The Tree of Life, a 400-year-old mesquite tree that stands alone in the Sakhir Desert in Bahrain. The tree is a popular attraction. Nobody knows where it gets its water from. The Guardian
Mesquites yield yellowish gums used in making mucilage, sweets and dyes. The tree stands alone in the desert about 2 kilometres from the Jebel Dukhan, the highest point in Bahrain.
Falkland Islands wolf mystery solved
November 2, 2009
The origin of the strange Falkland Islands wolf (Dusicyon australis), which was hunted to extinction in the late 19th century, may finally have been solved – 175 years after Charles Darwin wondered about the nature of this curious fox-like creature. A DNA study has revealed that the animal did not, as thought, arrive to the islands as the pets of Pre-Colombian natives, but rather travelled there long before humans had populated the Americas. More here
More from Wikipedia on the Falkland Islands wolf
Tsavo lions only ate 35 people
November 2, 2009
New research claims to show that the infamous Tsavo lions only ate 35 people and not 135 as previously believed. The lions have become famous as the worst man eaters in history as they terrorized a railroad camp in Kenya for nine months in 1898. Now an examination of the lion’s stomachs has revealed they were less prolific. More here
Wikipedia on the Tsavo man-eaters
Parahawking in Nepal
October 30, 2009
With breathtaking views of the Himalayas, you can soar alongside Egyptian Vultures and Black Kites who will approach to take food out of your hand. They are specially trained rescue birds who can’t be returned to the wild. Among them is Kevin the young Egyptian Vulture, famous for his scrapes with Steppe Eagles. The ultimate aim of the venture is to draw attention to the serious decline of Asian vultures, being poisoned to extinction by vet-prescribed drug Diclofenac. Visit www.parahawking.com for more information, as well as www.himalayanraptorrescue.org
A good year for budgerigars
October 29, 2009
This year breeding conditions have been exceptionally good for budgerigars in Queensland, Australia. Heavy rain and river flooding revived the land, providing plenty of grass seeds for the birds to feast on. When all the available trees with the best nesting sites had been taken, budgerigars were laying their eggs on the ground. And now local people are marvelling at the unprecedented size of the flocks, turning the sky green.
Reptile smuggler given away by tarantula
October 27, 2009
Customs officials first suspected the 22-year old Norwegian, who’d just stepped off a ferry from Denmark, when they spotted a tarantula scuttling inside his bag. They then noticed “his whole body was in constant motion”. The wriggling movement was due to the 14 baby royal pythons tucked away in socks strapped to the man’s torso. That wasn’t all: when the officials made him drop his trousers they found 10 cans taped to his legs, each containing an albino leopard gecko. As Norway bans the import of reptiles, including unendangered species like these, he has been fined 12,500 Norwegian crowns (£1,800).
Magpie mourning
October 21, 2009
Dr Bekoff of the University of Colorado, an animal behaviour researcher, claims that magpies feel grief and even hold funeral-type gatherings for their dead and lay grass “wreaths” beside their bodies.
“One magpie approached the corpse, gently pecked at it, just as an elephant would nose the carcase of another elephant, and stepped back. Another magpie did the same thing. Next, one of the magpies flew off, brought back some grass and laid it by the corpse. Another magpie did the same. Then all four stood vigil for a few seconds and one by one flew off”.
It seems that similar behaviour has been observed among other magpies and crows.
More here
Discovery of giant web-spinning spider in Africa
October 21, 2009
With a leg span of 12 cm and a body of 4 cm, the newly discovered Nephila komaci is the biggest orb spider in the world. It spins webs of up to 1 metre in diameter. The species has pronounced sexual size dimorphism, with particularly tiny males. Female spiders are thought to be larger in order to produce more young. The small size of the males might help them avoid being eaten by the females before mating. The Nephilia komaci is restricted to parts of Africa and Madagascar. BBC
Lions being killed for Chinese medicine
October 20, 2009
As wild tiger populations fall, poachers are turning to lions to feed the insatiable Chinese appetite for ‘potions’ made from big cat bones. Most at risk is the Asiatic lion found today only in the Gir Forest of India. Africa Conservation
With breathtaking views of the Himalayas, you can soar alongside Egyptian Vultures and Black Kites who will approach to take food out of your hand. They are specially trained rescue birds who can't be returned to the wild. Among them is Kevin the young Egyptian Vulture, famous for his scrapes with Steppe Eagles. The ultimate aim of the venture is to draw attention to the serious decline of Asian vultures, being poisoned to extinction by vet-prescribed drug Diclofenac. Visit www.parahawking.com for more information, as well as www.himalayanraptorrescue.org
Voluntourism is still one of the major buzzwords when it comes to holidays, but according to Acacia Africa, a softer version where charitable pursuits are juxtaposed with adventure is winning out with today’s travellers. The tour operator’s new 9-day Cheetah & Kruger Combination Voluntour is the perfect example.
Heath Ashcroft, Marketing Director of Acacia Africa, comments: “A growing number of travellers are looking to give something back to the host country they are visiting, hence our decision to launch a dedicated voluntour section late last year. However, adventurers still want to experience the destination as a whole, whether that’s enjoying the traditional African safari, participating in village visits or travelling off the beaten track on a overland journey.”
A “hands on” experience, Acacia Africa’s new itinerary includes opportunities to be directly involved in the care and rehabilitation of animals at the “Race Against Extinction Project; volunteers working in close proximity with the brown hyena, suni antelope, wild dog, cheetah, and a wide variety of vulture species. Adventurers can also enjoy Big Five safaris in the Kruger National Park, two days of game viewing completing the tour.
An established venture, the project, which is set in the foothills of the beautiful Magaliesberg Mountains, is one of the oldest conservation volunteer schemes for the African cheetah and has been in operation for 37 years.
£1,085pp (based on two sharing) + local payment from £94pp. The price includes all tour highlights, transport, accommodation, park fees, sleeping mat, road tolls and taxes, meals as indicated, camping and cooking equipment and services of driver and tour leader. Excludes, visas, travel insurance, flights, departure taxes, airport transfers, tips, sleeping bag and items of a personal nature. Accommodation is based in single, twin, triple and quad rooms with shared bathroom facilities (5-nights), twin share rondavels at a private lodge (one-night) and pre-erected two person dome tents (two-nights).
Departures Monday, Wednesday & Saturday year round..
Contact Acacia Africa on 020 7706 4700, email info@acacia-africa.com or visit www.acacia-africa.com for further information
One of the best ways of experiencing the Finnish Arctic is by going what they call a husky safari. This holiday offers a stay 230kms north of the Arctic Circle, in a "wilderness" hotel combining Scandinavian style accommodation with a great range of activities designed to take you to the very heart of Lapland's winter wilderness.
Typical day
The huskies will pull your sled through the beautiful winter scenery close to the Pallas-Ounas National Park in Western Lapland. You will pass through forests, across hills and over frozen lakes and rivers covering up to 40km per day. Only the "swish" of the sled's runners breaking through the snow will disturb the perfect silence and you very quickly realise that you have well and truly left behind the hustle and bustle of everyday life.
These 7-11 trips around Alaska look extremely exciting. Watch as a 40-ton humpback whale launches itself out of the ocean in Frederick Sound; see brown bears fishing for salmon in a rushing river; float among icebergs as a part of a glacier tumbles into the sea. Read more here
This self-drive tour around Namibia is just the sort of thing I'd love to do. The tour takes you to Etosha and Damaraland, and allows you to meet Himba people and San Bushman living traditional lifestyles. You start at Okunjima – home to the AfriCat Foundation – where amongst others you will be able to track radio collared leopards and see the feeding of the resident cheetahs. In Damaraland you will be guided through the dry river beds to encounter the uniquely adapted desert elephants. Read lots more here
Sri Lanka is possibly the best place to see blue whales and sperm whales in the world (see here for a good trip report and related issues). Increased sightings of both blue whales and sperm whales off the southern coast of the island have now opened up a window of opportunity for whale watching tourism in the island's Deep South. More here
A high concentration of blue whales and sperm whales have been spotted in the seas off Dondra Head along the deep south coast of Sri Lanka, during the months of January to April. Some of the blue whales off Dondra Head could be resident whales while others could be migratory ones crossing over to the Arabian Sea from the Bay of Bengal.
This company offers 8-day trips with a naturalist (exl. flight) for £690.
Fancy following in the footsteps of Stephen Fry and visiting the places he went to in Last Chance to See? Balesworldwide.com has recently launched a series of tours which will take you to try and see the same endangered animals such as the ring-tailed lemur in Madagascar and a trip to Brazil to spot manatees.
Fascinating holiday in the Piatra Craiului Mountains of central Romania, one of the wildest corners of the Carpathian Mountains. The holiday is based around the ideas that for centuries the locals have existed in harmony with a rich variety of rare wildlife, including Europe's highest concentration of bears, wolves and lynx. You'll spend your time walking through spectacular canyons, virgin forests and Saxon villages. You'll stay in a guesthouse owned by a local family, providing a good standard of accommodation and delicious food. There is a visit to the Beaver Reintroduction Programme and the former research centre for the Carpathian Large Carnivore Project, which is home to two hand-raised wolves, Poiana and Crai. I see from the very positive comments of people who have done this, that bears are sometimes seen.