This Teenager Will Show You Maltese Wildlife You’ve Probably Never Seen Before

A 16-year-old Maltese boy is turning his passion for the natural world into an online catalogue of Malta’s flora and fauna. Thomas Cassar started Wildlife in Focus as a way to increase awareness around the biological richness the Maltese Islands have to offer. 

“Our islands are amazingly well-endowed in terms of biodiversity. A recent study suggests that our terrestrial and freshwater arthropod species alone may number up to 4,500.” 

Every post on the page features interesting facts about the creature being snapped, from its scientific name to its favourite local food. Thomas hopes his photos will inspire people to take better care of our natural environment, more so if they’re aware of all the wonderful creatures that call it home.

“It is quite easy to get lost in our own urbanized world and forget about the animals and plants which inhabit the Islands alongside us, many of which are only found in the Maltese archipelago.” 

The page also manages to capture the rough and raw side to nature, featuring several predator-vs-prey scenarios to show there’s more to life than just the beautiful snaps.

Thomas’ message is simple: we need to conserve what’s left of our islands flora and fauna. “Local species have come under threat from our careless behavior – intensive agriculture, pollution, garigue reclamation, urban sprawl and the introduction of alien invasive species to name a few.”

There’s still time to make a difference, but we need to start now.

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