Migration Office Releases Latest Census Statistics; Popular Nightlife App Is Up For Grabs; Basel Zoo Joins Bug Food Buzz; Basel Beavers Seek Names

News For 19 December 2017

The latest figures from the Basel Migration office for the year 2016 that were released today show a continued net increase in population for the city.  For the eleventh year in a row, net migration was positive, 900 alone for the 2016, the latest year for which figures are now available.  The single largest source of that population increase was over 2000 Germans that relocated to the canton for their jobs.  Overall, the population of non-Swiss in Basel Stadt now stands at over 71,000 people, nearly 36% of the total.  

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For 10 years, the website Denkmal.org has been a simple and uncomplicated cultural calendar for Basel's night life scene. However, creators and operators Nicolas Schmutz, Christophe https://ci6.googleusercontent.com/proxy/Qx6pEMrG5j5-HCK7mzfu_DNJ_e-86w6p...); border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: transparent; background-position: 0% 100%;">Schwyzer and Reto Kaiser are looking to stop running the website due to scheduling issues. This announcement caused some uneasiness in the night life scene as many clubs, musicians and event planners https://ci6.googleusercontent.com/proxy/Qx6pEMrG5j5-HCK7mzfu_DNJ_e-86w6p...); border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: transparent; background-position: 0% 100%;">coulld rely on the portal as a guaranteed source of free advertising. The creators say that after having made the announcement, they realized even more how important their website is and have already started looking for a replacement to run the website in their stead. Around 30'000 users consult the website monthly.

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You may recall that Switzerland updated its food safety laws this past May to accommodate the growing craze for bug based food products.  Coop and a few other food retailers are already stocking their shelves with larva burgers and cricket candies.  Now, the Basel Zoo, which already had a breeding program for insects to keep its fish, birds, reptiles and monkeys well fed, has jumped on the bandwagon.  Zoo curator Friedrike von Houwald explained that the insect breeding program now produces ten different species of bugs to provide a variety of snacks for the animals that eat them.  The in-house program started as a means to improve quality of the creepy crawlies - it seems the animals that eat them, like humans, are quite particular and would reject stale, dead, or un-tasty buggies.  Look for Basel Zoo branded bug snacks for humans at a store near you soon...

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2 years ago, a beaver couple came to the Grün 80 in https://ci6.googleusercontent.com/proxy/Qx6pEMrG5j5-HCK7mzfu_DNJ_e-86w6p...); border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: transparent; background-position: 0% 100%;">Münchenstein from the Alsace. Beavers used to live freely in Switzerland until humans started building cities and the beavers had less and less land to live and build their dams on. Beavers were also highly sought after for their gland secretions, which were used as a miracle drug, and their thick fur. 200 years ago, beavers became extinct in Switzerland. Now that they have returned, the city wants to name them. By sending an email with a name suggestion to gewinnen@baz.ch, readers and listeners have the chance to win a pack of https://ci6.googleusercontent.com/proxy/Qx6pEMrG5j5-HCK7mzfu_DNJ_e-86w6p...); border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: transparent; background-position: 0% 100%;">Biberli for the most original and best name. The names will be chosen by the https://ci6.googleusercontent.com/proxy/Qx6pEMrG5j5-HCK7mzfu_DNJ_e-86w6p...); border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: transparent; background-position: 0% 100%;">BaZ and representatives of the https://ci6.googleusercontent.com/proxy/Qx6pEMrG5j5-HCK7mzfu_DNJ_e-86w6p...); border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: transparent; background-position: 0% 100%;">Zolli Basel.