» Listings for 2019

1. RHS Hampton Court Flower Show runs from 2 to 7 July 2019

   Posted on 3:00pm Saturday 22nd Jun 2019

   The RHS Hampton Court Flower Show Festival takes place from 2 to 7 July 2019 and there are some very exciting new features in it. As well as talks and demos to learn from, live music to listen to and stalls to explore, there are a lot of gardens you can take a look at and be inspired by. One of these has been designed by HRH The Duchess of Cambridge, who has worked with Andree Davies and Adam White, to create their garden. One of these new features is called the Global Impact Gardens.  Believe in Tomorrow, On the Brink and The Forest Will See You Now are all designed to make us think.  The Forest Will See You Now has been designed to challenge us and to encourage us to change our attitudes and behaviours.  We need forests, there’s no doubt about that.  On The Brink draws attention to our plastic blindness, the garden represents the oceans being on the brink of a manmade ecological disaster.  Clusters of new growth emerging suggest it isn’t too late, after all. Believe in Tomorrow aims to help reconnect children with nature.  The walk-through garden is part-oasis, part playgrouand and part-classroom and it looks to inspire and educate children about the natural world. Local children have grown some of the plants – and built boats for the pond! Another exiting garden is the BBC Springwatch Garden, which I think is sending a really important message.   Private gardens in Britain now cover an area larger than all of the country’s nature reserves put together;  so they are very important when it comes to helping wildlife.   The garden at RHS Hampton Court shows 3 gardens belonging to 3 different neighbours and each with their own characters and features which attract wildlife.  The overall effect is to show how neighbours can really work towards a common cause with their gardening and help the wider world i.e. wildlife. Find out more about RHS Hampton Court Flower Show!  Don’t miss it – it’s a great event!  You can buy tickets online from the RHS website.

    

2. Water flow lessens animal-human conflict in Liwonde National Park, Malawi

   Posted on 9:00pm Friday 21st Jun 2019

   Water flow lessens animal-human conflict in Liwonde National Park, Malawi We all need water, humans and animals. So what happens when there is competition between humans and animals for water? Liwonde National Park in Malawi is home to over 10,000 different species.   Black rhinos, elephants, zebras and baboons are among them – the place is a biodiversity hotspot. The Shire River passes through the area, and is a vital life source for all the animals there. Years of poaching, illegal fishing and snaring have devastated the park’s ecosystem.  Competition for resources has rocketed; as well as the animals, people need water to survive.  The people of Chikolongo had to go miles to retrieve water from the Shire River – it was the only major source of water available.  In their trek, the journey often led to death for people and animals – especially as a result of human encounters with crocodiles, elephants and hippos. The IFAW (that’s the International Fund for Animal Welfare) heard about the crisis in Chikolongo and knew they had to help. So in 2013, they created the Chikolongo Livelihood Project – designed to build sustainable solutions to reduce the conflict between villages and wildlife. They completed a water pump and pipeline to bring easily accessible and clean water directly into the heart of the Chikolongo community. Since that pipeline was created, there have been no incidents of human-wildlife conflict.  The villages have what they need to co-exist amongst the animals they had thought were dangerous.  They are happier. Plus, IFAW established a community fish farm and developed an incentive system to encourage the growth of commercial crops which was designed to help reduce poaching.  And the animals of Liwonde National Park are successfully recovering. Find out more about the initiative here

3. Touch down for two Beluga Whales, freed from captivity!

   Posted on 9:00pm Thursday 20th Jun 2019

   Hot on the news that the Greeks have created the world’s first dolphin sanctuary, two Beluga Whales from an aquarium in Shanghai have just arrived in Iceland 6,000 miles away to go to a whale sanctuary there. The whales – Little Grey & Little White – are 12 years old.  They’ve been in captivity since they were about 2 years old and performed in font of crowds as “entertainment”.  The British Firm that runs the aquarium – Merlin Entertainment – bought the Changfeng Ocean World Zoo in 2012.  And it started to look for a home for Little Grey & Little White. Head of the British Conservation Charity, Sea Life Trust, explained that preparations have been on-going for about 18 months to prepare the whales for their journey. They travelled by plane on a Cargolux freighter to Iceland, then, truck and a ferry from the mainland to the island where they will live.  Teams monoitored the whales to ensure they were safe and comfortable during the flight.  A Cargolux engineer and a team of global veterinary experts with experience in transporting marine mammals were also on board to check on the whales’ welfare. Their new home is the world’s first open water Beluga sanctuary – it will provide a more natural sub-Arctic environment for them, with wilder habitat.  The bay will be protected to protect the two female whites as it is thought they won’t survive on their own in the wild.  The Sanctuary is in a natural and beautiful sea inlet, in Klettsvik Bay.  There’s a landside care facility, and a visitor centre minutes away – so you can visit! The sanctuary was created in partnership with Whale and Dolphin Conservation.  It’s run by the SEA LIFE Trust with a donation from Merlin Entertainments.    Scientists are going to study Little Grey & Little White to see how they adapt to their new natural home.  And depending on how they get on, the sanctuary could become home to other Belugas as well. Find out more about the two Beluga Whales here Good luck in your new home, Little Grey & Little White and a big thank you to Cargolux Airlines for your help and role in moving Little Grey & Little White to sanctuary.   And if you're in the UK, why not check out The Cornish Seal Sanctuary, which rescues and rehabilitates grey seals pup from around the Cornish Coastline.

    

4. Great news for dolphins in Greece

   Posted on 9:00pm Wednesday 19th Jun 2019

   A Greek conservation group has created the world’s first dolphin sanctuary!  The  Archipelagos Institute of Marine Conservation created it for dolphins who have been rescued from captivity.    It’s on the island of Lipsi, south of Samos in the eastern Aegean.  The hope is that these rescued dolphins will have a safe place to live out their lives, and also end their exploitation in zoos and marinas.  They say there are nearly 3,000 dolphins in captivity around the world and hope that by providing this sanctuary, they will help change worldwide perception of animals in captivity. It is hoped that the knowledge gained by helping these dolphins can be used by scientists around the world.  The Institute exists to defend nature.  It has over 20  years research and now it’s taken action to create this first dolphin sanctuary. You can help by making a donation The Institute aims to defend the biodiversity of Greek seas and islands, and also the north eastern Mediterranean.