Q: What inspired this story?
Yaz: I created Wake Up & Smell the Flowers to celebrate European Ground Squirrels, an absolutely adorable species! I moved to Vienna in September last year, which meant the ground squirrels were already in hibernation. So making this film was actually my first time experiencing these beautiful animals! I was inspired to create this film from some gorgeous photographs of the ground squirrels and flowers I had seen. I thought what could better represent Spring than adorable ground squirrels embarking on a frantic flower feast! That is something everyone just has to see! Q: Describe some of the challenges faced while making this film/program? Yaz: I aim to create all my films to have only the smallest carbon impact possible. Thanks to Vienna’s amazing public transport network and with a bit of leg power, this film was created without a single car journey (and also without flights). Carrying gear through a combination of buses, undergrounds and trains, plus a 3.5km hike, allowed me to film the ground squirrels! It was absolutely worth the extra effort, knowing this film was created with such small carbon emissions. Q: What impact do you hope this film/program will have? Yaz: European Ground Squirrels are endangered and threatened. Despite being a protected species, their habitats are still being destroyed and fragmented due to agricultural expansions and building developments. I really hope that this film will raise awareness for this beautiful species and hopefully inspire those who live in the same countries as ground squirrels, to help them. Currently European Ground Squirrels are resident in: Austria, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Moldova, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and Turkey. How can you help European Ground Squirrels?
Q: Were there any surprising or meaningful moments/experiences you want to share? Yaz: Although I filmed lots of ground squirrels, I spent most of the time focusing on the couple featured in the film. It was a very beautiful experience as I watched their relationship over time. They paired up almost as soon as the female awoke from hibernation. I then witnessed their interactions and affection with each other grow, as well as the male fending off many, many other males. Once the female was pregnant, they were so focused on preparing for the new arrivals, particularly the female running back and forth constantly to collect nesting material, every single morning as soon as the sun was up. The male ground squirrel is a very curious and friendly little guy, who was often coming to check out me and my camera, jumping into my camera bag when possible and even getting comfy in my fellow camera operator, Jack’s, shoes. Everytime he interacted with us, I just could not stop smiling! It was a beautiful experience witnessing a huge part of these little animals’ lives. I am also very happy to report that a few weeks after filming finished, two adorable babies emerged from the couple’s burrow! Q: What next? Yaz: I am continuing filming and working on stories about Vienna’s wildlife. You would be surprised just how much amazing wildlife there is in this beautiful city!
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