Today, the city of Crotone celebrated the inauguration of a new work of art on the city seafront: a statue depicting two specimens of Monk Seal. This symbol of environmental and nature protection, as well as brotherhood and union, was created by master Giulio Cosimi Bagada based on an idea by Marco De Salvo. The work was donated to the city by the IBIS ODV Environment Club of Crotone and the Foca Monaca APS Group of Rome, and accepted with a resolution of the municipal administration on the proposal of the Environment Councilor, Angela Maria De Renzo.
The inauguration ceremony, held on the popular “walkway” of the seafront, saw the joyful participation of the members of the Municipal Council of girls and boys, as well as the girls and boys of the Municipality of Crotone. Among those present were the councilor for the Environment Angela Maria De Renzo, the president of the City Council for girls and boys, the city councilor Dalila Venneri, the director of the Environment sector Elisabetta Dominijanni, and representatives of the donor organizations and the authorities locals, including Girolamo Parretta of the Circolo Ibis, Emanuele Coppola of the Gruppo Foca Monaca APS of Rome, Antonio Tata, secretary of the Circolo Ibis, Tommaso Tedesco, vice president of the Circolo Ibis, the TV (CP) Giancarlo Castellana of the Port Authority of Crotone and Giada Sangiovanni of the WWF.
The sculpture represents a mother seal with her pup, one of the rarest animals in the world, which in recent years has returned to repopulate the Crotone coast. The choice of this image is not random: Crotone thus joins a network of Mediterranean cities that have adopted this symbol of brotherhood and environmental protection. Other communities that have welcomed similar statues include Marettimo, Komiza on the island of Vis in Croatia, Othoni in Greece, Gibraltar and Caprera in Sardinia.
The work is an invitation to protect and safeguard protected species and the marine environment. As underlined by councilor De Renzo, the statue represents not only a commitment to ecology but also a symbol of welcome and solidarity, founding values of the Crotone community that must be transmitted to future generations.
“I thank the Circolo Ibis and the Foca Monaca APS Group of Rome for the sensitivity shown towards the city, donating a work that has multiple meanings and expresses values that we also wanted to share with the young members of the children’s City Council. It remains a symbol not only of environmental protection, but aims to represent the feeling of welcome that distinguishes the Crotone community,” declared councilor De Renzo.
