TV reptile expert Mark O’Shea rushed to hospital after being bitten by deadly cobra.

 

TV reptile expert Mark O’Shea rushed to hospital after being bitten by deadly cobra

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  Mark O’Shea with the King Cobra which later bit him.

World-renowned reptile expert and TV wildlife personality Mark O’Shea had to be airlifted to hospital – after being bitten by a killer King Cobra. 
Snake enthusiast O’Shea, 56, had a lucky escape after the massive 10ft (3m) reptile clamped its jaws around his leg at West Midlands Safari Park on Sunday afternoon. 
The deadly cobra – whose venom is strong enough to kill an elephant – dug its fangs into the reptile curator’s leg during a routine feed.
First aid staff armed with life-saving anti-venom rushed to O’Shea’s aid due to fears that the deadly poison had entered his bloodstream.
But thanks to their quick thinking paramedics arrived to find him suffering no serious effects from the bite.
O’Shea – best known as the presenter of the Discovery Channel series ‘O’Shea’s Big Adventure’ and Channel 4′s ‘O’Shea’s Dangerous Reptiles’ -  was airlifted to Worcester Royal Hospital where his condition was yesterday described as "stable".
He was expected to be discharged from hospital this afternoon. 
Speaking from his hospital bed yesterday, O’Shea played down the bite from the king cobra -  the world’s longest venomous snake – and described it as "just a nick."
He said: "It was an accident. It was just a nick really.
"Sometimes there are accidents at work but it’s just these sort of ones are a lot more interesting to people.
"It was a lucky escape. I would class any snake bite that doesn’t cause a serious injury to be a lucky escape. I won’t lie, it did hurt a bit. 
"We are going to have a full investigation but it was just an accident. I’m hoping to be out of hospital soon."

Bob Lawrence, head keeper at West Midland Safari Park, added:  "The animal was being fed behind closed doors. He’s lucky. He has had a few encounters before but he is fine.
"It is very, very rare that these things ever happen.
"Working with animals like this always carries hazards with it, but we have safety measures in place."
Mr Lawrence said the safari park stored anti-venom for all of its poisonous animals, and routinely rehearsed such situations with local hospitals.
West Midlands Ambulance Service said they received a call from the safari park at 4pm on Sunday and sent a doctor, an ambulance crew, a responder paramedic and the Midlands Air Ambulance to the scene.
A spokeswoman said: “When crews and the doctor arrived, they found one of the park’s snake handlers being cared for by their on-site first aiders.
"They had already immobilised the leg and administered excellent first aid.
“The man in his 50s had reportedly been bitten on the leg by a king cobra. The doctor assessed the man and found he was stable and suffering no serious effects from the bite.
“Due to the fact the venom can be lethal if it enters the bloodstream, the man was airlifted to Worcester Royal Hospital as a precaution.
"Medics at the hospital were pre-alerted to the arrival of the man who was said to be in a stable condition.”
It’s not the first time the daring reptile specialist has been attacked by a deadly snake.
In 1993 he nearly died when he was bitten by a canebrake rattlesnake – and he has since been on the receiving end of several other snakebites, spider bites and scorpion stings.

TV reptile expert Mark O’Shea rushed to hospital after being bitten by deadly cobra – Yahoo! News UK

By Simon Garner | Yahoo! News – Mon, Aug 20, 2012

Orphaned kangaroo Anzac and wombat Peggy become best of friends – Yahoo! News UK

 

Orphaned kangaroo Anzac and wombat Peggy become best of friends

 

An orphaned kangaroo and wombat have found creature comfort with one another.
Anzac the joey and Peggy the wombat have become best friends after sharing a pouch together at the Wildlife Kilmore Rescue Centre in Victoria, Australia.

Orphans Anzac the kangaroo joey and Peggy the wombat

At just over five months old, Anzac was brought to the centre after being rescued in the Macedon Ranges. Missing his mum, Anzac was placed with wombat Peggy and the two now sleep together.
Worker Lisa Milligan said the unlikely friends are comforted by each other’s movement and heartbeat. She said: "There are lots of baby animals about at the moment, and they are orphaned for a range of reasons."
One of the reasons the lively duo get on so well is their similar personalities – with Anzac described as very social while Peggy is boisterous and cheeky.

The two have become close friends (Picture: Rex)

Orphaned kangaroo Anzac and wombat Peggy become best of friends – Yahoo! News UK

How animals around the world have taken a tip from us to cope with the hot weather | Mail Online

 

Cool of the wild: From sunhats to ice-cream, how animals around the world have taken tips from us to cope with the hot weather

By Nick Enoch

An ice lolly, a dip in the pool, deckchairs… when it comes to cooling off in the hot weather, these animals don’t play by the rules.

As Britain enjoys a heatwave, with the mercury hitting 27c (81f) today, these are just some of the cunning ways our furry friends cope.

And as the pictures below show, it’s not just those here who are feeling the heat – from China to Germany, Indonesia to the U.S., animals are scoffing at what they’ve seen in nature documentaries and trying something a little bit different…

Let sleeping dogs lie: Tara the dog opts for a sunbed and parasol to see her through the blistering heat in Britain

Bird bath with a difference: Jacquille the parrot cools down in a tea cup in Costa Rica

One cool dude: Dudu the walrus beats the summer heat in China, at Qingdao Polar Ocean World; right, a squirrel gets stuck into a frozen treat in Swindon, Wiltshire

I’ve got this licked: An African lion in Brookfield zoo, Chicago refreshes himself with a block of ice

Sealion solution: Keepers at Qingdao Polar Ocean World have come up with innovative ways to keep their animals cool; right, Eski the snowy owl could do with a towel in the New Forest, Hampshire

Flew what a scorcher! A tufted titmouse suns itself in Massachusetts

Spread the whirred: This chilled dog has found himself a new fan; right, Chino the donkey enjoys an ice-cream at Pennywell farm in Buckfastleigh, Devon

Furry nice! A squirrel takes a dip in a swimming pool in San Antonio, Texas

Does it come in banana flavour? A baboon enjoys an ice lolly at Hangzhou wild animal centre, China; right, a meerkat at Marwell Wildlife Conservation Park, Hants

To hell with the diet… An orangutan at Ragunan zoo in Jakarta, Indonesia

Just follow my lead: Harland the poodle on Southsea beach in Hampshire; right, a fur seal relaxes in Stromness, South Georgia Island

White tiger cubs Jeevan and Ashoka cool off in a paddling pool at a safari park in Germany

Trunks, glasses and parasol…this pooch looks good – and he knows it

I’ll be finished in about nine hours… A young gorilla chews on a block of ice containing fruit at Los Angeles Zoo

Do I look like I want to share? A ring-tailed lemur at Paradise Wildlife Park in Broxbourne, Herts

Pass the oinkment, dear: Some pigs tan themselves in Cambridgeshire

It’s bacon hot! A piglet falls asleep in a doll’s house deckchair

How animals around the world have taken a tip from us to cope with the hot weather | Mail Online

Baldness cure secret revealed by mice – Yahoo! Lifestyle UK

 

Baldness cure secret revealed by mice

By Kim Hookem-Smith

A tuft of hair grown on the back of a bald lab mouse may hold the key to curing baldness in humans.

A research team in Japan used stem cell cultivation to create hair follicles from scratch. These follicles were then implanted into the hairless mice where they grew hairs.

The stem cells were taken from a balding man and the next step is to implant the created follicles into a human head in order to win the battle against balding, experienced by more than seven million men in the UK.
The technique may also allow men to re-grow hair in their original colour, even if they’ve already started to go grey.
The researchers from Tokyo University believe a cure for baldness could be engineered within three years. It will be an expensive treatment, however, and they believe it could be more useful in reconstructive situations where traditional hair transplant operations aren’t possible.
And there’s more research to be done, as the team do not yet know if it would be possible to recreate an entire head of hair. In this study, the hairs had to be implanted one at a time, which is fine on a mouse but a rather different proposition on an entire bald head!

Baldness cure secret revealed by mice – Yahoo! Lifestyle UK

Play time for young and old! Polar bears from Canada to Norway caught mucking about in the snow | Mail Online

 

Play time for young and old! Polar bears caught mucking about in the snow after a long hibernation

By Lyle Brennan

Playfully clambering over their doting mother these polar bear cubs spring into action for the most sociable time of the year.

Across the polar regions from Norway to Canada these images show the intimate relationship between polar bear mothers and their young as they emerge from their winter hibernation.

Each winter females dig dens, where they give birth to their cubs – usually two, but sometimes as many as four.

All aboard: A female polar bear and her cubs play in the snow in Canada after a long winter’s rest in the den

Peek-a-boo: A cub takes shelter as it ventures out in Churchill, Canada

Making its own entertainment: Grappling with a birch tree in Canada

The timing of the birth is sometime during early winter, between December and January.

The snow den, the mother’s body heat and her milk, which is high in fat content, enable the cubs to keep warm and grow rapidly before leaving the den in March or April.

Short trips are made to and from the den for several days as the cubs get used to the outside temperatures. Then the family leaves and makes its way to the sea ice, where the mother teaches, hunts for and protects her cubs.

Gone fishing: Meanwhile in Norway a polar bear takes the plunge into icy waters in the hope of finding a bite to eat

After two years together, the family disperses and the cycle begins again.

But not before a bit of light play in the snow.

Photographers have spent hundreds of hours in the Arctic regions, photographing the amazing interactions from lounging around in the snow to diving head first into the icy waters looking for food.

Taking the weight off its paws: A polar bear stretches out on the snow in Churchill, Canada

‘The polar bear’s presence is entirely transitory, with photography dependent on accurate timing, the right weather and exceptional luck,’ said Steve.

‘Imagine a world without polar bears.
‘It seems unthinkable, yet as climate change gathers pace, the Arctic ice floes upon which the polar bear depends are beginning to break up.

Come here, you: Two polar bears nuzzle with each other in Churchill, Canada

‘In the years ahead, this could be catastrophic for this truly charismatic bear which, when it stands up, is taller than the largest elephant.

‘The irony is that the polar bear represents one of conservation’s greatest successes: thanks to an international convention controlling the hunting of the species.’

Little attention-seeker: A bear and her cub in a snow-covered forest in Canada

Bear hug: A show of affection in Churchill, Canada

Play time for young and old! Polar bears from Canada to Norway caught mucking about in the snow | Mail Online

Bravery of young mother who stayed by her horse’s side for three hours after getting trapped in mud ‘like quicksand’ | Mail Online

 

Race against the tide: Bravery of young mother who stayed by her horse’s side for THREE HOURS after getting trapped in mud ‘like quicksand’

 

This was the terrifying moment a brave young mother battled to keep her beloved horse calm as sea water closed in on the animal after he became trapped in mud ‘like quicksand’.

Exhausted and mud-splattered, Nicole Graham clung to her trapped horse Astro for three hours keeping his head high in a race against the tide.

The 78-stone show horse had sunk into quagmire-like mud and was facing the prospect of drowning as the water rose around them.

‘Like quicksand’: Both Miss Graham and her horse were stuck up to their waists in the mud as the tide was closing in

Desperation: Nicole Graham comforts her 18-year-old show horse Astro after he gets stuck in coastal mud

Swallowed up: Astro was stuck fast and Miss Graham’s efforts to pull him free only resulted in herself sinking deeper into the quagmire

Miss Graham had been out on an afternoon ride with her daughter along the coast near Geelong, south of Melbourne, when 18-year-old Astro suddenly sank into the mud.

Before she could shout a warning, the smaller horse her daughter Paris was riding was also partially swallowed up by the mud.

After dragging herself through the mire, Miss Graham helped her daughter and the other horse on to firmer ground.

However, Astro was stuck fast and her efforts to pull him free only resulted in herself sinking deeper into the quagmire.

To the rescue: Vet Stacey Sullivan prepares to sedate Astro in a bid to get him out safely

Tidal terror: The brave mother tries to keep the horse calm as rescuers work how out to free the animal

Emotional: Miss Graham said it was heartbreaking to see her horse so exhausted and struggling

As Paris ran to their car and phoned for help, Miss Graham stayed at her horse’s side. She courageously clung on to his neck, terrified that he would not be freed before the tide came in.

After three ‘terrifying’ hours, rescuers managed to pull Astro and Miss Graham from the mud.

Miss Graham, who owns more than 10 horses and runs an equine dentistry business, told the Geelong Advertiser how a peaceful afternoon’s ride had turned to terror.

She said: ‘It was terrifying. It was also heartbreaking to see my horse exhausted and struggling.

Race against the tide: The water is seen getting closer to the horse as the group battles to free him

Stuck fast: Rescuers look for ways to free the stricken horse as time is slowly running out for him

Pulled free: Astro is dragged from the mud with the aid of a farmer’s tractor

‘We went straight down and under. There was mud everywhere and every time I moved it sucked me back down. It wouldn’t let us go.’

After ensuring her daughter and her horse were safe, she returned to Astro and prayed that rescuers would arrive before the tide engulfed the horse.

She added: ‘I’ve been riding here for 20 years and never had a drama. I’ve never seen any signs and didn’t realise it was so boggy.

‘When I saw the dust from the rescue trucks I was so relieved. I was starting to get overwhelmed.’

Fire lieutenant Roger Buckle, who was among a team of helpers, said: ‘It was like a quicksand.’

Fire crews worked with a local farmer, who provided a tractor, and a veterinary team. The firemen used hoses and a winch, but none of this equipment was successful.

Sedated and exhausted: Astro collapses on the ground after he is pulled free of the mud, to the relief of rescuers

Saved: Vet Stacey Sullivan helps Astro to his feet as the effects of the sedation wear off

A local helicopter was put on standby as a last resort at pulling Astro from the mud.

The combined rescue effort paid off. With minutes to spare before the water reached him, Astro – who had been sedated by vet Stacey Sullivan – was dragged from the mud with the aid of the farmer’s tractor.

‘It was a race against the tide and fortunately we won,’ said Lieut Buckle, who praised everyone efforts, including those of Miss Sullivan whose work in sedating Astro made it easier to pull him free.

Miss Sullivan said Astro was dehydrated but had coped well.

‘A lot of horses don’t make it and I think without the owner there the chance of survival would have been a lot lower,’ she said.

It’s all over: Miss Graham leads her horses away from the beach after the traumatic rescue

Aftermath: Astro and Miss Graham are led to safety after the drama. The vet said the horse may not have made it had it not been for the efforts of his owner.

By Kerry Mcqueeney

Bravery of young mother who stayed by her horse’s side for three hours after getting trapped in mud ‘like quicksand’ | Mail Online

Sea Tree: The amazing wildlife haven built on water that will combat urban pollution

 

That’s an idea worth floating: The amazing wildlife haven built on water designed to combat urban pollution

By Graham Smith

 

Wide open spaces in cities are becoming an increasingly scarce commodity as the world’s urban population continues to expand.

Now an architect has developed a floating park that is a haven for wildlife and will in turn address the rise in pollution.

Koen Olthuis, of Dutch firm Waterstudio, has unveiled the Sea Tree, a multi-tiered structure comprising of layered green habitats.

Urban future: The Sea Tree offshore nature park will be a haven for wildlife and will address the rise in pollution

The water-based park will provide valuable living areas for birds, bees, bats and other small animals, bringing positive green effects to urban environments.

It will also extend underwater, providing aquatic creatures with an environment to thrive.

Designed for use in cities with large waterways, such as London and New York, the Sea Trek will not be accessible to humans.

Mr Olthuis came up with the concept because it is so difficult to add extra park zones to a city on land. Open space such as rivers, seas, lakes and harbours should instead be utilised, he believes.

He proposes using offshore technology similar to oil rigs to construct the Sea Trees and has even suggested that oil companies donate them to cities to show ‘their concern for a better city environment’.

Anchored: The water-based park will provide valuable living areas for birds, bees, bats and other small animals, bringing positive green effects to urban environments. It will also provide a habitat for aquatic creatures

Eco-friendly: Designed for use in cities with large waterways, such as London and New York, the Sea Trek will not be accessible to humans

The giant floating towers would be moored to the seabed with underwater cables; the height and depth of the Sea Tree can be adjusted depending on the location.

Mr Olthuis said: ‘Underwater, the Sea Tree provides a habitat for small water creatures or even, when the climate allows for it, artificial coral reefs.

‘The beauty of the design is that it provides a solution and at the same time does not cost expensive space on land, while the effect of the species living in the sea tree will affect a zone of several miles around the moored location.’

Waterstudio claims the structure will be fully realised within two years and that an undisclosed client has already expressed a keen interest.

Positive effect: The Sea Tree will allow all sorts of wildlife to thrive in areas of cities where it previously was unable to do so

Above and below: Airborne creatures will occupy the top half of the Sea Tree, while underwater an aquatic environment will thrive

Sea Tree: The amazing wildlife haven built on water that will combat urban pollution | Mail Online

Danielle Tarantola spends £32k to have her dog cloned after her beloved pet died

 

It mutt be love: Woman spends $50,000 to have her dog cloned after his death

A distraught dog lover had her beloved pet cloned so that she could be with him even after he had died.

New Yorker Danielle Tarantola paid an incredible $50,000 for the procedure using pet Trouble’s DNA to create another dog exactly the same as the first.

She named the new pup Double Trouble after she contacted the world’s only animal cloning company in South Korea.

Double Trouble: The cloned pup may only a few months old but already he is living the same life as Trouble, in this photo the little pup is dressed as an angel, complete with halo.

Clone ranger: Trouble dressed as an elf at Christmas time, his DNA has since been cloned by his New York owner

And she said of her new pooch: ‘I really can see no difference between them. So many of their gestures and the way they play is identical.’

Just a few months ago, the former Wall Street worker got a phone call from the company’s scientists informing her that the surrogate bitch carrying the embryos developed from Trouble’s DNA had been successfully impregnated.

Weeks later, the surrogate went into labour and Danielle watched the birth by webcam from her home in the U.S.

Danielle had been so upset by the death of her constant companion three years ago that she shelled out the massive fee so that she could have an identical replacement.

She said: ‘He was like the child I never had – and I probably did treat him better than most people treat their children.’

Beloved pet: Danielle Tarantola paid £32,000 to have Trouble cloned, she is pictured in her New York home with the massive portrait she had painted of him after his death

She even dressed the dog up in elaborate costumes which included a tuxedo for her wedding and an elf at Christmas.

After his death Danielle, who got Trouble as a pet when she was just 18, had a huge portrait of him painted on the wall of her home.

She still talked to him every day and even had his face printed on her pillowcases and bedspread to remind her of the pet she had lost.

Danielle first heard of the Asian cloning company in 2005 when Trouble was still alive.

She toyed with the idea of having the pet cloned while he was still with her so that he could meet the second dog.

But she decided against it and instead choose to have Trouble’s vet take a DNA sample during a routine check up.

Coverage: Danielle’s deal with a TV station meant that her incredible £32,000 fee was only half that originally quoted.

Doggy throne: Trouble’s comfortable bed, no expense spared for the little dog

She said: ‘Originally I wanted to clone Trouble in his lifetime as I would love to have seen how they interacted together. But in the end I waited – and Double Trouble is the result.

‘I know this isn’t for everyone but it was my decision and I’m incredibly happy with it. I can never replace Trouble but I love Double Trouble to pieces.

And she added: ‘Trouble loved to hide under the bed and then nip your feet when you came near and Double Trouble does that too.’

Danielle negotiated a reduced fee from the original $100,000 price tag for the operation after she secured TV coverage of her quest to replace Trouble.

The cloning of animals was first achieved in 1996 when researchers at the Roslin Institute in Scotland successfully produced Dolly the sheep.

The world’s first cloned mammal sparked huge debate and opened the door for researchers across the world to experiment in the controversial techniques.

Deer, cattle, dogs, cats and horses have since been cloned.

But the commercialisation of the process has sparked controversy.

John Woestendiek, the author of ‘Dog, Inc.’, a book about the dog cloning industry, says that the practice is centred in South Korea because there are much lower ethical standards for the treatment of dogs than in Europe and the United States.

‘You can rent [dogs] from farmers for the laboratory and, hopefully, everything goes OK, return them to the farmer, but everything’s not going to go OK.’

The author says that some of the dogs used in the cloning process as egg donors or surrogate mothers are later sent back to the farms where they are killed and eaten.

In South Korea, dogs are raised on farms for their meat.

Danielle Tarantola spends £32k to have her dog cloned after her beloved pet died | Mail Online

By Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 3:48 PM on 12th January 2012

Gorilla trafficking in DR Congo: Baby ‘Shamavu’ rescued from poacher’s bag.

We all need to do more to protect these animals and our Planet…make your voice heard…before there is nothing left….. jboy2244

Terrified face of the trafficked gorilla: Little Shamavu found cowering in poacher’s bag after his family were killed

• Only 790 mountain gorillas remain on the planet
• ‘We are powerless to control the international trade in baby gorillas’

By Oliver Pickup

With fearful eyes and defensive body language, baby gorilla Shamavu does not realise how close he came to being sold by poachers on the black market for £25,000.

The one-and-a-half-year-old animal was rescued by the Congolese Wildlife Authorities rangers earlier this month in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Virunga national park in the latest sting operation designed to halt an upsurge in trafficking.

The illegal trading, which is threatening the existence of the already endangered species, is being stamped out – this was the fourth such incident since April – but there are still many gorillas who are not as fortunate as Shamavu.

Scroll down to see a video of Shamavu’s rescue

Lucky escape: The Congolese Wildlife Authorities rescued little Shamavu earlier this month – but how many other baby gorillas are sold on the black market?

Never before have so many poachers been caught in one year – a figure which highlights the high risks they are willing to take in order to try and secure a pay bonanza

According to the latest figures there are believed to be only 790 mountain gorillas left on the planet – and almost 500 of them are found in the Virunga volcanoes, a conservation area, which is spread across DR Congo, Rwanda and Uganda.

The other 300 or so creatures can be found in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in Uganda.

Shamavu, the one-and-a-half-old mountain gorilla, is one of four rescued from the clutches of poachers since April

 

The tiny gorilla is nursed back to health by the workers at the Congolese Wildlife Authorities centre

Feeding time: Shamavu is given some vital nutrients having been found in a tiny rucksack

‘We are very concerned about a growing market for baby gorillas that is feeding a dangerous trafficking activity in rebel controlled areas of eastern DRC,’ director of Virunga national park, Emmanuel de Merode, told the Guardian.

‘We are powerless to control the international trade in baby gorillas, but our rangers are doing everything they can to stamp it out on the ground.

‘Four baby gorillas seized in less than a year is unusually high … [but] it’s only the tip of the iceberg, as we only manage to catch a small proportion of the offenders because the wildlife service is under-resourced in Congo.’

Dr Jan Ramer, pictured, said of Shamavu: ‘He appears to be quite healthy other than some parasites and dry skin.’

Saved: The one-and-a-half-year-old baby mountain gorilla is one of only 790 in the world

The Congolese Wildlife Authorities have begun to pose undercover in order to catch out poachers – and that is how Shamavu was rescued on October 6, in Kirumba, a town on the western border of the national park.

The rangers, led by Christian Shamavu – whose name was taken and used for the baby gorilla – dressed in normal clothes and successfully negotiated a price for the animal, which was hidden in a small backpack.

When the time was right, they arrested the trio of poachers for possession of a gorilla and Mr Shamavu told the Guardian: ‘It’s very likely that the mother and other gorillas were killed because it’s very difficult to take a baby gorilla from its family.

‘The poachers will never admit to this, though.’

Earlier this year there were three more instances of poachers being caught red handed in DR Congo with baby eastern lowland gorillas, in April and June, and also August, when Rwandan police stopped poachers from smuggling a gorilla over the border.

The poachers mistreat the creatures, who become traumatised through the process.

On of the rangers checks the tiny gorilla’s reactions – and he is in good shape despite being abducted by poachers

After his ordeal, which saw the rangers arrest a trio of poachers on October 6, Shamavu has some well-deserved shut-eye

‘Many of these infants are injured from ropes around their hands, feet or waist, and some are quite ill, which is not surprising as they are generally in close contact with their human captors, extremely stressed, and with very poor nutrition,’ Dr Jan Ramer, a vet with Mountain Gorilla Veterinarian Project (MGVP), partners with Virunga national park, was quoted as saying in the Guardian.

Dr Ramer added of Shamavu: ‘He appears to be quite healthy other than some parasites and dry skin.’

But where is the demand for the endangered animals? Ian Redmond, chairman of the conservation group the Ape Alliance, believes ‘the Middle East is a likely source of demand, wealthy animal collectors and a tradition of giving big gifts to curry favour … and maybe wealthy Russians, but there is little hard evidence.

‘What we do know is that just the rumour that someone is looking to buy a baby ape can be enough for penniless hunters to think: "I could get one of those and sell it for $$$$!" And in eastern DRC, once one is captured it is likely to be smuggled eastwards through either Rwanda or Uganda, the traditional trade routes for all goods in that area.’

Emmanuel de Merode added: ‘Surveillance is the key, at the borders, in the towns, along the roads. The local community are the best surveillance system, if they are on our side.

‘A lot more could be done with respect to international trade, especially in the market countries where there is demand for baby gorillas. There, it’s a question of enacting legislation and enforcing.

‘As far as I know, very little has been done that’s effective with respect to baby gorilla trafficking.’

Gorilla trafficking in DR Congo: Baby ‘Shamavu’ rescued from poacher’s bag | Mail Online

G’day darling! Flocks of chattering cockatoos that are driving Australia’s crazy

 

G’day darling! Talking birds that escaped from Australian owners teach wild cockatoos to speak

By Richard Shears

 

At first, people who heard whole flocks of birds talking to them from the trees thought they were losing their minds.

Cries of ‘Hello there!’, ‘G’day Darling!’, ‘What’s happening?’ from the tree tops from flocks of sulphur-crested cockatoos left householders wondering whether they were hearing things or just going mad.

But now a naturalist at the Australian Museum has confirmed pet birds that have escaped or been released by their owners have taught other birds phrases they have learned from humans.

Bird talk: Two cockatoos living in the wild in Australian’s Northern Territory

‘These birds are very smart and very social, meaning that communication and contact is important between them,’ said naturalist Martyn Robinson.

‘We’ve had people calling us thinking they are going mad or had something put into their drink because they’ve gone out to look at the flock of birds in their back yard and all the birds have been saying something like "Who’s a pretty boy, then?",’ said Mr Robinson.

The influx of talking flocks into the city – which have been learning to chatter among themselves from individual ‘teachers’ which have flown from their human owners – started after a drought in western New South Wales drove the birds towards new food sources.

The talking flocks include cockatoos, galahs, corellas and myna birds.

‘They’ve decided to stay and even begun to breed in the city, passing on their phrases to youngsters,’ said Mr Robinson.

Bird-brained: An expert at the Australian Museum claims birds can teach each other to talk

‘I just hope a pet that’s been taught dirty words doesn’t join a flock.’

When Sydney radio host Jason Morrison referred to the story in Sydney’s Daily Telegraph today, his show was flooded with callers who said they had heard flocks of birds talking to them.

Mr Morrison was so taken with the story that he started mimicking the birds himself with a high pitch voice…’Hello there,’ he screeched to one caller.

The newspaper’s comment page has been contacted by large numbers of people who have decided to have their own type of fun with the story.

‘Be informed,’ said ‘Bluey’. ‘These aren’t wild birds…they are our present federal government politicians.’

Veritas, of Cairns, said: ‘Finally found out where politicians come from – the flock rejects. After all, we do call them Pollies.’

Another commenter said: ‘It’s true then, it makes sense now. I’ve sometimes thought I must’ve misheard wild cockatoos saying "Hello" and other babble.

‘This is so funny, but for once a story that puts a smile on your face.’

G’day darling! Flocks of chattering cockatoos that are driving Australia’s crazy | Mail Online