e Weltmuseum in Vienna on Friday canceled the first public performance of “World in Flux” (“Welt in Bewegung”), a play about migrants in Austria, shortly before its premiere following criticism that the government-commissioned work was “crude propaganda” and full of racist stereotypes. The work had already been seen by thousands of schoolchildren as part of a special free viewing program. ... Read More »
![About 7,000 wild animals are treated each year at the GREFA wildlife hospital in Madrid. DW visited the patients, feathered and furred, to find out how humans put them at risk - and offer hope of conservation. A red kite is having physiotherapy to recover from a gunshot wound. Vet Virginia Moraleda is massaging the bird's wing. She explains that the bird is doing well and will soon be set free. It's one of lucky ones. Only half the 7,000 animals that come to the Grupo de Rehabilitación de la Fauna Autóctona y su Hábitat (GREFA) hospital each year make it back to the wild. Vultures, for instance, have to be in an extremely fragile state of health before they’re likely to be found lying on the ground and brought in to the hospital, explains Nacho Otero, head of GREFA's rehabilitation and release department. Human friends and foe But those that do make a full recovery make it all worthwhile. Especially as around 80 percent of patients end up here for man-made reasons. "At least let's repair what we as humans do to wildlife," Otero says. A few have been deliberately targeted by hunters. But most have had accidental run-ins with their human neighbors – colliding with glass door, for example, or being hit by a car. Power lines are the biggest killer. In Spain, almost 34,000 birds die each year from collision or electrocution. Many more are left disabled. Trash is also a major hazard for wildlife. Lizards get trapped in soda cans; endangered Canarian shrews are often found dead inside discarded bottles. European pond turtles — endangered or extinct in most European countries — are illegally traded as pets or put at risk by other "pet" species brought from abroad but eventually abandoned in the wild. One of the patients is a Spanish pond turtle with a shell malformation. Rocío Fernández, a student vet and volunteer at the hospital, says it was probably bred in captivity and lacked nutrients because of inadequate food and sunlight. "They are very cute when they're small but once [they grow up], people don't know what to do with them," Fernández says. Lost to the wild Contact with humans carries all kind of risks for wild animals. Young foxes or wild boars, for example, can become dependent on humans, meaning they can never live a normal life in the wild. That’s the case for a fox Otero is looking after. A family accidently ran over its mother and took the cub home to care for it. But nine months later, they regretted their decision. Otero says if it had been brought in right away, it could have been released along with five other baby foxes which the hospital returned to the wild earlier this year. Now it's too late. The young fox would not only face tremendous challenges to survive, but could endanger other animals, if farmers reacted to him approaching humans for food by placing traps and poison. Otero hopes the fox will soon move to an educational open-air center, but is waiting for permits to make this possible. "Being here for him is like being imprisoned," Otero says sadly. Birds, meanwhile, have better chances of readapting to life in the wild – particularly those with low intelligence levels like vultures, should they survive. In any case, "we try to keep their contact with us to a minimum," Moraleda says. “We usually treat them far less than once a day. And don't worry, they don't see us as their friends – this hurts!" she says, extending the red kite's wing. Reviving species Víctor García, wildlife specialist with the Spanish Environment Ministry, is carefully fitting a new solar-powered transmitter to a black vulture's back. The old one alerted conservationists that the bird was not moving. It turned out to have a dislocated wing. Now, it’s going to rejoin a growing population of the birds in the Pyrenees, which had been pushed to the brink of extinction a century ago. GREFA doesn’t just care for individual animals. It’s also working to revive whole populations – like that of the lesser kestrel. In the 60s, there were around 100,000 breeding pairs in Spain. Now there are just 12,000, and that number keeps falling. At GREFA center, they're being bred in captivity. But GREFA can’t rehabilitate species alone. Threatened migratory species in particular can only be saved though cross-border efforts. The long-distance migrant Montagu's harrier is another bird of prey at risk. In Madrid, 28 pairs have been reduced to just four in the last few years. "They don't come back from Africa anymore, but we don't know exactly why. We need further research," Otero says. At the hospital, every animal brought in is a priority, be it a Spanish imperial eagle — which has benefitted from successful conservation efforts — or a baby sparrow. Otero says the act of saving an animal at all is important to our relationship with the natural world. Living side-by-side For a child, a sparrow chick found flailing on the ground may be the most important animal in the world; "it probably has already been given a name." Rescuing helps motivate people and raise awareness, Otero says. Schoolchildren are invited in to the hospital to learn about threats to the natural world around them – and solutions. Observing a Bonelli's eagle with an amputated wing, a child asks what he can do to prevent birds from electrocution. "Well, just turn off the lights. Less consumption, fewer power lines, fewer electrocuted birds," Otero says. Living in harmony with wildlife doesn’t come easily in the modern world. The common vole, for example, tucks into crops, causing major disputes between conservationists and farmers. But, after years of awareness campaigns, they're finally cooperating to use birds as a natural control system for the diminutive rodent. "In general, the situation has really improved," Otero says. "Many farmers call us because they’ve found a snake in their barn — that was inconceivable a few years ago; they would have killed it immediately." When people bring animals that are really beyond hope, we think we may have gone too far raising awareness, Otero says. But he concludes: "The world is not only ours, and everyone has a role protecting it."](http://www.unitednews.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/43000152_303-150x150.jpg)
About 7,000 wild animals are treated each year at the GREFA wildlife hospital in Madrid. DW visited the patients, feathered and furred, to find out how humans put them at risk – and offer hope of conservation. A red kite is having physiotherapy to recover from a gunshot wound. Vet Virginia Moraleda is massaging the bird’s wing. She explains that ... Read More »
Hundreds of Palestinians have been injured and at least 12 killed by Israeli security forces facing down land protests on the Gaza-Israel border. The protests are to continue until the new US Embassy is opened. Tens of thousands of Palestinians, including women and children, gathered at five points along the fenced border at the start of six weeks of protests ... Read More »
Two government ministers have resigned in quick succession after public outcry over a Cabinet housing allowance. Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is set to find replacements for the affluent married couple. Greece’s economy and development minister has resigned hours after his wife quit as deputy labor minister in response to a housing stipend row. Dimitri Papadimitriou handed in his resignation ... Read More »
A humanitarian ceasefire in eastern Ghouta has broken down nearly as soon as it started. The UN is urging warring parties to allow aid into devastated areas. Syrian regime warplanes and artillery bombed eastern Ghouta on Tuesday, despite a Russian-brokered ceasefire in the rebel-held enclave. Damascus and Moscow said rebels shelled an evacuation route opened to allow civilians to leave ... Read More »
Despite being one of Europe’s wealthiest and economically-stable countries, Germany has the highest risk of poverty for the unemployed. According to the latest EU figures, the risk is as high as 70 percent. Those who are unemployed in Germany face a much bigger risk of falling into poverty than in any other European Union country, according to figures released by ... Read More »
Germany’s top administrative court has ruled that it is legal for cities to ban diesel cars. The government opposes the bans, but is under pressure from the EU to do more to combat air pollution. Germany’s Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig ruled on Tuesday that cities may be permitted to put driving bans in place for diesel vehicles. The ruling ... Read More »
From rising star to Germany regular, Julian Draxler’s career has long been trending upward, but he’s struggled for playing time since joining Paris Saint-Germain. Will Neymar’s injury offer him a pre-World Cup boost? Six months ago, things were looking pretty good for Julian Draxler. After securing the move away from Wolfsburg that he’d long been angling for, he’d become a ... Read More »
After his retirement from the track, Usain Bolt is making strides towards a new career. The Jamaican sprint great will captain a star-studded side in charity football match and has hinted at a professional contract. Never one to shy away from the spotlight, Usain Bolt is set to make a return to the sporting world in a charity football match ... Read More »
Jan Kuciak was killed just before publishing a report about ties between politicians and organized crime, a fellow reporter said. Kuciak is the second anti-corruption journalist murdered in the EU in the past six months. A colleague of Slovak journalist Jan Kuciak said on Tuesday that he believed the slain reporter was the target of organized crime. Tom Nicholson said ... Read More »
United News Pakistan
