A real birthday party in the presence of about eighty people complete with consoles and DJs, photographers and even a small billboard that smacks of mockery with the words “Save the planet”: everything would have been permissible and legal if the stage chosen had it not been theIsland of the Femalesa small islet off the coast of Palermo which, in addition to being private property, is above all nature reserve since 1997. The party, absolutely illegalwas organized by two young doctors and twin brothers who – it is well known – always choose particular locations to celebrate their birthdays.
The arrival of the police
The incident dates back to the hours immediately before sunset on Saturday 29 June: the revelers arrived on the island without any authorization, quickly transforming it into an open-air disco with dancing, music and noise. It was this unusual noise that attracted the attention of the inhabitants of the Municipality of Isola delle Femmine who, suspicious, immediately alerted the Coast Guard, but the Carabinieri and Financial Police also arrived to interrupt the party to identify all the participants, stop the celebrations and take them back where they had come from. The incredible incident is now being examined by the Palermo Prosecutor’s Office for possible crimes committed by the revelers and their guests. The twin doctors claim that they made their intentions known to the management of the reserve, who sent this statement back to the sender, saying they had not received any warning.
“A real disaster”
The director of the reserve, Vincendo Di Dio, explained and told what he saw and above all the desecration of a place like the Isola delle Femmine.”Since 1998, no one had thought of storming the islet, also because in this period there are species that nest and from March 1st to June 30th visits are suspended. I made an inspection on Sunday morning – he added – Many butts of cigarettes, little bottles of glass, plastic and lots of glasses. They piled up some wood and wanted to make a bonfire. A true disaster“, he explained to Ansa.
The importance of this reserve
The only good news in this matter is that the reserve is usable”but through paths and paths. Many arrive on the islet and leave this reserve area better than they found it, certainly not in this way“. Investigators are examining the area where the people disembarked, whether it is the most sensitive area where there is an absolute ban or the area where visits are organized.
The small islet is clearly visible from the motorway that connects Palermo with the “Falcone Borsellino” airport: since 1998 it has also been under the protection of the Lipu (Italian League for Bird Protection) because it is “and strategic point during the migrations: in fact, species such as the cormorant, the gray heron, the kingfisher and the little egret stop on it to regain their strength before leaving again, or numerous small passerines, some of which are also nesting, such as the redstart and the wagtail, as well as birds of prey from the surrounding areas such as the buzzard and the peregrine falcon”, explain from LIPU.
