A Suprise Trip

This week started off with me feeling frustrated with college. I yearned for a whole day of animal lessons, not a day interspersed with business plans and politics. I am appreciative that they teach us this, however, I just wanted to immerse myself more into the animal world and Monday is a day that our timetable only permits this indulgence in the morning for 3 hours only.
However, all this changed upon arriving into the usual Biology class on Wednesday morning. A few weeks ago, a very welsh, slightly over 50 man came in to give us a presentation about the Amazon and Conservation. We expected the usual fare; a speech full of un- imaginable facts and figures that would instantly leave our heads as soon as we stepped out if the classroom. However, as soon as this guy started speaking we were captivated (and not only by his strong, lilting welsh accent). He was so passionate about his subject as he spoke animatedly, every now and then telling a few anecdotes. He told us a touching story about the death of a young tribal girl and showed us a video that details in stark reality the damage that Dove is doing to the Amazon Rainforest. (The video can be found here) Then he announced he was taking a group of Year 2's to the Amazon to meet "his tribe" and "brothers and sisters". Green with envy does not even begin to describe our chagrin! However, upon arrival this Wednesday, our tutor announced there were free spaces.

After umming and ahhing about finances, I made my decision. Waking up every morning I knew that I had to do it, this is a trip that doesn't come around very often. I read the itinerary which cemented my decision; standing on the equator, travelling up the Andes through the Cloud Rainforest region, travelling by plane then canoe up the Amazon spotting wildlife and eventually ending up at the indigenous tribe to spend a few nights and take part in a shaman healing ceremony, going to a local school to help make local crafts...... I could not miss this.

The man's name is Phil Williams. He is a truly inspirational man who travels the UK to spread the word about Conservation. If you are lucky enough to hear him speak, the world would be in a much better place.

A (College) Trip to Chester Zoo

Yesterday entailed a trip to Chester Zoo for my college course. We all felt giddily excited as the tutors read out the register on the bus to check everyone was all present and correct; it felt like we were 12 again and about to set off on a big adventure, packed lunches in tow and begging to be eaten right away. The weather was far from pleasant, rain fell sporadically as the wind just got stronger and stronger but nothing could dampen our spirits... we were off to the zoo!! I felt so liberated to finally be among people who openly shared their passion for this trip, to see the animals and just sit and watch them, study them.

Upon arrival, we were given an Animal Behaviour task which called for us to watch the Meerkats for 2 15 minute slots in order to fill out an ethogram. For our Exotic module, we were given a work book put together by our tutor and the zoo. Inside was a treasure trove of information about the animals and various other subjects, including Animal Welfare issues. One exercise called for us to observe the birds in the Tsavo Bird Aviary; this took longer than expected but we were soon enchanted by the wonderful colours and bustling activity of the Village Weavers et al. With the help of a friendly birdwatcher, we spotted a bird, the Superb Starling, we’d all but given up hope on. From here on in, we would eagerly seek it out.

After a quick refuelling at lunchtime, we made our way back to the Meerkats. The young were still play fighting and running around at the speed of sound. They were also learning how to perform sentry duty, however, all that playing must have worn them out as they often fell asleep on the job.

Our next job was then to head over to the giraffes and assess their enclosure in terms of whether it met the five animal freedoms. We then rushed over to the Education Centre. During our rush over, we had time to catch quick glimpses of the Horn- Billed Toucans and the Giant Tortoises.

We then were seated in an Education classroom where a very well- spoken member of the zoo presented us with a powerpoint presentation which included information on zoo legislation, research case studies and enrichment techniques. My inner geek thoroughly enjoyed this!

Unfortunately, the end of the presentation meant the end of our day at the zoo. I’d enjoyed the work we’d had to do and found the whole experience extremely educational and fun. I did regret that we had not had the time to see more of the animals (and spend more time with my beloved elephants!) but studying the animals in a more educational capacity was fabulous.

Now, it’s only 5 more weeks until my birthday and I know what that also means....a trip to the zoo! 

Llyn Brenig- BBQ and Moonlit evening organized by North Wales Wildlife Trust

On Saturday (24^th), my partner and I ventured to Llyn Brenig at 6 in the evening. I had found about a month ago whilst exploring the North Wales Wildlife Trust’s (NWWT) website, an event that caught my eye. It described itself as a BBQ and Moonlit safari evening to be enjoyed in and around the visitor’s centre at Llyn Brenig. I tried to search for more information and, although advertised on many a “What to do in North Wales” website, the same info was presented to me; “Come join us for some food and a moonlit trail to find some bats, moths and other wildlife”. Therefore, we were expecting to either be the only ones there, the only young ones there or the only couple there without children. When we arrived it was a mixture of the two latter. There were around 20 people present, already being served at the BBQ or taking in the magnificent sunset view of the calm waters and surrounding hills. An admission fee was not in force. Food was charged for but given the quality of the evening this was not even a second thought. The BBQ served the typical fair and hot, fluffy chips were eagerly munched on. After 1 hour, the guy in charge deemed it dark enough to start our trail. He was a very happy chap, bouncing around with a smile plastered on his face and talking a bit too loudly. My partner and I decided he resembled a Welsh Darren Beasley (from Animal Park). Unfortunately however, I cannot remember his real name. He introduced himself to the group along with his co-worker (Rhian maybe? I vaguely remember her name due to “Darren Beasley” repeating it over and over in his over- enthusiastic manner) and what we hoped to find. We then set off in the direction of the yacht club. On our way over, “Darren” and the children, closely followed by a few parents who failed to keep up in the long grass and muddy terrain, inspected various reptile traps. One held a tiny frog which was held by the kids until it hopped to freedom. Once at the yacht club, we were given Bat Detectors and told what frequency to set them at. Eager as any other kid, I raced to get one. Walking back towards the Visitor’s Centre, we didn’t seem to be picking up any bat- like signals. “Darren” then decided to lead us through a designated path through the now pitch black forest. I must admit, I really liked this part. Trekking though the mud and crossing bridges with trees all around you and only your torch for light was quite exciting and I felt like quite the adventurer! All being said, it would have been a different story on my own!

After, we decided to walk the opposite direction and carry on our search for bats. Due to it now being officially night-time, our detectors came to life. As the bats flew overhead, the noise they emitted through the machine sounded like blowing bubbles in water. Rhian told us that when they made a raspberry sound, they had caught their prey (moths). My partner and I became quite adept at spotting the bats; I would follow the sound on my detector and tell him where it was coming from and he would follow them with his super strength torch (the light didn’t bother them). Rhian told us what frequencies would pick up what species of bats but we still weren’t sure what we were seeing as she didn’t announce this information to the whole group.

Back at the Visitor’s Centre, my detector wouldn’t stop beeping, but now was time to also inspect the moth traps. These consisted of huge, bright lights covering the “trap” which was made up of cardboard egg containers which were crawling with wildlife. A man was standing vigil, explaining and handing out these “traps”.

All in all, this event was superb. The organization of the walk, the traps and the food was very well thought out and prepared. The people were friendly and everyone’s enthusiasm was infectious. However, the one drawback was the lack of information from our two guides “Darren” and Rhian. We were well equipped with our detectors, but a bit more wildlife knowledge from them would’ve made for a more rounded experience. On the other hand however, there were a lot of kids there and the hands on experience that was on offer allowed them to touch nature, to feel and see it and thus get excited about it. They need this passion first as a child before being bombarded with too much information.

I fully recommend to anyone, family or not, to take part in one of these events. It makes you realise how much is on offer in your local area and that there are other people who share our passion.

North Wales Wildlife Trust- Events

This link contains info about Llyn Brenig and other nearby lakes and woods:

 Llyn Brenig

Sing A Little Whale To Me

Again, I find myself writing about the recent, and last, episode, of Ocean Giants. This week was entitled Voices of the Sea and so focused on the beautiful vocal abilities of the dolphins and family. Each noise they utter is meant with purpose and is just as beautiful as any other human language. Amazon dolphins “talk” in order to make sense of the world around them whilst in Spotted dolphins they seem to converse socially with each other just as we humans do. There is more mystery however, surrounding the reason as to why blue whales “sing”. The fantasy is dead that they sang their mates to them, but I refuse to let my fantasy die that they sing for pleasure: watching them move their colossal fins in order to “feel” the music they were making, a sort of whale ballet dance hints to me that they enjoy music just as we do. To be honest, I’ve never been one to find whale music relaxing. Yes, I have always found it inspiring, magical and sometimes even eerie but I have never willingly thrown on a CD of relaxing whale music to chill out to whilst the stresses of the day slowly melt away. Yet, when I watched these massive mammals seemingly dance to their own music I found my shoulders relaxing, my thoughts stopping and there seemed to be no other sounds or images other than those of the whales. To me, relaxation is watching the world’s largest creature move with delicate grace to its own symphony.

The Course

I am now, I’m very proud and excited to say, an official Level 3 Animal Management (Science Route) student! After spending a whole childhood and teenage hood planning out my career as a Zoologist or Marine Biologist, I’ve finally made it on to a course that actually deals with the relevant subject criteria.

It’s taken me this long to finally get on to the course of my animal dreams as, after a dismal A Levels Science results day, I was forced to change tack. I enjoyed, and still do, music but didn’t wish to make it my career so instead opted for Spanish. Languages held a mystery; to learn them was to unlock the door to a whole other world... literally. I do have quite the travel bug, and one of my dreams was to live in a foreign country and through my Spanish degree I was able to do this. I adore the sound of Spanish and could listen to my friends chatter all day long.

However, during this summer, I realised that, even though I had utterly fallen for Spanish, studying anything animal related was falling farther away scared me. I knew I still wanted to pursue this. So, after hours spent reading various college course syllabuses, I eventually stumbled across The Course.

Whilst reading the syllabus, I got giddily excited about the fact that I could well soon be learning about animal biology, ecology and conservation, wildlife populations and also undertaking “investigative projects” and work experience. My mind suddenly ran away with me and wished for me to do well and to return to university asap to do a Zoology degree.

So, here I am. A student again. Frantically trying to find a job to cover course fees. But looking forward to every minute spent on The Course.

Ocean Giants

I have just finished watching the latest episode of Ocean Giants on the BBC's iPlayer. Today’s episode examined just how clever and in tune with the world dolphins, and their cousins the whales, really are, even claiming that there brains are a lot bigger than our human ones.

As I watched, transfixed in equal measure by the beauty of their movements and the incredible facts that were being lain down before me in Stephen Fry’s dulcet tones, I found it easy to understand why many people claim these animals as their favourites. Watching the bottle noses play for hours in front of the mirror or with a circular bubble machine made me appreciate just how incredibly intelligent and beautiful they are. As the three year old dolphin checked himself out in a mirror, the biologist claimed that this existential view of themselves may show us that they go through the same emotional development as us when young. Thus, they do indeed share the altar with elephants, gorillas and humans in their ability to feel empathy and, even more astonishing, the ability to feel empathy towards a different species. The ability to forgive another species, as the whale mothers had after humans had nearly wiped out them and their young, is a story we could all do with knowing. To see how happy both species were in the company of the other (and that both were voluntarily seeking the other out) gave me such hope and joy! It just proves that we are capable of co-existing on this planet and that if we did, it would be an even more wonderful place to be.

The beauty of the film was incredible. Whilst watching, I imagined phoning my friends and insisting we arrange trips away to Australia, Alaska and the Bahamas’ right away. Watching documentaries such as these always prompts my feet to get a little itchy and my mind to forget finances whilst it runs away with itself arranging madcap adventures on far flung lands. I have always loved the idea of adventure and now added onto a long list of ones I plan to take is to travel and experience the presence of these animals.

The point that excited me most was the fact that in about five years time, we could possess the ability to communicate with these astonishing creatures. The mystery of what whales exactly get up to after they dive could be solved and open up a whole new area of marine biology to us. It would be like having insider information.

Open Ocean

David Sheldrick Elephant Orphange

Orphan Elephants

This link contains photos from the National Geographic of orphaned elephants at  the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust Elephant Nursery in Kenya. I can honestly say that each photograph touched my heart, most notably the first one of baby Shukuru been kept warm by the keepers in the rain.
I remember Michaela Strachan going to either this Elephant Nursery or one like it. She spent the days following the keepers around as they cared for the orphaned animals; it was heart breaking to watch newly abandoned elephants to enter the reserve but heart warming when they finally found their place in the mini herd of baby elephants before moving on to the "adult" tribe. The keepers shephered the elephants everywhere, caring for them as children, even sleeping next to them at night.

I may be a softy but who couldn't be in the face of these pictures. You remember that list of adventures I had? Well visiting a truly inspiring place like this is at the top.