The rutting season is in full swing at the Jiu Gorge National Park during this period, with the calls of the magnificent stags being heard even in the flats of local residents in the nearby town of Bumbesti Jiu.

According to Marin Serban, director of the Jiu Gorge National Park Administration, rangers' activities in the rutting areas have revealed a large number of vigorous stags.

'The rutting season is in full swing and is being fully played out in the Jiu Gorge National Park. There are plenty of areas where these beautiful animals are calling, particularly in the virgin and near-virgin forests we have. The rangers of the Jiu Gorge National Park have already carried out assessments during the rutting season and we found a large number of vigorous animals that are in good condition and have peace and quiet. We have found that this spectacle of nature at this time of year is something special and continues just as it has in previous years. That is why we ask those travelling through or visiting the Jiu Gorge National Park to give these animals the attention they deserve, to keep quiet and listen to this spectacle in silence and, if they see the stags, to leave them undisturbed and not frighten them, so that they can maintain their territories in the years to come,' Marin Serban told AGERPRES on Friday.

He said that the calls can be heard all the way to flats in the town of Bumbesti Jiu, which is located where the Jiu River emerges from the gorge.

'The park's rangers are out in the field at this time. There are certain areas where these stags are calling and, according to people from the local community in Bumbesti Jiu, these animals can even be heard from their flats. For them it is a spectacle and I think everyone is enjoying what is happening in nature, which it is best to allow to follow its natural course. Depending on the weather conditions, the rut lasts for two to three weeks in September, but if it gets very cold or a heatwave returns, it stops,' Marin Serban added.

The Jiu Gorge National Park, one of the 22 national and natural parks administered by the National Forest Administration - Romsilva, covers more than 11,000 hectares between the Parang and Valcan mountain ranges, across Gorj and Hunedoara counties.

Of the park's more than 11,000 hectares, almost 9,500 hectares are forest, with 8,984 hectares of these located in protected areas. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Oana Popescu; EN - writing by: Adina Panaitescu)