Scientific divers taking part in the Madeira Ocean expedition have recorded greater biodiversity inside the Garajau Nature Reserve than in a nearby unprotected area, highlighting the benefits of marine conservation. Speaking to Lusa, Filipe Henriques, one of the scientific diving team coordinators, said the observations showed the reserve’s positive contribution…
Posts published in “Animals”
Researchers taking part in the Madeira Ocean 2026 expedition have fitted a satellite tag to a Blainville’s beaked whale, marking a major milestone in the expedition’s first stage. Scientific coordinator Beatriz Vinha told Lusa that the tag is expected to remain attached for around six months, allowing researchers to track…
Madeira will celebrate its marine heritage from the 7th to the 11th of October with the third edition of the Madeira Whale Fest. Part of the Madeira Nature Festival, the event aims to bring the community closer to the ocean and highlight the importance of protecting whales and dolphins. The…
The Regional Government is considering a public-private partnership to improve access to veterinary care, particularly for lower-income families and cases involving stray animals. The proposal was outlined on Saturday afternoon by the Regional Secretary for Agriculture and Fisheries, Nuno Maciel. Asked about the possibility of establishing a public animal hospital…
Visitors to Plaza Madeira may encounter a rather unusual guest every Sunday throughout September: a hyper-realistic Velociraptor measuring more than four metres long. The prehistoric visitor will make appearances on Floor 1 of the shopping centre on the 6th, 13th, 20th and 27th of September at 12:30. With realistic movements,…
A diving team from the Madeiran Volunteer Firefighters took part in an operation to rescue an injured sea turtle at Reis Magos Beach in Caniço on Thursday morning. The turtle had reportedly been seen in the area on several occasions in recent days and was believed to be injured. After…
The Institute of Forests and Nature Conservation (IFCN) will celebrate International Bat Night on Saturday, the 29th of August, with an activity designed to bring the public closer to Madeira’s biodiversity. The event will begin at 21:00 at the Cristo Rei Viewpoint in Garajau and will include an opportunity to…
The president of Paul do Mar Parish Council, Paulo Rodrigues, has clarified the situation at Praia da Quebrada after a woman and child reportedly came into contact with a sea anemone. In a social media post, Rodrigues expressed his sympathy for those affected but stressed that sea anemones are not…
Artificial reefs created from sunken ships in Madeira and Porto Santo help support marine biodiversity, but cannot reproduce all the ecological functions of natural reefs, a scientific study has concluded. The findings are based on nine years of fish monitoring by Madeira’s marine biodiversity programme, BioMa, which has been operating…
Bathers discovered a dead dolphin floating close to the shore at São Pedro beach, in Santa Cruz, this morning. Initial images sent to the newsroom showed the marine animal near the pebble beach, although it was not immediately clear whether it was a dolphin or a seal. The Maritime Police…
Only one in ten hotels in Funchal accepts pets, according to a ranking compiled by revenue-management platform PriceLabs using listings on Booking.com. The study considered Portuguese destinations with more than 50,000 inhabitants and at least 100 hotel listings. Funchal was found to have a substantially smaller proportion of pet-friendly hotels…
The Juntos Pelo Povo (JPP) parliamentary group has met with the regional delegation of the Portuguese Society for the Study of Birds (SPEA) to discuss the growing impact of light pollution on Madeira’s biodiversity and the need for a legal framework to address the issue across the Autonomous Region. According…
Two bathers suffered minor injuries this morning after being bitten by a fur seal near the bathing area of Praia Formosa, in Funchal, leading authorities to temporarily suspend access to the sea. Following the incident, the lifeguard immediately instructed all swimmers to leave the water and prevented further bathing as…
ARDITI – the Regional Agency for the Development of Research, Technology and Innovation is promoting a scientific campaign in Porto Santo between the 3rd and 14th of July 2026, dedicated to the study of the island’s coastal marine ecosystems. The initiative continues the Madeira Marine Biodiversity Monitoring Programme (BioMa), which…
The PS-Madeira has defended the use of controlled grazing as a complementary measure for land use planning and fire risk reduction in the region. During the traditional Shearing Festival held last Sunday in Terreiros, the President of the Madeiran socialists announced that the party will submit a proposal to the…