The “Cueva de Altamira” (Cave of Altamira) is a natural cavity, in the rock, in which one of the most important pictorial and artistic cycles of the Prehistoric is preserved. It is located in Santillana del Mar (Cantabria, Northern Spain).
This cave, declared World Heritage Site, by UNESCO, in 1985, was discovered by a hunter in 1868.
It belongs to the Upper Paleolithic and its paintings and prints belong to the Solutrean and Magdalenian periods. Researchers have shown that this cave was used for more than 35,000 years ago.
The Main Room in "The cave of Altamira"
The style of much of his work is part of the so-called "Franco-Cantabrian school", characterized by the realism of the figures represented –most of them about animals--.
The celling of the Main Room in Altamira
And one of the most represented animals was the Bison:
A bison in Altamira
But, Do you think that we can still see some bison in Spain, such as in the paintings of Altamira? ........
Well ...... I thought not; but now I am going to prove to you that it exists --and more than one--, if you want to watch the video, which I will show below. Please click the link:
http://www.rtve.es/alacarta/videos/aqui-la-tierra/aqui-tierra-bisontes-polacos-repueblan-palencia/2741214/
Jesús González (Mayor of San Cebrián de Mudá, Palencia): “Come on, baby, come ..., lovely, come ... come ... great”.
Carla (Voice in off): “This is how Jesus, the Mayor of San Cebrian de Mudá, a small town of Palencia, talks to the bisons, he brought from Poland, 4 years ago”.
Jesús González: “We have lived off the mine, off the coal, for more than 100 years ....; to have cows, there is no cowmen; if there are no cowmen, it was very complicated and ... we decided, then, try to find an animal that, like our deer and our roe deer are grazing, but very little bit, for an animal that could and would replace, an obviously culturally relationship with us. We have Altamira, four steps from here, and that made us, that, in addition, the animal could have a Media pull or…..a pull ..…, that people would come to see it”.
Carla: “And he was right: 15,000 people have already approached the Reserve, to verify that this animal still exists ....”
You can read: Despite its size it can run at 40 km / hour
Carla: “What size has this animal?”
Jesús: “For males reach 2 metros tall and 2 to 3 meters long, and one ton weight”
Carla: “How many kilos of grass can get it to eat?”
Jesus: “One of these animals, which we have seen big, especially male..can be around 30 kilos, every day……What is thrown to them is a sweet for them, let us say, their sweet more delicious .... dowels of alfalfa, dehydrated, with straw, with hay, ... also they have some corn ....”
……music……..
Carla: “Do you notice that they recognize you?”
Jesús: “Well, of course ... I come here every day ... We have 3 years ... of relationship ...., with an almost perfect relationship, in which we do not discuss and, then, evidently, when they hear my voice, they hear: food, food, food, food ....”
……music……….
Jesús: “Right now, they are on alert for anything ... which they are seeing…Do you see how they all put on guard themselves?.They are grouped and placed facing the danger, which they are smelling ....”
You can read: It is not a hostile animal but man has never been able to tame
Jesús: “And if they see danger approaching, they would attack it”
….music…..
Carla: “Accustomed to cold Polish forest, what the European Bison takes worse is the heat ..., the Spanish warm climate has influenced even the date of its births”
Jesus: “Its hair makes that water and snow slide, perfectly, and they have no problem with cold. Normally, now they would have to be giving birth, now in May and June; however, we are seeing the offspring there ... the two offsprings were born in October and November ...; this is a sign that they are comfortable and they do not see a problem, in the Winter”
You can read: The European bison is living in the forests of Lithuania, Ukraine, Russia and Poland
Carla: “In the last 4 years, in San Cebrian de Mudá, 4 bisons were born....; what we are not sure of is that the future generation fit portrayed in a cave”
….music……
Well, here the video is over. I hope that you have liked it. I thougt it was a very curious thing, when I discovered it in Internet.
Until my next post, kind regards,
Luis.
Sponsored by Costaluz Lawyers.
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