Just take a look at this You Tube video from Chester Zoo..... and see Kyra being a little bit clumsy, bless her...

Kyra is a Sun Bear and the first of this species to be born in the UK!

Visit Chester Zoo's website here to find out more

There's a new arrival at ZSL London Zoo. 

Sumatran Tiger Asim came to the UK from Denmark in true tiger fashion.  He's come as a mate for resident female tiger, Melati.

Asim had warm straw, snacks and drinks and a climate control.  His new keepers had visited him in Denmark to meet him and get to know him.  They discovered that he loves to play, loves to play, especially by pouncing on piles of empty boxes sprayed with strong scents such as herbs and spices.

So how is the romance going?   

At the moment, Asim and Melati can smell and see each other from separate paddocks because Asim needs to settle into his new surroundings before he formerly meets Melati.  However, there are good signs - the keepers have seen lots of chuffing, a happy sound tigers to make to let each other know they've got good intentions, so this is a promising start.

Asim was matched with Melati through the European Endangered Species Programme (EEP) for Sumatran tigers, which is coordinated by ZSL London Zoo’s experts.  It aims to save the species from extinction. 

Find out more and buy tickets to ZSL London Zoo

The RSPB Online Shop has a couple of special offers on as follows:

Half price 3kg Buggy Nibbles when you spend £35 - this offer is on until 9th April 2019. 

Supersuet cakes x 10 50% OFF until 13 February 2019.

Fly away to the RSPB's Online Shop here to shop for wildlife!

The lions at ZSL London Zoo have had a great time playing with Christmas trees at ZSL London Zoo....

Visit ZSL London Zoo or Whipsnade Zoo to see the animals there. 

Did you hear about the Alpaca who walked into an opticians in the town of Hennebont in Brittany?

This is no joke - it did happen! 

The BBC reported that the alpaca had been passing the shop when he or she stopped.   The automatic doors automatically opened and the alpaca wandered in, very quietly.   

The alpaca spent a quiet half hour browsing the shelves and checking out lenses in the opticians.  Staff at Les Opticiens Mutualistes closed the door and called the police.   The owner arrived half an hour later to collect the alpaca.

I bet the staff at the opticians couldn't believe their eyes when they first saw the alpaca wondered in from the street.

Anyway, you don't have to head for the beautiful town of Hennebont in Brittany to see an alpaca.  Buy a Gift have a couple of alpaca experiences   in the UK you could treat yourself and/or alpaca loving friend to.  Check them out here.

Buy a Gift have a couple of alpaca experiences - check them out here

By the way, on the edge of Hennebont, there's an impressive national stud farm where you can see traditional Breton carthorses and other equine species here, and find out about the different trades involved in looking after horses.   Canter off to find out more about Hennebont here

Online pet retailer Zooplus.co.uk have a clearance sale on (not sure how long it will last for) and you can pick up some pet supplies at rock bottom prices. 

What offers willl Zooplus have for cats??

We’ve been using Zooplus.co.uk for a long time and found them to be completely reliable and offer a really good service.  

We’ve been using the Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets Canine EN Gastrointestinal dry food dog food for our German Shepherd – it’s for dogs with gastrointestinal conditions and pancreatic conditions.   It’s worked really well for him and we’ve always ordered it through Zooplus.  Everything has always arrived speedily and also by courier as it’s over £29 and delivered to a UK mainland address, and we’ve never had a problem with that, either.  (Find out about their shipping costs and free delivery thresholds here.)

So as I mentioned, Zooplus.co.uk have a clearance sale with some great offers for dogs, cats and small pets, birds and fish. 

For dogs there are offers on crates & kennels, there’s a bed and basket sale, collar and lead sale, grooming and care products, bowls and  feeders, clothing and dog toys. 

Cats have clearance products in bed and baskets, grooming and care, cat bowls, litter boxes and trays, cat trees and cat toys. 

You can also earn rewards to use online – I tend to use the rewards we build up for wild bird food  products so that our garden birds can have an extra treat, especially in this cold weather.

Anyway, head over there and have a dig about yourself to see what you can find.  Not every product is in the clearance sale of course but have a look anyway.   Stock is limited, so don’t wait!

If you're looking to do something different in 2019, how about volunteering for the Canal and River Trust?

The Trust looks after and brings to life an incredible 2,000 miles of waterways and is a strong believer in making life better by water.  

The 2,000 miles of waterways connect hundreds of wildlife habitat, which means it gives people the opportunity to get closer to wildife - and to help wildlife, as well.

The Trust's environment team are always looking for ways to help waterways wildlife to thrive, to preserve habitats and to create new ones.  

Volunteering for the Trust is a great way to get active, meet new people, make new friends and to do your bit!  And it's certainly something different to do with spare time!  Get outdoors, and make a difference.  There's nothing like spending time with others who want to do something positive for the community around them - it's a great feeling. 

The Trust has a Spotter's Guide to Waterway Wildlife so that you can spot different species on the waterways.

They are also appealing to people to feed ducks something better than bread - find out more about feeding ducks here.  They've even got a free duck-feeding guide but you need to sign up for it and they'll email it to you. 

Well, this looks like a LOT of fun and I was really cheered up at the thought of doing some puddle jumping!

The WWT in London (WWT being the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, or is it the Wetlands and Wildfowl Trust, I can never remember which), is holding a London Puddle Jumping Championship.

This pic makes me want to go and find a big puddle
and spend the day jumping in it!

Children of all ages (does that include err let's say 18+?!) can bring their wellies and have fun jumping in puddles.  There is a puddle jumping obstacle course, apparently, along with daily winners and other fun activities. 

Puddle jumping is free with paid admission to the centre and free to WWT members.

Don't forget to share your splashes at #puddlejumping

By the by, the WWT have centres  around the UK so check out their map, there may be a centre near you.  WWT is a conservation charity that saves wetlands, which are essential for life itself. as they are the primary source of drinking water for people and wildlife.  They also connect us with the natural world and there's always lots of wildlife to see.  

Jump over to the WWT website here