Hazardous martens a menace to German road safety

GERMANY: May 10, 2000

LEIPZIG - German safety experts reckon that daring nocturnal attacks by
sharp-toothed martens cause around 40 million marks ($18 million) worth of
damage to German cars every year. There are an estimated 160,000 cases
annually of the weasel-like mammals nibbling through brake cables, water-
cooling lines and electric cables of German cars, says Professor Klaus
Langwieder, head of the Car Safety Institute. Much of the damage could be
avoided by improving the construction of engine housings to prevent the furry
fiends getting in, Langwieder said. He was presenting Germany's first atlas
aimed at highlighting the risks of animal attack. The most dangerous places
for marten attacks in Germany were Freiburg,  Coburg, Stuttgart and Ulm.
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