All articles tagged with #protected species
Angel Reese publicly thanked the WNBA for suspending coach Sandy Brondello over the 'protected species' remark, calling it discrimination and saying there’s no place for hate in the league. Brondello apologized, explained the phrase is common in Australia, and sought to explain herself, while Reese noted accountability and moving forward, though debates over racial intent and interpretation of the remark persisted.
Norway's Directorate of Fisheries has urged people and boaters to avoid contact with a harness-wearing beluga whale, dubbed the "spy" whale, recently spotted in a fjord near Oslo. The whale is known to follow boats and is a protected species in Norway. The harness has prompted many theories, including that the whale escaped a Russian naval base in the Murmansk region and had been "trained to spy" on Norway. The Directorate of Fisheries is rejecting the idea of capturing the whale and putting it behind barriers, and promised to monitor the whale's movements.
Badgers burrowing under railway tracks in the Netherlands have caused cancellations and line closures, affecting train services in the north and south of the country. The line between Den Bosch and Boxtel was closed on Tuesday after the mammals dug under the tracks. Badgers are a protected species, and train operators need permission to move them or disturb their habitat. The problem could take a significant amount of time to tackle, and railway workers are planning to build a sandy hillock where the badgers can dig their homes.
Train services between Den Bosch and Eindhoven have been cancelled for at least a week due to badgers burrowing under the tracks, causing the risk of collapse. The badgers are a protected species, so permission is needed to act. Passengers will have to use an alternative route or buses. This is the second time in a week that badgers have caused train disruptions due to tunneling under the tracks. ProRail is in emergency talks with the infrastructure ministry to find a solution.