The Ramírez Cerdá Park, a traditional meeting place for the people of Lanzarote, and especially for the residents of Arrecife, not only has the benches and the ground covered with excrement and heron feathers, but in recent days, even a dead bird has appeared. The culprit is an aerial tenant who in recent times has seen its population grow to the point that they are no longer welcome. Health reports made with the samples taken have determined that in the area "there is a danger to public health", according to the City Council. Therefore, the park is closed to the public.
And it is that, since approximately six years ago the first pair of herons that "nested in front of the Casa de la Cultura Agustín de la Hoz" was installed, according to one of the residents, the birds do not seem to want to follow the designs marked by the political representatives of the capital City Council and the Island Council who intend, without success, to move them to a new location in the city.
The plan, according to the Councilor for Neighborhoods and Cleaning in the Arrecife City Council, Antonio Machín, is to transfer the more than a hundred heron specimens, which 'presumably' inhabit the Ramírez Cerdá park, to a cage installed in the vicinity of the Cabildo, (what was the old cemetery of the city), in which currently live around 30 specimens, according to the information provided by the technician of the First Institution. The Cabildo already committed in the past to cover the trees of the park with a net held by metal structures to facilitate the expulsion of the birds, but to date it has not yet been installed. "We closed the park to the public because the Cabildo told us that they already had the net to place it, but a month has passed and we don't know anything about anything," said the capital councilor.
For its part, from the Ministry of the Environment, at the beginning of the week, they assured that the delay was due to the fact that they were waiting to receive the favorable report to install the structures with their tensioners for the placement of the net, because according to the technicians of the Cabildo, "the trees of the promenade are very old and we do not want to risk placing the structures badly and that some of the trees are damaged by it", they reported through the press office. Subsequently, the plan had changed, although until now they have not found the best solution to a problem that is delayed in time.
Neighbors tired of waiting
Meanwhile, and for as long as the wait lasts, the residents and merchants of the area despair. The problem goes back in time "at least six years", says a young resident of Arrecife. "The patios and terraces of the houses are covered with heron feathers and it's disgusting," complains another. But the residents of the island are not the only ones who suffer the consequences of the dirty state of the area. Those who visit the city for the first time also notice the situation. "It doesn't seem like they pay attention to the park," commented an Andalusian tourist when passing through the area. "We really like animals, but it is well known that to have animals, even at home, one must take greater care in their cleaning," explains another tourist who arrived from Vitoria with his wife and daughter. "We will walk somewhere else," he concluded resigned.
Among the complaints of the neighbors, rumors are also heard: "The man who cleaned the park is on sick leave due to an illness he has contracted from having contact with the excrement," says one of the neighbors. Something that the City Council denies having knowledge of and assures that there are several operators, and not just one, who, equipped with pressurized water machinery and water pumps, are usually in charge of cleaning the area.
The park without sweeping
Currently, the park, which is closed to the public, has an appearance of total abandonment. And the problem now lies with the company in charge of cleaning. "From Urbaser they inform us that the operators are having difficulties cleaning the area better because the park is fenced," says Machín. Therefore, for the moment, "we cannot do anything else, because to do the cleaning we have to remove the fence but we cannot remove it because the health reports do not allow us to," he concludes. The dog biting its tail, and in the end, the park without sweeping.
Four dead herons appear
During the last week, at least four birds have appeared dead in the vicinity of the Ramírez Cerdá park. Something that aggravates, if possible, the scarce healthiness that the reports with which the City Council has already determined, which recommended closing the park to the public because it poses a "risk to public health". In fact, according to the Councilor for Cleaning, "we will surely have to expand the fence because we have requested new reports and we cannot risk someone getting sick from contact with the dirt," he says.
To date, several types of herons live in the Ramírez Cerdá park, such as the little egret (Egretta garzetta) and the cattle egret (Bulbucus Ibis), and both species are classified as of "special interest". Therefore, despite the request of some residents, who propose the extermination of the herons as the only solution, this measure is not possible because they are protected. Without the net that covers the trees and prevents the birds from living in their tops, and without a cleaning service that collects all the dirt, the birds will not be welcomed by the neighbors and visitors.
