Huge toll on fauna
A damaged house in Penteli, a suburb of northern Athens, following the deadly wildfire near the Greek capital on Sunday and Monday. Apart from the destruction to flora by this week’s wildfire, the toll on fauna was devastating, with animals and birds losing their habitats. “We are fed up with Penteli and the forests of Attica burning. We are losing the forest species, the birds that live in large mature trees and find their food there, such as the bamboo warbler and parakeets,” Lefteris Stavrakas, an associate of the Ornithological Society, told Kathimerini. “We also say goodbye to birds of prey that often nest in trees, such as the short-toed snake eagle. As for migratory birds, they will be forced to take a detour, which may be beyond their capabilities. Overall, the biodiversity of the area is becoming poorer, and Penteli has become buffeted. This is what happened to the Marathon lakeside forest, which was extremely rich in birds,” says Stavrakas.
