Found! How the cat Nino shows what compassion can achieve and what hedgehogs and birds need now

It is one of those stories that show what people are capable of when they stand together.

On Saturday, 8 August 2026, on the A2 near Mezzovico-Vira, a car collided with the campervan of a Spanish family. Seven people were injured, and one driver was in a critical, life-threatening condition. On impact, the cat Nino was flung from the camper and vanished without a trace into the surroundings, while his family was being cared for in hospital.

What happened next is worth telling. Local residents who did not know Nino or his family immediately set out to search. Via the Facebook page «Animali Trovati e Smarriti in Ticino-Svizzera», volunteers organised a search operation that lasted deep into the night. There were hundreds of reports, countless phone calls, people who roamed for hours through the meadows near Camignolo without losing sight of the little cat. Even when, in the midst of this tense situation, a few callers allowed themselves a bad joke, the genuine solidarity was not diminished by it.

Then, on Monday, 10 August, came the redeeming news: Nino was found not far from the Mezzovico-Vira railway station, near a river. Apart from a small injury to one paw, he is doing well. After the veterinary check-up, he was soon able to return to his family.

What this story says about all of us

What makes this rescue so remarkable is not just the happy ending. It is the fact that complete strangers invested their own time, their nights and their energy to help an animal they had never seen before. It is precisely this compassion, this willingness to take action for a living creature in distress, that can also be applied to our native wild animals. You don't have to roam the meadows for hours to make a difference. Sometimes a bowl of water in your own garden is enough.

Heat and drought take their toll on wild animals

This summer, Switzerland is once again experiencing periods of severe drought and heatwaves. What is unpleasant for us quickly becomes a serious problem for many wild animals. Streams dry up, puddles disappear, natural water sources become scarcer. Particularly affected are animals that depend on small, easily accessible watering places and cannot cover greater distances themselves.

Hedgehogs, for example, quickly lose fluid during prolonged heat and can even die of thirst in extreme drought if they cannot find a water source. Birds suffer too: they need water not only for drinking but also for bathing, which is essential for plumage care and thus for their ability to fly and to protect themselves from predators. In great heat, their need for fluid also rises significantly, while at the same time the natural supply diminishes.

This is how simple help can be

A shallow bowl of water in the garden, on the balcony or in the courtyard can be vital for wild animals during this time. A few points that help ensure the watering place is truly useful and harms no one:

• Use shallow containers. Animals such as hedgehogs cannot swim and should be able to climb out again without difficulty. A saucer, a flat plate or a bird bath with a gently sloping rim is well suited.
• Build in a climbing aid. For deeper containers, a stone, a piece of bark or a small board sticking out of the water helps prevent insects or smaller animals from drowning.
• Fresh water daily. Especially in the heat, water evaporates quickly and can become contaminated with germs. Changing it daily keeps the spot clean and hygienic.
• Choose a shady location. A spot in partial shade ensures that the water does not heat up too much and stays fresh longer.
• Prefer a quiet location. A somewhat hidden, quiet spot, for example under bushes or in a corner of the garden, gives shy animals such as the hedgehog the security they need to accept the water source at all.
• Clean regularly. A thorough cleaning of the container prevents the growth of algae and germs, which can harm birds in particular.

Anyone who additionally provides some shade-giving planting or a small shelter element such as a pile of brushwood in the garden creates a genuine retreat for wild animals during the hot months.

Small gesture, big impact

Nino's story impressively shows how much compassion and practical action can achieve. For our wild animals it often does not even take a night-time search operation, but only a small, everyday gesture: a bowl of water, placed in a shady spot and refreshed regularly. Especially in times of heat and drought this is a simple way for each and every one of us to make a contribution to the protection of native wild animals.