"Aussterbende Tiere" by Kurt Floericke is a popular natural history and conservation monograph written in the early 20th century. It profiles endangered wildlife of Central Europe—especially Germany—combining firsthand field notes, historical sources, and pointed advocacy for protection. The work focuses on emblematic species such as the beaver, mink, lynx, and eagle owl, showing how modern industry, hunting, and habitat change have driven steep declines.The opening of the book sets out a stark lament over the rapid impoverishment of native fauna and calls for national parks, strict laws, and active wardening. It then offers a detailed, on‑the‑ground portrait of the last Elbe beavers: their few remaining European refuges, the long history of overexploitation, their riverside habitats, tracks and tree‑cutting, lodges and dams, diet, and the many threats (poaching, fishing gear, traps, ships, ice and floods), alongside sharp population declines and concrete protection proposals such as more wardens, willow planting, gear restrictions, refuge mounds during floods, a dedicated protection society, and even translocation. After this, the text turns to the mink (Nerz), arguing it likely persists in tiny numbers in remote northeastern marshes, clarifying how often it is mistaken for the polecat, and sketching its elusive, mostly nocturnal, swimming and diving habits and crayfish‑based diet while noting how little is known of its breeding. Finally, the lynx chapter begins by tracing t…
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