LONDON - Chantal Jouanno, Nicolas Sarkozy’s junior environment minister, is being described in the French press as his latest “pet”.
However, the mother-of-three, who is a karate black belt and winner of nine national championships, finds the epithet amusing. She said in a recent interview: “We cannot spend the whole time in government asking if we are loved or not loved. There are much more serious things to worry about.”
For instance, the 40-year-old is sad to note the disappearance of the common sparrow from France’s gardens.
They’ve all but gone. So have the swallows and swifts. The bees are dying off. Why is it?” she said.
Chantal tells her children that “mummy is minister of birds and flowers”, which is reflected in the glass cabinets in her office filled with stuffed seagulls and a sparrow, reports the Times.
Her desire is to make people aware of the threat to common creatures, but complains that “sometimes when I talk biodiversity it is as if I were speaking Chinese for all the response I get”.
Sarkozy, however, seems to be affected by the thought and understands its importance. While on a recent trip to Le Havre with Jouanno, he promised the government would shape its marine policy in accordance with “scientific advice” about fish stocks, a dramatic departure from the days when he pledged unconditional support to French fishermen. (ANI)
Filed under News, World | Tags: London | Comment Below
Related?
Oklahoma woman skins pet puppy to make beltJune 21st, 2009 NEW YORK - A Jack Russell pup that had been left in the care of a woman, was cruelly shot dead as she wanted to make a belt of the dog's skin. The 23-year-old woman, Krystal Lynn Lewis of Muskogee, Okla., had been given the pup, named Joplin, by her former lesbian ex-lover Jessica Nichols, to be looked after as she was moving house.
Deputy: Okla. woman accused of skinning puppy, intending to make a belt from its hideJune 19th, 2009 Deputy: Woman skinned puppy to make beltMUSKOGEE, Okla. — A 23-year-old woman is accused of getting friend to kill her Jack Russell terrier and skinning the puppy to make a belt out of its hide.
How To Tell Male Lovebirds From Female LovebirdsNovember 20th, 2005 Generally lovebirds are sexually monomorphic, it means that the male and the female of the species look alike. But to be specific, the sexing of lovebirds falls into three categories:
1.
20 migratory birds found dead in Himachal PradeshJanuary 22nd, 2009 SHIMLA - Twenty migratory birds were found dead near Himachal Pradesh's internationally recognised Pong Dam wetlands Friday but the authorities ruled out any symptom of bird flu in them. 'This morning, our staff noticed 20 dead migratory birds in a forest area near Pong Dam reservoir in Kangra district,' Divisional Forest Officer (Wildlife) S.K.
When romance falls flat, science steps in to help rare cranes breed at National ZooJune 4th, 2009 After failed courtship, zoo helps rare birds breedFRONT ROYAL, Va. — When the National Zoo tried to set up a pair of rare white-naped cranes, the date went sour and the lovebirds fought.
Malaysians Ignore Bird Flu FearsNovember 2nd, 2005 Malaysian villagers on Borneo island are smuggling pet birds and fighting cocks from neighboring Indonesia, despite a government ban on the movement of pet birds and fighting cocks between Sarawak and Kalimantan. Deputy Chief Minister and state Disaster Relief Committee chairman Tan Sri Dr George Chan Hong Nam said the state authorities were disappointed with, and very alarmed at, their (could not care less) attitude.
Haripura Water Park in Uttarakhand being developedMarch 16th, 2009 DINESHPUR - Authorities in Uttarakhand are keen to develop the Haripura Water Park, frequented by bird watchers as a prominent tourist destination to spot Siberian cranes and other migratory birds. Haripura Water Park, located near the Hariprua Dam, overlaps the Districts of Udahm Singh Nagar and Nainital.
Scientists discover new frog species that changes colors with gender and ageAugust 5th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Scientists have discovered a new frog species in the Talamanca mountains of southern Costa Rica, which changes colors depending on its gender and age. Females of the species are generally black with white belly splotches.
