Island Life: Misbehaving Tourists Pt. 23424, Highlands Park, Productive Cows

Every time we think we’ve heard it all when it comes to tourist misbehaviour, a new story pops up. This time, a group visiting Gullfoss waterfall decided to ignore a sign that said “Area Closed! Unsafe Conditions.” The area was closed to visitors because of a large, unstable block of ice that had formed on the path. Nonetheless, in a video that was leaked to visir.is by a tour guide, tourists are seen climbing over the sign. Nobody was hurt but as always, we advise visitors to engage their brains when the situation calls for it.

The Icelandic government recently set up a council to found a new National Park in the Highlands. The park would include the area of Vatnajökull, and is set to open in 2020. This is great news for the environment but may disappoint entrepreneurs. In fact, talks of building a new highway right through the Highlands have been ongoing for a year. The committee will soon pinpoint the boundaries of the park, as well as the conservation areas that will be included. Minister for the Environment and Natural Resources Guðmundur Ingi Guðbrandsson called the Highlands National Park Iceland’s “greatest contribution to nature conservation so far.”

Prolific cows have brought joy to North and East Iceland. A 2017 report on milk production notes the cows that produced the most milk are located in Brúsastaðir in Vatnsdal, in the north. Gróa and Sigurður, who own the farm in question, were “happy and proud” of their bountiful beasts. The prize for the most fruitful single animal, however, went to cow number 851 in Breiðdal, in the east, who produced 14,199kg of milk in a year. Farmer Gunnlaugur Ingólfsson wasn’t surprised: “851 showed potential from day one when it produced 37 Kg of milk.” 851 is currently resting because of mastitis, but we wish it a speedy recovery!

Read more about Island Life here.