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.

Crow-cam's Bird Behaviour

Cameras have been attached to a selection of crows from New Caledonia's tails. It's all part of an experiment to see the bird's habits. The cameras can record the head, belly & feet. We already know that they drop nuts onto roads to crack them before collecting the remains when the green man shows.

We now also know that they use twigs & grass to make tools. If those tools are really helpful, they'll keep it to use again. The cameras also revealed that they eat up to eight bugs such as beetles an hour.

Please comment.

Thank you.

The Ocean's Secrets

Scientists are going further than they've ever gone before in the oceans. They are putting cables in off the west coast of America to see what really happens under the sea. They will now be able to always be watching the sea bed.

It will also work out about natural disasters. The project is called the Ocean Observatories Initiative (O.O.I.).

Please comment. Thank you.

Mind The Bedbugs Don't Bite...

Bedbugs are increasing in population all over the world. They are especially increasing in the U.K. due to people getting them on their clothes and travelling with them. They make your skin itchy because they feed on human blood and can drink seven times their body weight in fifteen minutes!

They are easy to spot. There will be blood spots on your sheet. The little critters are 5 millimetres long. They also excrete on your furniture. But don't worry, they don't spread diseases.

World Animal Week

The above poster was made by myself (Gaz).

You may not know it, but it's World Animal Week. What a better time to jot down to Animals Matter? Be kind to animals, people. But don't just do it this week, do it every week! Have a good World Animal Week.

The World's Smallest Dog

Above is Boo Boo. She is the world's smallest dog. She is four inches (10.16 centimetres) tall. That's about the size of a mobile phone! When Boo Boo was a puppy, she was the size of a thumb.

Boo Boo is a chihuahua, which is the smallest breed of dog, so it's no surprise that Boo Boo is that tiny. Her owner is called Mrs. Elswick and she didn't find out about this until the tenth of September. Boo Boo was actually measured in May.

Please comment. Thank you.

Back to the Past

The people at the London Zoological Society (Z.S.L.) have uncovered photos from London Zoo's past. These include when a tiger cub befriended a bear cub (can be seen above). That was in 1941.

Another picture shows a llama pulling people in a cart round the zoo! That must have been really cool.

Caroline George from the Z.S.L. had this to say, "Going through the photos and slides in the library has been a reminder of Z.S.L. London Zoo's astonishing history, and the changes it has undergone in the last century.
"They are particularly fascinating because the gradual transformation of Z.S.L. London Zoo really mirrors the broader changes in our understanding of the environment and animal husbandry too."

Please comment. Thank you.

Roll Up, Roll Up!!

Roll up, roll up! Come and see the magnificent cage-escaping chimps, Jonnie & Coco. Okay, okay, here's the proper story.

Whipsnade zoo had to be closed on Saturday in the morning all because of Jonnie and Coco! The pair's escape route is unknown, and it isn't entirely good news.

They captured Coco easily & he wasn't harmed. But unfortunately Jonnie (who was 40 years old) was too feisty and had to be put to sleep.

The zoo, which is in Bedfordshire, is now working as normal.

Please comment. Thank you.

Homecroc

Three saltwater crocodiles living in Australia have made their way back home. They were moved as part of an experiment to see if they would go back to the salt-life if they lived near fresh water.

They were tagged with tracking devices to see where they went on their 400km. trek to the sea. They made it, so it is now known that crocodiles know where they are.

Please comment.

Thank you.