Egypt Saves 65 Endangered Birds, Animals

Lions sit in their cage at Safari Zoo Park in Mbrostar, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) south of Tirana, Thursday, Oct. 18, 2018. (AP Photo/Hektor Pustina)
Lions sit in their cage at Safari Zoo Park in Mbrostar, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) south of Tirana, Thursday, Oct. 18, 2018. (AP Photo/Hektor Pustina)
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Egypt Saves 65 Endangered Birds, Animals

Lions sit in their cage at Safari Zoo Park in Mbrostar, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) south of Tirana, Thursday, Oct. 18, 2018. (AP Photo/Hektor Pustina)
Lions sit in their cage at Safari Zoo Park in Mbrostar, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) south of Tirana, Thursday, Oct. 18, 2018. (AP Photo/Hektor Pustina)

The Egyptian authorities managed to rescue 65 endangered birds and animals that were found inside an "unlicensed" farm in the city of Aga (Delta Egypt).

According to a statement by the Egyptian Ministry of Interior, the Environment Department at the Dakahlia Security Directorate, in conjunction with the General Administration of Environment Police raided an unlicensed farm that was hiding 65 rare endangered wild birds and animals, along with 25 mummified birds and animals and a large number of reptiles.

This incident is not the first of its kind in Egypt. In September 2018, the security services in Al-Qalyubiyya Governorate (north of Cairo) seized five lions inside a farm located in a residential community in the city of Abu Zaabal. The animals were transferred to Giza Zoo, after several reports from the residents on roar sounds and unpleasant smells coming from the farm.

Many Egyptian non-governmental organizations work in preserving endangered animals in cooperation with government agencies. The Egyptian authorities recently released a rare marine turtle that lives in the Mediterranean Sea after seizing it with a dealer in Cairo before selling it.



Flights Cancelled to and from Indonesia’s Bali Due to Volcanic Ash

 Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki spews ash and smoke during an eruption as seen from Lewolaga village in Titihena, East Nusa Tenggara, on November 13, 2024. (AFP)
Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki spews ash and smoke during an eruption as seen from Lewolaga village in Titihena, East Nusa Tenggara, on November 13, 2024. (AFP)
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Flights Cancelled to and from Indonesia’s Bali Due to Volcanic Ash

 Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki spews ash and smoke during an eruption as seen from Lewolaga village in Titihena, East Nusa Tenggara, on November 13, 2024. (AFP)
Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki spews ash and smoke during an eruption as seen from Lewolaga village in Titihena, East Nusa Tenggara, on November 13, 2024. (AFP)

Several international airlines cancelled flights to and from Indonesia's resort island of Bali on Wednesday, after further eruptions of a volcano that has spewed ash clouds as high as 10 km (32,808 ft) and forced thousands to evacuate.

Jetstar and Qantas said they had stopped flights to Bali on Wednesday for safety reasons because of volcanic ash, while plane tracking website Flightradar24 showed flights to the island by AirAsia and Virgin were also cancelled.

Bali is Indonesia's top tourist hotspot and is a popular destination for Australian visitors.

The first eruption of the Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki on Nov. 3 in the East Nusa Tenggara province, about 800 km (497 miles) from Bali, killed at least nine people. It has since erupted repeatedly, including multiple times on Tuesday.

From Nov. 4 to Nov. 12, 80 flights in Bali were cancelled, including from Singapore, Hong Kong, and several Australian cities, said Ahmad Syaugi Shahab, general manager of Bali's Ngurah Rai airport.

Indonesia has close to 130 active volcanoes and sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire", an area of high seismic activity atop various tectonic plates.

The ash column from Mount Lewotobi has reached as high as 10 km and authorities have said sand fall has covered surrounding areas.