The natural world in 2021

Many people started 2021 with a lot more outdoor socialising. We've become used to new open air activities. A London gallery even held an art exhibition by the river Thames. The sculptures were displayed on phones and tablets through an augmented reality app. The organisers hope this will bring art to new audiences.

Birbaum: “One of the ideas has been to democratise art, to, to, to, in a way, make art visible in places where normally it's not visible. You know, there are people who don't live in major capitals where there are big collections."

January made people shiver in Madrid, which had its heaviest snowfall in 50 years. Residents left their lockdown to take advantage of this rare event. With transport links blocked, people chose to build snowmen and cross the city on skis. It was a welcome moment of light relief from the world's health crisis.

Covadonga Solares: ”It's great! We're so excited and there's also such a good atmosphere. You see people having fun and I really - maybe I'm a bit too sensitive, I think it's moving, the mood is happy. It's nice, really."

Meanwhile, in the Belgian city of Antwerp, people were taking a walk to help collect scientific data. Volunteers for the "Clean air for everyone" project pushed Baby Claire around the streets to identify harmful particles in the air. The sensitive equipment helps experts measure pollution levels.

Bonaers: "I have a child myself and I worry that she has to grow up in a very polluted city.”

The environmental impact of humans continued in Hong Kong. With no flights available, locals have been camping on the green fields of Grass Island. This destroyed the grass which was food for the island's cows. Visitors left behind plastic waste, which the starving animals have eaten.

Ho Loy: "Many of the cow you can see that they have like a strange, swollen stomach, which mean they have a certain amount of plastic in their, in their digestion system already."

Thousands of baby cormorants were rescued from their nests in South Africa. The birds' parents couldn't find enough fish and had to abandon them. Volunteers are feeding the babies, but are concerned about the lack of food. It means that cormorants could become extinct.

Nicky Stander: "If they’re not finding their fish in the wild, what's going to happen? They’re going to either stop breeding or if they do breed, they’re going to just abandon if they’re not finding enough food.”

This Australian sheep has had a weight lifted off his shoulders. The animal had left his farm and wandered the countryside for 5 years. When he was discovered in the bush, an animal sanctuary sheared his woolly coat and gave him a new home. Now a TikTok celebrity, Baarack seems to be coping with the pressures of fame. Weniger anzeigen