22 May 2013
22/05/2013- With various events, today was marked 22 May, the International Day for Biodiversity. The central activity, organized by the Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Development, was held at the Hunting Reserve in Blinajë, Lipjan. On this occasion, the importance and values of biodiversity were discussed, and a documentary film on the Biodiversity of Kosovo was also presented. Representatives of the MoESP and MAFRD spoke about the commitments of the respective ministries in preserving biodiversity in particular, as well as in forest protection and the management of protected areas.
In another activity being carried out also on the occasion of this day, the professional teams of the Vier Pfoten foundation, accompanied by KFOR, the Environmental Inspectorate, and experts from the Kosovo Institute for Nature Protection, as well as with the support of the Kosovo Police, have continued the action to remove bears from mini-zoological gardens. Today it is planned that two bears currently held by the NGO Shqiponja in Prizren will be transported to the brown bear shelter in Badovec. Meanwhile, tomorrow the action will continue with the transportation of the other two bears that are held in the mini-zoological garden of the Freskia restaurant in Gërmia Park in Prishtina.
The initiative has sparked great interest from foreign media. To cover this activity in Kosovo, several teams from national media from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland arrived today. According to the Kosovo Institute for Nature Protection, which operates within the framework of the Kosovo Environmental Protection Agency, dozens of other bears held by restaurants and various owners across Kosovo have also been documented. During this year, all these bears will be placed in the shelter established near Badovc Lake. This will be made possible thanks to the cooperation agreement signed between the Ministry of Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure and the Vier Pfoten Animal Protection Foundation.