What do Lise, Nils and Yann, volunteers at the Sauvetage Faons Jura Bernois association, have in common? Their boundless energy at the crack of dawn? Their unfailing dedication to protecting wildlife? Their kindness and determination to shape a world where animals and humans can live in harmony together? It’s all this and much more. We are going to tell you all about it…
When drones are used to save fawns
Every year, thousands of fawns die under the blades of agricultural mowers in Switzerland. Sauvetage Faons Jura bernois was set up to protect them and help farmers. The association uses thermal camera drones to detect the presence of animals in meadows, with an efficiency rate of almost 100%.
Behind the drones: volunteers
Lise Neukomm
This brilliant idea is the brainchild of Lise, 29, co-president of the association. A few years ago, when she was on a training course in agriculture and surveying the fields before mowing in search of fawns lurking in the grass, she soon realized it was like looking for a needle in a haystack. Four years later, inspired by other regions and ‘despite many skeptics’, she launched a crowdfunding campaign to acquire her first drone in 2019 and she founded the Sauvetage Faons Jura Bernois association along with other volunteers.
Today, drones, fawns, and 4 a.m. rescue trips are part of her life. Well… her second life, since when she’s not roaming the meadows, Lise works as a financial auditor at Mazars. Animals and wildlife are her ‘hobby‘, her way of ‘doing her bit‘, like the hummingbird that reminds us that ‘each action counts and that together we can make a big difference’.
Beside Lise, there is Yann Jobin and Nils Künzli.
Yann Jobin
Yann, 33, works as a software developer and is the association’s IT manager. He has been rescuing fawns since 2019 and is the one who developed the digital platform enabling farmers to centralize reports of mowings, thus enabling volunteers to be much more responsive.
Nils Künzli
Nils, 36, manages the association’s communication and works as head of administration and events for a major catering company. But above all, he is an eternal child of nature, which he has been exploring, observing, and connecting with since he was a child. He is actually preparing to devote even more time to it, as he has decided to quit his job in 2024 to embrace a new career in the environmental field: ‘I’d like to act somewhere in the chain to protect my region, my country, my planet… whatever the level’.
A true passion for nature
Why sleep when you can save fawns?
10 drones, over 10,000 km covered, and 557 fawns saved since 2020. The association can take great pride in these figures, which have been steadily increasing since it was founded.
What about the number of hours spent? Lise, Nils, and Yann have given up counting them… Saving fawns requires real dedication… especially at dawn from 4 a.m. onwards, and after 6 p.m., when the conditions are most favorable for spotting the animals. When the rescue period between May and June is over, the work carries on: participating in committees, selling cakes, applying for sponsorship, maintaining the platform and website…
Endless energy
As Yann points out, ‘Rescuing fawns is a noble cause that everyone supports. However, it requires a huge investment and it’s not always easy to balance this with work and family life.’ But, as Nils, who took no less than two weeks’ holiday specifically to rescue fawns, puts it: ‘lots of hours and zero regrets!’
A passion for photography
Lise, Yann and Nils have followed different paths. But they are all totally under the spell of the beauty of their local nature and eager to convey this to the widest number of people through their other shared passion: photography. When they’re not rescuing fawns, they’re scouring the meadows of the Jura, on the lookout to capture those precious instants that can only make us aware of the beauty that surrounds us… and the urgent need to preserve it.
Passionate about nature, passionate about beautiful images… what better match can exist for Equestrio Foundation? As you can imagine, for us, meeting them just means adoring them!