Friday, February 6, 2009

Invasion Of The Naked Ramblers

A local Swiss town is taking action against a sudden and unwelcome phenomenon - naked hikers.

Authorities in the canton of Appenzell Innerrhoden plan to introduce fines for anyone found walking in the picturesque mountain region without clothes. They decided to act before this year's hiking season began, after noticing a sudden influx of nudists last year - many of them from Germany.

"FKK", or "free body culture", is a popular pastime in Germany. But Appenzell Innerrhoden is not keen to encourage its spread. "We were forced to introduce the legislation against this indecent practice before the warm weather starts," said justice minister Melchior Looser. "[Our concern is that] many children visit our mountains in the summer."

A naked hiker was detained last autumn, but could not be fined as naked rambling was not outlawed-- hence the need for a new law.

No comments: