Athens News Agency: News in English, 10-05-11

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From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] Rare migratory Rosy Pelicans released back into the wild

[02] ASE opening: Decline

[01] Rare migratory Rosy Pelicans released back into the wild

The pelicans were released back into the wild after being found last year in a state of exhaustion during their migration to Africa for the winter, and wintered at the EKPAZ, better known as the Hellenic Wildlife Hospital (HWH), on the island of Aegina.

The White Pelican is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies. Greece signed the AEWA agreement on May 14, 1998.

The AEWA is the largest treaty of its kind developed under the Bonn Convention. It was concluded on June 16, 1995 in The Hague, and entered into force on November 1, 1999.

The AEWA, an independent international treaty, covers 235 species of birds ecologically dependent on wetlands for at least part of their annual cycle.

The rosy pelican is discerned from a bare pink facial patch around the eye and pinkish legs, while the male of the species has a more pinkish skin on his face during the breeding season.

The species is threatened globally by habitat destruction through drainage, the divergence of rivers for irrigation, agriculture development, industry and hunting.

The Lesser Prespa Lake hosts the only breeding colony of the Great White Pelican in the European Union, and since the Lesser Prespa area was designated a National Park in 1974 and prohibition of pelican hunting throughout all of Greece in 1977, pelicans enjoy a safe and risk-free environment in the country. Lake Kerkini is also a favored breeding site.

The Pelecanus onocrotalus roseus, or Rodopelekanos (meaning 'rosy pelican' in Greek) arrive in Greece in mid-March and settle in small breeding colonies. The female lays two eggs, while incubation lasts about 33 days. The chicks leave the nest at about one month old, and complete feathering and independence at 65-70 days.

[02] ASE opening: Decline

Individual sector indices were moving mostly downward, with the biggest gains in Food, up 2.11 percent; and Commerce, up 0.69 percent.

The biggest losses were in Chemicals, down 2.10 percent; and Financial Services, down 1.81 percent.

The FTSE/ASE 20 index for blue chip and heavily traded stocks was down 0.98 percent, the FTSE/ASE MID 40 index was down 0.56 percent, and the FTSE/ASE-80 small cap index was down 0.86 percent.

Of the stocks traded, 19 were up, 62 were down, and 16 were unchanged.

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