» Listings for 2021

1. World Okapi Day 2021

   Posted on 5:00pm Sunday 17th Oct 2021

   The okapi live in the dense jungle of the Democratic Republic of Congo.   The opaki is under threat Although it is a respected cultural symbol of the DRC (have had protect status since 1933), the opaki is threatened by human activities: slash-and-burn agriculture, illegal gold mining, logging, encroachment from human settlement and bush-meat poaching. Enter the Opaki Conservation Project Enter the Opaki Conservation Project which works to protect the natural habitat of the opaki and indigenous Mbuti pygmies who lives in the Opaki Wildlife Reserve.  It also looks to promote the species around the world. The reserve itself is a designated World Heritage Site.  It sits within the Ituri Forest, and it encompasses 13,700 square kilometres. As well as the opaki, it is home to animals such as forest elephants, chimpanzees, 13 species of primates, leopards, bongo antelopes and a huge variety of birds and insects.  World Opaki Day’s aims World Opaki Day on 18 October 2021 celebrates the opaki – it raises awareness of it as many people have never heard of an opaki.   You can find out more about the opaki here.  And crucially, the opaki acts as a flagship species to protect the forest ecosystem where it resides.    There are activities around the villages in the reserve and they are combined to educate local communities and protect the opaki. Things we can do on World Okapi Day: 1.  Follow the day on social media: #OkapiConservation and #WorldOkapiDay and #WOD2021 and tell people about okapis.  The Okapi Conservation Project also has a social media kit  2.   Recycle your own mobile phone.  Did you know that a cell/mobile phones have coltan?  It’s a mineral mined in the DRC forests, so if you recycle your phone it means less mining in the forest. 3.   Put okapi photos on social media, using the hashtags hashtags #OkapiConservation and #WorldOkapiDay 4.  You could also donate to the Okapi Conservation Project – all proceeds go to help protect okapi and its habitat.  $15 Supports 1 ranger per day to protect okapi and their habitat.  $50 Provides a month of medical care for a ranger and his family. £125 Provides one sewing machine for an OCP sponsored women’s group. $250 Buys a camera trap to capture photos of okapi in the forest 5.  Watch okapi videos!    6.  Become an Opaki Guardian!  Give a recurring gift and help the project to help prevent habitat loss and preserve the forest, or remove poachers from the forest or support the agro-forestry project.  Visit the Okapi Conservation Project

    

2. Nelson the bear needs our help!

   Posted on 7:00pm Sunday 1st Aug 2021

   Meet Nelson.  He lives in this cage in Armenia. 
   
   

   Image © International Animal Rescue

   Please donate to help rescue Nelson the elderly bear.

   International Animal Rescue needs our help to rescue Nelson the bear.  He's been in this cage, captive for 30 years.  He's gone blind. 

   His owner apparently loves him.   But Nelson deserves better than life in this cage.

   This poor bear has spent years going round in circles, desperate to relieve his boredom, walking on a floor of compacted filth.
   
   

   International Animal Rescue (IAR) says that the Armenian government must get involved and order the owner to give the bear up.  The charity is putting as much pressure as possible on the government to make this owner surrender the bear.   It will then act to rescue Nelson and care for him. 

   Nelson needs treatment and care to relieve his pain.  Veterinary attention will establish if he could ever see again.  Once he is under anaesthetic, the vets will be able to give him an initial health assessment to see what sort of condition he in.  Then Nelson will head to the rescue centre in the mountains for quarantine and tests - the latter will give a clear idea of his health. 

   Please donate and help International Animal Rescue rescue and care for Nelson.  He deserves the best.

3. Please thank the wildlife rangers here

   Posted on 10:00am Thursday 29th Jul 2021

   Send a thank you note! Do you ever hear about the incredibly brave work wildlife rangers do on the front lines to protect the beautiful wildlife we all love to much? The job of a wildlife ranger is becoming increasingly dangerous – the African Wildlife Foundation says that they must be prepared to act in a number of roles: A solder A law enforcement officer A community liaison A naturalist A medic Even whilst the COVID-19 pandemic has been going on, they have been working to protect the species, landscapes and communities in Africa. Image copyright African Wildlife Foundation They undertake rigorous training and face difficult conditions as they work – and they are vital in investigating wildlife crimes.   Both poachers and the very wildlife rangers are trying to protect can be dangerous and deadly.   The hours are long and rangers may not see their families for a long time.  Communications can be very limited which means access to urgent help can be difficult or even impossible to come by. So the African Wildlife Foundation is giving us all a wonderful opportunity to thank these rangers – we can send them a note in time for World Ranger Day on 31 July! Please take a moment to thank wildlife rangers.   Say Thank You here

    

    

4. The 21st May 2021 is Endangered Species Day.

   Posted on 12:00pm Tuesday 11th May 2021

   The 21^st May 2021 is Endangered Species Day.

   Thousands of people worldwide take part by celebrating, learning about and taking action to protect species who are threatened and endangered.

   Most of the events will be online or consist of digital actions but there will also be nature hikes, garden plantings and litter clean-ups!

   The day is organised by the Endangered Species Coalition.  Their mission is “to stop the human-caused extinction of our nation’s at-risk species, to protect and restore their habitats and to guide these fragile populations along the road to recovery.”

   They work to safeguard and strengthen the Endangered Species Act.   The law means every citizen can act on behalf of threatened and endangered wildlife and the wild places they call home.  

   For a start, there’s a Pollinator Party, a Chalk Art Event and a Youth Art Contest.   And there are other events around the world, too. 

   The Coalition is a network of organisations and hundreds of thousands of individuals, all dedicated to protecting the US’s disappearing wildlife and remaining wild places.

   They help protect the Canadian lynx, Gray Wolves, Grizzly Bears, Mexican Gray Wolves, the beautiful Monarch Butterfly and Wolverine.
   
   

   
   image © Endangered Species Coalition
   
   

   You can help the Endangered Species Coalition:

   1. Take a look at their 10 things you can do to save endangered species
   2. Those involved in education can take a look at the Educator’s toolkit which includes activities for Endangered Species Day – there’s also an Endangered Species Art Youth Art Contest
   3. The Stop Extinction Challenge in August each year, whereby people meet with their Congress members to advocate for threatened and endangered species.
   4. Join the Endangered Species Coalition Activist Network
   5. Find out about the Pollinator Protector programme

   If everyone reading this blog took one (extra) action to help endangered species, imagine how many actions that would be!

   Visit the Endangered Species Coalition

5. Gardening brings health benefits, new study shows

   Posted on 9:00pm Monday 26th Apr 2021

   Want to improve your wellbeing?  How about doing some gardening?

   At the start of National Gardening Week (which starts on 26 May 2021), the RHS is calling on us all to get our dose of Vitamin G!

   New research suggests that it can have the same positive impact as exercise such as cycling or running.

   Those who garden every day have wellbeing scores that are 6.6% higher and stress levels that are 4.2 lower than those who don’t garden.

   And gardening two to three times a week can lead to better wellbeing and lower stress levels too!

   

   The RHS Wellbeing Fellow and lead author is Dr Lauriane Chalmin-Pui, who said "This is the first time the 'dose response' to gardening has been tested and the evidence overwhelmingly suggests that the more frequently you garden - the greater the health benefits.”

   As we garden, we are distracted by the nature around us which moves our focus from ourselves and our stresses.  Gardening restores our minds.  It reduces negative feelings.

   Why garden?

   The research looked at why people get into gardening.

   5,766 gardeners and 249 non-gardeners responded to a survey that was distributed electronically in the UK.

   • 6 in 10 people garden because of the pleasure and enjoyment they get from it.
   • Under 30% said they garden for the health benefits.
   • One in five said wellbeing is why they garden.
   • 15% of gardeners said it makes them feel calm and relaxed.

   Gardening can boost mental health; those with health problems said that gardening eased episodes of depression (13%), boosted energy levels (12) and reduced stress (16%).
   
   

   

   Why do I garden?

   I’ve never met anyone who says “I’m going to improve my health and wellbeing by going out and doing some gardening” in the way you get people who say “I’ve been to the gym” with the specific purpose of getting fit, keeping fit, losing weight etc.  I don't garden because I want to get fit.

   People I know who garden just do it because they love doing it, spending time with nature, seeing immediate results from their endeavours – even if it’s just planting seeds and knowing there will be a few weeks or months before they come up.

   The fitness benefits are an added benefit. 

   Maybe that’s why it’s easier to keep gardening than going to the gym for so many of us?

   And could it be because nature doesn’t answer back; she listens, she is kind and giving (except on those days when the wind blows all your flowers down, or a lack of rain is killing everything off).

   In short, gardening is a very gentle activity, good for the body and mind. It doesn’t feel as strenuous as going to the gym.  It can be done at home without the journey there, unless you’re working on an allotment or community garden. 

   All I know is that it makes me feel happy, relaxed, less stressed – and that I can look forward to sitting in the garden with a cup of tea and piece of cake, or a glass of chilled white wine, listening to the birds tweeting and chirping away, watching the bees and butterflies flutter here and there, drinking in the beautiful colours of my flowers and just being at one with nature.

   
   

   
   Gardening can benefit wildlife too!

   If we make the choice, we can garden to help wildlife which can bring its own extra benefits.  You could end up with your own nature show that you can watch from your arm chair!   Wildlife watching can give you a whole new interest of its own and it's amazing how involved you can get in creating habitat for wildlife and a garden in which they can thrive!
   

   The RHS says the key things to do to help wildlife in your garden are:
   

   1. Encourage garden birds and provide shelter
   2. Let a patch of lawn grow long
   3. Make a wildlife pond - these don't have to be big
   4. Plant a flowering tree or a berry bearing shrub
   5. Sow a pot or border with nectar rich annuals.

    

   Find out more about helping the wildlife in your garden here.
   
   

   Visit the RHS website here.

   The research was conducted by the RHS in collaboration with the University of Sheffield and the University of Virginia.