Photographers Against Wildlife Crime

When passionate people come together to fight against injustice, whilst speaking out for those who cannot speak for themselves, great change can be achieved - that’s what I thought whilst perusing the pages of the latest wildlife photography masterpiece ‘Photographers Against Wildlife Crime’. The book is a collection of photographs from an international group of…

What is the Illegal Wildlife Trade?

The figures for the number of rhinos that were poached in South Africa in 2017 have just been released. With all of the increased awareness, education and understanding of just how few of these iconic animals the world has left, rhino poaching numbers should have decreased - right? Well, in fact they have - by…

David Attenborough & the empire of the ants

If you’ve read my blog before you’ll probably know that I’m a huge lover of all things insect-related, and people often ask me why. Well this month saw David Attenborough explaining a little bit about why the insect world is so utterly fascinating in a new documentary called ‘David Attenborough and the Empire of the…

How is losing insects affecting us?

What’s the news? Do you remember driving 70mph down the motorway and having to activate your windscreen wipers every now and then with an added spray of screenwash...not due to anything other than trying to get those pesky insects off your windscreen? Now think back, can you remember the last time that you had to…

Simple alternatives to plastic that won’t harm the planet

We all know that plastic has become a huge problem. We have seen the horrendous images of huge piles of plastic that have been dumped, the plastic that has been caught around marine life after making its way to our oceans, and generic public bins that have been filled with a mix of recyclable plastic…

International Vulture Awareness Day

When most people think of vultures, they envisage giant, feathered, dirty scavengers, the characters from the Lion King hanging around on the branch without really contributing much, and big scary birds to be afraid of. But vultures are in fact hugely important to a healthy ecosystem, and keep everything in balance in the natural world.…

How to make fat balls in 3 easy steps

Garden birds love fat balls and bird cakes that are commonly available in pet stores, garden centres and even some major supermarkets. However, they are also super easy to make at home using a few simple ingredients. What you will need: bird seeds peanuts raisins grated cheese vegetable suet A container such as a yoghurt…

What you should do if you find a baby bird

This is Troy the tawny owl. I recently had the opportunity to meet Troy and hear his very valuable story about how he came to be a resident at a bird conservation facility called the Hawk Conservancy Trust. Troy was found by a member of the public when he was a young chick. Upon finding…

Taiwan becomes first country in Asia to ban eating cats and dogs

A bill has just been approved by Taiwan's parliament that bans the slaughter of both cats and dogs for human consumption. Despite this being a long time coming, Taiwan is the first country in Asia to ban the eating of the animals. The bill also prohibits anyone pulling their pets alongside them when travelling by…

Introduction to the animal abuse registry

In recent years, worldwide consciousness has increased with regards to topics of animal abuse and protection of the environment. Due to this, animal abuse is being taken a lot more seriously than it ever has been before, which has resulted in countries introducing new laws to adapt to this change. Recently, a number of United…

Is a spider about to eat you?

A recent entomological survey has concluded that a worldwide abundance of spiders means that, theoretically, the eight-legged arachnids could eat all of the humans currently on the planet in the space of just 12 months. This conclusion is however, only to put the amount of food that spiders eat into a comparative perspective, as spiders mostly eat…

Think twice before you throw

A turtle named "Bank" has died following surgery to remove almost 1,000 coins from her stomach, according to vets in Thailand. The coins found inside Bank were a result of tourists repeatedly throwing them into the pond that was the turtle's home. Her death was caused by blood poisoning from the loose change, which was confirmed by doctors…

Poachers target captive rhinos in brutal killing

Following the devastating news of the recent poaching attack on the orphaned rhinos at Thula Thula in South Africa, a similar tragedy has just occurred, only this time in a place that perhaps most would not expect. Reports have just come in claiming that a rhino has been murdered at a zoo in France, with poachers…

Remembering Rhinos: a kick start in the right direction

With rhino population figures at a crucial level, there has been no better time than now to introduce an innovative new incentive to raise money to protect an animal that has roamed the earth for more than 50 million years. Rhinos are critically endangered, with only around 29,000 left across the entire world, which includes all…