floating in the
flood

 

In 2024, heavy rain brought real chaos to the Voralpenland south of Munich: A meadow in Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen district, prime habitat for sand lizards, viviparous lizards, and slow worms, vanished under floodwater. Late May, after record downpours of up to 137 liters per square meter, we had to wade in wellies – and found dozens of animals: eight sand lizards (adults and juveniles), four viviparous lizards, plus over 30 slow worms splashing around, clinging to grasses, or sadly already floating lifeless. For animal welfare reasons, Tabea and I evacuated them all to higher forest edges, even though sand lizards often handle such floods. Snakes like grass snakes or adders were barely spotted – their swimming skills and low density protected them. In September, the drama repeated, but only four young slow worms were affected; the adults had likely headed to winter quarters. Two juvenile sand lizards were later seen basking by the riverbank. Climate change is piling on these extreme events, stressing our herpetofauna – intact moors as natural water buffers are urgently needed! "Moors must be wet!", as Michael Succow put it.