Image Source: komonews
Bees have got to be the most unsuspected endangered species today. One may find it hard to believe that the tiny buzzing creatures may actually be seeing a catastrophic decline in their population recently. A study by the United Nations confirms that bees, along with 20,000 other species of pollinators, are facing a threat of extinction in the near future. But thankfully, a hugely famous celebrity is trying to do his bit to save the bees from getting extinct. Morgan Freeman has converted his 124 acre farm near Mississippi in US into a bee sanctuary.
The cult Hollywood actor has kept 26 hives of bees on his plot of land, and hired professionals to do beekeeping. Once in a while, he personally visits the hives and takes care of his guests. In an interview, he admits that he doesn’t need to use any protective gear while going near to the beehives, “I’ve not ever used (the beekeeping hat) with my bees… They haven’t (stung me) yet, because right now I’m not trying to harvest honey or anything, I’m just feeding them… I think they understand, ‘Hey, don’t bother this guy, he’s got sugar water here.'” Sugar water is what is being used as food for the bees initially to accelerate their growth, before they can start doing natural pollination.
On the reasons why he has taken up this cause, Freeman highlights the importance of bees which act as pollinators of flowers, eventually from which we derive our fruits and vegetables, “There’s a concerted effort to bring bees back onto the planet… We do not realize that they are the foundation, I think, of the growth of the planet, the vegetation… I have so many flowering things and I have a gardener too. Because she takes care of the bees too, all she does is figure out, ‘OK, what would they like to have?’, so we’ve got acres and acres of clover, we’re planting stuff like lavender, I’ve got like, maybe 140 magnolia trees, big blossoms.” Clearly, if bees are taken care of, all the vegetation just flourish naturally.
This noble act by a person of his stature can certainly go a long way in sensitizing people around the world towards the issue of bee extinction. As more celebrities and their followers start taking up measures to raise awareness and employ methods to save various endangered species, even the governments and corporates could be pressurized to tackle the problem on a large scale. The Logical Indian thanks Mr. Morgan Freeman for making a remarkable effort to help save bees and presenting a great example for his fans around the world to emulate. Watch his interesting interview clip of the popular US programme “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon” where Morgan Freeman talks about his new venture.
– Abhishek Mittal