Yorke Bay facts for kids
Yorke Bay is a bay found on East Falkland in the Falkland Islands. It is located about half a mile north of Port Stanley Airport. The bay is also four miles northeast of Stanley, which is the capital city.
Yorke Bay is on a piece of land that connects to the main island by a bridge called Boxer Bridge. This land also has a narrow strip of land known as "The Neck." A smaller bay called Gypsy Cove is located on the west side of Yorke Bay. Many cruise ships sail past Yorke Bay and Gypsy Cove on their way to Stanley Harbour. The bay faces north towards Port William. Canopus Hill is to the south. Yorke Bay is famous around the world because it is a breeding place for the Magellanic penguin, which is a threatened species.
History of Minefields
Yorke Bay was a very important place during the Falklands War in 1982. It was one of only three bays near Stanley and the airport that had beaches suitable for a possible landing by enemy forces. Because of this, the beach at Yorke Bay was filled with hundreds of landmines. These were both anti-personnel mines (for people) and anti-tank mines (for vehicles). This happened when Argentina occupied the Falkland Islands in 1982.
The British forces ended up attacking Stanley from the land side, not the beaches. However, the minefields around the airport were left behind. They were not removed for many years.
Before the war, Yorke Bay was a popular spot for local people to swim and have fun in the summer. But after 1982, the entire northern coast of the Port Stanley Airport area, including Yorke Bay, was fenced off. Signs warned people to stay away. This was because a tractor and a bulldozer were destroyed by an anti-tank mine in 1986 while they were working there.
Mine Clearance and Wildlife
For a long time, it was thought that removing the mines from Yorke Bay would be too difficult and dangerous. The sand dunes had grown a lot since 1982, burying the mines very deep. Also, big storms could cause mines to suddenly appear on the surface. Digging up all the mines would have been very expensive and risky. It also would have caused a lot of damage to the important penguin nesting sites.
Local people and officials were also worried. They felt that if only some mines were removed, people might become careless and get hurt. So, for many years, the bay remained closed to humans.
However, there was a positive side to this. The penguins were too small and light to set off the mines. This meant they had the beaches all to themselves, undisturbed by people. This created an unplanned wildlife refuge where the penguins could live safely. Tourists could still see the penguins from a distance without bothering them.
Since 2009, the United Kingdom has been working to remove all the mines from the area. This was done to follow an international agreement to ban anti-personnel mines. On November 14, 2020, the Falkland Islands were officially declared free of landmines. This was a huge step for the safety of the islands and its wildlife.
|
See also
In Spanish: Bahía Yorke para niños
