The return of the lynx in Italy.

1920 was the year of the official announcement of the extinction of the lynx in the Italian territory.
Unfortunately, during the same period in almost the whole Europe this beautiful feline was definitively disappearing, because of centuries of deforestation, reduction in the number of preys and direct persecution.

Between 1970 and 1986, 7 reintroduction programs were attempted in Italy, France, Switzerland and Germany. While in the other countries they had success, in Italy the results started to arrive late and only in 1971, after Switzerland had released about 30 lynx, there were the first reports of sightings in the western Alps, precisely in Aosta Valley and Ossola Valley.

From the 80s on the lynx (lynx lynx) has come back in the forests of northern Piedmont, Giulie Alps and Carniche Alps and is now going south, along the forests of the Apennines.

Today, the largest Italian population is in the Gran San Bernardo zone and the data collected by the forest rangers show that these wonderful animals have arrived to the Abruzzo National Park (with 2-3 confirmed pairs).
In spite of all, in Italy the lynx remains very vulnerable because of car accidents, poaching and the destruction of its habitat and of the ecological network in the Alpine valleys, which are too often crossed by highways or railways.

(Thanks to Lorenzo S. for helping me writing this post)

JELLYFISH: a possible solution.

A research of an Italian university showed that the excess of jellyfish in the Mediterranean Sea causes each year high costs for the health service, as well as for some industries and for fishing.

So...this university made a proposal: why don't we eat them?
In China and other countries they're already doing it and jellyfish are considered a prized food. Actually, they have a low caloric content and they are rich of proteins, Omega 3 and Omega 6.

Today the turnover linked to the consumption of jellyfish is higher than 25 million euros. But there's a problem...the EU recognizes as edible only the Asian jellyfish and not the European ones.

The aim of this Italian university is to study in deep the nutritional properties of the European jellyfish, and also to investigate their possible use in the zootechnique and in the pharmaceutical research.

JELLYFISH: a worrying invasion.

For some years now the jellyfish are causing serious damage to fishing and to industrial activities. This is happening not only in the Mediterranean Sea, but also in the Irish Sea and in the Atlantic Ocean, because of the global warming. 

In 2013 they have killed 20.000 salmons in the plants of Marine Havest, off the coast of the Irish island of Clare. Other similar episodes have occurred along the coasts of Tunisia, Spain, Normandy, Catalonia, Norway and Chile. 

This problem is not so known at the moment, but it can't be underestimated. Jellyfish cause trouble to the fish farms, but also in the open seas, where they can choke the boat motors and pile up in the nets, reducing the fish and making it hard to select it. 

Whose is the blame for all of this? 

Of course global warming is playing a fundamental role: in the Mediterranean Sea there are species that once couldn't be found there, like puffers and barracudas and the man exploiting too much the marine ecosystems reduces the competition for food, so jellyfish thrive more than the fish species. 

Furthermore, they resist well to the effects of pollution and to the acidification of the oceans. 

They threaten to wipe out marine biodiversity. 

FISH AT RISK. Be part of the change.

There are some fish in such deep trouble that need special attention: Greenpeace has listed the most serious ones in a Red List. They are on this list because of several reasons: they reproduce in a way that makes the very vulnerable to overfishing and is little or no data available to show that the stocks are healthy or that they are being fished at a sustainable rate; they are often sources from overfished and depleted stocks, or are being fished at such a high rate that stocks are being depleted rapidly; the fishing methods used to catch the fish are often highly destructive to other oceans creatures and/or habitats. 

Some species which are at particular risk are the anglerfish (or monkfish or goosefish), the Patagonian toothfish (or Chilean seabass), the sharks, the skates and rays. There are lots of other species in danger and you can find them by clicking on this link http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/campaigns/oceans/seafood/red-list-of-species/. 

We all can do something to help the situation change, for example by buying fish from retailers and restaurants that have made a clear public commitment to sourcing and selling better fish. 
We all can be part of the change. 

The Swedish National Heritage...NATURE!

Love for nature unites and characterizes all the inhabitants of Sweden. 
The Swedish territory is vast and nature plays a fundamental role. In Sweden, breathtaking views, pure water, clean air and great outdoors are available to everybody, even just outside the big cities. 

Thanks to its extension, Sweden has a wide range of territories and landscapes. 
Probably the most known is the the northernmost, the Lapp highlands, thanks to their natural phenomena: the midnight sun in summer and the aurora borealis in winter. 

All around Sweden there are forests where you'll find relax and peace. The activities that can be done are many: raft rides, fishing, animal watching, biking. 
The seascape of the archipelagos offers fantastic views, as well as the hills and the flowery fields of Skane. 

Sweden gives you the unique chance to combine urban attractions and nature experiences in an only (even short) holiday. 

Safari...made in Sweden!

When you hear the word "safari" you immediately think of the great African savannas, of the elephant, rhino and lion watching...

However, for some years in Sweden has been launched a new safari concept. Indeed, in this country there's still the chance to observe immense forests and its beautiful inhabitants which once characterized whole Europe. 

Today, lots of tour operators and local guides organize these Scandinavian safaris to let the nature lovers observe bears, elks, wolves and lynx. The tours of lakes, rivers and archipelagos are also very popular: there you can sight fantastic water animals like otters, beavers, seals and porpoises. 
Finally, also birdwatching and butterfly-watching are having increasingly success. 

What to say...you just have to go! 

(Thanks to Lorenzo S. for helping me writing this post)

The cruel story of the moonbears.

In China, Vietnam and Korea the moonbears (so called for a white stain in the shape of the moon on their breast) are abused and tortured to extract their precious bile, used in the Asian traditional pharmaceutical. 

IN CHINA...
In the past, bears were hunted and killed in their habitat but at the end of the 1980s the government decided to set up the bile farms, where the substance is taken from living bears. 
They extract the bile with a technique named "free-dripping": a hole (which is always open) is created in the abdomen of the animal and through it the bile drips out. This is totally inhuman and it provokes unimaginable pain to the bear and a high death rate in the farms, where the moonbears are kept in small cages. 

IN VIETNAM...
The moonbears are subjected to an indefinite number of cruel treatments. Some of them undergo surgeries every two or three months and they often die after three or four surgical operations. 
Bears usually have long needles inserted in the gall bladders to pump out the bile. They are drugged with Ketamine, which is illegal. All of this often leads to the dispersion of bile and to a slow and painful death caused by the peritonitis. 

IN KOREA...
There are only 30 specimens left in the wild. 
In 1992 the bile farms have been forbidden by the Korean government, but there are still 108 left where more than 1300 moonbears are locked. 
The Koreans are among the largest consumers of gallbladders and bear bile and this has created a rich black market between Korea and China.