Eco Minute 13:30

BULLETIN 20 February 1:30 pm

Good afternoon, here is your Eco Minute:

# The Cape Winelands District Municipality’s Fire Services is continuing to battle a wildfire in the Wellington area. The municipality’s spokesperson, Jo-Anne Otto, says the fire lines above Rooshoek and Oaklands farms caused a few problems in the night, but teams were able to prevent property damage. She says at Foxenberg, landowners assisted in creating fire breaks to prevent the fire from moving down onto farmland:

# Australian authorities have euthanised about 90 false killer whales which survived a mass stranding on a remote beach in Tasmania. A team of experts at the site say complex conditions have made it impossible to save them. They were part of a pod of 157 whales that had beached near Arthur River, in the island’s north-west. The rest had died shortly after the stranding. False killer whales are technically one of the world’s largest dolphin species and can grow up to six-metres and weigh 1.5-tonnes.

# And finally: Authorities in one of the Philippines’ most densely populated urban centres are offering a cash reward for mosquitoes in an attempt to stop the spread of dengue fever. Village chief Carlito Cernal of Barangay Addition Hills in central Manila announced the bounty of less than two American cents for every five mosquitoes or their larvae. Cernal told the BBC 21 people have already claimed rewards, bringing in 700 mosquitoes and larvae. Dengue fever is endemic to tropical countries, and outbreaks often occur in urban areas with poor sanitation.

Stay tuned for more news………….