Wildlife and the Weird Weather

The National Trust has released a report about how this year's freak weather conditions have affected wildlife all over Britain. There have been many problems.

To start off with, the first several months of the year were so warm that many offspring were produced. That doesn't sound too bad, does it? Well, it wasn't. Not until the Summer came.

As you know, the Summer was wet, wet, wet. This badly affected bats, birds & insects. They all came out early and many insects drowned in the Summer, which takes the food away from bats. Ground-nesting birds lost their nests, and many fledglings couldn't find enough food.

This is altogether bad news. I hope next year is better for the wildlife.

Please comment.

Thank you.

A Rabbit's Christmas

As you may know, I always buy Smudgie (my rabbit) birthday & Christmas prezzies. For Christmas this year, I got him a "large Roll 'N' Chew". You can see photos below. Enjoy.





Smudgie starting to open it (once I'd taken the sellotape off)



Smudgie finishing opening it



The toy once I put it together



But it soon unstuck so this is how it looks now, with the non-toxic glue on it

It was such a hassle putting it together. We had the light on for the whole time (which is unusual at Christmas with the Christmas tree lights). But Smudgie likes it, and that's the main thing.

If you have any photos of your pets with their Christmas prezzies, be sure to send them to this address. Thanks in advance.

Please comment.
Thank you.

Johnny's Gone to Scotland

Johnny Kingdom (above) is know for his hit series Johnny's Kingdom: A Year On Exmoor and the one-off special last year Johnny Goes To Lapland has got another show on today. It's a one-off special called Johnny Goes To Scotland. It will be broadcast at 20:00 GMT on BBC2.

According to this report by Wild Scotland, Johnny is set to help build a new beaver enclosure in the Highlands.

I will be watching, will you?

Please comment.

Thank you.

Return of the Beavers

There is a new plan to re-introduce beavers into Scotland. They haven't been there for over 500 years due to hunting in the sixteenth century.

Wildlife groups are protesting to get them back in the wild. There are hoping to release 20 of the mammals to a forest in Argyll sometime during 2009.

But almost half of the people in that area are against the idea. They say that the beavers will ruin the environment by chopping down all the trees. Beavers do chop down trees, but by doing that they make way for new wetland plants to live. So, they are actually needed.

I hope they do get released. It would be great for them to return to Scotland, and hopefully they will.

Please comment. Thank you.

Bad News at Christmas

The Siberian Tiger is a very rare species. So when two cubs are found frozen to death in a freezer at a zoo in China.

The zoo which is in the south-west has been deeply saddened by the discovery, especially as there are only 400 of the creatures left in the wild.

Tiger body parts are treasured as medicines in China and on Thursday an adult female of the same species received the same fate.

Buying and selling tigers was banned in China in 1993, so these deaths could be a sign that the trade in body parts of these rare animals may be on the rise.

This is really sad news. Especially as it's Christmas. I hope the trade stops and that there are no more incidents like these two.

Please comment. Thank you.

Oi, Big Ears!

Okay, this is old news. But I was busy when it came out.

The first footage of the Long-eared Jerboa has been filmed recently. The mammals live in Mongolia and are nocturnal. This makes it very hard to film them. You can see the footage below. Enjoy.

Dr. Jonathan Baillie, who led the expedition, said they're hoping it will help them to learn more about the mysterious mammals.

"These creatures hop just like a kangaroo; it is amazing to watch. Little hairs on their feet, almost like snow shoes, allow them to jump along the sand," he said.

"These amazing, remarkable creatures are on the verge of extinction and we know almost nothing about them."

These animals with their ears a third times bigger than their head are really cute, don't you agree? I hope they get saved from extinction.

Please comment.
Thank you.

Taller in More Ways

There are more species of Giraffe than we thought. This is because a report in BMC Biology has stated that using genetic evidence they have found out that there is not one species of Giraffe like what we previously thought, but there are in fact six species of the mammal!

David Brown, who worked on the report, said, "Using molecular techniques we found that giraffes can be classified into six groups that are reproductively isolated and not interbreeding.

"The results were a surprise because although the giraffes look different, if you put them in zoos, they breed freely."

They have also worked out that two "subspecies" that both live in Kenya are different species and were separated Melina ago. These species are the Reticulated Giraffe and the Maasai Giraffe. It is also interesting that giraffes travel far and yet they don't mingle with other species.

It was originally believed that there were a couple of subspecies, but they were still all the same species.

David Brown also had to add about the two Kenyan species, "There are no rivers or forests to prevent breeding, but some evolutionary process is keeping the two groups reproductively separated.

"The female Maasai Giraffe may be looking at the male Reticulated Giraffe and thinking, 'I don't look like you; I don't want to mate with you'."

He also had this to tell us: "Lumping all giraffes into one species obscures the reality that some kinds of giraffe are on the brink.

"Some of these populations number only a few hundred individuals and need immediate protection."

I personally think it's great that there are more than one species of giraffe. Although I hope they help the endangered species. Especially as overall giraffes have had a 30% decrease in the past decade.

Please comment.
Thank you.

A New Era

I have been very busy lately. As a result of this, I haven't been on here much at all. But don't you worry as I will be on here more! This is not just because of the Christmas Holidays, but because I have closed down Neighbours Blog & Rygbi Cymru. I am stopping the advent calendar, though, and the Autumnwatch & Springwatch episode recaps. Coming up in 2008, I want you to send me in your wildlife snaps. I'd love to see them. And I will credit you however you like. If you have any you want to send me send them to this address. I would also love photos of your pets so send them in!

Posting will resume tomorrow and I will try to do at least one post a day. Thank you for your patience.

P.S.: I now have a picture of an Orangutan and it's baby as my blogger display picture.

Advent Calendar 2007: Day 01

So here we are, in December. Not long until Christmas. So why not do an Advent Calendar for you out there in the cyber universe?

We have a cyber-Christmas tree up and I may do a few more things during the month. Today I'm doing days 1 and 2 before I do one per day. So put up your trees and your tinsel and get the party started!

And I am currently deciding what to do now.

Please comment.
Thank you.

Autumnwatch series 2 episode 6

This will be done in note format!

• Simon (close to the Farne Islands) – Grey Seals are having a hard time, views of breeding salmon
• Duck cam – views of Whoopers
• Glasgow foxes – all three Chip Shop cubs are doing well
• Red Deer – Brutus beats Percy, Percy quits the rut, Brutus defeats everyone, Percy comes back to show off his jumping skills

Autumnwatch series 2 episode 5

Simon was in a cave on the border of Cumbria & Lancashire because he couldn’t get to the Farne Islands. He showed us some hibernating bats. More Whooper Swans have arrived and you can find out more here. The Thornby fox has an injured back leg. On Rum, Maximus has taken Percy’s territory but Percy is getting some hinds back. On the Farne Islands, 28,003 Little Auks have been spotted but none of the team is there. And they show some clips of the cold weather.

A Russian Oil Spill

An oil spill has occurred off the south-west coast of Russia. This is bad news for wildlife in that area. It is especially bad news to hear that one of the ships was carrying sulphur! It could take years to clean up us some oil has sunk to the seabed.

I hope they clear up the thousands of gallons of it and I hope all life in that area survives.

Please comment. Thank you.

100th Post (Endangered special)

Animalz is now into three-digit posts! I'd like to thank everyone for visiting. Make sure you keep on coming back! Enjoy this post!

This post is dedicated to all the endangered species out there. It comes from here so I haven't written it myself.

Red panda

The Red panda munches its way through its own bodyweight in bamboo (for a female, up to 200,000 leaves) every day in the isolated mountain ranges in western China and the Himalayas.

Sumatran Rhino

The smallest of the five extant species of rhino, the 300 surviving hairy two-horned creatures chew vegetation in Indonesia and Malaysia.
Amur Leopard

One of only seven remaining female Amur leopards in the wild was shot in Russia at the end of April. Their natural habitat – the Sikhote-Alin mountains in north-east Russia – is rapidly deteriorating and disappearing as the forests the leopards prefer to live in are destroyed.

Bactrian camel

These rare two-humped camels survive in the wilds of the Mongolian Gobi Desert by eating snow in place of water – it’s estimated there are only 950 alive in the wild.

African wild ass

The ancestor of the domestic donkey, the African wild ass is down to its last few hundred surviving relations in the wilds of Ethiopia and Somalia. Despite being legally protected, the asses are still hunted for food and traditional medicine.

Aye-aye

Native to Madagascar, the aye-aye is under threat not only from its forest home being destroyed but also because the local population think that, with its bulging eyes and long, crooked fingers, it’s an evil omen.

Golden-rumped elephant-shrew

The bright yellow rumps of this Kenyan elephant-shrew – so named because of its extremely long trunk-like nose – have been fading as their habitat's destroyed. And their numbers aren’t helped by the fact that they’re notoriously monogamous.

Saiga antelope

Numbers of one of the world’s fastest animals have plummeted from over a million a decade ago to fewer than 50,000 today. These graceful beasts roam the wilds of China, Kazakhstan and southern Siberia, but are under threat from poachers as their horns are used in Chinese medicine.

Grevy's Zebra

The largest of the zebra family and native to Kenya and Ethopia, the Grevy’s are considered endangered because they’re hunted for their narrowly striped skin. They’re also threatened by habitat loss and have to compete with growing livestock herds for water supplies.

Hawksbill Turtle

Not only are hawksbills hunted for their shells, they also get caught up in fishing nets and suffer from their nesting beaches being destroyed to make way for new hotels and marinas. It’s estimated that there are only about 8,000 nesting females spread throughout the tropics.

Orangutan

The quest for supposedly environmentally friendly biofuels has had a serious impact on the survival of one of our closest mammalian relations. The production of palm oil for use as fuel is destroying orangutan habitats in Sumatra and Borneo at an alarming rate, with the population decreasing by 1,000 each year. It’s thought the species could become extinct in the wild within a decade if the destruction of their rainforest home continues.

Please comment. Thank you.

Bear Rescue Complete

A bear that was being sold at a market needs a new home. Shaggy in an Andean Bear and can be seen above. He was being sold for what is £100 to Brits. He was in a poorly state but fortunately an animal charity saved him and he is doing very well. They are now looking for a new home for him.

Please comment. Thank you.

Autumnwatch series 2 episode 4

The bad weather had disturbed the wildfowl at Martin Mere. Simon had a very rare encounter indeed when he was only feet away from a whole family of Wild Boar: two adults & five piglets. He also filmed them all over-night. On Rum, Percy has easily defeated Pirim & Ivan, but is his energy going? From Glasgow, we hear that both of this year’s cubs of Jamie have survived. We found out that the Harlequin ladybirds are destroying our native ones. You can find more information here. We also see some footage of the Super Whoopers leaving Iceland and arriving at Martin Mere.

Autumnwatch series 2 episode 3

Simon moved to the Forest of Dean where he found tracks of squirrels & mice. He is actually looking for Wild Boar and he finds a family of two adults & 5 piglets. They also filmed wild foxes. Bill & Kate showed us Whooper Swans fighting and there was a Super Whooper preview showing the swans being tagged. There was squirrel action from Thornby and we found out that Caesar did better than Percy on Rum last year. We also found out how the floods affected wildlife. Blue Tits were down 40%, Great Tits were down 34%, Willow Warblers were down 19%. Reed Warblers lost their nests. But because of the dry April, Long-tailed Tits were up 48%. They also told us about the tre-planting parties.

Autumnwatch series 2 episode 2

We saw what happened when duck cam was released during daylight hours. Simon showed us the Starlings doing their display. We found out what happened to Caesar, one of last year’s Red Deer. He got tangled in a fishing line so is not taking part in the rut this year. We had a little update on the Glasgow foxes from Springwatch. Jamie is doing well but at least one of the Chip Shop cubs has unfortunately died. A lot more mucking about which we can be sure to expect for the rest of the series.

Autumnwatch series 2 episode 1

We were re-introduced to Martin Mere. We caught up with the migrant Whooper Swans and Pink-Footed Geese to name but a few birds. We discovered “Duck Cam” and were introduced to the Somerset Wildlife Trust base where Simon is. We saw some beavers called Woody & Twiggy. There was a teaser for what is to come in “Super Whooper”. We also had a little catch up with last year’s Red Deer. So mainly an introduction to series 2 of Autumnwatch.

An Autumnal Evening

The above poster was made by me (Gaz).

At 20:00 GMT, the second series of Autumnwatch will start. Like last year, it will be broadcast from W.W.T. Martin Mere. I will keep you updated on what happens every day so don't worry if your unable to see it. It is gonna be great so be sure to watch it! The Official Site has also changed.

Please comment.

Thank you.

Remember Remember

Tomorrow is Bonfire Night. It is a dangerous time of year for many animals. Here are a few safety tips.

• Keep your pets inside
• If there are pets not very far away, don't have fireworks (except sparklers)
• Check the bonfire for hedgehogs and other animals
• Be with your pets for as long as possible

Follow the above and let you & your pet have a stress-free 5 November. But expect many sad story's to come.

Prince Harrier

On Wednesday, Prince Harry was questioned about the death of two hen harriers. The birds are very rare and if you kill one you will either be given a £5000 fine or get sent to jail for six months.

He was believed to be in the same area as the creatures when they were shot. The prince stated that he knows nothing about the deaths.

It is saddening to hear of the deaths. No-one knows who actually murdered them except from anyone who was with the person who committed it at that time or the person who committed it themself.

Please comment.
Thank you.

W.W.T. National Wetland Centre Wales videos

As you know, I recently visited W.W.T. National Wetland Centre Wales in Llanelli. Here are the promised videos. Enjoy.






You can see the photos here.

Please comment.
Thank you.

Boaring!

Seventy boar on the loose in Devon after vandals cut the wire to their enclosure. One hundred and forty animals were released but only half have been caught. A similar thing happened one year ago.

You should stay away from them as they can be very dangerous. It is predicted that they will go home overnight due to being hungry, but this might not happen. Their owner is really worried in case they die out in the wild. But there are a lot of other farms that are having the same problem.

Please comment. Thank you.

Wild Worries for Tigers

There are worries about the future of the world's biggest cat. There are as few as 1300 Indian Tigers left in the wild. This is due to poaching & habitat destruction.

Also, in countries like China & Nepal, the skins of the creatures are being sold illegally. I hope the animals' numbers go back up, but drastic action is happening. Please comment. Thank you.

Monkeys, Monkeys Everywhere!

Remember this post? Well, the situation has worsened. They are everywhere!

One local said, "They sneak into our houses. They even open our fridge some times and take our food.

"They take away clothes. They are troubling us a lot and we are really worried."

All of the plans to stop them have failed. They can't kill them as they are sacred to Hindus.

Please comment. Thank you.

The Primate Risk

A new survey suggests that one in three primates are at risk. This is because humans are destroying their habitats. Also, many monkeys are being sold as pets.

The research looked at the 25 most endangered species. They found out that if you gathers up all the survivors of these 25 species, you would be able to fit them all inside one football stadium.

Please comment. Thank you.

The Badger Cull

A week ago, a plan was announced to commit a badger cull. This is because badgers are believed to give TB to cattle. Around 30,000 cattle a year die from the disease.

Sir David King said that it's clear that badgers are a source of infection for cattle, and in some areas are responsible for four out of ten cattle deaths.

But another study showed that killing the badgers would make them move to another place, maybe carrying the disease with them. The Independent Scientific Group found that although the disease did drop at a farm when badgers were killed, it sometimes rose in nearby ones instead.

A cull would be a very unpopular move as out of 47,000 people asked, 9 out 0f 10 of them didn't like the idea. I don't like the idea.

Please comment. Thank you.

W.W.T. National Wetland Centre Wales pictures

On Tuesday I visited the National Wetland Centre Wales in Llanelli. It was great! I've lost count of how many birds I hand-fed. Here a few photos I took.

Some Coscoroba Swans feeding on some seeds that fell out of my hands.

Some sort of Teal I presume.

Below are some photos of a 7-8 week old rabbit kitten with one blind eye. They get closer each time.

I hope you enjoyed them. I will post videos on Tuesday. If you can't wait until then, you can see them earlier by looking here.

Please comment. Thank you.

Killed by the Monkeys

A man called SS Bajwa has been killed in a wild monkey attack. He was the deputy mayor of Delhi. He was at his home on a first-floor terrace when the attack happened. The city has a running problem with these monkeys. The court even ordered officials to sort out the problem last year! Monkey catchers & bigger monkeys have been brought in to tackle them.

Please comment. Thank you.

Bug-Busters!

Seven hundred thousand ladybirds have been put out around two housing estates in New York. This is because there is a huge aphid problem there. The bugs were chosen because they won't move into homes and they can can each eat 50 aphids a day.

One of the helpers, called Eric Vinje, said, "In most cases, we reach for a can of pesticide - and we kill not only the 'bad guys,' but the 'good guys.
"All we're doing here is putting more of the 'good guys' to tip the scale, to get some kind of pest population control."

Please comment. Thank you.

A Winter's Tail

Above is a photo of Winter after she lost her tail two years ago. But don't worry, she's got a new one!

The bottle nose, who lives at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, was caught in a crab trap. But after months of preperation, her new tail is ready. It will have to be replaced every few months.

She's had to swim like a shark before but that has feared back problems. She is making a steady recovery.

Please comment. Thank you.

Friend or Foe?

Scientists have proven that elephants never forget. They either run away from smells of danger or ignore smells of friendliness.

They get scared when they smell the Maasai tribe, who hunt them. But they don't really care about the farming tribe Kamba. They also react badly to red clothing which is traditionally worn by the Maasai tribe.

Please comment. Thank you.

Five the Arty Elephant

Above is a photo of Five working on her new masterpiece. The keepers at the West Midlands Safari Park discovered this talent when they accidentally left a paint brush in Five's enclosure. She now has over 50 paintings!

Although this has happened before to other elephants, Five follows the keepers' orders, unlike others. One of the keepers had this to say, "She has painted in excess of 50 works of art, in a unique style that wouldn't look out of place in any contemporary art exhibition."

Please comment on Five's talent. Thank you.

Just incase...

Don't be surprised if there aren't any posts for a few days. This is because I may not be able to get onto the Internet for that space of time. I will be taking my camera to film videos and take pictures which I will post. Thank you for you're co-operation.

They've Arrived

The above image was made by me.

The first migratory swans have arrived at W.W.T. centres across the U.K. Not necessarily in W.W.T. centres, whooper swans have arrived in Scotland & Northern Ireland. You can see W.W.T.'s whooper swan diary here. Secondly, bewick swans have arrived at W.W.T. Slimbridge. As usual, Dario & Dorcus were the first back. Three yearlings & another adult have also arrived.

This has kicked off the migratory season. The whoopers have come from Iceland and the bewicks from Russia. I will be seeing the bewicks in a weeks time. Please comment on the arrivals. Thank you.

Injuries at Sea

Dave is a playful bottlenose dolphin who lives in the sea of the south of England. But the young female has recently been in an accident. She has part of her tail cut off by a boat propeller. Animal welfare groups are urging people to stay away from her so she doesn't get injured again.

Mark Simmonds, from the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, said Dave's injury followed the death of two other friendly dolphins in UK waters last year.
"We really must learn to treat these animals with more respect," he said.
"We are currently just killing them with kindness by first taming them and then not looking after the tamed animals."

I hope this happens to no other animals. Please comment. Thank you.

Shark Attack!

A woman has made a miraculous recovery after being bitten by a great white shark. She is 52 years old and was kayaking at the time. The incident happened near Byron Bay, New South Wales. She is called Linda Whitehurst.

Linda had this to say, "I had my blade in my hands so I punched at it with my blade.

"That was the only way I was going to survive. I just kept punching, punching, punching at the shark until it swam away."

Also, a man was attacked by a bronze whaler shark off the coast of Cairns, Queensland. These attacks are quite common in Australia.

Please comment. Thank you.

Strike Stops Snacks

The recent postal strike has affected zoos across the country. Bristol Zoo is just one of them. But this is what they did to help others.

Bristol Zoo usually receive 3000 live crickets a week to feed the animals that feed on them. So Bristol Zoo used the crickets that they had bred to feed them and they even delivered some to other zoos. They also fed them fruit flies.

A Bristol Zoo spokesman said, "Our chameleons and lizards love to eat live crickets, so we order thousands for them every week."

Please comment. Thank you.

Sprogget Search Stopped

First of all, we have a new widget.

Above is Sprogget. There was a search to rescue him when he fell down a hole the other day. That search has been called off.

Sprogget was eighteen years old. He was a Jack Russell. The hole in Pontypool was caused because of this Summer's rain. His owner was upset, but praised the rescue workers. The owner, David, had this to say, "They wanted him out just as much as we did and I think most people are upset that we can't get him. The effort they've put in here is as if they were trying to rescue a human, let alone a dog. They've done a really good job."

Please comment. Thank you.

The Final Track

A project to see where walrus' go during the Summer months has been cancelled. Eight of the mammals were tagged but they have all stopped transmitting. The final one had gone all the way to Canada. The head of the experiment is pleased with his results, and is planning to tag some more next year.

Please comment. Thank you.

Please Help

Above is a picture of Gizmo. It lives near Sunderland but has been stolen. Its owner has autism & received Gizmo as an Easter prezzie. It is allergic to carrots & lettuce. Kerry, the owner, has been off school over this & wakes up in the night. If you find him/her, please take time to find out addresses as we can give none out. You will receive a £50 reward. Thanks.

The Mighty Beelephant

An experiment has proven that elephants are scared of bees. Scientists put up speakers with the sound of bees buzzing playing to stop the mammals munching on the crops. The ellies legged it straight away. It's thought they linked the buzzing with the painful stings that bees can deliver and decided to run away. This may affect their behaviour in the future, though. But it might not take them long to realise it's a trick, as they are very clever animals.

Please comment.
Thank you.