America, it becomes a white-tailed deer.
Forest scientist Ulrich Schraml also sees a special relationship with deer and deer in Germany. “There is a completely different discussion about the shooting than about the shooting wild boar.” According to him, from an ecological point of view, it can make sense to hunt more deer where the forest is being converted.
1.2 million deer are killed according to the German Hunting Association annually in Germany. According to spokesman Torsten Reinwald, the debate on how many more there should be to protect the forest falls short. “You need wild-ecological spatial planning.” In addition to increased hunting in reforested areas, this also means, for example, quiet zones with an attractive supply of food.
Andreas Kinser from the German Wildlife Foundation in Hamburg takes a similar view. In areas where storms or the bark beetle have raged, hunting plays an important role, but is not the only solution. Newly planted trees from the tree nursery, such as Douglas fir or red oak, would need additional protection in the first few years. Because these are a treat for deer with their high nutrient content.
In the debate about the number of kills, “Bambi” could have actually harmed the deer, says Kinser. “Without the cliché, there would not be as much emotionality in the debate. That doesn’t make it any easier.”
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