According to a freshly published study, the original ingredients of our favourite gastronomic specialities might be replaced by alternative proteins within 15 years.
Alternative proteins becoming more and more popular nowadays enable consumers to replace meat in their diets. These include plant-based proteins produced by micro-organisms or bred from animal cells which are currently chosen due to environmental, health or animal rights considerations.
Still, it seems that the growing popularity of alternative proteins will take over the power in the world of gastronomy. According to a freshly published study carried out by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and Blue Horizon Corporation,
As the Hungarian news portal Portfolio reports, the market for protein replacement alternatives could grow from last year’s 13 million tonnes to nearly 100 million tonnes by 2035, accounting for 11% of the total protein market. If the industry’s innovation process accelerates, CO2 emission prices will continue to rise, and farmers switching from livestock to alternative protein production will receive support, which could even double in the next decade and a half.
As a result, meat consumption in Europe and the United States will peak in 2025; and from that point, a constant decrease can be expected.
As far as sustainability is concerned, if the 11% market growth outlined in the study on alternative proteins is realised by 2035, global emissions can be reduced by more than one gigaton by replacing meat and eggs, as well as the use of alternative protein sources could lead to significant savings in drinking water. Based on estimations, agriculture could save at least 39 billion cubic meters of drinking water over the 15 years that could cover the water consumption of the inhabitants of London for 40 years.
The biggest challenge for alternative proteins is reaching or exceeding the taste, texture and price of the current level of meat supply. According to the research, this will be implemented in three phases: firstly, plant-based alternatives such as burgers, dairy products, and egg substitutes made from soy, pea, and other plant proteins will achieve substitutability by 2023 the latest. Then, alternative proteins produced from microorganisms such as fungi, yeasts, and unicellular algae could reach the desired levels by 2025. And finally, proteins bred directly from animal cells may meet the above expectations by 2032.
A joint WHO-China study on the origins of COVID-19 says that the virus was probably transmitted from bats to humans through another animal, and that a lab leak was “extremely unlikely” as a cause, a summary seen by Reuters said on Monday.
The WHO did not immediately reply to a query seeking comment, but said the full report by the independent experts would be published on Tuesday at 1400 GMT after member states have been briefed.
The findings, first reported by the Associated Press, match what WHO experts have said previously about their conclusions following a Jan-Feb visit to the central Chinese city of Wuhan where the first human cases were detected in late 2019.
Three laboratories in Wuhan working with coronaviruses had “well-managed”, high-quality biosafety levels, and there had been no reports of compatible respiratory illness among staff during the preceding months, the report said.
Nor had they tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus in subsequent blood screening for antibodies, the report said.
“In view of the above, a laboratory origin of the pandemic was considered to be extremely unlikely,” it said.
WILDLIFE
Many questions remain unanswered about the virus that sparked the pandemic and the team proposed further research in bats and pangolins in China as well as in southeast Asia. Surveys of other wild animals – including civets, mink and ferrets – known to be infected by the virus were recommended.
Many early human cases were associated with the Huanan seafood market in Wuhan, which also sold wildlife, “but a similar number of cases were associated with other markets and some were not associated with any market”, the report said, adding it was not possible to draw any conclusions.
WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreysus acknowledged receipt of the report but declined to give details, telling a Geneva news briefing:
“All hypotheses are on the table and warrant complete and further studies.”
The report does not require any approval by member states.
The United States expects the WHO-led investigation to require further study of the virus, perhaps including a return visit to China, a senior U.S. official told reporters last week. He hoped it would be “based on science”.
The probe was plagued by delays, concern over access and bickering between Beijing and Washington, which under former U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration accused China of hiding the extent of the initial outbreak.
The WHO declared on Jan. 30, 2020, that COVID-19 constituted an international emergency, its highest level of alert.
There has been an ongoing debate about whether Hungarian is one of the world’s most difficult languages to truly master. While language skills are very much dependent on the person learning the language, it might feel that Hungarian is trying to fight back.
In today’s article, we will introduce you to five advanced language examples that you might hear from native speakers and probably have no idea what they are talking about. Some of these expressions might come from other languages even to Hungarian, but that does not take away their strangeness. Thanks to Dívány, we can show you where these words and phrases come from.
In Hungarian hónalj means the armpit (literally put, the “underside of hón”), but there is no body part named hón. Or is there?
The English word is much better in describing that the word arm is also used separately from pit. While in Hungarian, alj means the bottom, we simply do not use hón separately, and many Hungarians have the shower-thought: What is hón?
The solution is relatively simple. Dívány says that the Hungarian dictionary just defines hónalj to hón as well. The answer lies in the Hungarian etymological dictionary. It says that it is part of Hungary’s Finno-Ugric heritage. Because hónalj and other similar words only exist in Hungarian with the -alj and -alatt additions; hón might have originally meant the shoulder joint.
In Hungarian macskajaj is the state of having a hangover, but what does it have to do with cats (macska)?
In order to crack this, you would need a little bit of German as well. According to Dívány, the macskajaj is the direct translation of the German Katzenjammer. In German, there is a saying as well: “einen Kater haben”, meaning to have a cat.
As for many similar things, this saying came into being when students used it as a euphemism. Originally, the German word translated into Hungarian comes from Katarrh, which meant catarrh, malaise, flu or illness. The pronunciation of this word in Saxony sounded more like Katers.
Are you curious about how other foreigners struggle with the Hungarian language? In this article, you can see how foreigners try to speak Hungarian for the first time. But to help you acquire the Hungarian language, here is an article that makes learning Hungarian easy.
There are many ways you can say that something fails in Hungarian, one of them is dugába dől. But what is duga?
This would literally translate to: “collapse (in)to duga”. Dívány helps us find out what could duga be. The problem lies with the fact that duga has no relation to the Hungarian verb dug, which means to “put in”, another Finno-Ugric heritage in the Hungarian language. Instead, duga comes from South-Slavic and means the many wooden pieces that make up a barrel. It becomes quite clear from here. If the cooper does not assemble a barrel properly or the pieces of a barrel do not fit tight enough, then each piece, duga, would tumble and fall over, like a house of cards.
Hungarians often use kutya bajom to describe that they are fine, they did not get injured or similar things like that, but what exactly “ails the dog”?
According to Szabadföld this saying goes way back and has some quite negative connotations. Although Hungarians have always liked dogs, for some reason, Hungarian expressions where people are treated badly or worth nothing often include the word kutya, meaning dog. Kutya hideg means it is freezing, kutya élet implies that life is quite harsh, and gyáva kutya means coward. The meaning of dog in kutya bajom is most likely closely connected to kutyába se vesznek. The latter implies that they are not treated properly. This meaning of nothing is what resurfaces in kutya bajom. Suggesting that there is no problem there at all… usually, there is.
When someone tells you kikosaraztak in Hungarian, they are trying to tell you that they have been dumped or rejected.
The origin of this expression is quite interesting. According to Dívány, this also has some German origin to it. The German idiom is the following: “Jemandem einen Korb geben”. This means that they have been given a basket. In medieval times, when a knight courted a lady, they were lifted in a large, human-sized basket with the help of ropes and pulleys to the window of the woman they were in love with. There was a huge problem, however, if the feelings were not mutual. If the girl did not like the suitor, they gave them a basket without an underside or one that was damaged so that the suitor would fall out mid-air.
In Hungary, there was also a somewhat similar tradition in place. If the woman did not want to marry the suitor, she could place the basket around the man’s neck or simply throw the basket at him. Even after that, some people did not get the memo. Today the meaning of this expression in Hungarian has broadened quite a bit and just generally means that someone was rejected.
A hotel that bills itself as the world’s first “polar bear hotel” has opened in China’s far northeastern Heilongjiang province, drawing both guests and criticism for its central feature: live polar bears.
The Polar Bear Hotel, part of the Harbin Polarland theme park in Heilongjiang’s capital and largest city, Harbin, opened its doors on Friday with the promise of round-the-clock polar bear viewing from all 21 guest rooms.
“Whether you’re eating, playing or sleeping, polar bears will keep you company,” Harbin Polarland’s official WeChat account said in a post dated Thursday.
Photos and videos from Chinese state media showed people watching two polar bears in an indoor enclosure featuring artificial ice and small pools of water.
Yang Liu, a spokeswoman for Harbin Polarland, told Reuters that the indoor area is only part of the bears’ total enclosure, and that they are let outdoors when temperature and air quality.
She said interest in staying at the hotel, where rooms range from 1,888 to 2,288 yuan ($290.10 to $351.56) per night was “very high”, adding that it is fully booked through a trial period.
Conservationists criticised the hotel.
“Polar bears belong in the Arctic, not in zoos or glass boxes in aquariums – and certainly not in hotels,” Jason Baker, senior vice president at animal rights group PETA told Reuters on Saturday. “Polar bears are active for up to 18 hours a day in nature, roaming home ranges that can span thousands of miles, where they enjoy a real life.”
In 2016, a shopping mall in the southern city of Guangzhou attracted global condemnation after videos emerged of a polar bear, Pizza, lying on her side in a glass-walled enclosure.
Harbin Polarland, established in late 2005, calls itself the world’s first polar performing arts amusement park.
Police seized 24 dogs from four men who organised dogfights which are forbidden in Hungary. They did not care about how seriously injured their dogs will get during the fights.
Interestingly, one of the neighbours of the four men living in Kistokaj, Eastern Hungary, did not notice anything. They learnt about what happened next to them only when the police arrived. Authorities are still investigating how many times the dogs fought and exactly where they did so.
According to TV2, many of the dogs were ill when the police officers seized them during a raid early yesterday morning. Authorities placed the dogs in the care of an animal welfare organisation where they are separated from one another and the rest of the dogs because they would be aggressive. According to a worker of the organisation, two dogs are friendly, two of them are scared, while the rest are aggressive. However,
most of them suffer from some illness, for example, babesia.
This is where the fights took place. Photo: PrtScr. https://tenyek.hu/video/tiltott-kutyaviadalokat-szerveztek
The organisers did not care if the dogs were injured during the fights at all. Therefore, most of them are covered in scars and wounds. The police do not know how many times the dogs had to fight and where they did so. They believe that there were several different venues.
People could bet on the dogs,
but there is no information on how much money the organisers could win on the fights. Interestingly, the police did not arrest the organisers.
As we reported before, a video has stirred up Hungarian public opinion at the end of February. The video was recorded earlier and has been the topic of speculation since. Since the video hit the internet, a few developments have happened. In the video that circulated the entire Hungarian internet,
a hunter threatened to shoot a man on the spot
who was walking his dog in a field near Iregszemcse, Tolna County.
The video went like this:
National Gamekeeping. Tie the dog there and shut up – yelled the hunter angrily.
I will not tie it there – the man with the dog replied.
Tie it there.
Why would I tie it? It is my dog – meanwhile, the hunter goes back to his car to get his rifle.
Either you tie it there – he shot into the air – either you tie it there, or I will shoot you dead. Quickly, tie it there – the hunter furiously shouted.
It is there, you f*cking shoot it.
Go the f*ck home. Are you coming here to drive game?
No, I am not a hunter. I am walking the dog.
They argued about whether he was using the dog to drive game or merely walking it, and the hunter threatened to shoot him again. The argument continued with a lot of swearing and anger.
You get two years in prison for bringing it out – refers to the dog and game driving.
I am walking it.
The hunter, alluding to the dog’s suspicious panting, tells him that the dog looks like it was driving game just now. The hunter asks him where the package is [the killed game or dropped antlers], he steps back and proceeds to reload his hunting rifle.
The man with the dog says that the dog is panting because the weather is hot.
Recently, a video has stirred up Hungarian public opinion. The video was recorded on Tuesday and has been the topic of many speculations since. Since the video hit the internet, a few developments have happened. In this article, we aimed to collect every information on the case so far.
In the video that circulated the entire Hungarian internet, a hunter has threatened to shoot a man on the spot, who was walking his dog in a field near Iregszemcse, Tolna county. The video went like this:
National Gamekeeping. Tie the dog there and shut up – yelled the hunter angrily.
I will not tie it there – the man with the dog replied.
Tie it there.
Why would I tie it? It is my dog – meanwhile, the hunter goes back to his car to get his rifle.
Either you tie it there – he shot into the air – either you tie it there, or I will shoot you dead. Quickly, tie it there – the hunter furiously shouted.
It is there, you f*cking shoot it.
Go the f*ck home. Are you coming here to drive game?
No, I am not a hunter. I am walking the dog.
They argued about whether he was using the dog to drive game or merely walking it, and the hunter threatened to shoot him again. The argument continued with a lot of swearing and anger.
You get two years in prison for bringing it out – refers to the dog and game driving.
I am walking it.
The hunter, alluding to the dog’s suspicious panting, tells him that the dog looks like it was driving game just now. The hunter asks him where the package is [the killed game or dropped antlers], – he steps back and proceeds to reload his hunting rifle.
The man with the dog says that the dog is panting because the weather is hot.
At the end of the video, the hunter shouts at the man that next time, he will not get away that easily, nor his dog.
Quite a few things are circulating about the background of the incident on the internet. Index received information from the police. The police identified the 46-year-old man from Iregszemcse. He worked as a professional hunter and had a licence for his two guns, which the police have confiscated.
They initiated a procedure for coercion and have withdrawn his official hunter’s licence.
After the video hit the Internet, many people said that they recognised the man walking the dog and that they know that he places snares in the area, which are known to be used by poachers.
Index also asked a professional dog trainer, who said that Hungarian greyhounds would not pant that loud unless they really drove something.
He said that he would not be able to tire his greyhound that much even with 20 minutes of intense fetching, and also, according to the weather, it was only 15°C, which is not that hot. Apart from the more well-known Hungarian dog breeds, there is one that you might have never heard of.
Index also called the victim, and he said that he previously was imprisoned for two years but for unrelated reasons. He owned a gun that was previously licence-free, but after a new law, he did not take it to the police to acquire a licence for the firearm. He was sentenced to two years for possessing unlicensed firearms.
The events are quite shocking. From the hunter’s part, he crossed the line of what he was supposed to do and what he should have done. Only the man who walked his dog knows whether the accusation was true or not. In his defence, he posted his certificate of good conduct on the internet.
It is also important to note that in Hungary, many open areas and forests are in the possession of the National Hungarian Hunting Chamber (OMVK), and hunters are allowed shoot a dog down in order to stop it from driving game.
Keep this in mind next time you set out into nature to walk your dog. A longer leash might be recommended, and a visibility vest for you and even your dog can keep you safe.
In order to implement more frequent cargo ship traffic on the River Danube, it would be necessary to make the river 2.7 meters deep in Hungary. The cost of the investment is EUR 6.3 million, funded by the European Union in 85%. However, dredging affects protected species and Natura 2000 sites. Furthermore, humans can also be affected, as ships will pollute drinking water supplies. The public can comment on the newly published strategic environmental assessment of the development until the beginning of March.
The strategic environmental assessment of the Danube shipping development program has been completed; the investment belongs to the project entitled “Extension of the preparation for the development of the Hungarian TEN-T inland waterway”. The European Union is also a stakeholder in development. TEN-T stands for Trans-European Transport Network, a road, rail, air and waterborne transport network designed to serve the whole of the European continent. The Danube-Main-Rhine canal, which is 3,500 km long, connects eleven European countries from the North Sea to the Black Sea. The budget for domestic development is EUR 6.3 million, 85% of which is financed by the European Union.
The development aims to enable cargo ships to sail more frequently in the Hungarian section of the Danube than currently, which requires the deepening of the riverbed (to 2.7 meters depth) in Hungary.
As a result of the investment, vessels with a draft of 25 decimetres and a carrying capacity of 1300-1600 tons would be able to navigate the river for 300 days a year.
In 2018, it turned out that the investment will be carried out for a net amount of EUR 3.6 million. The project affects the Danube section between the village of Szap in Slovakia and the southern border. Nearly 52 kilometres in total (including 31 sites), need to be intervened in the section between Szob and the Southern border to improve navigability.
As Átlátszó reports, the Danube navigability project is significantly delayed due to environmental concerns. Planning started back in 2005 and was intended to be finished by 2014. WWF Hungary also raised its voice against the investment at that time, and in 2011 the green authority revoked several already valid environmental permits. In 2005, the Hungarian section of the Danube was added to the European Union’s priority transport routes, which stipulates that the river must also be made available to EU cargo ships. At the time, WWF criticised the Union for trying to favour only large shipping companies with riverbed deepening. According to the organisation, river regulation works could ruin the natural values along the Danube, with many believing that “it is not the river that needs to be adapted to the boats, but the boats to the river”.
In the course of the current strategic review, the previous plans were refined, several versions were outlined, and today they do not impose stricter requirements than those required by international agreements.
Still, several negative impacts are expected from ecological and nature conservation point of view.
One of the biggest problems is the endangerment of aquatic species, including invertebrates, fish and bird species. These species are extremely threatened by dredging and the increasing cargo ship traffic. As a result, several species’ natural habitat will change and will no longer be suitable as a breeding, feeding or nesting place. The investment can endanger protected species as well, including crabs, protected bird species of significant natural value (for example small lilies and waders), dragonfly species, protected water snail species and fish species. Furthermore, it can damage protected natural areas of national importance, Natura 2000 areas and elements of the National Ecological Network. Many protected birds nest in areas potentially affected by deforestation, as well as the Eurasian beaver, otter, and bat.
The investment also endangers drinking water supplies.
“As a result of the interventions resulting in the decomposition of the cover layer in the protection area of the water bases, the pollutants in the Danube can enter the aquifer directly and reach the wells due to the violation of the membrane providing biochemical filtration.” The project affects 58 water bases along the Danube, of which 26 are long-term, and 32 are currently in operation. Groundwater extracted from the filtered basins along the Danube supplies almost 40% of the country’s population.
Adverse effects mainly affect the offspring of fish that are more likely to be present in shallower coastal areas. According to the document, it is appropriate to limit and constantly monitor the speed of vessels causing large surges at certain critical stages during the period when the offspring are not yet able to dodge the waves.
By 2050, ship traffic on the affected Danube section may increase by about 75% in terms of the number of ships.
Featured image: Wikimedia Commons by Gábor Dvornik
The Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI) recognises 353 dog breeds, only nine of which are Hungarian in origin, but there is one more peculiar dog breed that is, unfortunately, not recognised by the FCI but is from Hungary. This unique breed is quite rare, but if you see one, you will certainly notice it.
This special dog breed is called Májzli [mɑːjzli], and it might be the only Hungarian “bald” dog breed. When people see a Májzli, they often think they saw a Puli or Mudi that has seen better days or that has some sort of skin problem. Funnily enough, however, even though most specimens’ fur looks like the work of a drunken amateur dog groomer’s first try at the job, they are supposed to look like that.
Unofficial Hungarian dog breeds
Although the nine Hungarian dog breeds recognised by the FCI are well-known, there are many more that have not been recognised yet by this worldwide organisation; one such example is the topic of this article, the Májzli. According to Azénkutyám, the Májzli is a working-type dog in essence, and during the 2011 professional conference of Kisállattenyésztési és Takarmányozási Kutatóintézet (~Animal Breeding and Feeding Research Institute), aka KÁTKI, unofficial Hungarian breeds were spoken of optimistically:
The májzli Hungarian dog breed (Hacsek)
Source: koborka.hu/hacsek/
The májzli Hungarian dog breed (Hacsek)
Source: koborka.hu/hacsek/
The májzli Hungarian dog breed (Hacsek)
Source: koborka.hu/hacsek/
The májzli Hungarian dog breed (Hacsek)
Source: koborka.hu/hacsek/
The májzli Hungarian dog breed (Hacsek)
Source: koborka.hu/hacsek/
The májzli Hungarian dog breed (Hacsek)
Source: koborka.hu/hacsek/
“There are valuable Hungarian dog breeds that still do not have an FCI classification but will soon be classified as a (Hungarian) National Treasure; the protection of these breeds must be a priority. […] It is justified to […] protect it ex situ in gene banks and in situ […].” Other such breeds include the Kárpáti Kalibakutya (Carpathian shack dog), Kárpáti Baromfiőr Eb (Carpathian poultry guard dog), Kárpáti Komondor (Carpathian Komondor), Sinka Kutya (Sinka dog), Magyar Hajcsárkutya (Hungarian driver dog), Anwart Vizsla, Ősi Magyaragár ‐ Rabsicagár (Hungarian (poacher) sighthound).
Unfortunately, this idea has not come through since then, and according to a summary, less than a hundred individuals of the Májzli breed are in Hungary. According to other opinions, this number is even lower, with only 15-30 animals living in the country. It is hard to state the exact number of this unusual breed, as herding dogs living on homesteads are not easy to account for. Hungarian breeds are in a difficult situation in general, but the Májzli is especially close to being extinct.
The májzli Hungarian dog breed (Patsy)
Source: Állatbarát Alapítvány, Nyíregyháza
Its other names
They are most often found in villages of Germans resettled in Hungary, which is why they are also called Sváb Puli (Swabian puli). Its other name is the Magyar Kopasz Kutya (Hungarian bald dog). According to some sources, Mudi is referred to as the German Puli, and some people theorise that the Májzli is a genetically defective version of the Mudi, and this defect is what causes the baldness. This might be an explanation for the similar nicknames, but it is not certain, just a theory.
In the video below you can see a Swabian Puli, aka the Májzli:
Why is there so few?
Unfortunately, the heyday of shepherd dogs has been in decline as they are not needed as much due to the modernisation of livestock farming. And while some breeds with attractive traits, cute appearances, and friendly nature have perfectly fit into the everyday life of families, let us be honest, sadly, the Májzli would not win a beauty contest. Unfortunately, in our modern world, looks are usually the most important, and the fact that the FCI does not officially recognise the breed does not help either. Due to these reasons, selective breeding of this unusual dog has not become popular.
Its strange outside hides a loyal companion
It is just as excellent for a working dog as any Mudi or Puli. In Hungary, most of the Májzli are kept by shepherds who think it is the best herding dog and consider it their most precious treasure. Sadly, sometimes, you can find one or two in the shelters. In essence, it is an energetic, skilful, intelligent, and kind breed, just like the other Hungarian shepherd dogs, making it an ideal family member as well.
The appearance of the Májzli may deter some people from the breed, but its nature is sure to compensate for it. To be honest, the Chinese Crested dog is not the most beautiful breed either, yet it is very popular, why not save this Hungarian breed? This precious and talented herding dog should not be allowed to disappear forever.
The maintenance and development of the group of nine Hungarian dog breeds declared to be Hungarikums are helped by the support of the Ministry of Agriculture, thanks to which issuing pedigree certificates for the puppies born becomes essentially free for breeders. The reduction of breeding costs contributes to the growth of the population of purebred Hungarian dog breeds.
The nine Hungarian dog breeds in question are: the Short-haired Hungarian Vizsla, the Wire-haired Hungarian Vizsla, the Transylvanian Hound, the Komondor, the Kuvasz, the Hungarian Sighthound, the Mudi, the Puli, and the Pumi. The purebred, registered population of these breeds has declined in recent decades.
Breeding activities require significant investments, the return on which may be uncertain because of the presence of non-certified animals on the market, born in uncontrolled conditions.
The new legislative amendment makes it possible to reduce the cost of breeding by reimbursing the breed society for the costs of issuing a certificate of origin for the animals, thus exempting breeders from paying it. From 1 January 2021, breeders may submit their application for the preferential service at the breeding organisation of which they are a member.
The amount of support is HUF 7,000 per certificate of origin issued.
Regarding the nine Hungarian dog breeds, an average of two thousand animals receives a certificate of origin every year. However, this reproduction rate only serves to maintain the current stock level.
According to the hopes of the Ministry of Agriculture, “by reducing the breeding costs, we will be able to improve the breeding spirit and increase the number of purebred Hungarian dogs”.
There is some good news as well.
The National Sighthound Association received the Hungarikum trademark.
The trademark is not the same as the inclusion in the Collection of Hungarikums. In December 2020, the National Sighthound Association signed an agreement on the use of the Hungarikum trademark with the Hungarikum Trademark Commission operating under the auspices of the Hungarikum Department of the Ministry of Agriculture. Accordingly, the association is entitled to use the Hungarikum trademark, writes 24.hu.
“The Hungarikum trademark is not a certification mark, meaning it does not in itself certify the quality of the product or service registered as Hungarikum for which its use has been authorised. According to the legal regulations, this trademark is used to display the activities of the Hungarikum Committee and to promote the Hungarikums in the Collection of Hungarikums,” writes the hungarikum.hu portal.
The Hungarian Sighthound as an ancient Hungarian dog breed has been a Hungarikum since 2017.
The trademark certification refers to the activities of the association, and it was awarded in recognition of the long-standing professional work of the organisation.
The Hungarikum qualification is also a serious responsibility. They must report to the Committee by 15 December each year on their annual activities and must meet high standards on an ongoing basis in order to remain trademark holders.
I think many people would agree that 2020 was, by far, not the best year. Many people were stuck at home and could not travel anywhere, or even worse. And although the domestic vacationer’s main destination was Lake Balaton, we are sure that many foreigners miss the Hungarian sea, as it is nicknamed. Hopefully, with this article, we can remind you of pleasant memories and convince you to visit Lake Balaton when it will be possible.
As Szeretlek Magyarország wrote, people love the “Hungarian sea”, they like to play and swim in the water, walk on the shore, take photos at sunset, but most of the people have no idea how strange or special the things surrounding us truly are, so here are ten interesting things about Lake Balaton for you to impress other people with:
1 – Dimensions
Lake Balaton is the largest lake in Central Europe. Its length is 77 km, the smallest width is at Tihany, where it is only 1.5 km wide, while the longest distance between the two shores is at Balatonvilágos and Balatonalmádi, where the lake is 12.7 km wide. The surface of the lake is 600 km² in total. Lake Balaton’s deepest point is in the deepest ditch of the Tihanyi-szoros (Tihany Gorge), at the Tihanyi-kút (Tihany Well). There, the bottom of the lake is 11-12.5 metres deep.
The total water volume of Lake Balaton is a whopping 1,800 million m³. Its entire water volume is replaced in 2.2 years. To provide its own fresh water supply, it has a total surface of 5,774 km² of drainage basin around the lake.
Photo: www.facebook.com/BalatonFelvidek.hu/
3 – Strange waves
It is somewhat strange for a lake to have waves as the Hungarian Lake Balaton does. Even just the wind is capable of quickly forming waves. The main reasons behind this are its relatively shallow depth and the low viscosity of the hot summer water. The predominant wind direction blows perpendicular to the lake, from the northwest.
The special effect of the mountains and valleys of the Balaton Uplands is that they cause the wind to “throb”. This throbbing is what causes periods of sudden waves and ripples in the lake, which is then followed by a wave-free period. Additionally, the waves are unusually steep for a lake: the highest waves measured were 1.82 metres near the shore and 1.95 metres in the middle of the lake. The length of the waves is usually between 2 to 12 metres. The water surface needs 2 hours for the furious waves to calm down after the wind has settled.
4 – Sunshine
Due to the special climate of the area, the number of hours of sunshine on the shores averages around 2,000 hours a year, and the sunniest month is June. During the summer season, on average, there are only 5-6 completely overcast days, and usually, the least rainy period is in August and September, with only six days each month when it rains.
While it is only January, and the summer season is not even on the horizon yet, you can still bring the summer spirit to your home by making some Hungarian dishes from around Lake Balaton.
5 – Forecasting
At Lake Balaton, the forecasting of storms officially started on July 8, 1934, on the initiative of Flight Colonel Alfréd Hille, the organiser of both the military and the civil aviation meteorological network.
Photo: www.facebook.com/tagyonbirtok
6 – Eel haven
Although many species of fish live in its water, one of the special things about Lake Balaton is its eels. According to a 2010 study, the lake’s eel population is one of the oldest in Europe: the average age of eels living in Lake Balaton is 24.9 years.
7 – Swan Lake
Lake Balaton is not just favourable to eels, but it is also one of the most important waterbird habitats in Europe, with reeds providing nesting space for many different bird species. The largest flying bird living in and around Lake Balaton is the bütykös hattyú (mute swan). The bird builds a large floating nest in the reeds and often raises its cygnets near the beaches and promenades near the shore because the vacationers and beach-goers feed them regularly.
8 – Crossing
The birth of Hungarian swimming as organised sports is linked to Kálmán Szekrényessy. He was the first person to officially swim across the lake, crossing it between Siófok and Balatonfüred on August 29, 1880. For his honour, the birthday of Hungarian swimming is celebrated on August 29.
9 – There is chemistry
Many people say that the waters of Lake Balaton are velvety and soft, or silky and caressing. Nowadays, this can mostly be felt only on the open water towards the middle of the lake, but the composition of the water is unique: some even call it Balaton water. The water’s main characteristics are the following: pH 8.4, so it is alkaline, Ca content 27–80 mg/l, Mg content 35–48 mg/l, total salinity 280–320 mg/l, suspended solids content 2–123 mg/l, transparency 12–130 cm, and chemical oxygen demand (COD) 2.8–7.3 mg/l.
10 – Location
Lake Balaton is located in three counties: Somogy, Zala, and Veszprém counties. The lake and its surroundings belong to the Lake Balaton priority resort area and include a total of 179 settlements.
Hungarian food safety authority Nebih on Thursday said had slaughtered 101,000 laying hens at a farm in Kerékegyháza, in central Hungary, after bird flu was identified there.
The authorities have also set up a 3km protection zone around the site as well as a 10km surveillance zone.
Nebih said migrating birds continued to pose a heightened threat to poultry. It has asked farmers to keep their farms covered up and observe epidemiological regulations.
The chief veterinary officer has informed partner countries about the new cases.
Last Wednesday, the authority reported that bird flu had been reported from turkey farms in Komárom-Esztergom County, in northern Hungary.
They helped to catch and track criminals, discovered drugs, but in spite of all the special training, they could not be armed against human evil. An unknown perpetrator cruelly poisoned three police dogs, who died an agonising death.
According to Blikk, their owner, the warrant officer Erika, was shocked to find the lifeless bodies of her faithful companions in her car in the parking lot of the Mohács police station. Émon, Locky, and Cinkos belonged to the Pécs Police Headquarters. They died in terrible torment, and there is no explanation for such cruelty. They received the K-9 training, the highest level possible, which means that only a few other dogs could do what they were able to.
The training of police dogs starts when they are a pup; they need to have an excellent nervous system and endurance, and in the case of search dogs, an exceptional sense of smell is also a requirement. This is exactly what Émon, Locky, and Cinkos were like: they learned discipline and followed the command of their master without hesitation.
The death of such police dogs is a huge loss, both financially, as they were worth HUF 6 million (~ €16,700), and emotionally, as apart from always being ready to go on a mission, they were family members.
According to the information of Blikk, investigators are still guessing about the motive and perpetrator of the dog murder. It makes their work more difficult that the parking lot was not observed by CCTV, and despite the autopsy, several forensic experts are still guessing regarding the exact poison used to kill the dogs. It is believed that perhaps some kind of pesticide caused their deaths.
Police stop animal fights in a recent case Photo: www.police.hu
Blikk’s informant said that the warrant officer had something to tend to in the office, so she left Émon, Locky, and Cinkos in their locked boxes in her car in the police parking lot. In order for them to have fresh air, she left the trunk and one of the other doors open.
As the dogs were also trained to refuse food from strangers, they could only be poisoned by someone they knew very well.
When the policewoman finished at the office and headed for the car, she noticed that the dogs did not respond to her voice. When she stepped closer, her blood ran cold; all three animals laid lifeless in the car. She said goodbye to her dogs in a post on her social media account, but the post was shortly after removed.
There is already a new canine running around in Erika’s garden. As part of the investigation, her neighbours were also questioned to find out how the warrant officer had treated her dogs, how she kept them, or if she ever hurt them.
“She would not hurt them! Erika loved her dogs with admiration, they were real friends,”
the woman with three children living across the street told Blikk when they interviewed her. The warrant officer was not home but confirmed on the phone the news that her dogs were poisoned, but she did not answer how long Émon, Locky, and Cinkos had remained unattended in the car.
The Pécs Police Headquarters are investigating the case of animal torture, the warrant officer said.
The national food security authority (Nebih) has ordered the culling of some 90,000 turkeys in northwest Hungary, on suspicion of bird flu spreading among the animals.
The authority ordered the culling last week, after the amount of feed and water consumed fell in farms near the village of Ács, and the number of deaths increased. The presence of the virus was confirmed on Wednesday.
The authority is monitoring farms within a 13 kilometre radius.
Hungary’s chief veterinarian ordered the keeping of poultry in closed facilities on November last year, in view of the dangers posed by migratory birds flying across the country.
The H5N8 virus strain caused massive disruptions to poultry production in early 2014 in Asia and spread to Europe later that year.
Hungary last had to contend with it in early 2020.
According to the most recent “census” of the Budapest Zoo and Botanical Garden, it is home to 881 animal species and 10,528 individual animals. With this, the zoo in the heart of Budapest’s City Park is not only the most populated zoo in Hungary, but the diversity of the Budapest Zoo and Botanical Garden is also outstanding on an international level.
According to Infostart and the zoo’s detailed summary, the institution houses: 1,368 individual mammals of 133 species, there are 1,262 individual birds of 151 species, 950 individual reptiles of 130 species, 131 individual amphibians of just 30 species, and there are 6,070 individual fish of 218 species.
There are 213 different species of invertebrates, of which 98 species have individual records that constitute 666 individual animals. As for the other 115 invertebrate species, which are mainly insects kept in large numbers, there is no point in having an individual record, so these animals are included in the collection of animals only by species.
The Pet Zoo on Margaret Island is also part of the Budapest Zoo and Botanical Garden, so the number of animals kept there is also counted towards its full animal collection. Although there are 25 species of animals at the Pet Zoo on Margaret Island and a total of 127 individual animals, 19 species of these can also be found in the main site of the zoo in the heart of the City Park.
Not only is it one of the oldest zoos in the world, but compared to other zoos, the collection of species in the Budapest Zoo and Botanical Garden is outstanding: of all the zoos in Hungary, this zoo has the most species, and only a few institutions in Europe house more animal species. The park also houses Hungary’s first shark school.
Green crested Basilisk at Budapest Zoo
Photo: Péter Licskay
Rhinoceros iguana at Budapest Zoo
Photo: Péter Licskay
Williams’ dwarf gecko at Budapest Zoo
Photo: Péter Licskay
Royal plecostomus at Budapest Zoo
Photo: Péter Licskay
Freshwater Angelfish at Budapest Zoo
Photo: Péter Licskay
Budapest Zoo
Photo: Péter Licskay
Budapest Zoo
Photo: Péter Licskay
In Hungary, some species can only be seen in the Budapest Zoo and Botanical Garden. These, for example, include the Giant otter, the Common wombat, and the Short-beaked echidna.
Not only is the number of species presented outstanding, but the diversity of animals is also high, as the animal species in the zoo represent many different groups of animals. Representing and portraying the biodiversity and the general dissemination of knowledge is important for strengthening the environmentally conscious approach, the statement reads.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CCviX2CKO98/
They also point out that the specialists at the Budapest Zoo and Botanical Garden also deal with many rare and endangered species for which, in addition to showing them to the world, breeding for conservation purposes is also of great importance. They write that
the zoo has managed significant breeding results in 2020 for Giant anteaters, Sumatran orangutans, Dholes, Giant otters, South American tapirs, East African crowned cranes, and Waldrapp ibises.
Hungarian Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén has accused the European Court of Justice of infringing on the religious freedoms of Europe’s Jewish community by deciding to uphold a ban on the kosher slaughter of animals in Belgium.
Semjén, the head of Hungary’s co-ruling Christian Democrats, said the EU Court’s ruling favoured animal rights over human rights, particularly religious ones, which the deputy PM said constituted a violation of human dignity.
“Hungary’s Christian Democratic government will always defend the spiritual and physical well-being of Jewish communities,” Semjén said.
The deputy PM in charge of church policy said that like Hungary, the European Union too had a duty to protect the religious freedoms of its Jewish communities. “If it fails to do so, it will also end up losing its own identity as well,” Semjén said.
Beijing photo exhibition showcases Jewish heritage of three Visegrád countries
A joint photo exhibition showing the Jewish cultural heritage of three of the Visegrad Group countries opened under a Council of Europe scheme in Beijing on Friday.
The exhibition hosted by the Hungarian Cultural Institute presents the life, architectural and cultural heritage of the Jewish communities of Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic under the title European Cultural Routes – V4 Jewish Heritage, the institute said in a statement.
The Hungarian section shows the Budapest Dohány Street synagogue, Europe’s largest, the Hungarian Jewish Museum and Archives, the Raoul Wallenberg Memorial Park and a 19th century synagogue in the city of Pécs.
Poland shows the local closed Hasidic community and followers of the movement that emerged in that country in the mid-18th century.
The Czech section features images of refurbished synagogues built between the 16th and 19th century and other buildings across the country.
The CoE launched its Cultural Routes programme in 1987 to illustrate the diversity of European culture and promote its rich heritage.
Dogs were bred and trained for life-and-death combat.
Investigators of the Criminal Department of the Nyíregyháza Police Headquarters, with the involvement of the Counter-Terrorism Centre, cracked down on a property in the suburb of Nyíregyháza on the morning of November 28, where a banned animal fight was held, writes Police.hu.
Photo: www.police.hu
The police checked the organisers and participants of the animal fight. On the property designed for keeping, training, and fighting animals, the 46-year-old L. T., a citizen of Nyíregyháza, organised and held a prohibited animal fight, in which he himself took part. In the first match of the day, one of his dogs fought, which was injured so badly that he died shortly after the match. According to the well-founded suspicion, the man from Nyíregyháza
prepared the animals for the fights in a brutal way. As a result, even before the fight, the dogs suffered damages to their health and possibly died. He bought, bred, and raised dogs specifically for the purpose of participating in animal battles.
Photo: www.police.hu
He came into contact with acquaintances with similar interests mainly through social media. He was made to organise the illegal animal fight with his acquaintances, including B.B., a 42-year-old resident of Kótaj. They also participated with their similarly kept dogs or were present as judges and spectators at each match, on which, according to the investigation, they were also betting.
Photo: www.police.huPhoto: www.police.hu
Investigators from Nyíregyháza interrogated six men from the scene of the raid. 46-year-old L.T. from Nyíregyháza, 42-year-old B.B. from Kótaj, 43-year-old G.Z. from Dögei, 34-year-old B.N. from Kisbágy, 45-year-old N.Zs., and 24-year-old K.A. from Erdőkertes were interrogated with a well-founded suspicion of following the crime of organising a prohibited animal fight and the crime of animal torture.
The police seized twenty-five dogs and took care of their removal and security. Various devices used to prepare animals for combat were also seized. These included treadmills, syringes, performance enhancers, and pharmaceuticals. The police seized electronic media containing recordings of previous animal fights. You can see the police recordings of the event below.
The police of Szigetszentmiklós went to a house in Dunaharaszti on November 25, 2020, as they heard that the man living there was involved in drug cultivation.
Dunaharaszti is a peaceful, quiet town near Budapest. According to Origo‘s report, the police were notified that the owner of the house was growing drug plants in his house. Therefore, they conducted a house search, during which the investigators found themselves having to face bizarre, not-everyday circumstances. In addition to the four suspicious plant seedlings and a scale,
pets, a snake, an alligator turtle, and a small crocodile have been found, according to the primary expert opinion.
According to field information, the man did not know too much about the rules for keeping the animals, as the snake was found in a styrofoam box without light and air. Without the investigators, the snake probably would not have lived long. Moreover, the suspect did not live alone; his partner and their two children lived on the property in the company of more special animals.
The police immediately contacted a specialist who said that the creatures they found were dangerous animals, their keeping was subject to a permit – it is also probable that the snake they found should not be kept in a home even with a permit -, so the investigators immediately took action to transport the animals to the Zoo and Botanical Garden in Budapest.
A 41-year-old resident of the house was interrogated as a suspect in the case, who could not provide credible proof of the origin of the animals. He said
that he was aware that these animals are dangerous and that their keeping is subject to a license, but he did not care about that.
As for the drug suspicion and the green plants, he said that he keeps them for his own purposes, cultivating them from seed. The Investigation Department of the Szigetszentmiklós Police Headquarters will continue the criminal proceedings against the man from Dunaharaszti for suspected violation of the obligations connected to the possession of drugs and keeping dangerous animals, and they will investigate whether other crimes would arise in connection with the case.
The police also made a video about the house search, which seems to be just a Hungarian home version of National Geographic.
How many people end up in prison because of animal cruelty? Beheading a goat and torturing a dog were enough reasons to get someone imprisoned in Hungary, but people who commit animal cruelty usually get away with it and receive less severe punishment.
According to Blikk, until 30th September, three people have received a custodial sentence for cruelty to animals. As the data they received from the Hungarian National Office for the Judiciary shows, the number of people who received such punishment is the same as it was last year.
On the other hand, this year, seven people ended up in prison due to committing cruelty to animals plus some other crime, while last year, this number was nine. This means that in total, twenty-two people received severe punishment for committing cruelty to animals in the last two years.
In 2018, five, in 2017, seven, and in 2016, only four people were punished with a custodial sentence for animal cruelty only, while combined with another crime, these numbers were seven, twenty-three, and twenty-one.
The extremely cruel and repetitive cases are the ones that usually result in imprisonment. For example, a goat was beheaded one and a half weeks ago in Kaposvár. The goat named Rozi lived in the ‘Kutyatár’ Nature and Animal Protection Association in Kaposvár. It was cruelly executed – the perpetrator cut off and took the goat’s head with him.
Later, it turned out that this was not the first time the perpetrator committed cruelty to animals. Two years ago, Ádám Ny. also murdered his own dog. Moreover, he was sentenced a month ago for scourging his girlfriend. Sentencing him was initiated as leaving him free would result in him committing more crimes, said the prosecution.
A couple of days ago, charges were pressed against a man for brutally abusing animals. After his dog strangled the neighbour’s chicken, the man hit its head with an axe several times. He did not stop there, however. He then tied the dog to his motorcycle with a chain and dragged it to the nearby lake. Luckily, the dog is still alive; it was treated and adopted later. Even though in Hungary, it is not so common to punish animal cruelty by imprisonment, due to the man’s inhuman treatment of the dog, the Prosecutor’s Office of Kalocsa proposed imprisonment and disqualification against him.
