The Scottish Wildlife Trust has an Osprey Webcam so take a few minutes and enjoy the sight of ospreys at the Loch of the Lowes Wildlife Reserve and Visitor Centre in Highland Perthshire. 

Fly off to the Scottish Wildlife Trust's You Tube page

They have other webcams as well - you can see what's happening in the natural world in Scotland!  Lose yourself in nature! 

They also have lots of information about how you can encourage wildlife to your garden.  Give them a home, and they will come!  We’ve done that in ours and there’s nothing I love more than listening to and watch the results.  It’s like having our own nature show!  It’s only a small garden but hey, even a patch makes a difference to wildlife. 

Visit the Scottish Wildlife Trust's website here - its wonderful!   There are lots of ways you can get involved and help, too.   Find out more here

Have you been watching Secret Life at The Zoo?  It's on our screens on Thursdays on Channel 4 at 8pm.  The enthusiasm and love the keepers show for their animals never ceases to amaze me, and there's good news from them from the animals at Chester Zoo!

A rare Asian elephant was born. 

The female calf was born to 15 year old mum Sundara Hi Way, after a 22 month gestation.

And the birth was caught on CCTV cameras!  The rest of the family herd welcomed the new born, including 1 year old half brother Anjan and 3 year old sister Indali.

Asian elephants are listed as endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).  Sadly the species is threatened by habitat loss, poaching and human-wildlife conflict - like so many animals.   A deadly herpes virus threatens them as well.  

Chester Zoo is working hard to help elephants in the wild, focusing on human-wildlife conflict in Assam, India.   The zoos' conservationists are working to prevent the deaths of elephants and to help find ways in which elephants and people can live side by side.

And they are also working to search for a viable vaccine to help rid elephants of EEHV.  Progress is being made - and hopefully one day this threat will be dealt with. 

Plan your visit to Chester Zoo here - you'll find all the information you need!

The 27th February every year is International Polar Bears Day!

It's a chance to raise awareness of the status of the majestic polar bear;  a chance for us to find out more about these beautiful animals and the charity dedicated to them and their conservation. 

That charity is Polar Bears International, and they have a team of scientists working hard to preserve this incredible species.   Polar bears are well suited to living in the Arctic - you can see why on the video below:

One of the things they do is to track polar bears - and you can track the bears too and find out where 11 of those being tracked are.  The tracking is delayed to protect the polar bears.  

There are a number of things you can do to help polar bears - exploring Polar Bears International website is a good place to start! 

Why not adopt a polar bear (you can do an eco adoption for $25)

Virgin Experience Days has some great expereinces in their Animal Experience listings!  These include a number of Falconry Experiences and a lot of them have special offers on them!

This is a great chance for you to get active with animals and try your hand at owl handling, go for a hawk walk or handle eagles. 

Falconry Taster

Take a Hawk Walk for Two

Introduction to Owl Handling for Two
Hold and fly a selection of owls in Kent
Was £178, now £78

Fly away to see the Falconry Experiences
available through Virgin Experience Days

Did you ever do a first aid course on people?   Well, now you can do a Pet First Aid Course with the PDSA.

The PDSA is the UK’s leading vet charity.  It’s got a network of 48 pet hospitals, and it provides treatment for millions of poorly pets who are sick and injured and who belong to people in need – there are criteria you need to meet to have your pet seen to by the PDSA.

The PDSA also promotes responsible pet ownership.   And one of the things they are doing is running Pet First Aid Courses!  

Pet First Aid Course

The main focus of the training is to help you identify when something isn’t right with a pet and then how you can act accordingly in an emergency situation before you get to a vet.  The course also looks at how you can prevent  some emergencies happening in the first place. 

• Recognising normal for your pet
• Heatstroke
• Bandaging
• Bloat
• Poisoning
• Seizures
• Choking
• Resuscitation
• Being prepared

These take place around the country and you can find a list of pet first aid courses here.   They are delivered by the PDSA’s Community and Education Nurses, using some theory work, group discussion, case studies, video examples and practical exercises.  You can test your knowledge afterwards by completing an online quiz – you’ve got 7 days and 3 goes to pass the quiz and then a course certificate will be emailed to you.

Find a Course Near You

The course is free but not surprisingly it’s very popular so the PDSA have introduced a £5 admin fee for booking. 

Please note - due to the increase in demand for their Pet First Aid courses, the PDSA have had to introduce an administration / booking fee of £5.00 per person (that’s non-refundable & non- transferable) (Including VAT)

You can also sign up online for their Free Pet First Aid Guide

Why not take out Pet Insurance with the PDSA and help support them that way?  It’s one way they raise funds to continue providing free vet care to the UK’s most needed pets and to promote responsible pet ownership.  Find out more here

Autumn is a wonderful time of year to take a walk in and there’s nothing like walking alongside water.  

Walking is great exercise – you can stretch your legs, drink in the view, watch the wildlife, enjoy the autumn colours in all their glory and breathe in some fresh air.

©Canal and River Trust

Even if you don’t live in the sea, you may find yourself near a lake, a loch, a river or a canal.

©Canal and River Trust

The Canal and River Trust has lots of wonderful walks for everyone to enjoy – and they have information about dog friendly walks on their website.

Walking your dog by a canal or river...some tips

• Keep your dog on a short lead around busy spots like locks and bridges – you don’t want them jumping into a lock or into a canal from a bridge, for instance
• Ensure they are wearing a collar with an ID tag
• They respectfully ask that you pick up anything your dog might drop and put it into a bin
• Don’t let your dog swim in the canals – they may upset the ducks

Don’t forget to take water for your dog – dogs get thirsty as well!

In winter, it’s particularly important to keep your dog on the lead in case they are distracted by geese and ducks and try to jump into the canal to go after them.  Your dog may think ice on a canal is a solid base.  

If your dog should fall in, the Canal and River Trust advise you not to jump in after your dog; keep your voice calm and encourage him or her to swim to you where you can lift them out safely.  And if they can’t do this, try to reach them with a line or long branch.

And if you don’t have a dog, go for walkies anyway and enjoy yourself!   Woof, woof! 

Go to the Canal and River Trust's website - why not volunteer or become a member? 

The  Government has just created 41 Marine Conservation Zones, stretching from Northumberland in the North East to Norfolk, to the Isles of Scilly and beyond.  These will help marine life recover and thrive in protected areas.

A group which was important in gathering the information to help decide which areas should be protected was that of volunteer divers.

They are members of an organization called Seasearch.

Seasearch is a project for volunteer scuba divers who are interested to find out and discover more about what they see under water.  They also want to help protect the marine environment around the coastlines of Britain and Ireland.

Seasearch divers record what lives in each area, and establish the richest sites for marine life.  They also pinpoint sites where there are problems for marine life – and those areas which need protection.  Visit their Recording page for more information.

These findings helped the government decide which marine areas should be protected. 

So if you enjoy scuba diving and want to make a difference, take a look at Seasearch.  My husband did one of their courses and really enjoyed it.

Here’s a list of Seasearch groups around the country.

I’m putting a more sombre touch to this website today to give some time and thought to all the animals and peoplel who have been killed or injured by war.

If you’re in London, one thing you could visit is the Animals in War Memorial at Brook Gate, Park Lane, (map here) on the edge of Hyde Park. It’s on the edge of Hyde Park . 

The Animals in War Memorial was created to remember and pay tribute to all the animals who’ve served with our Forces in the wars and conflicts of the 20^th century.   They served, suffered and died alongside British, Commonwealth and Allied forces and deserve to be remembered. 

Horses, mules, donkeys, dogs, pigeons, cats, elephants, oxen, bullocks, canaries and even glow worms served in the wars.

They had no choice.

The Animals in War memorial is a beautiful tribute to them, but if only the wars had never happened, so much suffering and death could have been avoided for millions of animals and people.

Today on D-Day, let us remember them.

Visit the Animals in War Memorial’s website to find out more here

There are new arrivals to celebrate at the Zoological Society of London (ZSL)!

ZSL London Zoo have a new sloth called Elio which is a Spanish name from ‘Helios the sun god’ following the youngster’s sunset arrival.

 

And ZSL Whipsnade Zoo have a new reticulated giraffe called Khari, all six feet of him!  He's a very confident newcomer, and very  inquisitive too!

 

 

   

 

He was born as part of the European Breeding Programme (EEP) for the Endangered species.   First time mum Luna is doing very well looking after him, and the birth was a family affair;  Dad Bashu rubbed Luna's neck encouragingly during the 4 hour labour and grandmother Ijuma helped clean him after the birth.  

Khari has started to venture outside, under the watch of his parents so he's obviously keen to explore his new surroundings. 

Visit ZSL London Zoo and ZSL Whipsnade Zoo. 

So here’s a new version of the Tug of War game.

This time, it’s between two donkeys and it involves a Wellington Boot.

Who will win?   Wiggins or Harry?

You'll find this video on You Tube here 
©Redwings Horse Sanctuary

The donkeys live at the Redwings Horse Sanctuary.  The sanctuary rescues abandoned, mistreated and neglected horses and donkeys from across the UK.  IT gives them a safe place to live and provides all they need for life long care, including veterinary treatment and rehabilitation.   Crucially, it also educates current owners and future generations about the value of horse welfare. There are about 2,000 animals at Redwings, all being looked after.

The sanctuary has 5 visitor centres in Norfolk (there are 2 there), Essex, Warwickshire and Scotland.  If you love donkeys or you’re mad about mules or want a cuddle with a Shetland, take a look at Redwings’ visitors page to find out more.  It’s free to visit (but you can always donate on your way out to help the sanctuary look after these wonderful animals. 

Can’t visit?  That’s okay! 

There are plenty of ways to help support Redwings Horse Sanctuary - here are just a few of them.

• Visit and subscribe to their You Tube channel and enjoy the videos
• Spread the word on social media :-) 
• Visit if you’re in their area – I’d say it’s always best to check they are open before you go
• Adopt a donkey
• Support their shop (check out their Redwings Charity Shop) which gives a gift to the animals themselves
• Volunteer – these aren’t hands on roles but there’s plenty to do to lend your support to the charity including fundraising and ultimately enable it to provide the best care possible for the animals with them and those who need help and rescue 
  
  

CANTER SWIFTLY AWAY TO
REDWINGS HORSE SANCTUARY’S WEBSITE