SWITZERLAND (2021)- Wild Animals in Urban Areas (4v)

Fortunately, nature doesn’t stop at city boundaries. It nds its way into urban areas, making a vital contribution to our quality of life. Parks, avenues and areas around urban conurbations aren’t just spaces for people to enjoy – they also provide a habitat for wild animals.

The four special stamps in the “Animals in the city” set draw attention to this fact. What’s remarkable is that the image backgrounds that were selected are actually existing habitats. The illustrator took inspiration from areas surrounding the towns of Solothurn and Olten where each of the animals can be found.

The fox is passing through the lush green grounds of the vocational college in Solothurn. The wood mouse is peeking out of guttering to see what’s going

on in Olten’s historic center. The mole is peering out of his hole on the lawn outside the Museum of Art in Solothurn, while the stoat is pausing brie y on an overgrown wall on the outskirts of Olten.

The four animal species also show just how diverse the needs of wild animals in urban areas are. The stoat and the mole tend to live on the outskirts of urban areas where there are still meadows and loose soil or piles of stones and branches to hide in, whereas the wood mouse and fox are found all over towns and cities. These two are real city dwellers who take advantage of the abundant food supply around them: discarded slices of pizza, fallen fruit and leftovers on garden compost heaps.