Dear Doctor Rail
I have read that SBB is now using sheep to maintain the embankments. Isn’t it dangerous for the animals to graze so close to the tracks?
Best wishes,
Käthy
Dear Käthy
Yes, the embankments along the railway tracks are not just mown by machines: from spring this year, flocks of sheep are also being used to crop the grass. It makes ecological sense, is gentle on the land and promotes biodiversity, i.e. the variety of plant species and the animals that live there (particular species of grasshopper and butterflies and ground-nesting birds etc.).
But you don’t need to worry about the SBB sheep. The sheep are kept in natural-sized herds of 10 to 50 animals. Depending on the size of the herd, the animals have access to one or two sheep shelters. There is a ready supply of fresh water and mineral salts. An electric fence also ensures that the sheep do not wander onto the tracks. And once they have grazed an area of land, they are loaded into special boxes and transported into the next field.
We have also checked that the grass on the railway embankments is completely safe for the sheep to eat. Tests have shown that pollutants from the air don’t stick to the plants and aren’t absorbed by the plants from the ground, or, if they are, the quantities are so small that they are harmless. Readings prove that pollutants are distributed primarily by the wind or rain. The risk is therefore no higher than it is in fields located away from the railway tracks.
Regards,
Doctor Rail
Der Beitrag The SBB sheep: ask Doctor Rail. erschien zuerst auf SBB Blog..