A few weeks ago I was absolutely thrilled to get my first sighting of a wild barn owl. Driving back late from a cinema trip a ghostly white shape flitted across in front of my vehicle. I let out a little excited squeal. 'I think that was a barn owl' I shouted to my friend, 'Its still there' She shouted. I brought the car to a stop (luckily the roads were dead). The white shape circled back round then came to sit on a fence post just a few meters away from my car. We were gobsmacked. It stared right at us, almost as if sensing our awe at its beauty. Then as quickly as it appeared it took flight and vanished into the darkness.... phew! How incredible!

Photo by: Sugarmonster

The barn owl is widely distributed worldwide and in the UK there are around 3000-5000 pairs. They are not endangered, however their numbers declined during the 20th century which is thought to have been associated with the use of pesticides such as DDT.

Barn owls are usually nocturnal and mainly hunt for rodents, they use their excellent hearing to find their prey and then swallow it whole. They nest in holes in trees but can also use undisturbed buildings such as barns. They normally live for one to three years however the oldest known age in Europe is over 21.

Want more info?
http://www.barnowltrust.org.uk/

'We should probably have talked this through' Says Louis Theroux as an american zookeeper brings out a massive siberian tiger on a leash.

Last night I watched Louis Theroux: Americas Most Dangerous Pets and I'm not suprised to say some of the things I saw were truly horrifc. Cute bear cubs frantically pacing in a tiny cage, dangerous chimps playing with people on garden swings and huge tigers parading around on a chain.


Louis explored a so called 'exotic animal sanctuary' where tiger cubs were removed from their parents and bottle fed for the owners own amusement. In another enclosure a bear and tiger unnaturally cuddle together. The young animals are sent off to a roadside zoo where they spend all day exposed to paying customers, prodding and poking them, posing for photos.

So what excuse do these people have for keeping animals in this way.... conservation and education. How can a bear and tiger cub housed together provide education? Its unnatural and those animals will never behave normally. How is breeding a liger in any way normal? It defies normal evolution and just pushes the boundaries as what we as humans can do. The keeper explained that breeding these animals was a way of maintaining captive stock for future release....yet how would a tame tiger be able to hunt for itself?

This is truly disgusting and makes me ashamed to call myself human. The power we have we completely abuse. This is not conservation. These inbred animals will never be able to have a real life. Its all for our own cruel pleasure.

So just remember if you see a cute bear cub or tiger cub before you fork out to have your photo taken with it, think about the horrific life it leads to enteratain you. Would you want your baby stuffed into a cage all day?

If you missed the program make sure you check it out online:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b016yklh

Who doesn't love baby animals? You would be crazy not to! My mum owns and breeds Bernese Mountain Dogs, so when she told me she had a new litter I had to come home to see them. 5 little blobs of fur, still with their eyes shut. 1 boy and 4 girlies. Mum Marley unfortunately had to have a cesarean as she did not start contractions, but all pups and mum were good and healthy.


Now they are 5 weeks old and I have popped home to see them before they disappear to their new homes in a few weeks. They are little bundles of fluff each with their own cheeky character. I made the mistake of wearing my new fluffy boots and the little monsters had a field day on them! Everything is a toy to them, from the bedding in their box to the daisy in the garden. They are just too adorable!

The Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust is a UK based conservation charity dedicated to saving our wetlands. They have various visitor centres across the UK that are definitely worth visiting. Rich in diversity they are home to small mammals such as the water vole and to incredible bird life such as kingfishers.

I decided to become a member, at only £3 a month, you gain unlimited entry to all 9 centres in the UK, regular updates and a quaterly Waterlife magazine. I also got a free Collins Bird book because I signed up by direct debit... helping conservation has never felt so good!

To make the most of my new membership I decided to visit one of their visitor centres, Arundel, just 15 minutes away from where my mum lives. It was absolutely stunning! You can purchase seed and feed most of the birds on site. The mallards quickly waddle up to you and happily feed from the palm of your hand. One of the beautiful swans was also brave enough to feed from my hand.



We also went on the boat tour around the reed beds. The Arundel reed beds are home to the endangered water vole. The Water Vole has seriously suffered due to the threat of predation by the introduced American mink, now these reed beds are a haven for them. I was eagerly scanning around hoping to catch even the tiniest glimpse of this little critter. Then the distinctive sound of its chewing gave it away. Just on the waters edge in the reeds was the adorable water vole. Much larger than I expected, about the size of a guinea pig it was eagerly nibbling away oblivious to our precsence. It was incredible. Just to gain a sighting of these little mammal it was worth my entire years memmbership.

If you have a love for water birds and animals the WWT is definitely worth a visit.

You can read more here.

Art and photography has always been an interest of mine, however I have not picked up a sketch book in a good few years. I decided it was finally time to start it up again. While browsing the web looking for unique styles I stumbled across a gem of a website, Wildlife Art 4 Charity. Sarah Menzies, the artist and photographer, bases her work around african wildlife, from stunning lino print cheetahs, to ferocious charcoal lions, but thats not all, a portion of her sales go towards various animal charities.

Cheetah Lino Print by Sarah Menzies

What a fantastic idea, using your skills as an artist to raise money for those important animal charities. Now my art skills are not incredible, but we all have to start somewhere! I hope to start an art course so I can explore different medias, I would particularly like to learn acrylics, oil pastel, lino printing and sculpture. A lot to take in but it will be worth it! For now I will stick to my handy sketchbook, so make sure you watch this space and hopefully soon I will have my art raising funds for those all important animal charities! My sketch book is back out from the cupboard, my pencils have been sharpened and I'm ready to roll!

So 4th of October was world animal day, people celebrated their love for animals and raised money for animals in need. From dog shows, to education events, and even conferences, people made sure they gave the animals a voice.

I showed my support by proudly wearing the t-shirt I designed for a competion from Place In The Sun. Each year, Place In The Sun release specially designed t-shirts to unite vegetarians and vegans. On 4th of October, World Animal Day, these t-shirts are worn to proudly represent what we stand for. Ths year they ran a competion to design one of the t-shirts for their collection and I was thrilled to win. To know people are wearing my design and standing up for what they believe in was just amazing.



You can find out more about Place In The Sun here.

You can find out more about World Animal Day here.

One of the most stunning representations of a lioness is the gorgeous Kimya. With long black eyelashes that frame her golden brown eyes she is breathtakingly beautiful! You can see her with the rest of the pride at Longleat.

I finally got online. Woop! So much has happened I don't know where to begin! So how about I start with the bad news.

Sadly, personal circumstances now mean I cannot volunteer for Wildlife Aid. I will miss all the small furries, especially feeding the tiny mice, squiggles and hoggies. The people were great and I had an absolutely amazing time there. It will definitely not be forgotten! Still, I will not be short of wildlife at the Safari... pheasants, badgers, deer, squirrels, buzzards and much more are a common sight on the grounds and since working at the safari my colleagues have already rescued an injured crow and baby blue tit!

So enough of bad news, what about an adorable photo to lighten the mood?


Did that do it? I thought so! Our 4 naughtly lion cubs are doing well! They all have their own cheeky characters and are great fun to watch frolicing outside.

A gorgeous snap from International Exotic Animal Sanctuary of Shauna the lioness yawning away. What a huuuuuuuggge tongue!

Make sure you add them on Facebook!

I was just amazed when I saw this....forwarded to me in an e-mail by Mike Berwick I discovered this gem....


So what does the Cingino dam in Italy have to do with wildlife? Well zoom in a little closer and you discover it has some strange features....


But what are they? Well zoom in a little further and you discover it is in fact the European Ibex who feed on the moss and lichen of the dam wall. Amazing!

When you hear of a wildlife success story it always makes you feel great, but knowing you helped out makes you feel amazing!

Last week we received a call from a rather distressed lady regarding a fox. It had been in her garden all morning, circling in the same spot, its eyes frantically moving from side to side. So myself, Mike and Sue all set off to rescue the fox.

As soon as we arrived we could see the fox in her garden, but after one step outside it quickly vanished! Mike pushed his way through the bushes, searching high and low, with no luck. I peered into next doors garden to see the fox disappearing under the fence. We quickly rushed round the front. Mike attempted the first capture, he tried to slip a noose round the foxes neck, but it started circling round in front of him. It looked like something out of a black and white slapstick comedy! I couldnt help but giggle as the fox ran circles round Mike. It was hopeless, and the fox disappeared into the bushes.

We quickly managed to move it out from the bushes and Sue pounced with a towel....agh...the fox just slipped from her grasp! It made a beeline for the fence again, I quickly charged after it and with my blanket managed to grab hold of the fox. Yay! One fox captured! After a quick inspection to ensure she wasn't lactating we took her into the hospital.

It was discovered she had an infection and so was given a treatment of antibiotics. She responded very quickly and was soon on the mend...After another detailed inspection she was found to be heavily pregant, so as soon as she was back to full health she was returned to the garden we found her in! A wonderful success story! =)

Photo By: Sue Peters

We also have our first orphans in at Wildlife Aid, 5 tiny fox cubs, ranging from a few days up to two weeks old....now everyone say awwwwww!

Photo by: Sue Peters

My favourite photo from this week is this gorgeous tiny badger cub. This little guy is seriously irresistible! Incredible photo James!

Photo By: James Horswell, from Vale Wildlife Rescue.

A day dedicated to worldwide fundraising for animal charities!

We wear red noses for comic relief and change peoples lives. Now lets wear animal ears and change animal lives!

Did you know 4th of October was World Animal Day?

Started in 1931 in Florence, Italy, it was a day created to celebrate animal life. It was a day of feast for Francis of Assisi, a nature lover and patron saint of animals and the environment. Many churches would give a blessing to animals on the Sunday closest to October 4th.

Now it has become an opportunity for animal lovers worldwide to celebrate. World Animal Day was launched in the UK in 2003 and organisations, groups, animal shelters, places of worship, schools, clubs and individuals all took part in what has now become an annual event.

Now lets take it one step further!

Put on your animal ears and get fundraising! This is your chance to make an impact and give animals a voice. Whether you want to raise funds for a charity that focuses on animal conservation, welfare or rehabilitation it is up to you!


Charity ideas, don't know which charity to support? Here are some very worthwhile causes:

The Blue Cross: http://www.bluecross.org.uk/
RSPCA: www.rspca.org.uk
Wildlife Aid:http://wildlifeaid.com/
WWF: http://www.wwf.org.uk/
Born Free:http://www.bornfree.org.uk/
Care for the Wild: http://www.careforthewild.org/
Animals Asia: http://www.animalsasia.org/
Wildlife Friends of Thailand: http://www.wfft.org/
WSPA: http://www.wspa-international.org/
Wildlife Victoria: http://www.wildlifevictoria.org.au/
Animals Australia: http://www.animalsaustralia.org/
Save the Rhino: http://www.savetherhino.org/
Galapagos Conservation Trust: http://www.savegalapagos.org/
IFAW: http://www.ifaw.org/


Fundraising ideas, stuck for ideas on how to raise money? Here you go:

Individuals-
Skydive: http://www.skylineparachuting.co.uk/charity-parachuting.aspx
Food donation, donate tins of food to your local animal charity.
Bungee jump: http://www.ukbungee.co.uk/content/5/charity-bungee-jumps
Run a marathon.
Dog Wash: Wash dogs and raise money!
Car boot sale.
Dog walking.
Sell your own animal arts and crafts.

Companies/Groups:
Host an open day.
Animal themed fancy dress.
Firewalk: http://www.ukfirewalk.com/
Animal Face painting.
Sponsored dog walk.
Fundraising dog/pet show.
Animal kissing booth: A unique version on a kissing booth, kiss a cute animal for charity!
Charity auction.
Pet fashion show.


So make your pledge today and tell us how you are going to make a difference on World Animal Day:
http://www.worldanimalday.org.uk/pledge_board.asp

Find out more on the World Animal Day website:
http://www.worldanimalday.org.uk/

Make sure you spread the word!
Tell your local wildlife charities, invite animal lovers, lets make this a big event!

Join the event on facebook here

Got a birthday coming up and just don't know what to buy? Well here are some of my favourite ideas for the conservationists, animal welfare conscious and all round wildlife lovers.

Yummy, cruelty free cosmetics.

One word. Lush. You cannot go wrong. I love love love lush! Not only are their products absolutely dreamy, but also completely animal friendly. Lush often get involved in wildlife conservation and animal welfare campaigns so they are definitely worth putting your money into. Why not try my favourite, Honey I Washed The Kids soap. It is so delicous. Lather it up with your favourite sponge and rub it into your skin to create a gorgeous creamy honey sensation! Cost: as little or as much as you want!


Save a species.

I love giving adoptions. Not only does the person receiving get an incredible present. But the buyer also feels like they have done good. The WWF offer a whole variety of animal adoptions, from turtles to tigers, so you can choose their favourite. Why not go for the leopard? With less than 40 remaining in the wild they need all the help they can get! You really can feel great about spending your money! Cost: Around £40


Jewellery with meaning.

A girl can never have enough jewelley, especially when it has so much meaning behind it! The power bracelet by energy muse says it all. It represents the wearers respect for exotic animals, and it looks gorgeous too! Not only that but a portion of the proceeds go to PETA! I reeeaaaally want one of these! They also do a mens version. Cost: Around £60 delivered.


An incredible encounter.

Take your gift to the next level. Get up close to some of the worlds most endangered animal. An animal experience is a fantastic opportunity give someone the gift of a lifetime. Lots of parks offer animal encounters, but my favourite is done by the WHF. Get a tour of their amazing site dedicated to big cats. Your money helps go towards big cat conservation and the receiver gets to feed a big cat! Cost: £200-£250


A gift that cares.

Born Free offer a unique gift for the animal lover. From vitamins for a lion, to boots for a wolf warden, these gifts make an incredible statement. A gift that donates to a very worthy cause. Your money goes to a chosen cause and the receiver will love knowing that their present has helped to make a difference. Cost: £5-£35

Its that time again, and worldwide experience are looking for their next Voice of Conservation. One lucky winner will be jetted off to South Africa to volunteer at the Shamwari Game Reserve. You will use your passion for conservation to blog about various issues and connect with the online community.





So what are you waiting for? Get your entries in!

http://www.worldwideexperience.com/voice-of-conservation/

So my working life has finally properly begun...and I have been doing exactly what I love, spending my time with big cats! Longleat is home to three Amur tigers, Soundari, Shouri and Svetli. Three sisters. I have already discovered that Soundari is the naughty one, Shouri is shy and Svetli is moody. I can just about tell them apart....sometimes...

The Amur tiger, also known as the Siberian tiger, is the largest of all big cats. It originally roamed throughout Western Asia, Central Asia and eastern Russia, but now it is only present in the far east of Russia. In the 1940's the Amur tiger was facing extinction, with less than 40 left in the wild. Luckily due to serious conservation efforts it was saved, and numbers are now around 400-500, but the threats to the tiger are far from over. Genetic studies have shown that there is little genetic variation, and is actually only equivalent of 30 animals.

But captive breeding may be the answer... studies have shown that some captive animals still have genes that the wild animals have now lost. Hopefully through captive breeding, and eventually re-introduction into the wild these valuable genes can be put back into the wild. But putting animals back into the wild will still be useless if we cannot make other changes. Habitat destruction and hunting could send them back onto the brink so we must ensure we keep up the conservation efforts we have already made.

Why not come and see our three beautiful Amur tigers at Longleat (and give me a wave). I have already had so many laughs watching their anticts, Soundari as she stalks her sisters and a frantic chase after a daredevil pheasant. Perhaps you will see just how incredible these animals are and just how devastating it would be to lose them!

Photo by: Martin Pettitt

A few weeks ago I sent my CV out to various zoological parks and crossed my fingers. I got many replies, most explaining they had no vacancies but would keep my CV on file. Then last week I had a message that got my pulses racing...

On Tuesday I had a missed call....from Longleat Safari Park! I gave them a call back as soon as I could and they explained they had a position on the big cat section and wanted me to come in for an interview! Eeeek! I couldnt believe what I was hearing...finally a step in the door..my chance to follow my dream! We arranged for Thursday and I quickly rushed into town to buy some smart clothes...

As I arrived at Longleat my heart was racing...I was so nervous yet so excited. But my nerves were soon calmed. I met the deputy head keeper...Ian Turner who immediately told me to relax as it was very informal. He gave me a run down of the job. The morning would consist of reserve maintenance/food prep/cleaning etc. Then in the afternoon you would either be on gate duty, ensuring that no animals were near the exit as you opened gates for guests, or patrolling, where you keep watch on the animals in the enclosure.I would be working on the tiger, lion, wolf, and soon to be cheetah sections....eep!

Next I met Bob, an experienced big cat keeper at Longleat. He gave me a tour of the sections, introducing me to all the cats and wolves. As we passed through the tigers one cheeky girl decided she was going to chase us down and we quickly sped away from her in the jeep. This was definitely going to be exciting! They explained that I should hear back about their decision within a week.

Photo by: Odolphie

The next day I had a missed a call from them, they left a message asking me to get back to them...but when I tried to call back they had already gone home...agh! I was tearing my hair out...did i get the job? Not knowing was driving me crazy! I called early Saturday morning and was thrilled when they offered me the job! Yahhhhooooo! I can't believe how lucky I am!

Today was my last day volunteering at Chessington Zoo (I have been volunteering twice a week with them for 3 weeks). It was sad to say goodbye, not only to the staff who were incredible, but also the amazing animals...Impi the goat, Charlie the meerkat, the adorable capybara and the cuddly spider monkeys...but I was going on to better things...a full time job...doing exactly what I always wanted! Yippie!

I have finally got round to uploading some of my video footage from my time at Shamwari. Here are some of my favourite clips:

Sundile the leopard



Sundile the leopard was hand reared and then released back into the wild. She soon adapted to life in the wild and became a natural hunter and mother.

However, she still recongises John, who hand reared her, and rushes out of the bushes to meet him when she heard his vehicle. She then persistently blocks the path of his vehicle to prevent him from leaving.

Even though she shows this behaviour he would never leave the safety of his truck as her reaction may be completely different if he was on foot.


Bobby the elephant



Bobby the elephant was a young male who had just left his herd. We found him intently bathing in a muddy water hole. Unfortunately the wind was the wrong direction and we often got a faceful of mud!


Caught on Camera



We discovered a hippo carcass so decided to put out a camera trap to capture the activity it would create.


Playful Caracals



These caracals were taken to the Shamwari wildlife rehabilitation centre to be hand reared after they were orphaned. When they are old enough they will be released back into the wild.

While in South Africa I learnt about the horrific rhino horn trade. If you followed my blog posts you would have learnt that organised syndicates have taken poaching to a new level, slaughtering rhinos at a rate of almost one a day. Now 2010 has come to an end the final figure for the year is here. A massive 333 rhinos were brutally slaughtered.

But our fight is far from over and the killing has already begun in 2011. Now we understand the brutality of this cruel trade we can use our knowledge to stop this disgusting murder. So you may ask the question, how can I help?

Shout it Out

Spread the word! Make more people aware of the problem, educate your friends, children, brothers, sisters, even strangers. Use the power of the internet to tell everyone, facebook, twitter, myspace and even personal blogs. You can start by joining the 'Rhinos of South Africa' facebook group here. It will keep you up date on any recent rhino poaching incidents.

The second annual International Rhino Day has been organized for 2nd of February, make sure you join the event on facebook here and start raising awareness about rhino poaching.

Make your mark

Add yourself to the cause by signing our petition. Together we will urge the South African government to prioritise anti poaching efforts by devoting more funds to the cause. We will also suggest educating children before they become involved with this horrific trade.



Fund a solution

Unfortunately game reserves simply do not have the funds to stay one step ahead. With the technology of the poachers ever increasing, soon we will be in fear of losing the rhino forever. You can make a difference by making a small contribution to this cause. This will help to provide anti-poaching units with better training and more advanced equipment.

You can make a donation to the WWF to help prevent rhino poaching here.

Together we WILL make a difference.

With the successful ban on battery hens we finally thought animals had a voice...could finally live lives of freedom without torture and suffering. But we were wrong. Now there are plans to turn cows into milking machines.

Nocton dairies plan to introduce factory milk to the UK. 8000 cows will be trapped inside, living a life of confinement. Now we only have days to stop this disgusting act. The WSPA have set up a dedicated website to prevent this from happening, and they need our support. You can find their campaign here. Please sign up and then tell the rest of the UK too, facebook, twitter, your personal blog. Anything helps. We must stop this before its too late!

Volunteering at Wildlife Aid you often hear some of the most gruesome cases of animal cruelty, and yesterday was a perfect example. A distressed dog walker phoned in and explained the horrific scene they had discovered. A dead fox. Skinned and gutted then left to rot.

Why do we contemplate doing such horrific things to our own beautiful nature. Such a stunning animal... brutally mutilated. Perhaps the perpetrator was planning on keeping the skin but got disturbed in the process and fled this gruesome scene. Perhaps it was just for fun. It makes me contemplate just how cruel human nature really is.

This disturbing discovery follows the horrific news of the giant fox slaughtered in Maidstone. The town trapped the fox after an elderly cat was discovered dead. How do we even know the fox was the culprit? The cat may simply have died from the cold and then was scavenged by the foxes. Who gives us the right to say what animals must live and die?

Another disturbing fact is the dead fox is pictured hanging from a ladder...next to a seven year old boy. What are we exposing our children to? The article continues to explain the animal was 'humanely' killed, yet under the photo it describes the animal as being shot. If we shot another human would that be described as humane killing? No. We would be sentenced to life in prison. So what gives us the right to shoot these animals?

You can read the article here.

Photo by: digitalprimate

Wow. Just wow! What an incredible three months. I lived my dream and it was utterly amazing!

I have just returned from South Africa, where I spent three months volunteering at the Shamwari Game Reserve. The experiences I gained were simply irreplacable, I helped with the darting and relocation of the very endangered Cape Mountain Zebra, I got up close and personal with two very gorgeous cheetahs, I watched the elusive leopard stalking her prey, and I learnt about the horrific rhino horn trade.


I can simply not describe just how amazing this experience was. I did things I never thought I would have the opportunity to do. If you have a passion for animals I thoroughly recommend getting yourself out there. Worldwide Experience have some amazing projects. Find them here. You can read more about my own experiences at Shamwari on the Worldwide Experience blog here.

But now I have returned to England I have to get back to the real world...and what better way to do it other than a shift at Wildlife Aid. Yup, this morning I went back to the wildlife hospital and got straight back into it, cleaning out all the little hoggies. Oh how I missed those tiny noses. It was great to get stuck in again and made me realise just how much I missed our very own wildlife. I was even lucky enough to get out on a rescue, where we rushed to the aid of a serverly underweight deer. It was a quick and easy rescue and she was quickly put into the deer shed on a drip.

Now its time for the job hunt. I finally have the experience I desperately needed so hopefully I can find myself that dream job. Ideally in animal rehabilitation or conservation. I have sent out my applications and am eagerly awaiting any replies. Its now over a year since I graduated so hopefully my time will finally come! =D