Artificial nests placed to promote pest control
Bioland Energy Group has placed 34 artificial nests for barn owls in various locations across Cyprus to promote sustainable pest control.
birds
North America’s solar eclipse begins at Mexican beach resort [PHOTOS+VIDEO]
![North America’s solar eclipse begins at Mexican beach resort [PHOTOS+VIDEO]](https://ch.jfdi.cc/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/north-americas-solar-eclipse-begins-at-mexican-beach-resort-photosvideo.jpg)
The first total solar eclipse in seven years was visible in Mexico, with the path of totality stretching through the United States and Canada. The eclipse lasted up to 4 1/2 minutes, with eerie effects leading up to totality. Over 32 million people in the U.S. live within the path of totality, with experts recommending the use of protective solar glasses. Eclipses can last anywhere from 10 seconds to 7-1/2 minutes.
A lively time in the garden
Plants are thriving and flowers are blooming in the garden. The calla lily bed is sharing its white flowers, trees are looking fresh with green foliage, and jacarandas and Melia trees are flowering. Echium webbii, ‘Painted Lady’ butterflies, wisteria, and irises are also mentioned as blooming in the garden. Alyogyne huegelii, also known as the ‘Australian hibiscus’ or ‘blue hibiscus,’ is described as an attractive shrub that can grow up to three meters and has light mauve flowers.
Alien fever dreams fuel Peruvian grave robbings
Leandro Rivera discovered a cave in Peru’s Nazca region containing pre-Hispanic artifacts, including human bodies with elongated heads and three fingers on each hand. Rivera was convicted of assault on public monuments for excavating the artifacts, which ended up in Mexico and sparked debates on UFOs. Peru is struggling to control the trafficking of archaeological items, which have become popular on the online black market during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite efforts to repatriate stolen artifacts, demands from private collectors in the US and Europe persist. Authorities in Peru face challenges in preventing looted items from leaving the country and repatriating smuggled remains.
Wider bird flu spread raises concern for humans, animal health body says
The spread of bird flu to a growing number of species and regions has increased the risk of humans being infected by the virus, according to the head of the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH). The U.S. reported cases in dairy cows and a person in Texas, with concerns about potential transmission between cows. The virus has led to culling of millions of poultry globally, mainly carried by migrating wild birds. The virus has spread to new regions, affecting a variety of animals, including foxes, cats, tigers, seals, dolphins, and bears. The concern is the higher viral load and potential contamination of humans. There have been outbreaks of bird flu causing serious infections in people with close contact with infected animals, but no sustained human-to-human transmission observed. Scientists warn of the risk of the virus mutating to be transmissible between mammals, including humans, potentially leading to a large-scale pandemic.
Greens call on church to halt building on Natura 2000 site
Fact: The Cyprus church is ignoring government warnings about illegal monastery-building works in the environmentally-protected Cape Greco area.
Auditor-general calls for accountability over Natura 2000 mess-up
Fact: Cyprus has been referred to the EU Court of Justice by the European Commission for failures to implement the Habitats Directive in environmentally protected Natura 2000 areas.
‘Adopt a penguin egg’ Easter campaign helps endangered African birds [PHOTOS]
![‘Adopt a penguin egg’ Easter campaign helps endangered African birds [PHOTOS]](https://ch.jfdi.cc/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/adopt-a-penguin-egg-easter-campaign-helps-endangered-african-birds-photos.jpg)
– A South African conservation group, SANCCOB, is incubating over 200 eggs of the endangered African penguin that were previously rescued from two colonies.
– The African penguin population has decreased to less than 10,000 breeding pairs in 2024, with extinction projected by 2035.
– The main threat to the penguins is commercial fishing, which has depleted their food sources of sardines and anchovies.
– SANCCOB is soliciting donations to help cover the costs of incubating and raising the penguin eggs until they can be released back into the wild.
New church controversies at expense of environment in Ayia Napa
– Controversial works regarding the building of a monastery in an environmentally sensitive area in Ayia Napa are being investigated.
– The project was carried out on land entirely within protected and sensitive zoned areas of the Natura 2000 Cape Greco network.
– An extrajudicial fine of €2,000 was issued due to habitat degradation and disturbance of wild fauna.
– The church had carried out the construction before securing any kind of permit from the planning department.
– Actions at another Ayia Napa site, Ammos tou Kambouri, have also sparked outcry.
Hundreds of birds dead in cage fire
– A total of 247 finches were killed in a fire set on bird cages in the village of Mandres in the north.
– The cause of the fire was believed to be a short circuit in an electrical installation.
– 30 bird cages were damaged in addition to the finches being burned to death.
– The police’s investigation into the matter is ongoing.