Mt Parnitha’s wildlife drive
The organization set up to protect the Mount Parnitha national park, one of Attica’s few remaining expanses of forest greenery, yesterday hosted an event at the foot of the mountain to raise public awareness about the diverse forms of wildlife it accommodates. The Parnitha national park, whose nucleus alone covers 3,800 hectares, is home to 42 of Greece’s 116 types of mammals, including rare species such as the red deer – of which only 400 remain in the country – as well as hares, badgers, skunks and foxes, the event’s organizers said yesterday on the occasion of World Animal Day. Birds nesting on Parnitha include the hoopoe. Environment and Public Works Minister Giorgos Souflias, who attended the event, stressed that the government was taking action to preserve the national park, a protected area since 1961.
