According to the Naturschutzbund Deutschland, Terminal 1 at Berlin-Brandenburg Airport is said to be particularly problematic for birds. Many animals are said to bang against the glass facade every day, seriously injuring themselves or even dying from it.
According to Nabu, the problem has been known for a few months, but it has only now come to a wider public through a media release. The animal rights activists criticize the fact that birds fly against the glass panes particularly frequently and therefore demand urgent improvements on the part of the operating company.
Large glass surfaces are generally problematic for birds, as the animals often do not recognize them as an obstacle, but fly unchecked against the pane. Some birds die instantly and others survive with injuries and severe traumatic brain injury, to which, however, in many cases they succumb in agony a few days later or become easy prey for predators.
"There are a dozen cases documented with photos in which entire flocks of birds, sometimes up to 50 individuals, were killed by approaching the glass facade," says Nabu consultant Manuela Brecht. BER points out that Terminal 1 is also in terms of the environmental aspects have been checked and all requirements of the authorities have been complied with. It is also pointed out that bird crashes with glass panes are a general problem and are not specific to BER. Nabu counters that the Vogel problem was already known before Terminal 1 opened, but that insufficient or no measures were taken. The criticism is also directed at the responsible authorities. Now urgent repairs are requested and passengers are asked to send injured or even dead birds to BER with a photo, date and time and the location [email protected] .