iblog

Caroline: Whale "whisperer" Bernie Krause has become involved in an attempt to save a mother and calf humpback whale after they took a wrong turning on their normal migratory path from Mexico. Both are feared to have been injured by a boat propellor and are now almost a hundred miles inland having gone down the San Joaquin river delta in California. Krause played a succesful part in rescuing another humpback whale in 1985 with the help of whale sounds which he had recorded. Sadly this tactic has so far failed and mother and calf are being given time to recuperate before further rescue attempts are made. In the meantime the waters are being kept clear of commercial shipping and sightseeing vessels. As anyone who has seen these great creatures in the wild will agree, there is something majestic and awe-inspiring about them and we can only hope that this story has a happy outcome.

Anna: I went to a smallholders show today in Mid Wales and, no, everyone wasn't wearing barbour jackets and green wellies. There was a certain amount of tradition, stereotypicial country bumpkin behaviour and ceremony on show though. What was also on show was a fine collection of camelids - alpacas and llamas to be precise. The scrunchy-faced, over-woolly alpacas seemed very sweet but a little overawed by the occasion. The llamas though, rose to the challenge, and perfected their haughty gaze and "am I bovvered?" stance whenever any member of the show-going public dared to glance at them. I've always liked llamas, especially since I visited Peru, where they were fleecing tourists (with the help of human accomplices) by posing for photos in exchange for cash at Machu Picchu. The American visitors seemed especially gullible, which cemented the Anna-llama friendship further still. The llamas today, despite being quite accustomed to handling, thought the "assault course" of straw bales and slalom of willow branches was completely beneath them and put on a fine display of spitting, rearing and backing off. One even broke free from its handler and cantered off to the far end of the show ground. Llamas were, the head handler honcho assured everyone, placid, long-lived animals which were ideally suited to the UK. I'm quite tempted to get a few sometime in the future when I have a house with a field attached! Anyone who is intrigued should check out the website of the British Camelids Association.

Caroline: A year or two ago, it was cattle with Scottish accents that hit the headlines. Now marine scientists from Bangor University and the Shannon Dolphin Foundation have discovered a decidedly Welsh lilt amongst the dolphins of Cardigan Bay. They have been analysing sounds from the bottlenose dolphins to see whether certain whistles,clicks and groans can be associated with certain behaviour. Academics concur with the scientists' findings of regional accents and believe it or not (and I'm not sure whether I do!) ornithologists have found that the great tits in the grounds of Buckingham Palace have a much more urban accent nowadays!

Rushda: Residents are being warned about a breeding boom of poisonous caterpillars in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. The inch-long caterpillar of the brown tailed moth has caused serious asthma attacks, rashes and headaches to many who have been in contact with it or its blown-away hairs. The caterpillars, which are usually found in parks and beaches, will stick around till the end of May when they will cocoon and turn into moths. Until then, a spokesman for North East Lincolnshire Council urges that we all remain cautious around these caterpillars. Anyone who does come into contact with them is advised to wash hands with soap and clear their eyes with eyewash.

Anna: A proposed "Bridge of Reeds" that will connect Cambridge to a green and pleasant hinterland is, I think, a great idea. The bridge, and don't worry it's actually made of steel not reeds, will link the University town to Wicken Fen via a network of paths for cyclists and walkers alike. Providing traffic-free spaces where Britain's city dwellers can breathe fresh air and relax is not a new concept, but it's one we need to make sure is preserved and put into practice as more and more of the urban periphery is consumed by somewhat soulless housing developments. Jonathan Porritt, former Director of Freinds of the Earth and well-known environmental crusader, sums it up:

"The bridge of reeds is going to be an enormously important landmark for the East of England. Too often people take for granted the precious natural habitats in and around our cities. The Cambridge area is thriving, one of the fastest areas for development in the country, and so it is more crucial than ever that nature reserves such as Wicken Fen and the surrounding countryside are valued and even greater access is provided for people in local communities. "

Rushda: It's interesting what new things become delicacies, especially those which are particularly yucky. I just read an article in the Times about a special new coffee in Australia which is made of beans that have been digested and excreted by Indonesian civet cats. Costing £21 for a single cup, it has been marketed as "the world’s rarest and most exclusive coffee" and many satisfied customers think it's absolutely worth the price for its "earthy and musty" (hmm, pooey?) flavour. Customers who try the coffee are even rewarded with a “certificate of experience” as a souvenir for their memorable gulps. Well normally I'm all for the "each to his own" mentality, but really, what's going on here? I think I'm going to start my own business venture now and start selling sock-flavoured coffee. It's rare and exclusive enough isn't it?!

Anna: Fast becoming the new eco-tourism destination, the African nation of Gabon is still not a place most people would expect their travel agent to recommend. Bordered by Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon and Congo, you'd be forgiven for thinking this might not be the most stable of summer holiday spots. But you'd be wrong - although there is poverty, Gabon prospers thanks to oil wealth and seems to have done a better job of remaining stable than that other petrodollar giant, Nigeria. The government is serious about protecting its ecology - creating 13 new National Parks in 2002, together covering 10% of Gabon's total landmass. Habitats vary from dense jungle, savannah and mountains to pearlescent beaches, mangroves and still lagoons. All are packed with wildlife - elephants, leopards, gorillas, humpback whales and turtles are among the creatures you might see on a safari in Gabon. The number of eco-friendly camps is growing and tour operators are realising the potential of this equatorial treasure trove. Find out more about the national parks on the official website or, if you can't wait, book a tour with Operation Loango, a company which combines luxury and environmental responsibility. Gabon, surely, is a tourism blueprint for other countries which have wilderness to offer - invite small numbers of tourists to experience incredible wildlife, and protect the natural resources which draw the tourists and the revenue.

Anna: I have to admit I probably don't realise the full potential of the world wide web. I tend to use it for plain old surfing, rather than for storing, and organising my life. And I'll certainly be leaving iStalkr well alone. Call me old-fashioned but I prefer my Lifestream to be rooted in the real world, not cyberspace. But this idea I do like - a webcam in South Africa's Kruger National Park, which refreshes every 30 seconds. The camera has been up and running since 2006, but was previously restricted to Sanparks forum members. Now anyone can log on, and watch wildlife slurp from the waterhole adjacent to the camera from the comfort of their own living room. National Geographic have a similar thing going on, with their Sealcam, and a little closer to home the Scottish Seabird Centre has no fewer than three wildlife webcams for your viewing pleasure. OK, not a lot happens a lot of the time, but when it does it's likely to be slightly more interesting than Big Brother.

Rushda: Buy a salad and get a toad free. Sound exciting? Well that's the offer one woman got when she bought a salad in a Huntingdon Sainsbury's recently, and it turned out to contain an entire toad amongst the leaves. I'm not sure how such a big creature went unnoticed and travelled in the salad all the way from Portugal. More surprising is that when she took the salad back to the store, she got a generous £10 voucher. Hmmm, that's not fair...not only did she get a new scrumptious pet but she got paid for it too. :P

Rushda: A new highly ambitious project has been started up in order to create an online encyclopedia of all known life forms. This will be a detailed collection of information for every plant and animal species known to man. It sounds absolutely enormous given that there are 1.8 million known species, and in this virtual encyclopedia there will be a page on each one including photos, videos, and information, all collected by top experts. The archive will take over 10 years and cost £50m to build but it is hoped that it will come in useful for both educational and conservational purposes.