Who loves pandas?   The 16th March is World Panda Day and a great opportunity to raise awareness of the work being done to help these beautiful animals!

There are lots of activities going on, including a fundraiser with WWF-Canada and the CN Tower at 8 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 16.  

The panda is an example of what can be done to help endangered species.   The CN Tower will be illuminated in black and white, the idea being to highlight the plight of species at risk.  But it's also to tell people they can be part of the solution.  Everyone can make a difference. 

Obviously you may not be able to get to the CN Tower, but you could watch panda cams on Explore.org

You could also visit Pandas International who are actually based in Colorado in the US.   Their mission is "to ensure the preservation and propagation of the endangered Giant Panda".   The non-profit organisation provides a number of things, including...

• support for research
• habitat prservation and enhancement
• public awareness and education
• help to the Giant Panda centres

Pandas International say there are about 650 pandas in zoos and panda centres worldwide.   You can find out all about them here. 

For in the 1940s, the government in China started conservation efforts to protect pandas.   Their idea was to put safe areas aside - here the animals would be protected in what was their natural habitat. 

But then in the 1960s, things moved on - provinces were called on to set aside land for the proteciton of China's wildlife.  The province of Sichuan quickly came up with a plan to create reserves.  These would protect the pandas and other animals in the area.

And now there are about 40 panda reserves in south west China!  These include nature reserves which give pandas a safe place to live.  There are also research centres where the behaviour of pandas is studied in a scientific way.

A logging ban was implemented in 1998 to slow the destruction of habitat and logging - and poaching - still cause problems in some areas. 

And today, there are about 2,400 pandas including the 650 in captivity.   

How to help:

• You can volunteer at/travel to a couple of the panda centres
• You can adopt a panda
• There are panda gifts you can buy from the shop
• You can also become a panda protector!
• You can donate

Visit Pandas International

There was a baby bear experience available in Kent at the Wildwood Trust but Boki has grown up now, so this is no longer available.  However - you can still have a bear experience at the Wildwood Trust's Kent site - find out more about it here!

Boki has made a good recovery after brain surgery

Unfortunately, poor Boki wasn't very well last year and he was the first bear in the UK to have an MRI scan (at Fitzpatrick Referrals).  On Wednesday 9th October 2024, he had brain surgery with Romain Pizzi, a world leader in his field.  We wish Boki and the team well, and thank the team and everyone for their care of Boki.  He came through the surgery well, and after a good sleep over the winter, he's woken up and is ready for 2025!

Boki's fame has crossed the Atlantic to the US!  The Daily Guardian made this lovely video about him and it's on You Tube!

  

Urgent Appeal to help two bears! 

The Wildwood Trust is looking to help two other bears, Malenky & Nanuq.  The two cubs desperately need a new home.  Their mother was rescued from Ukraine, where she had been on the front line, trapped by troops who were advancing, and bombing.  The conflict moved east, and rescue teams were able to get in and take the mother bear to Poland and then Belgium.  There, she gave birth to two cubs - and these two loveable bears now need a new home.  

The Trust wants to raise sufficient funds - £75,000 - to move the cubs to Wildwood Devon, where they can live with bears Mish and Lucy.  Please find out more and donate here. 

Notes from the earlier blog:

The Wildwood Trust is based in Kent (and Devon, but Boki is in Kent).  The Kent site is home to over 200 native animals, past and present, with bears, wolves, bison, deer, owls, foxes, red squirrels, wild boar, lynx, wild horses, badgers and beavers among those living in the 40 acres there.  

Wildwood Trust is dedicated to saving Britain’s most threatened wildlife, and it's taken part in many conservation initiatives, such as saving the water vole and using wild horses to help restore nature reserves.  It's brought the Euroepan beaver back to Kent and brought the hazel dormouse & red squirrel back to areas where they have been made extinct.

And one of those living at the Wildwood Trust in Kent is Boki!  He came to the Wildwood Trust as a baby bear whose family sadly rejected him.  He was hand-reared by the team at Port Lympne and now Boki has come home to Wildwood Kent.  He's joined two other bears, Fluff and Scruff, 

Please note Wildwood Kent's "Things you need to know before you book" before you book.

Visit the Wildwood Trust here.

Images © Wildwood Trust

If you're at home thinking there's nothing on the TV or anything else, and you want to immserse yourself in something bear-related for nearly an hour, you could take a look at this video on You Tube...

Watch Inside the World of Bears
with BBC Earth

You could also take a look at these bear videos from

Free the Bears (rescued bears)

Animals Asia (also rescued bears)

#NationalPetMonth runs from April 1- May 1 2025

 It celebrates and raises awareness of responsible pet ownership, with educational campaigns and resources.   And the event celebrates pet ownership – there are so many benefits our pets bring us! 

During the month, #NationalPetMonth would love to hear of fundraisers and events you’ve got going to support many pet welfare organisations and charities – all sizes of events/fundraisers are welcome!

#NationalPetMonth has ten tips for responsible pet ownership – why not share them on social media?  You can find out where they are on social media on their “Join the Community” web pages here.

Here are the top ten tips for responsible pet ownership

For teachers, there’s a ‘Keeping Pets Healthy’ lesson plan will help children aged 4-7 (Reception and KS1) understand the importance of caring for animals and others.   It’s got all sorts of information, including help on “keeping a school pet”.

#NationalPetMonth is run by NOAH and UK Pet Food.   NOAH is the trade association representing the UK animal health industry, and you can find out about it here. 

UK Pet Food has its slogan as “Love them madly, feed them wisely”.  It provides advice on nutrition topics.  It sets the standards for the UK pet food manufacturing industry.    And it has a pet care advice hub for vets and owners for dogs, cats, small mammals, birds and fish here.  

Visit the National Pet Month website here.

Are you fascinated by animal poo?

Head off to Chester Zoo!

From Friday 14th February to Sunday 16th March, from 10am to 4:30pm, you can enjoy a "poo-pendous adventure!"

The event has been inspired by Steve Smallman and Ada Grey’s hilarious and educational children’s book, and Chester Zoo say it's ideal for families looking to make the most of half-term.  And it's free with your admission or membership!

Poo in the Zoo was  written by Steve Smallman and illustrated by Ada Grey
You can find out about it here, buy a copy and support Chester Zoo!

This is a great chance to find out which animal's poo sparkles, to discover the minute world of bumblee droppings, and to find out the surprising ways that poo helps wildlife survive and thrive! 

There's plenty going on!  With interactive games and demonstrations, there’s something for everyone to enjoy.  You can find out what's going on here.  (You need to scroll down the page when you click through.) 

Find out more and book from Chester Zoo

The 3rd March is World Wildlife Day.   The day is held annually, to celebrate plants and animals (wild ones) on the planet and recognise their roles and the contributions people make to conservation and our natural world.  

Like many awareness days, the theme changes every year and this year in 2025, #WWD2025 has a theme of Wildlife Conservation Finance:  Investing in People and Planet.

You can find out all about it from their website    

We can all make a difference to the natural world around us.   The theme of World Wildlife Day is looking at innovative ways to finance conservation but we can also do a lot at home at very low cost such as:

• feeding the birds
• doing a litter pick so that wildlife don't eat it
• planting bee and butterfly friendly plants in our gardens
• leaving piles of logs in a corner of the garden
• putting out water for wildlife
• spreading awareness of the good things happening for nature, appeals from wildlife charities (e.g. the Devon Wildlife Trust has an appeal for a beaver project at the moment) and donating if we can
• sponsor an acre e.g. with the World Land Trust as a gift for a wildlife lover
• follow the hashtag #WWD2020 on social media and get sharing!

These are just a few examples.   Whatever you do today, please do one thing for nature.  The natural world needs us all to protect and care for her like never before.  

Visit the World Wildlife Day's website here.

Calling all cat owners!

We all know that cats have minds of their own - perhaps no more so than when it's necessary to have a pill.   And those wonderful people at Cats Protection have kindly produced a video which could help.   They have advice as well on their website - pounce on it here!

The video covers preparing to give your cat a pill, what is the required dose?  Should the medication be given with food - and can it be added to food.  

Find out more from Cats Protection.

They've also got lots of advice and information you can have a look at covering all sorts of areas of cat care and ownership.   Take a look here.

They've also got free online courses called Understanding Cats' Needs and Interactive House Plan.   You can do them any time online, and do them in one go or in chunks.  The Understanding Cats' Needs course is based on a course which is given to Cats Protection staff and volunteers - and it's suited to adults and older children who are interested in cat care.  

There are lots of ways to help cats with Cats Protection so find out about volunteering here - there are volunteer roles in their shops, their cat centres and their branches and you could also foster!  Help cats in need - check out the Support Us pages here.  

March is on the way fast, and with it, a HUGE event in the calendar for dogs!  Over 24,000 dogs are expected over the four days!  

The world's biggest dog show, Crufts, kicks off at the NEC, Birmingham, on the 6^th March starting the four day festival of all things WOOF!   It’s an absolutely amazing event, and if you can’t get there, make sure you tune in to both Channel 4 and More4 - there's lots to see.   Here's how to watch Crufts.    I’m glad the coverage is showing a good range of activities from the show – and there’s lots of advice and information.  And of course, this year Hero Dog of the Year is back!  Who will win and be Hero Dog of the Year and who will win Best in Show??   The International entry is at an all time high!  There are 51 countries with dogs entered in 2025! 

All dogs great and small will be at the show (you can’t just rock up with yours in the hope of taking them for a nice day out) and it’s a wonderful opportunity to meet lots of dog lovers and dogs and see plenty of action.  Agility, flyball, showing, musical dances, displays, junior handling and more!  Over 5,000 people are volunteering at Crufts this year! 

Visit Crufts' website here to buy tickets 

Visit Crufts' You Tube Channel here

Visit The Kennel Club's website here.   It's got lots of information about dogs and dog ownership, including everything you need to know about getting your first dog.  

Please don't forget to keep a good eye out for all the dog charities that are at Crufts.   Visit their stands, say hello, and see what you can do to help them and spread the word about the work they are doing.  Things are really, really tough for animal charities at the moment and every bit of help we can all give them will make a difference.  

Please Note:  No dogs, other than those that have been invited by The Kennel Club and Assistance Dogs, are permitted into the show.

Wag your tail and head off to the Crufts website to find out all about it! 

On the outskirts of Stafford at the Staffordshire County Showground, there's the National Shire Horse Society Show!  This runs on the  7th, 8th and 9th March at Staffordshire County Showground and if you love huge horses – or simply horses – this is the show for you!

The Shire Horse Society is dedicated "to the protection, promotion and improvement of the Shire Horse".  And the National show gives us a great chance to get an insight into the most wonderful of horses, the Shire.  

The National Show has lots of things going on, including...

• National Championships  
• Trade stands
• In-hand Classes
• Turnout Classes
• Ridden Shire Horse Classes
• Farriery Display
• Grand Parade 
• VIP Dining
• Evening Entertainment (Saturday)

This will be a wonderful chance to see some incredible horses! 

Find out all about the Show and book your tickets here.  And you can visit the Society's Facebook page here.

Well, I've just read a book called Twenty Wagging Tails, which actually a family friend passed on to me, knowing that I'd love it.

Twenty Wagging Tails:  One Year of Re-homing Orphan Dogs is by Barrie Hawkins, and I just absolutely loved it from start to finish.

The book was published in May 2009, and it is so very readable!   It's about a couple, Barrie and Dorothy, who decide to rescue large dogs, most notably German Shepherds.  The book takes us through the ups and downs of their first year, in which they take in 20 dogs and find homes for them.  I should say that the last three dogs arrive in the last chapter.   We meet various human characters who are beautifully interwoven into the story, such as vet Melissa, policeman Charlie and Cecelia, a friend two keeps pushing dogs their way and who is a bit nervous of that most fabulous breed, the German Shepherd.  And of course, there are the dogs themselves from Monty to Sabrina, Friend, Claude, “beautiful, white gentle Pearl” and Jess.   A wonderful year’s work, I’d say!

I just can't put this book down when I start to read it, however much I've read it, if you know what I mean.  It’s one of those books where you just want to keep turning each page to find out what happens next, and then, when you’ve reached the last one, you want to go back to the beginning and start again!

As someone who’s been involved in rescue – and German Shepherds particularly – I recognised so many of the things that happen, from people turning up early to collect dogs or late, or not at all, to promises made to send cheques to cover food and vet’s bills for dogs they’ve dropped off – said cheques never appear.  And of course that most wonderful bond which brings German Shepherd owners together in awe of and love for the breed.

The book encapsulates all the hights and lows of rescue;  the disbelief that fellow humans can treat dogs in thew ay they do;  they joy at the kindness shown, such as when one lady brings a Christmas tree as a gift – totally unexpectedly – and then meets and falls in love with Thor, a dog who has very little time left.  Needless to say, Thor and the lady fall in love.  The book has humour, gentleness, love – and yet it also deals with more awful ends of rescue which leaves those of us involved in rescue feeling so very angry and a few other feelings I can’t possibly type here.  And the love Barrie and Dorothy have for each other truly comes out throughout the book.   They take such care to find the right home for each dog.

So if you get a chance, have a read of it.  The stories of the dogs finding homes are wonderful – of course we all have our particular memories of  dogs who have made it into our hearts in rescue.   I did shed a tear when Monty went off to his new home.  And Friend.  And Claude.  And Pearl.  There many, many wonderful people involved in rescue all doing their bit for dogs and many, many wonderful owners who take them on and give them a new life and an opportunity to have a chance.  Bless them all.  And thank you all.

 You can buy this book from the publisher, Sommersdale, or on Amazon   You can get it on Kindle :-)