Public encouraged to protect ‘harmless’ fried egg jellyfish which feeds on other jellyfish

Aug 27 2022

While Malta has experienced an influx of jellyfish species in domestic waters this summer, one must understand the importance of differentiating between species and knowing which ones are dangerous and which ones are not.

A local sea life enthusiast took to a specialised Facebook group to share that the ‘fried egg’ jellyfish species is harmless and has no sting, meaning that it should be left alone and protected. Moreover, the fried egg species also feeds on other species of jellyfish which may cause harm, which is why it is important for beachgoers and sea lovers to educated themselves and leave sea life habitats untouched.

This year’s drop in marine temperatures has led to a jellyfish ‘invasion’ in Maltese waters, together with a number of other countries, as the species’ development cycle took longer because of the colder-than-average sea temperatures.

For more information on how to spot the different types of jellyfish species, you can take a look at the MedJellyRisk manual, which was produced with the e financial assistance of the European Union under the ENPI CBC Mediterranean Sea Basin Programme.

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Hedgehog illegally kept as a pet retrieved by Wildlife Rescue Team

Aug 27 2022

The Wildlife Rescue Team, responsible for protection of wild animals, has saved a hedgehog which was reportedly being kept illegally as a pet.

The team received a phone call stating that an injured hedgehog was found in the middle of the road, with volunteers finding that the 2.2 kilogram hedgehog is the heaviest one ever saved. Normally weighing between 800 grams and 1 kilograms, the hedgehog’s excess weight shows that it was being kept as a pet with a lot of food and little to no exercise.

Aptly named ‘Garfield’, the hedgehog is being tended to by veterinaries, both for his excessive weight and his back legs which can no longer support his body.

The Wildlife Rescue Team encouraged the public to not keep hedgehogs and other wild animals as pets as this is dangerous for the animals and illegal.

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Majority of Maltese citizens struggling with loneliness, study finds

Aug 27 2022

A recent study by the University of Malta suggests that most Maltese citizens have felt a sense of loneliness in 2022, seeing an increase by 11% over a period of three years.

The study found that 54.6 percent of Maltese citizens experience loneliness, a sharp increase to the 43.5% of three years ago – the results of which had emerged from a study held by the Faculty for Social Wellbeing.

The study was carried out by faculty dean Andrew Azzopardi, Professor Marilyn Clark and research support officers Jamie Bonnici and Annabel Cuff, who also suggest that while the COVID-19 pandemic marked a significant shift, it is not the whole story.

Azzopardi suggests that while the pandemic did expose society to such realities, factors such as shifts in family dynamics, lack of community services, unsupported family models, over-dedication to work, growing poverty and others contributed to the aforementioned findings in a major way.

This year’s study aims to measure loneliness in Malta based on the De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale developed by sociologist Jenny Gierveld through a set of binary questions. The survey sample include only Maltese citizens and not foreign nationals, which now comprise over 20% of Malta’s population. Of the sample, the 54.6% amounts to around 200,000 people with 4.6% – or around 17,000 people – expressing feelings of severe loneliness.

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Valletta player rushes from pitch to hospital to welcome newborn baby with wife

Aug 27 2022

Valletta midfielder Triston Caruana was just about to head down for his pre-match warm-up when he received a call that his baby boy is on the way, with the player rushing from the pitch to Mater Dei to welcome his son in the world alongside his wife.

“I was just about to go down for warm-up but you had other plans”, Caruana wrote before welcoming newborn Santiago into the world together with his wife Dorianne.

Caruana was not only set to play in Valletta’s match against Pieta Hostpurs’, but was also included in the starting 11 before he received the great news that his child was on the way.

Hundreds took to the comments section to congratulate the happy couple on the new addition to their family on Caruana’s most recent post.

Congratulations!

#MaltaDaily