2. EARTHQUAKE IN LORCA
On 11th May 2011, a magnitude 5.1 Mw earthquake hit the
province of Murcia. It happened at 18:47 local time about 2.5 km
northeast Lorca, at a depth of only 1 km. This explains why the
capital city was the most affected zone.
The earthquake was preceded by a foreshock at 17:05, and at
least 8 aftershocks were reported. In total, 324 people were
injured and 9 were killed, including 2 pregnant women and a 14
year old boy. Besides this, thousands of people became
homeless, due to the terrible condition of their homes.
At present, 400 families still haven’t returned to their houses.
4. CANTABRIAN BROWN BEAR
These bears are normally very timid and always try to avoid human contact.
They measure around 1.6 - 2m in length, and male bears weight more than
female ones. This species can live for more or less 25-30 years in wild.
The Cantabrian brown bear has been protected since 1973 and it’s
catalogued on the Spanish Red List of Endangered Species as in danger of
extinction. This is the reason why there is a maximum fine of €300,000 for
killing a bear. The extinction of this species is mostly due to hunting and
habitat loss because of infrastucture building. Currently, there are up to
250 bears in the country, of which 25 live in the Pyrenees.
Cantabrian brown bears are Eurasian bears that live in the Cantabrian
Mountains in Spain. In most of the country, it is known as “Oso
Pardo”, while in Asturias they call it “Osu”.
