An “On the Road in Austria” on Saturday, August 13, 2022, at 4:30 p.m. on ORF 2.
St. Pölten (OTS) – A journey through the fascinating nature of the protected area and to its inhabitants. Wilderness has returned to Austria’s smallest national park, which is characterized primarily by forest, but also by water and rocks. On 1360 hectares it is characterized by a special biodiversity. 950 butterfly species can be found here, 140 bird species – from the black stork to the white-tailed eagle – 22 of 28 bat species that exist in Austria are native here. And these are just a few examples. The Thayatal National Park in northern Lower Austria became a reality 22 years ago, and a lot has happened since then.
A “Unterwegs in Österreich” from the ORF Landesstudio Niederösterreich (design: Sabine Daxberger, camera: Christoph Koller) shows exactly this development of flora and fauna in a repeat from September 2020. Half of all plant species native to Austria thrive here, 1290 of them to be exact. There are also sensational rediscoveries. For example, moss species thought to be extinct in Austria have been found, which have settled on the dry grasslands in the rocky area.
The Thaya is the lifeline of the national park: the border river between Austria and the Czech Republic provides a habitat for animals and plants over a length of 25 kilometers. However, the special ambassador of the wilderness and the National Park is the wildcat. In 2007, its occurrence was proven for the first time, through hair samples taken from valerian attractants. The structured mixed deciduous forests with their many hiding places and small rodents as prey, are particularly well suited for the shy wildcat, which is mainly active at dusk and at night.
In the National Park Thayatal the wildcat is not only studied, at the National Park House live two wildcats, which come from a zoo:
Frieda and Carlo. In Austria’s largest wildcat enclosure with its own forest area, visitors learn everything about the animals.
In more than twenty years, the return of many species has been successful, natural treasures have been preserved. The National Park Thayatal also cooperates across borders with the Czech National Park Podyjí. All of this is the subject of the documentary from the ORF Landesstudio Niederösterreich in exciting images. But also the Thayatal as a region where nature dominates is part of the cinematic journey. You can see it during a visit to the herb priest Benedikt in Karlstein or in the monastery Geras with its fish ponds.
Editing: Sabine Daxberger-Edenhofer
ORF regional studio Lower Austria
Mag. Sofija Nastasijevic
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