HYDRAULIKPRESSE 2/2013 - einseitig - Hansa Flex

the “Grünes abitur” – meaning literally translated green
graduation – a reference to the school leaving examination
that decides eligibility for university admission.
the shooting test is an important part of the hunting
licence, and its requirements vary from one federal state
to another. In most cases the candidate shoots with two
different weapons – a rifle and a shotgun. For the rifle,
five shots must be fired at targets over a distance of 100
metres for each required discipline. with the shotgun, the candidate must hit ten
to 15 moving targets. only two cartridges may be used for each target. Candidates
who fail this part of the test are permitted to try again on the same day. If they are
unsuccessful at the second attempt, they must retake the entire exam.
naTure aBOVe all
nadine Beneke did not need to take the exam again. She passed at the first attempt.
this means that, since 2009, Ms Beneke is an officially licensed huntress.
But I am interested to learn why she is committed to a pursuit that often seems
rather warlike to the uninitiated.
“It is certainly not just
the idea of killing wild animals”,
the media designer
states quite emphatically.
“when you have sighted
and assessed a target as a
suitable target, your body
is flooded with adrenalin.
then, when you actually pull
the trigger, that is the icing
on the cake. But for me, that
is not what it is all about.” It
is rather a sense of experiencing
nature. “when I am
sitting in the raised blind,
it is like a short holiday. the
peace is just a wonderful
contrast to my work sitting
at a desk. I don’t always take
my weapon with me when
I go, I prefer to just sit and
watch the animals. For me,
it is just a relaxing evening
surrounded by nature”, says
the huntress.
the duties of qualified hunters
are in fact manifold. they
are tasked with keeping
wildlife populations healthy
through targeted hunting,
and thus preventing major
die offs during the winter.
hunting also helps to control
the growth of wildlife populations,
which in turn limits
damage to farmland and
woodland and maintains
species diversity. hunters
PeoPle at hanSa-FleX MenscHen Bei Hansa-Flex
the hunting licence Qualification
eXaM iS known aS
the green graduation
who have leased a hunting district are also required to improve the land for all
wild animals living in the area, for example by planting hedges and feeding pastures,
keeping woodland borders defined or creating wetland areas. they maintain
hunting facilities such as raised blinds, carry out wildlife monitoring projects
and wildlife counts, and they protect the wild animals from feral dogs and cats.
these are just a few of the many functions they are required to fulfil.
a VisiT TO cHarly and JOsy
we have finished the interview, and my colleague takes me outside. In the garden,
there is a huge aviary, which
is home to Charly and Josy,
her two Siberian eagle owls.
after passing the hunting examination,
nadine Beneke,
did go on to get her falconry
permit, and she now keeps
two of these magnificent
owls. Charly is the tercel (a
word from falconry meaning
the male). he is a good third
smaller than Josy and quite
a lot more trusting. “I have
had him much longer than
Josy, so he is more used to
me”, explains the falconer,
with Charly sitting on her
left arm. training birds is
immensely time-intensive.
the media designer takes
her eagle owls out for two to
three hours every day. this
is also from the language
of falconry and means that
the falconer walks outside
the aviary with the bird
perched on her arm, so that
it becomes used to her. It is
important to build up trust.
“the eagle owls have to
learn that they have nothing
to fear from me”, says
my colleague, as she strokes
Charly’s head affectionately.
Josy is watching everything
from a few metres away, occasionally
uttering a series of
clicked warning sounds. She
is still wary, but that will no
doubt change in time. •
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