It's International Polar Bear Day every year on 27th February.  The day is a great opportunity to discover more about polar bears and in particular the challenges they face and how we can all help.

Polar Bears International is a non-profit charity located in North America. 

And they've been studying polar bears for years.   Their mission is to conserve polar bears and the sea ice they depend on.  And they work to inspire people to care for the Arctic and make that vital connection between the Arctic and our global climate.

Polar Bears International have a short video on You Tube which shows a journey to the Arctic through the eyes of Ursula, a polar bear. 

Produced by Handcraft ©Polar Bears International

Visit Polar Bears International here

They have lots of wonderful information about polar bears and how you can get involved and help them.

Have you got 20 minutes to spare?  If so, the British Trust for Ornithology need some help!

They are running a Tawny Owl Survey and they need as many people as possible to exercise their ears and listen out for these beautiful animals.

All you have to do is listen for just 20 minutes during at least one evening between now and 31 March 2019.  You’re listening for the beautiful Tawny Owl, and you don’t have to have a garden – you can lie in bed and listen for the Tawny Owl or head to your local park or woodland. 

Even if you don’t hear anything, that will help.   Every survey answer helps, even zero.  The video below from You Tube shows you what to listen out for.

You can listen for their hooting and kee-wick calls between sunset and midnight.   You need to let the BTO know the date, start time of your survey, estimated cloud cover and whether or not you hear an owl!

If you hear a Tawny Owl at another time of the week outside the survey, you can record that as well, and you can record your weekly results online.

It will be even more helpful if you can repeat your survey in the weeks leading up to 31 March 2019.   The more weeks you can listen the better – gaps between them don’t matter – but do as many weeks as you can.

If you enjoy taking part you can repeat your survey in subsequent weeks. The more weeks that you can listen the better, but you can do as many or as few weeks as you are able. Gaps between weeks don't matter.

Download the instructions here.

If you'd prefer to record on paper recording sheets rather than use our online system, you can - email us at [email protected] or call 01842 750050.

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

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

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. 

If you want a challenge in 2019, then how about volunteering with bears or elephants? 

World Animal Protection have got a couple of terrific challenges.

Volunteer with Bears for World Animal Protection and help bears!

World Animal Protection have a sanctuary for rescued bears.  Based in Romania, it provides rescued bears with a forever home.  They have suffered terrible cruelty.  This is a chance to contribute directly towards improving their lives and make things better for them.

All you need to take part is energy and enthusiasm.  The registration fee is £295 and you need to fundraise (or pay yourself) £1,455.00,  

You'll be doing things like helping to plant fruit trees, building an education trail for school children, making toys for the bears or fixing the boardwalk.  And you'll be able to sit back, chill out and watch the rescued bears as they enjoy life at the sanctuary. 

Find out more here from World Animal Protection or....

If elephants are your preferred species, check out their Elephant Adventure Trek.   

Elephant Adventure Trek 2019 with World Animal Protection

Elephant Valley Thailand is a very special development for both elephants and tourists.   Tourists can see elephants behaving naturally and freely as part of a herd.  During your time at the sanctuary, you'll be involved in activities such as...

• Maintenance of the grounds
• Cleaning and food preparation depending on the sanctuary’s greatest need at the time
• Plenty of observing and learning about the elephants at the sanctuary.

But on this elephant experience, there's also time to go trekking in the jungle in search of wildlife and hidden waterfalls and take safari drives and visit wildlife hides to spot species such as gibbons, deer and macaques.   

Again, there's a registration fee and fundraising pledges you make to do this, but what an opportunity to get active with animals and do something to help! 

Find out more about the Elephant Adventure Trek in 2019.

As always, please ensure you are fit enough to travel and do these experiences so read the info World Animal Protection provides and check with them & your GP. 

Don’t miss this!

On Tuesday and Wednesday, 18 and 19 December 2018, don’t miss the opportunity to see Gordon Buchanan as he re-habilitates six orphaned grizzly bears into the Russian wilderness.

The programme is called Grizzly Bear Cubs and Me and it’s at 9pm on BBC2 and it should be absolutely amazing.

Gordon joins the Pazhetnovs, a family of biologists, who work to re-habilitate orphaned baby cubs.

There are over 100,000 grizzlies in Russia but there is increasing conflict with humans as people encroach into the wilderness.  Cubs are abandoned every year as their mothers are disturbed in their dens.

Bear Almanac: A Comprehensive Guide to the Bears of the World from Amazon

The Pazhetnovs have been helping bears for 30 years and when Gordon arrives in February, they have rescued 6 cubs. 

They are five weeks old and weigh less than a bag of sugar each.  Two of them were dumped in a bin in Moscow.  Two were found outside a vets in a box in St Petersburg.  Two were handed in by loggers who scared their mum away.

So the task at hand is to introduce the cubs to the wild in nine months.   Will Gordon succeed?

The second episode shows the bears going through a training programme, learning how to forage and how to swim.  They also have to put on enough weight to make it through the Russian winter.

And what’s more, there’s a test at the end to see if they are ready to survive in the wild.   Will they all make it?

Visit the Grizzly Bear Cubs and Me’s website – there are some clips from the episodes you can watch if you can’t wait. 

PS You can meet a bear at Dartmoor Zoo in Devon with a Bear Encounter for Two - Virgin Experience Days have a gift experience for two people for £129.00.   This is a great chance to meet Hayley the bear, watch a training session and provide food and enrichment for her.  Find out more here from Virgin Experience Days

Bear Encounter for Two at Dartmoor Zoo
from Virgin Experience Days

Looking through the newsletter from the NAWT (the National Animal Welfare Trust), it had a very helpful cut out and keep guide to rabbit winter care.

The NAWT operates 6 re-homing centres across the south of England in Berkshire, Bedfordshire, Cornwall, Essex, Hertfordshire and Somerset.  As well as cats, dogs, birds and field animals, they also have rabbits and guinea pigs looking for homes.  

At the time of writing this,
Snowy was looking for a new home
Look at the rabbits and guinea pigs wanting a home here

I hope they won’t mind but I’ve put some of their tips on winter bunny care which featured in the newsletter here:

• Watch the weather – make sure you’ve got blankets at the ready to safely cover the hutch if we have another cold snap
• Check the inside of the hutch for signs of leaks
• Move the hutch so a sheltered position where there’s protection from the elements
• Keep it off the ground to stop damp and cold
• Make sure it’s the winter run is secure – foxes get hungrier in winter
• Line the bottom of the hutch with blankets or newspapers in cold spells – you could even use a rabbit-safe heat pad for the colder times
• Check bedding for damp patches so that the hutch stays dry
• Watch your rabbit’s water bottles – they can freeze in cold weather.  Keep spares at the ready just in case.
• Ask your vet if your bunny needs bigger portions in the winter months.

If you get a chance, do hop off to visit the NAWT’s website. 

There’s lots of helpful information there and also details on what to do if you or you & your company want to volunteer!   

What's more, they've got some very helpful advice for young people who want to do something to help and really volunteer, which is great - there's lots of things that young people can do.

They have some great products in their shop, including those fabulous cards from the Little Dog Laughed range – I love those, they are so clever.

And if you’re looking for meaningful gifts for an animal lover, they have Animal Sponsorships – you can sponsor an animal for a year, feed an animal for a year and provide animal training and enrichment training for a year. 

The Shire is one of Britain's rare breeds and the beautiful Shire horses above live at the Wimpole Estate in Cambridgeshire.

They are busy doing carriage rides, experience days and ridden work, such as musical ride displays. 

This is Lady at Wimpole Estate

They spend their days in the field or working, or on display at the farm, so visitors can say hello.  The plan is to expand their work into agricultural jobs such as harrowing and ploughing.

This is Queenie

Visitors love them, and the National Trust needs your help to care for them.  They all reuqire food, bedding, dental visits, vaccinations and new shoes to keep them happy and well. 

This is Murphy at Wimpole Estate

So if you're looking for a gift for a horse lover, why not consider sponsoring one of the Shire Horses or donating to the Estate's Heavy Horse Appeal?  

Here's Jasper at Wimpole Estate

and Harry (who loves a good gallop)