Swarm of bees and rescue of pigeons: heroic deeds in Offenburg!

Swarm of bees and rescue of pigeons: heroic deeds in Offenburg!

On June 11, 2025, at around 10:45 a.m., employees of a supermarket in the western part of Offenburg reported a suspected emergency landing of a swarm of bees. The swarm had settled on a freshly planted street tree in the customer parking lot. The fire department then secured the area to protect both the customers and the bees.

A beekeeper was immediately contacted to capture the protected swarm of bees. This consideration was particularly important because swarms of bees are usually peaceful during the swarming process, a natural part of reproduction, but can often make people feel uneasy. The online portal of the fire brigade association helps here, as it does not require special registration and provides beekeepers who can be there quickly in such cases.

The liberation of the dove

At around 1:20 p.m., the police department discovered another animal rescue problem. A street pigeon was caught in a facade net of the building about 10 meters high. The pigeon hung helplessly in the blazing sun and needed quick help. The fire department came into action again and cut the pigeon out of the net with a turntable ladder.

The rescue was successful and the pigeon was apparently unharmed. An animal shelter then took care of the bird species and looked after it in its aviary. Such rescue operations are an important part of the daily challenges that fire departments face.

Bees and their protection organizations

Current events underline the importance of bees and their protection. Many organizations are committed to preserving and protecting bees. One way to become active is through bee sponsorships, which help to counteract the death of bees and promote species protection. Given the rampant bee decline, it is important to support these initiatives. The organizations that are committed to bee protection include Bienenschutz Stuttgart, the Bee Protection Fund of the Austrian Nature Conservation Association and the Alliance for the Protection of Bees (mellifera e.V.).

These events in Offenburg show how closely the issues of animal and nature protection are linked and how important it is for rescue services and experts to react quickly, especially in emergency situations involving animals. For further information on rescuing swarms of bees, the platform can be accessed at www.schwarmrettung.de.