15. 10. 09. - 15:00

• more General News news
• RSS Feed General News

15. 10. 09. - 15:00

Hunting season called off after weather chaos

By David Rogers

There will be no pheasant or rabbit hunting in the northern part of Salzburg’s Flachgau region this year in the wake of a severe hail storm that killed many wild animals last July.

Provincial hunting chief Sepp Eder said today (Thurs) that 80 per cent of rabbits and 90 per cent of pheasants had been killed by tennis-ball sized hail in the Michaelbeuern, St. Georgen, Lamprechtshausen and Bürmoos municipalities.

He put the total number of pheasants killed by hail in the area at 2,500, adding that 200 deer had either been found dead or so badly injured they had to be put out of their misery.

Eder said wild animals had sought refuge in grain fields in vain, as high wind during the hail storm had blown the masses of ice in all directions, making it impossible to find a secure refuge.

He noted parts of Bavaria and Lower Austria had also been hard-hit by hail but not as badly as the Flachgau.

Eder predicted it would take three to five years for the wildlife population to return to normal size in that region.

Wild animals were not the only casualty during summer hail storms, which cost Austrian farmers 70 million Euros in damages.

Insurance companies received more than 16,000 damage reports, one-fifth more than in 2007. More than 100,000 hectares of cropland and every tenth farmer were affected.

Kurt Weinberger, the General Director of the Austrian Hailstone Insurance Company, said in mid-summer: "There was a hailstorm every third day somewhere in the country in the months of May and July."

The worst day was 11 June, when hailstones as big as tennis balls caused damage amounting to eight million Euros in eastern Styria.

Farmers reacted to worsening weather conditions by buying more insurance. At present, 84 per cent of cropland and 68 per cent of vineyards are insured.

Austrian Times

Related articles: weather chaos

1. Russian girl in intensive care after ski crash

   » General News 2010-01-06

   A ten-year-old Russian girl is in intensive care as she collapsed minutes after a skiing accident.

2. Rescue helicopters in the air for 244 days last year

   » General News 2010-01-04

   Car club ÖAMTC reported today (Mon) its 16 rescue helicopters had been in the air for 244 days last year.

3. Vienna overnights down

   » Business 2009-12-22

   Overnight stay numbers dropped in the capital last month, tourism bosses in Vienna have reported.

4. Fourth freezing death

   » General News 2009-12-22

   A Lower Austrian inn landlord froze to death yesterday (Mon) - the fourth death by freezing in as many days in Austria.

5. Hikers save pal after avalanche

   » General News 2009-12-22

   Three hikers rescued their pal when they dug him out of an avalanche and gave him first aid in Tyrol’s Stubai Alps today (Tues).

6. Tyrol towns without power for ten hours

   » General News 2009-12-21

   Two Tyrol towns were left without electricity for ten hours yesterday (Sun) after a fault in an underground supply cable.

7. Three freeze to death

   » General News 2009-12-21

   Three people froze to death in Austria over the weekend as temperatures plummeted to below minus 20 degrees Celsius in many areas.

8. More weather warnings as freeze causes chaos

   » Panorama 2009-12-21

   Forecasters have warned of more treacherous weather on the way after freezing temperatures and snow and ice left three people frozen to death and caused transport chaos this weekend.

9. Fourteen towns report lows of at least minus 20 degrees

   » Panorama 2009-12-21

   Fourteen Austrian towns reported temperatures below minus 20 degrees Celsius this morning, according to the Central Agency for Meteorology and Geodynamics (ZAMG) in Vienna.

10. Austria will be left only dreaming of a white Christmas, say forecasters

    » Panorama 2009-12-21

    Most Austrians will be left only dreaming of a white Christmas this year, according to Vienna’s Central Agency for Meteorology and Geodynamics (ZAMG).

Strache calls for drug addicts' centres in suburbs
New ideas on the Viennese drug scene problem by Freedom Party (FPÖ) boss Heinz-Christian Strache is set to cause controversy.

Direktanlage.at looks back on year of growth
Austrian discount broker Direktanlage.at said it managed to grow on all areas "despite the crisis".

Crash diets can lead to crashed cars, says doc
Crash diets could lead to car crashes, car club ÖAMTC doctor Heimo Vedernjak warned today.

Lauda to promote Romania 'to make destination profitable'
FlyNiki CEO Niki Lauda revealed plans to promote Romania in Austria.

Thousands of fags found in Austrian car
Beady-eyed customs officers found more than 1,100 cigarette boxes hidden in an Austrian-registered Mercedes trying to cross the Croat-Serb border.

Vienna overnights sharply up year on year
The Viennese tourism industry continues to boom as overnight figures stay up year on year.

Donna Leon to read at Haydn Days
Bestseller author Donna Leon will take part in this year’s Haydn Days festival, organisers announced today (Weds).

Gebrüder Weiss remains firm despite dropping turnover
Vorarlberg freighting firm Gebrüder Weiss is putting on a brave face after reporting today (Weds) it had seen turnover drop 15.7 per cent year on year to 830 million Euros in 2009.

Sex abuse claims drive thousands away from church
The Catholic Church in Austria could be on the verge of a crisis as reports of clerical child abuse drive thousands of worshippers away, it emerged today (Weds).

Man killed by snowmobile plunge
A ski hut owner died Monday evening when the snowmobile he was driving plunged into a stream near Sportgastein in Salzburg’s Pongau region, police said today (Weds).