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Sea Lions Take Advantage of Lockdown to Rest in Streets

Sea lions are seen on a street of Mar del Plata harbor during the lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, in Mar del Plata, some 400 km south of Buenos Aires, Argentina | AFP.
Sea lions are seen on a street of Mar del Plata harbor during the lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, in Mar del Plata, some 400 km south of Buenos Aires, Argentina | AFP.
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Sea Lions Take Advantage of Lockdown to Rest in Streets

Sea lions are seen on a street of Mar del Plata harbor during the lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, in Mar del Plata, some 400 km south of Buenos Aires, Argentina | AFP.
Sea lions are seen on a street of Mar del Plata harbor during the lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, in Mar del Plata, some 400 km south of Buenos Aires, Argentina | AFP.

Sea lions, often seen on the shores of South Latin America, took advantage of isolation measures imposed on humans by the emerging coronavirus to relax in the resort of Mar del Plata on the west coast of Argentina, AFP reported.

Vacationers used to see the sea lions on the coast of the city of 750 thousand people, located 400 kilometers southwest of Buenos Aires, but they are investing this opportunity to go further on land. They can now be seen playing in the parking lots or in front of closed souvenir shops.

"Because of the house quarantine, the streets are empty of people, so sea lions ventured to move away a little from their usual place," said Juan Lorenzani, president of the Fona Argentina Foundation.

These mammals are accustomed to the hustle and bustle of the city, which welcomes thousands of tourists all year round, and is now enjoying an unprecedented calm since 20 March, when forced isolation was imposed on 44 million Argentines.

"These animals weigh between 350 and 500 kilograms of the largest size," Lorenzani said, explaining that they have the ability to control the temperature of their bodies and seek protection from the wind.

Commenting on the issue, Jorge Persio said, as he went shopping, "This is unusual! The animals are taking advantage of the situation to enjoy more comfort."

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More Than 100 Vultures Die in a Mass Poisoning in South Africa’s Flagship National Park 

A pair of Cape vultures is seen in their enclosure at the Vulture Program at Boekenhoutkloof near Hartbeespoort Dam, South Africa, Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2011. (AP)
A pair of Cape vultures is seen in their enclosure at the Vulture Program at Boekenhoutkloof near Hartbeespoort Dam, South Africa, Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2011. (AP)
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More Than 100 Vultures Die in a Mass Poisoning in South Africa’s Flagship National Park 

A pair of Cape vultures is seen in their enclosure at the Vulture Program at Boekenhoutkloof near Hartbeespoort Dam, South Africa, Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2011. (AP)
A pair of Cape vultures is seen in their enclosure at the Vulture Program at Boekenhoutkloof near Hartbeespoort Dam, South Africa, Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2011. (AP)

At least 123 vultures died in South Africa's flagship national park after eating the carcass of an elephant that was poisoned by poachers with agricultural pesticides, park authorities and an animal conservation group said Thursday.

Another 83 vultures that were rescued from the site and transported for treatment by helicopter or a special vulture ambulance were recovering.

The mass poisoning was one of the worst seen in the famous Kruger National Park in northern South Africa, said SANParks, the national parks agency.

Vultures are key to wildlife ecosystems because of the clean up work they do feeding on the carcasses of dead animals. But that also makes them especially vulnerable to poisoning by poachers, either intentionally or as a result of the killing of other animals. Hundreds of vultures typically feed on a carcass.

The elephant had been poisoned by poachers in a remote part of the huge park to harvest its body parts for the illegal wildlife trade, SANParks and the Endangered Wildlife Trust said.

Many vulture species are endangered in Africa because of poisoning and other threats to them. The affected birds in Kruger included Cape vultures, endangered lappet-faced vultures and critically-endangered white-backed and hooded vultures.

“This horrific incident is part of a broader crisis unfolding across southern Africa: the escalating use of poisons in wildlife poaching,” SANParks and the Endangered Wildlife Trust said in their joint statement. “Poachers increasingly use agricultural toxins to target high-value species.”

The Kruger National Park covers approximately 20,000 square kilometers (7,722 square miles) and is nearly twice the size of small countries like Jamaica and Qatar.

Rangers say they face a daily battle to guard species like rhinos, elephants and lions from poachers.

Vulture conservation organization Vulpro, which was not involved in the rescue, said the poisoning came at the start of the breeding season and many other birds that weren't found at the site could still be affected.