Auschwitz, Is this true???

[marcus69x]

I've heard that if you visit Auschwitz, you 'll never see any birds or other animals around as they never go anywhere near it. maybe they can sense the death that went on there or something.
Has anybody else heard this or is sombody pulling my leg?
Probably the latter I think.

[Gotthard Heinrici]

Well I cant speak for Auschwitz but I know tis to be the case in Dachau.

[52nd Airborne]

I visited Auschwitz/Birkenau while on a stag weekend in Krakow in 2005. There is an deathly silence at Birkenau, I didn't notice it so much at Auschwitz owing to large amount of people visiting.

It was all very moving and something the stag party remember more than the other things we got up to.

[Rich]

I had a friend who visited Auschwitz about ten years ago; he was not into military matters, but was inter-railing round Europe with friends and one day they saw a sign saying they were 10km from it, so decided to visit.

He told me that he was struck by how quiet and lifeless it seemed, no birds in the trees whatsoever, etc.

My brother and wife went there 2 years ago, but did not make the same observation, perhaps they did just not pick up on it like my friend had.

My father visited Belsen in the 70's with the Life Guards. he said there were no birds or insects there and he was told animals did not come close.
Seems the stench of death still hangs over these sites.

[Gibbo]

Before I visited Dachau I'd heard about the silence & absence of wildlife so I was very surprised that not only did I hear birds singing but I saw a blackbird near the crematorium.

[Panzerfaust]

This very subject came up when Elie Wiesel went with Oprah to Auschwitz, the landscape looked very dull and lifeless.

I suppose it's just the fact that we all expect a certain atmosphere at the concentration camps and so when we fail to hear a bird song we pick up on that quickly.

[marcus69x]

Oh well I guess it's true then.

cheers

[CROONAERT]

When I visited Auschwitz in 1991 there was certainly animal(and bird) life in existance there - even got followed by a cat for a short while (and I HATE cats - there was very nearly another killing on that site!!!)

I think it's just a case of how the human brain works wether or not you recall seeing something (selective memory, etc). for example , my wife gets creeped on Kemmel Hill in Belgium and swears blind that she's never heard or seen any birds there (she's walked up and around it 11 or 12 times), whereas I see and hear them every time I climb it.

Dave