Baker Ross have up to 34% off their  creative animal world collection so that you can keep the kids entertained with a range of farm animals, jungle animals, sealife and more!

Baker Ross cover all sorts of animals – sloths, llamas, rats, pigs, hedgehogs, farm animals, blue tits, koalas, chickens, snakes, woodland animals, dogs, bats and mice! 

This offer ends on 10th May 2020, so take a look at their amazing animal craft collection today!

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

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

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.

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. 

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.