Water for wildlife on the Veluwe

Help was given to thirsty play on the cork veluwe. Farmers in the area help animals by emptying thousands of gallons of liquid manure tanks into dry basins in the area. A number of these basins also serve as an additional water supply for firefighters in the event of a natural fire.

The hidden pools of Posbank near Rheden and Veluwezoom are all dry, according to Jan Potkamp of Natuurmonumenten. On the Veluwezoom, Scottish mountaineers and horses live alongside deer and wild boar. Especially cows are very thirsty. In the De Hoge Veluwe National Park, firefighters fill the water points, but this has not been necessary until now, according to a spokesman. "The places are very sheltered."

Boar Condition

Nature organizations also note that the state of boar is bad because of drought. More piglets die than in the other years. According to De Hoge Veluwe, it is because pigs extract moisture from berries and grass. But because nature dries out, animals get too little moisture inside, while beetles and beetles, which they also eat, are deeply buried in the soil. Pigs lose weight and sows do not have enough milk to feed their piglets.

Because of the drought, many acorns and beech trees are already falling trees. This may mean that there is not enough food for wild boar this fall.

Keep an eye on

Water authorities keep an eye on the situation. Water Board Rivierenland will inspect the peat dikes in the western part of the area for cracks and fissures. Drents Overijssel Delta has stopped mowing the dikes along IJssel, Vecht and Zwarte Water because dikes weaken due to mowing. Sprouting prohibitions now apply in almost the entire south and east of the country. Shelves intensify controls on the illegal use of water ponds, streams, ditches and canals. Fines have already been imposed.