Usually,
risotto’s
biggest adversary is the drooling person with a fork or spoon in hand looming over the dish, stomach rumbling.
But in this
one place in Italy
, said adversary is a flock of flamingoes.
The rice crops for risotto located in Jolanda di Savoia — which is located in the northeastern part of the country in the Province of Ferrara — are being besieged by dozens of the long-necked, pink birds following the deliberate floods in the area to spur the rice seeds’ growth.
However, these flamingoes aren’t interested in the risotto rice itself: Rather, the birds are shuffling the soil around to stir it up and grab mollusks, algae or insects found in the shallow water to munch are. The rice, unfortunately, is getting damaged in the process.
In fact, one local farmer, Enrico Fabbri, says the damage is so bad, that he’s seen production losses of as much as 90 percent in his planted areas.
“These are new things that have never happened before,” said Fabbri. “You invest so much time and care into preparing everything.
“Then, just as the crop begins to grow, it’s like having a newborn child taken away. That’s what it feels like.”
First Post explains
that these flamingos first arrived in a nearby coastal wetland following severe droughts in southern Spain, which historically has been a huge breeding ground for the species.
As a means to mitigate the destruction to the rice crop these flamingoes are reaping, farmers have begun to patrol any planted areas both night and day. A number honk their trucks’ horns and bang barrels to scare the flamingoes off; some even fire small gas cannons to make a loud “bang” that gets the birds on the move.
“Obviously, we are looking for answers from those who have to deal with the problem,” said rice grower and vice president of the local farmers’ confederation Massimo Piva. “From an environmental point of view, all this is beautiful, but we must keep in mind that rice cultivation is among the most expensive, extensive rice crops.
“They are beautiful animals, it’s their way of moving and behaving, but the problem is trying to limit their presence as much as possible.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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