Sunday, May 1, 2011

The Land of Animals and Fables

The Land of Animals and Fables

By: Dr. Athiqul H. Laskar


You would be so excited to know all the beautiful the animals in Germany. During my military service to that country, I used my leisure time to travel around and went sightseeing. I've visited libraries, learning centers, animal reservations, zoos, wilderness, and recreation parks. Actually being there has done so much to change the way I perceive that part of the world. There is so much to see and learn.
I'm sure readers would love to know about the rear animals! Germany is home to several species of deer, and also to elk, bison, wolves, and bears. Unfortunately, lots of animals have either become extinct or migrated someplace else; but the ones I mentioned can be found in the wild state in significant numbers in northern Germany, Scandinavia, Russia, and the Balkan Peninsula, which is now the country of Yugoslav which I had also visited, of course, and some places I was not allowed to go being a member of NATO Forces Europe; but there are plenty of protected preserves where I went to see animals.
I was told that the people herd the Reindeers from northern parts of Europe. The other animals like Chamois (a sheep-like antelope) and ibex (a kind of sheep) are found in higher altitudes of the Pyrenees and Alps Mountains and the nearby areas. Probably some readers have never heard the names of these animals. I hadn't either, until my job took me there.
Germany is still the home of several types of tiny animals. There are weasels, ferrets, rabbits, hedgehogs, lemmings, foxes, and lots of squirrel. I see rabbits all the time. Sometimes I would just sit in my army battalion office (which is really an improvised tent) and watch them hop around. It is so beautiful there, and beauty really made me joyful.
Germany also has many varieties of wild birds like eagles, falcons, finches, nightingales, pigeons, sparrows, and thrush. There are also swans and, particularly in the southern part of Germany, storks. The German people believe that if a stork makes a nest on or near their house it brings good luck.
Fish are found in abundance. There are several kinds of salmon and also cod, mackerel, herring, and tuna. Fish called sturgeons are also found on Germany's coastline on the Caspian and Black Sea. Fishing is a big industry in Germany today.
One popular hobby in Germany is the taming of eagles. It is really in fashion for people to have them in their back yards. They looked beautiful!
While in Germany, I hear so much about German people. It is the nature of the German people to work very hard. I read that they were the first people to live in Europe. It is thought that they may have migrated here from Asia Minor. People were probably living in Europe by 4000 BC.
Early on, the people of different regions were very isolated from each other, because the places where they lived were separated by thick forests infested with wild animals, and very large mountain ranges. However, as time went on, people traveled more and some married into other clans. Soon people started moving a lot.
So now we know that Germany has always been a great country. It was the cause of two great world wars, and it produced that evil madman Hitler; but it has also made great contributions to the development of medical science and technology.
It is the home of famous alternative system of homeopathic medicine which we have today. Some might not have heard of homeopathy mostly among today’s’ younger generation, because it isn't very popular in British dominated countries in past centuries, but it is much more so here in India. It was developed in the early 19th century and is based on the interesting idea that disease can be cured when a patient is treated with minute quantities of the same substance that caused the disease in the first place. The same thing that will make a healthy person sick can make a sick person well. It seems to be that strange? This amazing thing was discovered in 1796 by a man named Samuel Hahnemann. People in the USA and other western countries have known about homeopathic medicine since 1825, but in India, it is considered an "alternative" form of medicine for babies.
Germany is also famous for its wonderful fables and children's stories. One can remember the story about the Pied Piper of Hamlin? That's a German story, and I actually visited that town. And, I felt like I was in a wonderland. There is a really nice park there and lots of people come to visit it from around the globe round the year.
So much wonderful folklore was written down by German writers. One probably never heard of Karl Haupt, and Anton Altrichter, but I bet some may know about the Grimm Brothers. They brought us Cinderella, The Bremen Town Musicians, Hansel and Gretel, Rapunzel, Little Red Riding Hood, Rumpelstiltskin, The Brave Little Tailor, and so many more stories. Most of these fable stories are story-telling reading materials one act-play for some junior convent schools in India.



Animals of Germany

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