عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Varieties

Massive Effort to Save 13th Century Castle in France

An aerial view of the ruined castle of La Mothe-Chandeniers in Les Trois-Moutiers, France, on November 3, 2017. Guillaume Souvant / AFP
An aerial view of the ruined castle of La Mothe-Chandeniers in Les Trois-Moutiers, France, on November 3, 2017. Guillaume Souvant / AFP
TT
TT

Massive Effort to Save 13th Century Castle in France

An aerial view of the ruined castle of La Mothe-Chandeniers in Les Trois-Moutiers, France, on November 3, 2017. Guillaume Souvant / AFP
An aerial view of the ruined castle of La Mothe-Chandeniers in Les Trois-Moutiers, France, on November 3, 2017. Guillaume Souvant / AFP

Thousands of French nationals joined hands to save a 13th-century crumbling castle, reported the BBC.

The “La Mothe-Chandeniers” in the town of Les Trois-Moutiers, west of France, was conquered by British troops twice, and destroyed during the French Revolution. It was also damaged by a fire in 1930 following a full restoration.

Finally, some 6,500 people donated at least €51 each via internet to collect €500,000 and buy the castle again.

Under the new contract, each contributor has been considered an owner of the castle, which was purchased on December 1 by a site dedicated to the preservation of cultural heritage in cooperation with the cultural organization “Adopting the Castle” that organized a collective fundraiser campaign.

On a Facebook page established to promote the campaign, organizers said that nearly 13,000 people liked the page.

People from 45 nationalities have participated in this effort, and have become stakeholders in a monument of French heritage.

The owners will not be the first to visit the castle in 2018, but they will contribute to decisions on how to implement the restoration, and will be able to track progress through an online platform. The castle is surrounded by a trench and features its ornate balconies and arches.

Most Viewed

 
 
Varieties

New Zealanders Save More Than 30 Stranded Whales by Lifting Them on Sheets

Rescuers and volunteers try to save killer whales stranded at the mouth of the Bolshaya Vorovskaya River at the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk, on the Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia October 2, 2024. Head of the Sobolevsky Municipal District of the Kamchatka Region Andrei Vorovskiy via VK/Handout via REUTERS
Rescuers and volunteers try to save killer whales stranded at the mouth of the Bolshaya Vorovskaya River at the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk, on the Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia October 2, 2024. Head of the Sobolevsky Municipal District of the Kamchatka Region Andrei Vorovskiy via VK/Handout via REUTERS
TT
TT

New Zealanders Save More Than 30 Stranded Whales by Lifting Them on Sheets

Rescuers and volunteers try to save killer whales stranded at the mouth of the Bolshaya Vorovskaya River at the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk, on the Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia October 2, 2024. Head of the Sobolevsky Municipal District of the Kamchatka Region Andrei Vorovskiy via VK/Handout via REUTERS
Rescuers and volunteers try to save killer whales stranded at the mouth of the Bolshaya Vorovskaya River at the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk, on the Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia October 2, 2024. Head of the Sobolevsky Municipal District of the Kamchatka Region Andrei Vorovskiy via VK/Handout via REUTERS

More than 30 pilot whales that stranded themselves on a beach in New Zealand were safely returned to the ocean after conservation workers and residents helped to refloat them by lifting them on sheets. Four of the pilot whales died, New Zealand’s conservation agency said.
New Zealand is a whale stranding hotspot and pilot whales are especially prolific stranders.
A team was monitoring Ruakākā Beach near the city of Whangārei in New Zealand’s north on Monday to ensure there were no signs of the whales saved Sunday stranding again, the Department of Conservation told The Associated Press. The agency praised as “incredible” the efforts made by hundreds of people to help save the foundering pod.
“It’s amazing to witness the genuine care and compassion people have shown toward these magnificent animals,” Joel Lauterbach, a Department of Conservation spokesperson, said in a statement. “This response demonstrates the deep connection we all share with our marine environment.”
A Māori cultural ceremony for the three adult whales and one calf that died in the stranding took place on Monday. New Zealand’s Indigenous people consider whales a taonga — a sacred treasure — of cultural significance.
New Zealand has recorded more than 5,000 whale strandings since 1840. The largest pilot whale stranding was of an estimated 1,000 whales at the Chatham Islands in 1918, according to the Department of Conservation.
It's often not clear why strandings happen but the island nation's geography is believed to be a factor. Both the North and South Islands feature stretches of protruding coastline with shallow, sloping beaches that can confuse species such as pilot whales — which rely on echolocation to navigate.