SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, December 26 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Cabildo of Tenerife carried out 3,254 rescues during the campaign to collect juvenile Cory’s shearwaters this year. Due to light pollution, a high number of juvenile shearwaters, especially on new moon nights, lose their way towards the sea and fall to the ground, being unable to take flight on their own. In some cases, some suffer injuries that must be treated in La Tahonilla.
The initiative of the Natural Environment area, in which the Office of Environmental Participation and Volunteering collaborates, is coordinated by the Wildlife Recovery Center ‘La Tahonilla’ and aims to rescue juvenile specimens of injured shearwaters that fall disoriented on their first night flight dazzled by the flashes of the lights near the coast.
The Minister of Natural Environment, Sustainability and Security and Emergencies, Blanca Pérez, recently attended the presentation of the results of this campaign. “It is an initiative in which citizens play a fundamental role, as well as Civil Protection associations, to which we reiterate our gratitude,” she indicated.
The counselor explained that through the ‘The First Trip’ initiative they have incorporated 35 hotels in this campaign, “which is an important step for everyone because 72% of the incidents are registered in the most touristic municipalities. We are going to continue working on this line for the next campaigns”.
The Atlantic population of Cory’s shearwater (Calonectris diomedea borealis or Calonectris borealis) is included in the List of Wild Species under Special Protection Regime and in the Red Book as Vulnerable, in addition to being included in Annex I of the Birds Directive. This protected species is one of the largest seabirds in Spain and the largest shearwater in Europe. It is migratory, although it breeds and resides on our coasts most of the year (from February to November).
The campaign has the collaboration of the city councils, Local Police, Seprona of the Civil Guard, Civil Protection Groups, Cecopal of Santa Cruz and the Emergency and Security Coordinating Center (Cecoes). Likewise, different volunteer entities collaborate such as ADAE, AEA, QRV Canarias Emergencies, SEO/BirdLife, Red Cross, ECAN, ‘In Situs’ Association, Rumbo Zydae and Asociación Excelencia Turistica.
In addition, the staff of the Insular Operational Coordination Center (Cecopin), Natural Spaces Guards and the Environmental Participation and Volunteering Office of the Cabildo also collaborate.
