S.O.S Les FAONS …
As the new year begins, you have the opportunity to do a good deed by working alongside farmers and volunteers to save the fawns.
Goat kids give birth in the tall grass of the prairies so that their young can escape predators. Unfortunately, this happens at the same time as haymaking, and this concomitance is often fatal: many of them end up crushed by farm machinery. Indeed, the survival strategy of these animals is to immobilize themselves in the tall grass so as not to be seen, and they have no odors either, so as not to be detected by predators.
A few days ago, the Association Patrimoniale de la Plaine de Versailles et du Plateau des Alluets launched an appeal for equity funding, with the aim of acquiring a thermal drone to save the fawns from the mowers.
Leslie Helfer, an arboriculturist from Feucherolles, initiated the “SOS faons” project because she herself has had to deal with this problem on her own plot of land since setting up her organic kiwifruit farm.
In addition, the remains of mown animals rot in hay bales and can carry botulism. This serious neurological disease, caused by a toxin, contaminates the hay fed to livestock, which can prove fatal. These concerns highlight both environmental and health issues, with a view to preserving local biodiversity.
Fortunately, a good solution has been found to avoid an annual hecatomb in the meadows of the Plaine de Versailles!
In fact, the use of thermal drones over the past few years has made it possible to effectively detect young birds, provided that rescue operations are carried out early in the morning – i.e. between 5 and 7 a.m. – so that their body heat contrasts with the cool morning air. After being spotted by the drone, the fawns are either isolated in cages or moved to the edge of the forest to be protected during mowing. It’s also vital that walkers keep their dogs on a leash during this period, as the fawns are out in the open for a few hours, until their mothers return to fetch them once the danger has passed.
Farmers are increasingly demanding this service, which takes a lot of the stress out of mowing, which takes place within a limited timeframe and is also dependent on weather conditions.
We therefore need your help to raise the €9,000 required to purchase the thermal drone and the equipment needed to fly it, finance the practical training for the telepilot and pay for the appropriate insurance. Theoretical training, on the other hand, has already been completed thanks to a volunteer coach. In addition, the remote piloting of rescue operations will be handled by Gilles Thuillier, an amateur telepilot who will become a professional telepilot at the same time. In addition, the Association de la Plaine de Versailles will be the sole beneficiary of the sums collected for this purpose. In this respect, non-profit associations of general interest are eligible for tax deductions, which can enable you to benefit from substantial tax advantages. To ensure that next spring’s season runs as smoothly as possible, we are also appealing to private individuals to help us with future operations.
To make a donation, you can visit the project page accessible on the HelloAsso online payment platform, which is totally secure, via this URL link: https://www.helloasso.com/associations/association-patrimoniale-de-la-plaine-de-versailles-et-du-plateau-des-alluets-appvpa/collectes/sos-faons For further information, please contact Leslie Helfer on 06 12 56 60 09.
Odile
