Ana Valentina Angelo
"Wildlife" in Figueira
Under the skies of Figueira
Hello, beautiful Figueira, it’s chilly today… but spring won’t be long, March 21st is coming. From my window I look out at the green and hopscotch carpeting the park’s gardens.
International Wildlife Day
Today, March 3rd, is a very special date, Figueira was contemplated by the UN (United Nations Organization) to commemorate the International Day of Wildlife.
Wild lives
“Wild animals are those species that are not domesticated, or educated to live with humans. They live wildly in nature, inhabiting any of the Earth’s ecosystems. However, the effects of mankind on the world directly affect their means, habitat and livelihoods ”. (1)
How do they live?
“Wild animals have a way of life, with behaviors and food that are very different from their domesticated peers. They are used to fulfilling their life cycle driven by their survival instinct, without outside help and exposed to major threats ”. (2)
How are they treated?
It is of great importance that awareness on the subject has become a worldwide concern. The numbers are frightening when they show the neglect and lack of understanding of man in relation to the theme: “Humans represent only 0.01% of the living beings on the planet, but the destruction caused by the species is incalculable. (…) in just 46 years, the human being and his activities ended up with at least two thirds of the global wildlife. This means that the sizes of the populations of mammals, birds, fish, amphibians and reptiles saw an average drop of 68% .”(3)
"Wildlife" in Figueira - Let's celebrate the date ...
You know, Figueira, for our celebration of the Day of Wildlife I would like to involve the waves of the Mondego that lull the Morraceira Island, right there at the mouth. In this place, you and I will find a beautiful “representative” of wildlife: the Hybrid Heron.
Morraceira Island
“The island of Morraceira is made up of vast expanses of marshes, reeds, salt pans, fish farms and rice paddies, in a territory that occupies an area of about 600 ha, in a total of 7 km in length”. (4)
“It is a place of enormous ornithological interest, having one of the richest communities of shorebirds that, particularly during periods of migratory passage, frequent the estuary during low tide and take refuge in the salt flats when the tide rises”. (5)
Here is the discreet visitor – who is hardly noticed – lounging in the waves of the Mondego:
Hybrid Heron
Rarely observed, it is a hybrid of Little Egret and Reef Heron
Date: 10/28/2011
Location: Morraceira Island, Figueira da Foz
Photo: isoteo2.blogspot.com
See you, Figueira!
To you, who follows us in this column, see you in our next post.
To the Healthcare Professionals of the world, our eternal gratitude.
