For those of you who love nature and wildlife, how about a Half Day Woodland Ranger Experience with Go Wild Scotland in the Scottish Borders?  It's led by a knowlegeable guide so this is a good chance to ask lots of questions! 

This takes place in the stunning surroundings of Mauldsheugh in the South of Scotland.  Start by taking a walk around the reserve and discover all about the trees, plants and wildlife living there.  Get involved in activities such as topping up the feeders and surveying the wildlife, planting trees and checking the ponds.

You'll receive a certification on completion!  

A snack and a soft drink are included.

Find out more from Virgin Experience Days.  This experience is for two people for £74.00. 

There's also the chance to Become a Woodland Ranger for the Day with Lunch for Two with Go Wild Scotland for £194.00.  Find out about that here.

Whipsnade Zoo is situated in the beautiful Chiltern Hills in Hertfordshire, and 10,000 animals call it home - many of them are endangered in the wild.

And the zoo had some amazing news to share with everyone earlier this month - a rare Southern white rhino calf was born to Fahari and Sissle in early October!

Welcome to the world, little one!

He weighed roughly just under 50kg and first time mum Fahari did very well - her gestation period was 16 months so she had quite a wait, bless her.  Keepers have described how the calf is quite a character and actually stamps his feet when he's impatient for food.   He joins his half brother Benja who was born in March.  There are only about 17,500 of these particular rhinos left in the wild so you can see this is a really important birth. 

In the wild, these rhinos are threatened by the illegal wildlife trade, since their horn is used for traditional medicine in Asia and for making dagger handles in the Middle East.  The Zoological Society of London is working worldwide to stop the illegal wildlife trade and you can find out how here. 

Earlier this year in July, there was an important addition to the family of reticulated giraffes, when mum Luna gave birth to a male calf.   The calf is tall, standing at six feet already, and he could stand and walk and zoo staff monitored him carefully.  It wasn't long before he was racing round the paddock with another reticulated giraffe, who'd been born a few weeks before the male.

The reticulated giraffe is endangered, so the new arrivals at Whipnsade are important

This means there are now six giraffe at Whipnsade - the species is endangered because of illegal hunting, habitat destruction and human-giraffe conflict.  

You can go and see the giraffe at Whipsnade zoo.  

Will the new baby Southern white rhino be seen by the public?  This little rhino may not be just quite ready - check with the Whipsnade Zoo website!  But there's lots going on, with Boo to the Zoo for Halloween - there are lots of activities taking place.  Click on the meerkat to find out all about it!  It runs from the 26th October to the 3rd November 2024.

Find out all about Boo to the Zoo 2024!

Plan your visit here.

Well, if you're looking for something a bit different to do this summer, you could take a look at an intriguing activity at London Zoo.  

London Zoo have come up with Poo at the Zoo.   Not Winnie the Pooh, this is all about poo, and who's done what.

London Zoo has a 'pooseum', and you can find out about the vital insights that can be gleaned from number two!

Challenge the whole family to poo-inspired giant games on the lawns, or join Poo at the Zoo author Steve Smallman for lead live storytelling sessions on certain dates over the summer.

The 'pooseum' is a 22 year labour of love for Tracey Lee, one of ZSL's zookeepers and a former artist.  It began as two special specimens - when the last elephant and black rhino were re-homed from London Zoo - were added to canvas in a piece called 'The last poo at the Zoo'.   Now, the collection has an incredible 100+ preserved specimens, with dung from a wide variety of animals including an endangered gorilla, a giant Galapagos tortoise and even a tiny poo from a caterpillar!

Every day, the zoo is running a Game of the Day and this will focus on animal feeding and digestion.  With Poo Bingo, Poo or False or a matching and memory challenge, Who did this poo?, there's plenty to do.   

And at certain times each day, kids can enjoy the stage adaptation of the bestselling book The Great Poo Mystery.

Not only that, there's also a self-led trail with challenges and clues to help young visitors track down a selection of animals including giant tortoises, lions, tigers and penguins.  

If you can't get to London Zoo, you could always buy the book Poo in the Zoo
for £6.99 from London Zoo's shop.

Plus, you can join the illustrator of the Poo in the Zoo book series, Ada Gray, for drawing classes on selected dates and times, and there are self-led drawing activities avialable at other times. 

Poo at the Zoo is running from the 25th July to 1st September 2024, and should be a lot of fun!  Find out more here.

Whilst you're at London Zoo, you may want to pop in and see the beautiful three Asiatic lion cubs.  Boys Mali and Syanii and girl Shanti were born at London Zoo on 13 March 2024 to seven-year-old mum, Arya, and 14-year-old dad Bhanu.  And they are just gorgeous!  Take a look here!

International Dawn Chorus Day is on Sunday, the 5th May 2024 

I woke up at 4:30 this morning and lay in bed listening to the birds as they sang outside the bedroom window and thought how wonderful it must be to have such a glorious chorus every day to be so happy! 

Listening to birdsong is a great way to start the day!

In fact, I’ve been waking up a lot recently at about 4:30 or 5:00 in the morning, and I find I just love lying in bed, listening to the birdsong.  It’s such a lovely start to the day!   OK, sometimes I do drift off back to sleep, but the birdsong is both soothing and motivating at the same time – I let my mood take me where it feels.  It’s a wonderful way to empty your head of everything and just listen to our feathered friends.  I find it very therapeutic.

Sunday, the 5th May is International Dawn Chorus Day

Anyway, the first Sunday of May is International Dawn Chorus Day.  Would you believe that the event started out in the 1980s in Birmingham and now, people in over 80 countries take part!

It’s a worldwide celebration of the dawn chorus and people all over the world will be waking up in time to put the kettle on and just listen to our beautiful birds, whilst sipping a cup of tea, or perhaps they’ll just lie in bed and listen.

You can listen to the life outside chatting away, and singing a song, and ask yourself, What is it that makes birds so cheerful at this time of the morning??   And who am I listening to?

The Wildlife Trusts's website has help on identifying bird song (such as the blackbird and robin, the chiffchaff and the blue tit), and you can actually listen to a number of birds so that you know what to listen out for if you want to pick up the sound of a particular species. 

The Wildlife Trusts have events taking place in many different areas.  There are 46 Trusts in the UK, and you can find your local Trust here.

The RSPB also has a number of events - take a look at them here.

Take part – just listen to birdsong!

All you have to do to take part is listen!  Who might you hear? The song thrush, the blackbird, or robin or blackcap or chiffchaff?  You could record some of the song on your phone and then play it back to see if you can recognise any of the sounds, using the Trust's website to help you.  If you're listening outside, don't forget that it can still be chilly in May in the early mornings so a coat and a hot brew could be handy...

Fly off here to the Wildlife Trusts’ website to hear some great birdsong!

By the way, if you want to try your hand at birdwatching through binoculars to see who you can spot and what they're doing, the RSPB has a guide to buying binoculars which hopefully will help you if you're just starting out.   

Also, did you know that there are some wonderful videos you can listen to on You Tube for bird song?   I personally found this one very relaxing (I didn't listen to all of it because I nodded off, but it was very enjoyable to listen to and a nice change from the radio or TV). 

Did you see the Yorkshire Vet on Channel 5 tonight (the 30th April 2024)?  

On the programme, there were some amazing dogs giving blood - so I thought it would be helpful if I put up a quick blog about the Pet Blood Bank with a link.

The dogs giving blood can really save the lives of dogs in need, just as people can with the human blood bank.   You can find out more here - the Pet Blood Bank has lots of information on its site for dog owners and they are working on a pet blood service for cats. 

This is Yogi the blood donor.  He's a Doberman, and so far this very special dog has saved the lives of up to 60 dogs by giving blood.  Pet Blorod Bank say that every unit of blood can save up to 4 lives. 

The criteria for whether your dog can give blood is here.

A huge thank you to the vets and the programme for raising awareness of the chance pet owners have got to take their pets to give blood, if they can.  And to the dogs for being so brave and their owners for volunteering their dogs. 

Visit the Pet Blood Bank here.

Brrrr!  Now it’s getting very much colder, we need to look out for our furry friends and other animals!

Viovet have put a blog together full of advice on how to care for your pets, dogs particularly, and the blog cover things like skin, the loss of body heat, snow in your dog’s fur, arthritis and osteoarthritis in dogs, snow and ice dangers, salt and chemicals.  There are lots of tips on how to keep your dog warm and dry and visible to keep them safe, too.

When we go outside, it can be quite a shock to the system.  Viovet points out that our fingers, ears, noses and toes can suffer the worst of the cold.  Our pets need extra care too.

Take a look at the blog here – Viovet has lots of great special offers, too for dogs, cats, horses, small pets, and you.

The RSPCA also has seasonal advice for pets, livestock and wildlife - click here to find out more! 

Online pet retailer Viovet  have lots of offers for dogs, cats, horses and small pets.   They've got prescription and non-prescription medications, food, toys and equipment and they have many leading market brands,and their own-branded products and supplements. We've used Viovet, and found them to be great!  

Viovet have dog toys, bowls, dishes, feeders, placemats, dog bdding, dog treats and dental.

 
The Felix Goody Bag Treats Original Mix is on offer 
until 31.12.23

Small pets are catered for too!  Chinchillas, guinea pigs, rabbits, hamsters, mice, rats, gerbils and ferrets... there's food, bedding, catch and hutch cleaners, grooming and toys. 

Lily's Kitchen Festive Christmas Turkey Jerky for Dogs
is also on offer until 31 Dec 2023.

And if you've got a horse or pony, take a look at the range for both horses and riders.  

Viovet also have prescription medicine and it can be so much cheaper to get this online rather than directly from your vet.  

Head off to Viovet here to find out more.

There’s great mews from The Times for cat owners and lovers!

On Monday 3^rd July 2023, reporter Kieran Gair (thank you, Kieran!) reported that the first feline blood bank in the UK to provide treatment for cats with medical conditions is to be set up by Banco de Sangue Animal.

They are a Portuguese group, and they already have animal blood banks in Portugal, Spain and Belgium. 

Like us, cats must be transfused with a matching type of blood, but they just have two blood types, namely A and B. 

Cats are prone to blood born disease, and there’s been a problem for cats because there hasn’t been appropriate blood available. 

If you think your cat would be a suitable donor, you can register him or her on the Pet Blood Bank UK’s website.

Pets need blood donors too!
Visit the Pet Blood Bank UK here.

If you think your cat could be a blood donor, he or she needs to be a large, healthy cat who likes being handled and who likes spending time with people.  And he or she should be between 1 and 10 years old, and weight no more than 9 pounds.  They also must be up to date with vaccinations and treatments. 

It takes about 10 to 15 minutes to do a cat blood donation – on average – but the whole process takes 4 hours, since the vet needs to make sure the cat is properly hydrated before they head home.

The Times say that the Royal Veterinary College stores feline blood but only for the animals treated at or referred to it, since it is a transfusion service as opposed to be a blood bank.

Visit the Pet Blood Bank UK here.  

PS Their own recent news is that they are working with Blood Bikes 4 Pets – this is a new, soon to be charity, and it’s working to create the UK’s first professional motorbike blood delivery service for pets!    They service will operate with volunteer riders who can safely take blood products across the country on specialist bikes.  A big thank you to Honda who are helping.  Visit Blood Bikes 4 Pets here – you can donate the cost of fuel to help!  We wish them God speed and all the best 

PPS The Pet Food Blood Bank UK  also need blood from dogs….. fetch more information here.  

And they are supporting the alpaca community by offering a collection kit and blood processing service for alpaca vets.  Find out more

Prevention is better than cure, so they say, and those lovely people at online pet store Viovet have come up with 4 simple steps to a healthy lifestyle for your pets.  Actually, reading them, they could equally apply to people as well.

There are lots of ways you can help your beloved pets keep well and fit – feeding them the right food, for a start e.g. if you want to give your dog a chocolate treat, make sure the chocolate is made for dogs and not chocolate that you and I would eat.  Chocolate for humans can be lethal for dogs, and pet food makers have come up with chocolate treats for dogs. 

Find out more about Viovet's  healthy lifestyle in 4 easy steps

Viovet’s four steps to a healthy lifestyle are as follows – you can get more information from their website, as they cover questions such as how much exercise does your dog need, what sort of diet is best, there’s information on raw feeding,

Get active

Regular walkies for you and your woof will help you both with your weight, getting out and about, and mental health as you meet fellow dog walkers and of course everyone wants to say hallo when you’ve got a pooch on the end of a lead.   Please respect the countryside and keep dogs on leads if around livestock and wildlife, however well behaved your dog is.  It’s also very helpful to continue your dog’s training when you’re out and about – we used to train ours in the middle of fields, in the woods – we were both exhausted when we got home!

Diet

As I type this, I’m tucking into my morning coffee and a gorgeous shortbread biscuit (shall I have another one? My jeans are suggesting it wouldn’t be a good idea… Everything in moderation…)

Please make sure your pets, livestock and wildlife have plenty of fresh water available to them – this means cleaning out water bowls and baths regularly.  Vet advice is always helpful, but Viovet have plenty of pointers on their blog about decoding your dog’s diet, choosing the right commercial diet and looking at raw feeding.

Tackling anxiety and stress

Some pets get more anxious than others, and lockdown hasn’t helped if your dog is staying at home and you are now back at the office.  Viovet has some tips on how to help with separation anxiety such as leaving the radio on. Start going out without them for short periods of time so that they get used to it. 

Get regular check-ups

At the moment with so many of us finding things really tight financially, vet visits may be the last thing you want to do, but please keep up to date with vaccinations and checks – a problem spotted and dealt with earlier can be far less costly to deal with than leaving it in the hope it will go away.  Grooming your pet regularly will help you get used to feeling for anything unusual that crops up e.g. any lumps and bumps that are new and will need you to keep an eye on them. 

The Pet Food Manufacturers Association have a way you can check if pets are overweight – keeping their weight at the right amount will help keep your pet healthy.

Viovet have lots of ways they can help you, and there’s plenty of advice on all sorts of pet related health issues.  Don’t forget the PDSA and Blue Cross have help for people who meet their criteria for free or subsidised vet care.

The Canal and River Trust look after our canals and rivers (with lots of help from volunteers, in case you’re looking for something to do in your spare time, which makes a difference).

And they have launched a #PlasticsChallenge.

They say if everyone took their litter home with them and picked up even just ONE piece of plastic every time they visited, our canals and rivers could be free of litter within one year!

The Trust does an amazing job looking after the canals and rivers – but nonetheless, these beautiful places are in danger from mindless pollution!

Water birds make nests from pieces of plastics.   Aquatic invertebrates ingest plastic – and that means that small fish ingest them too, as they are higher up the food chain.

So everyone needs to get involved and pick up litter.  Every year, about 14 million pieces of plastic end up in our canals and rivers.  We need to reduce the plastics in these places.

The Canal and River Trust has advice on doing this safely and makes it very clear that you should NOT go into the water to collect plastic out.

Don’t let litter mean it’s over for wildlife.  Please pick up litter or share the information about the campaign!   

Please pledge your support for this #PlasticChallenge.