Bavarian Pine Vole

The Bavarian Pine Vole is a very mysterious vole. Not only is it shy and lives underground like other voles, it is also extremely rare! The species was first discovered near Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Bavaria in 1962 and was considered lost after decades of non-appearance - until individuals were found again in Mittenwald in 2023 after many years of searching by the LfU Bayern. Until then, the only other known occurrence was in North Tyrol, near the Innsbruck-Tyrol Alpenzoo. Due to its small and isolated distribution area and the very small population, it is categorised as "Extinct or lost" in the German Red List and as "Critically endangered" in the Austrian Red List. The Bavarian Pine Vole is probably the rarest mammal species in Europe - and perhaps even in the world!

Through a Species conservation project the Alpenzoo aims to protect this endangered species from extinction. This includes protecting the species in the wild and its habitats as well as breeding them in zoos in order to release them into the wild in suitable locations. There are also a few Bavarian Pine Voles living in the Alpenzoo - these are currently behind the scenes to breed in peace. When they are not busy building tunnels, they particularly enjoy eating grains, root vegetables and fresh meadow herbs.

The Bavarian Pine Vole has very small eyes and ears and a shorter tail than other voles. However, it is difficult to distinguish it from its more common sister species, the common pine vole. To do this, researchers have to analyse their DNA in the laboratory or carry out tooth and skull measurements.