Costa Rica considers unfeasible a total prohibition on the hunting of whales

Taken from: www.nacion.com

The government of Costa Rica doesn’t believe that a total prohibition on whale hunting is possible.

"There are countries that insist on the need to take advantage of the whale commercially, killing it. If it were possible, we would support a total prohibition to the hunt, but we know that there are countries that live on the whale in aboriginal forms. We understand this and we would exclude these isolated cases." told the minister of Environment, Jorge Rodriguez to the news agency AP.

Costa Rica will participate in the next meeting of the International Whaling Commission (CBI) to fight for the conservation of these animals, whose tourism sightings create over $5 million in income every year.

"We are going to call attention to this theme because we are convinced that a live whale (in the case of Costa Rica) is worth more than a dead one. In our country the sighting of whales generates us an income of almost $5 million annually, and is an activity that is currently booming", commented Rodriguez.

The Minister recalled that Costa Rica forms part of the Tropical Marine Runner of the East, which serves as a "sanctuary" to the whales and other species. Other countries that are members are Panama, Colombia and Ecuador.

In Costa Rican waters approximately five species of whales, among them the hunchback, come to mate every year.

Avalanches fall from the Arenal Volcano

Taken from: www.nacion.com

Avalanches slid down from the slopes of the Arenal volcano this Tuesday June 16^th sometime around 4:30 PM and to the 4:35 PM. This motivated the national park personnel to evacuate 25 tourists. Carlos Álvarez, park ranger in this protected area, confirmed that there were a couple flows of piroclastic material.

It was also reported that ash fell in parking lot area. Piroclastic material is the name that is given to the clouds of ash or fragments of lava, that also include vapor or gases, which descend from the cone in the shape of avalanches.

Rebeca Madrigal, from the National Commission of Emergencies (CNE), declared that that it isn’t necessary to be in a state of alert and that the towns in the outskirts of the Arenal volcano are safe from any avalanches.

In April, the National Seismologic Network (NSN) notified that there existed some possibilities of lava flow and other activities in the volcano. Meanwhile, the Ovsicori ruled out yesterday that an eruption of ash had been produced in the Turrialba Volcano.

Experts from the National University rushed to the volcano after receiving a notification from a park ranger of the nearby Irazú Volcano. The notification alerted the authorities. Officials of Ovsicori and of the CNE displaced quickly to the Irazú and Turrialba Volcanoes.

The experts were afraid that the ash preceded an eventual eruption of great magnitude. In such case they would have to order the evacuation of hundreds of people; and also of cattle, because of the proximity to the volcano. Nevertheless, the events were not as suspected.

ICT will be sponsoring Latin American Idol

Taken from: www.nacion.com

The Costa Rican Institute of Tourism (ICT) will be one of the sponsors of the fourth edition of Latin American Idol; spokesmen of the company confirmed this.

September 9th will be the day when the first program goes on the air. This is when the viewers of Latin America will watch advertisings and announcements on the countless beauties of our small country.

ICT estimates that nearly 35 million homes in the entire region will see these promotional commercials of Costa Rica. Latin American Idol will include 28 emissions and the final will be in December in Argentina. This program will also air in the Costa Rican channel, Repretel Channel 11.

The contract for this sponsorship was signed some time ago between the ICT and Sony Entertainment Television, a media corporation that owns other channels as National Geographic, History Channel and AXN.

In this last channel, AXN, the ICT sponsors the contest "Your Lost Theory". This contest will reward the winner and three of his/her companions with a trip for four days to Costa Rica with all the paid expenses. The name of the winner will be named the first week of July.