Albanian volunteers struggle to save scorched livestock as wildfires subside
SKENDERBEGAS, Albania - As wildfires raged across Albania last week, people were forced to flee for their lives, with no time to save their livestock.
Now the fires are subsiding, some volunteers are turning their attention to caring for the scorched animals.
Swiss national Maria Cristina Medina, who runs the Tierhilfe animal shelter, near the capital Tirana, watched on as a veterinarian administered antibiotics and applied lotion to a horse that sustained burns in Delvina – one of the worst affected towns in the south of the country.
'Delvina has a good chance to survive, as her lungs were not damaged, and she is fighting for her life,' Medina said. The injured horse, which now shares its name with the town, began eating and drinking after receiving treatment.
A donkey with burns is also under care.
Medina said she has received a steady stream of calls accompanied by photos of scorched animals, many of which ultimately had to be euthanised due to the extent of their injuries.
'I saw pictures of burned animals, and I cried and even threw up, but then I got back and carried on because they need my help,' Medina said.
She and her team later headed to the village of Skenderbegas, some two hours away from Tirana in the eastern part of the country, to check for more burned animals.
More than 30 houses and barns were destroyed in the village and evidence of devastation is stark, with the skeletons of goats, cows and donkeys scattered amid the ruins.
'The flames arrived so quickly. We were rushing to save the children, but I could not unchain the cow,' said Manjola Doci, whose one-month-pregnant cow suffered burns over large parts of its body.
One neighbour lost all 12 of his goats, another three cows, a profound loss in a region where such animals are often the primary means of food and transport for locals. REUTERS
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
4 hours ago
- Straits Times
Large flocks of parakeets a spectacle in Choa Chu Kang, but they may affect native species
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox A resident said the flocks of birds start taking flight at about 7am and return to the trees about 12 hours later in the evening. SINGAPORE – They could be mistaken as leaves on a tree at first glance, but a closer look reveals feathered creatures perched among the branches. Recent sightings of a huge flock of red-breasted parakeets in Choa Chu Kang have resurfaced attention to the bird situation in the estate. There have been reports of such sights in 2022 and 2023. These parakeets have been spotted on the almost-bare tree branches between Block 415 Choa Chu Kang Avenue 4 and Block 352 Choa Chu Kang Central, with at least 250 of them perched on one tree. Resident Lu Yixin said the flocks of birds start taking flight at about 7am and return to the trees about 12 hours later in the evening. 'They all fly off, group by group. It's a very beautiful sight and feels very organised. They will return in the evening when it just begins to get dark. They follow the same routine every day, like clockwork,' said the 25-year-old architecture student. 'I often reach home after dark and when I alight at the bus stop and see or hear the birds, there's this very nice feeling of returning home,' he added. Red-breasted parakeets are native to north-east India and South-east Asian places like Java, Bali and Indochina. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Singapore Parliament releases seating plan for 15th term: Find out who is sitting where Singapore Courier tip-off leads to HSA seizure of Kpods, drugs in Tampines and Grange Road raids Singapore Singapore students shine in Paris with record medal haul at history Olympiad Business Zoom opens new office in Marina Bay Singapore District judge signals sterner penalties for vaping offences, cites public concern Singapore Alleged vape seller faces new charge after he was found with more than 190 Kpods Singapore Playing down Tuaspring's energy business the core of Hyflux's investor relations strategy: Defence They were introduced here in the 1940s through the pet trade, and their population has become self-sustaining, with local breeding recorded. To date, they can be found in parks, gardens and scrubland across Singapore. The birds may be attractive, but experts said they may disrupt the local ecosystem. Mr Alan OwYong, committee member of the Nature Society Singapore (NSS) Bird Group, said the red-breasted parakeets compete for food and nest holes with native parakeets such as the long-tailed parakeets. Large flocks of these birds also create imbalance in the natural avian biodiversity due to their 'more aggressive' behaviour and 'wasteful' feeding habits, he added. The most directly impacted by this direct competition for the same resources would be the native long-tailed parakeet, which shares the same ecology as its red-breasted cousin, said Bird Society of Singapore's vice-president Raghav Narayanswamy. He added that more work will be needed to more precisely determine the effects of the red-breasted parakeets on the native long-tailed parakeets as well as other species. However, he added that the native long-tailed parakeets still do well in more wooded areas. For example, considerably more of them have been observed in the Central Catchment Nature Reserve than the red-breasted parakeets. This could be because the latter prefer more open habitats, and hence sighted more often in areas like housing board estates and parkland, he said. Dr Yong Ding Li, who coordinates NSS' annual count of introduced and native parrots in urban areas, said the red-breasted parakeet population in Singapore is estimated to be from 8,000 to 12,000. 'The large number of red-breasted parakeets indicates that they have been reproducing successfully in Singapore,' said Mr Tan Gim Cheong, vice-chairman of NSS' bird group. He added that these parakeets may affect the breeding of other native species. 'The red-breasted parakeet will chase away other birds from the tree-holes that they have set their sights on for nesting, which in turn means that they may have denied native birds the use of the tree-holes for the period that they are raising their young,' said Mr Tan. Red-breasted parakeets are native to north-east India and South-east Asian places like Java, Bali and Indochina. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI On why the red-breasted parakeets may have chosen to roost at Choa Chu Kang, Ms Veronica Foo, who chairs the NSS' bird group, said that they choose to roost at certain places that offer protection from predators and weather. 'They prefer familiar and safe places that have high perches or dense tree foliage in trees. In the absence of these, they will fly to look for other suitable roosting sites,' she said. She stressed that pet owners should be responsible and should not release non-native birds into the wild. 'They can populate quickly if the environment or habitat is suitable outnumbering of native species. It is also cruel when non-native birds are released and they starve or get predated if they are unable to find food or safe roost,' she added. The Straits Times has contacted National Parks Board (NParks) for more information.
Straits Times
12 hours ago
- Straits Times
US Navy transport ship on fire for 12 hours off Japan
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Two American sailors were treated for minor injuries from the fire, which broke out on the USS New Orleans on Aug 20. TOKYO – A fire on a US Navy ship off Japan was finally put out after 12 hours early on Aug 21, with Japanese ships spending most of the night dousing the blaze. Two American sailors were treated for minor injuries from the fire, which broke out on the USS New Orleans in the southern island of Okinawa on Aug 20, the US 7th Fleet said in a statement. 'The cause of the fire is currently under investigation… New Orleans' crew will remain aboard the ship,' it said. The 208.4m, 24,433-ton amphibious transport dock ship is anchored off the White Beach Naval Facility. Japan's Coast Guard said that, initially, the US military sought assistance from Japan, but then cancelled the request before then renewing it around 7.30pm (6.30pm Singapore time). Four Japanese vessels – from the Coast Guard, the navy and private contractors – spent the night dousing the blaze, spokesman Tetsuhiro Azumahiga said. The United States has around 54,000 military personnel stationed in Japan, mostly on Okinawa. BLOOMBERG
Straits Times
a day ago
- Straits Times
Aid groups say shelter materials are still not entering Gaza
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox FILE PHOTO: Trucks carrying humanitarian aid line up near the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Rafah, Egypt, August 13, 2025. REUTERS/Stringer/File photo GENEVA - International aid groups say they have not yet been able to deliver shelter materials to Gaza despite Israeli authorities saying they have lifted restrictions on such supplies, and warn that further delays could cause more Palestinian deaths. Aid organisations say Israel had in effect been blocking the delivery of materials for shelters for nearly six months, with tent poles previously listed among items Israeli authorities considered could have a military as well as civilian use. With international concern over the plight of Palestinians mounting as the war in Gaza continues, Israel announced measures last month to let more aid into Gaza and said on Saturday that it would start allowing shelter materials in from the next day. But officials from five aid groups, including U.N. agencies, told Reuters that shelter materials needed by large numbers of displaced Palestinians were still not reaching Gaza and blamed Israeli bureaucratic hurdles. "The United Nations and our partners been able to bring in shelter materials following the Israeli announcement," the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), spokesperson Jens Laerke said. "There's a set of impediments that still needs to be addressed, including Israeli customs clearance." CARE International, ShelterBox and the Norwegian Refugee Council also said they had not yet received any authorisation to deliver shelter materials. Another international NGO, which declined to be identified, said it had been unable to deliver such supplies but was trying to get clearance. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore 18 persons nabbed and 82 vapes seized in HSA ops in Raffles Place and Haji Lane Singapore Woman trapped between train doors: Judge rules SBS Transit '100% responsible' Singapore Religion growing in importance for S'poreans: IPS study Life 'Loss that's irreplaceable': Local film-makers mourn closure of Singapore indie cinema The Projector Singapore COE premiums up in all categories except motorcycles; Cat A price climbs 2.5% to $104,524 Singapore Nearly 2 years' jail, caning for man caught with at least 100 sexually explicit videos of children Singapore MyRepublic's policy of not imposing download speed limits to stay after takeover: StarHub Singapore Grab users in Singapore shocked by fares of over $1,000 due to display glitch Over 1.3 million Gazans lack tents, the United Nations said this month, and more people are expected to be displaced by an Israeli operation to seize Gaza City. COGAT, the Israeli military agency that coordinates aid, did not immediately respond to Reuters questions. It has previously said it invests considerable efforts to ensure aid reaches Gaza and has denied restricting supplies. After nearly two years of war, many displaced Palestinians are living in the rubble of their homes or in tents. "Life in the tent is no life at no proper bathroom, not even a decent place to sit. We end up sitting in the street, suffocating in the heat," 55-year-old Ibrahim Tabassi said in the southern Gazan city of Khan Younis. He shares his cramped tent, made from tarpaulin sheets and scrap metal, with nine other family members. Clothes and pots hang inside. Another Gaza resident, Sanaa Abu Jamous, said that she, like many other Gazans, had been using the same tattered tent throughout the war. "My tent is extremely worn out," she said. DELIVERIES VIA KEREM SHALOM CROSSING Israel said on Saturday that deliveries of materials for shelters would be allowed via the Kerem Shalom Crossing with Israel but would have to undergo security inspections. The Red Cross told Reuters it had received permission from COGAT to bring in shelter materials from what is known as the Jordanian corridor to Kerem Shalom, but that many challenges remain. CARE International said it had received no confirmation that the change in policy had been enacted. The Norwegian Refugee Council, a humanitarian organisation, said it had applied for permission to deliver 3,000 tents across Gaza, including the north, but had not yet received a reply. Many aid groups are resisting Israeli demands - under measures imposed in March - to register because it means disclosing personal information about Palestinian staff. COGAT says the mechanism is a security screening intended to ensure aid goes directly to the population rather than to the Palestinian militant group Hamas. ShelterBox's regional director, Haroon Altaf, said granting permission to only a select number of aid groups would not meet demand for shelter materials. "If it's only a handful of organisations that can bring shelter aid in, it doesn't really change much and it's deeply concerning. People are going to die because of it," he said. REUTERS
