tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78042462024-03-23T14:51:45.527-04:00Another Chance To SeeNews updates on the endangered animals visited by Douglas Adams and Mark Carwardine for their book and radio series "Last Chance To See". With updates on the TV series featuring Stephen Fry.Garethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01016456671468216397noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7804246.post-19331687597137503982013-04-24T12:24:00.000-04:002013-04-24T12:25:56.117-04:00Meet The Lonely DodoHere's a new animation short produced by Aardman Animation for the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust and their <a href="http://www.thelonelydodo.com">www.thelonelydodo.com</a> site, with voices by Stephen Fry and Alister McGowan.<br />
<object width="560" height="315"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/tvD4fRHstuU?version=3&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/tvD4fRHstuU?version=3&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="560" height="315" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object><div class="blogger-post-footer">---
Originally published at http://anotherchancetosee.blogspot.com</div>Garethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01016456671468216397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7804246.post-26606271775595434982009-03-28T11:22:00.003-04:002009-03-28T11:28:50.699-04:00How the Pink Pigeon Escaped the Dodo's FateIsobel Shepherd-Smith has a nice <a href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/newspapers/supplements/mauritius/article5946779.ece">article on The Times website</a> about the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation and how it has been working to bring back native creatures from the brink of extinction. The article ticks many of the <span style="font-style:italic;">Last Chance To See</span> boxes with mentions of Carl Jones, Dodos, Mauritius Kestrels, Pink Pigeons, Echo Parakeets, Gerald Durrell, Round Island, and Rodrigues.<blockquote>In the Seventies the kestrel, the only raptor on the island, was one of the rarest birds in the world – only four lived in the wild. Today there are more than 800.<br /><br />In 1980 the number of pink pigeons barely made double figures; 27 years later there were 380. In the 1980s the emerald green echo parakeet numbered little more than a dozen; now there are well over 300. <br />[...]<br />“At the start of this conservation work in the 1970s the future of the endemic species in Mauritius and Rodrigues seemed bleak and many thought that few could be saved from extinction. Thirty years later the long-term conservation of all the Mascarene [Mauritius, Réunion and Rodrigues] endemics is within our grasp.” </blockquote><div class="blogger-post-footer">---
Originally published at http://anotherchancetosee.blogspot.com</div>Garethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01016456671468216397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7804246.post-45644955428934161632009-02-11T06:38:00.000-05:002009-02-11T06:38:00.719-05:00Extinct Ibex ClonedThe Pyrenean Ibex, a Spanish mountain goat, was confirmed as extinct in 2000. Scientists had the foresight to store its DNA in skin samples, preserved in liquid nitrogen, and now there's <a href="http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1631894/cloning_could_reproduce_endangered_and_extinct_animals/">been the news</a> that scientists were able to clone a baby Ibex by replacing the DNA in a domestic goat egg. Unfortunately the baby died because of lung complications.<br /><br />This raises the possibility (if ever so slightly), of being able to resurrect other extinct animals. <blockquote>However, attempts to revive species like the woolly mammoths and the Dodo are burdened with problems. DNA decays as time passes and creates gaps in the genetic codes needed to produce clones.<br /><br />Last year, scientists released an almost-complete genome of the woolly mammoth, creating gossip that it will be possible to synthesize the DNA.<br /><br />Professor Robert Miller, director the Medical Research Council's Reproductive Sciences Unit at Edinburgh University, is collaborating with the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland on cloning extraordinary African mammals like the white rhino.</blockquote><div class="blogger-post-footer">---
Originally published at http://anotherchancetosee.blogspot.com</div>Garethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01016456671468216397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7804246.post-7618709385121590272009-01-28T08:09:00.005-05:002009-01-28T09:55:47.781-05:00The Song of the Dodo<iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=anotherchan04-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0684827123&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=FFFFFF&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr&nou=1" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0" align="right"></iframe>David Quammen's book "The Song of the Dodo: Island Biogeography in an Age of Extinction", is <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=NXm8QdF5jEYC&pg=PA270&vq=carl+jones&dq=carl+jones+mauritius&source=gbs_search_s&cad=0">previewed over at Google Books</a>, and features the pages that introduce Mauritius Kestrel conservationist Carl Jones into the story. Carl Jones featured in both the <span style="font-style:italic;">Last Chance To See</span> book and also in the <a href="http://www.anotherchancetosee.com/2008/12/last-chance-to-see-radio-series-updated.html">Rodrigues Fruitbat Radio Episode</a> which is now available for streaming from the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/lastchancetosee/sites/radio/fruit_bat.shtml">BBC Last Chance To See website</a>.<blockquote>Carl Jones is a tall, sarcastic Welshman with a sheepdog haircut, a weakness for bad jokes, and a manic devotion to native Mauritian wildlife, especially the birds. His reputation carries far beyond south-western Mauritius, but I've only just met him, and I hardly know what to expect. I know that he has lived on the island a dozen years. I know that he runs a bird-rescue project in the vicinity of Riviere Noire, near the mouth of a system of steep valleys and igneous cliffs called (at least by the English speakers in this polyglot culture) the Black River Gorges. I know that the Black River Gorges contain small, precious remnants of forest, enclaves of wild landscape amid the sugar cane and the urban sprawl and the beach-tourism development that carpet modern Mauritius. I know that one focus of Jones's efforts has been the severely endangered falcon, the Mauritius kestrel, which stood just a sneeze from extinction then Jones first arrived. And I know that Jones, though trained as a scientist, retains the admirable passion and zeal of an adolescent pigeon fancier. </blockquote> The full version of the book is available at both <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0684827123?ie=UTF8&tag=anotherchan04-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0684827123">Amazon.com</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=anotherchan04-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0684827123" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /> and <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0684827123?ie=UTF8&tag=anotherchance-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=0684827123">Amazon.co.uk</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.co.uk/e/ir?t=anotherchance-21&l=as2&o=2&a=0684827123" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />.<div class="blogger-post-footer">---
Originally published at http://anotherchancetosee.blogspot.com</div>Garethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01016456671468216397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7804246.post-75648339148134861162008-03-02T12:04:00.003-05:002008-03-02T12:10:11.445-05:00Mauritius Island LifeHere's an excellent essay about the wildlife of Mauritius, written by by Mark Daffey and published on "<a href="http://www.thesmartset.com/article/article01250801.aspx">The Smart Set - Grand Tour</a>" page back in January. The essay covers Dodos, Pink Pigeons, Mauritius Kestrels, Echo Parakeets and more.<blockquote>From a total of just nine of the endemic Pink Pigeons remaining in the wild in 1990, a successful captive breeding program has increased their numbers on Île aux Aigrettes to 94, out of an estimated 380 throughout Mauritius. Most of them can be found in the protected Black River Gorges — Mauritius’ only national park.<br />[...]<br />While such feral animals are slowly being eradicated, the more than 30 staff who work on the island on any one day concentrate most of their efforts towards preserving native species, such as the Mauritius Fody, Echo Parakeet, Telfair’s Skink, and the Mauritius Kestrel, whose numbers had dropped to just four worldwide in 1974 (there are now more than 1,000).</blockquote><div class="blogger-post-footer">---
Originally published at http://anotherchancetosee.blogspot.com</div>Garethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01016456671468216397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7804246.post-34630555323256906382007-08-21T13:38:00.001-04:002007-08-21T13:41:18.515-04:00Could Fred's bones yield dodo DNA?<a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Freds_bones_could_yield_dodo_DNA/articleshow/2291717.cms">The Times of India</a> has more news on Fred The Dodo's potential for yielding DNA from his bones. <blockquote> Late last year, biologists looking for cave cockroaches accidentally discovered a dodo skeleton in the highlands of Mauritius.<br /><br />Nicknamed 'Fred' after one of its discoverers, the skeleton's bones were badly decomposed and fragile, but there is still a good chance of extracting some dodo DNA because of the stable temperature and dry to slightly humid environment (keys to DNA preservation) of the cave. (Scientists think Fred ended up in the bottom of the cave because he sought shelter from a violent cyclone but fell down in a deep hole and could not climb out.) </blockquote><div class="blogger-post-footer">---
Originally published at http://anotherchancetosee.blogspot.com</div>Garethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01016456671468216397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7804246.post-40680518422622563142007-07-13T12:22:00.000-04:002007-07-13T12:31:22.412-04:00Dodos and Mammoths: The DNA HuntIt's been quite a month for the potential discovery of ancient DNA. <br /><br />First up is the recent discovery of a well preserved Dodo skeleton on the island of Mauritius. <a href="http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/07/070703-dodo.html">National Geographic News</a> has the story...<blockquote>Researchers say the find would likely yield the first useful samples of the extinct, flightless bird's DNA. Very little has been known about the dodo—from what exactly it looked like to what it ate—since it became extinct in the 1600s.<br /><br />The new skeleton is thought to be complete and was likely preserved by its cave setting. The cavers found the remains off the coast of Africa on Mauritius, the only island were dodos were known to have lived.</blockquote>Far to the North, a baby mammoth has been unearthed in Siberia and is due to be shipped to Japan for analysis. It is said to be the best preserved specimen of its type, and some scientists are desperate to try and recover some intact DNA to attempt a cloning process. <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6284214.stm">BBC News</a> has the story (including a video report)...<blockquote>The six-month-old female calf was discovered on the Yamal peninsula of Russia and is thought to have died 10,000 years ago.<br /><br />The animal's trunk and eyes are still intact and some of its fur remains on the body.<br />[...]<br />Larry Agenbroad, director of the Mammoth Site of Hot Springs research centre in South Dakota, US, said: "To find a juvenile mammoth in any condition is extremely rare." Dr Agenbroad added that he knew of only three other examples.<br /><br />Some scientists hold out hope that well preserved sperm or other cells containing viable DNA could be used to resurrect the mammoth lineage.<br /><br />Despite the inherent difficulties, Dr Agenbroad remains optimistic about the potential for cloning.<br /><br />"When we got the Jarkov mammoth [found frozen in Taimyr, Siberia, in 1997], the geneticists told me: 'if you can get us good DNA, we'll have a baby mammoth for you in 22 months'," he told BBC News. </blockquote><div class="blogger-post-footer">---
Originally published at http://anotherchancetosee.blogspot.com</div>Garethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01016456671468216397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7804246.post-63058567656575482522007-07-12T16:51:00.000-04:002007-07-12T20:05:56.748-04:00Iain Gardner AnimationsI thought I'd share these interesting animations by <a href="http://www.iaingardner.co.uk/">Iain Gardner</a> from the UK. <br /><br />Firstly, check out his film "<a href="http://www.iaingardner.co.uk/">Flight of the Dodo</a>" which features Carl Jones talking about his work in Mauritius with the Pink Pigeon and Echo Parakeet.<br /><br />And now, check out these "<a href="http://www.iaingardner.co.uk/sketchbook_ayeaye.html">Sketchbook</a>" animations of endangered animals such as Aye-Aye, Gorilla, Polar Bears and Rhinos. Iain says "These studies are as much about memory as they are observation. Memories are all we will have left of these species unless more is done to protect these wonderful creatures in the wild." <br /><div align="center"><br />Aye-Aye Lemur<br /><object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/PyDmQ3F8tUI"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/PyDmQ3F8tUI" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object><br />Gorilla<br /><object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/XT7P2B8xzNk"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/XT7P2B8xzNk" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">---
Originally published at http://anotherchancetosee.blogspot.com</div>Garethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01016456671468216397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7804246.post-21019072458557527562007-04-22T15:05:00.000-04:002007-04-22T15:20:13.915-04:00Doctor Who: The Last Dodo<iframe src="http://rcm-uk.amazon.co.uk/e/cm?t=anotherchance-21&o=2&p=8&l=as1&asins=1846071771&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&lc1=0000FF&bc1=FFFFFF&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr&nou=1" style="width:120px;height:240px;padding-left:5px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0" align="right"></iframe>The current issue of <a href="http://www.paninicomics.co.uk/CollanaNews.jsp?Action=Carica&Id=12">Doctor Who Magazine</a> (#381) features an interview with novelist Jacqueline Rayner about her Tenth Doctor novel "The Last Dodo". She said that the idea of an "I-Spy book of extinct animals" tickled her, something that would be, on the face of it, impossible... Unless you were a Time Lord.<br /><br />Doctor Who Magazine asked the question:<blockquote><b>DWM: Was your interest perhaps piqued by [former Doctor Who Script Editor] Douglas Adams' <span style="font-style:italic;">Last Chance To See</span>? You've referred to a few of the same very endangered species as he did - the aye-aye, the kakapo and so on...</b><br />No, I've been interested as long as I can remember - I was a passionate member of the then-World Wildlife Fund. But both the radio series and book of <span style="font-style:italic;">Last Chance To See</span> are heartrending pieces of work, which I deliberately didn't reread while doing my research - I didn't want to risk subconsciously plagiarising anything. But anyone who's not experienced <span style="font-style:italic;">Last Chance To See</span>, please go out and get it now!</blockquote><div class="blogger-post-footer">---
Originally published at http://anotherchancetosee.blogspot.com</div>Garethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01016456671468216397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7804246.post-1156786706316909912006-08-28T13:31:00.000-04:002007-07-12T17:03:22.957-04:00AUDIO - Carl Jones, Pink Pigeons and Lemurs - Radio 4 programme alert!Tonight on BBC Radio 4, 9pm BST (4PM ET), "A Life With Lemurs" is introduced by Gabrielle Walker.<blockquote>In the 1970s, Patricia Wright left her a life as Brooklyn housewife to begin a journey that led to her becoming one of the world's leading lemur experts.<br /><br />Gabrielle Walker travels to Madagascar to meet Pat and the lemurs, finding out what it's like to discover an entire new species, and encountering Mother Blue - one of the oldest animals in the forest.</blockquote>The programme is available to <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/alifewith/pip/12rmf/">Listen Again here</a>.<br /><br />Back on 25th July, the programme was devoted to conservationist <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/alifewith/pip/5hhal/">Carl Jones's work with the Pink Pigeons!</a>. Click to <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/pips/ram/tue1102_20060725.ram">Listen Again</a> to "A Life With Pink Pigeons".<blockquote>Conservationist Carl Jones left Wales 26 years ago for Mauritius - once home to the infamous Dodo - to try to stop the unique Mauritian pink pigeon sharing the Dodo's fate. Among the island's ebony forests and giant tortoises, he tells Grant Sonnex what his life's work has taught him, and why he is optimistic for the future of conservation worldwide.</blockquote><div class="blogger-post-footer">---
Originally published at http://anotherchancetosee.blogspot.com</div>Garethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01016456671468216397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7804246.post-1155744213656462632006-08-16T12:03:00.000-04:002006-08-26T16:52:49.380-04:00DODOS - Dirk Gently Stage Show<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.dirkusa.com/"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6949/167/400/dirk.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><a href="http://www.roadtheatre.org/shows/dirk/index.htm">The Road Theatre Company</a>'s production of "<a href="http://www.dirkusa.com/">Dirk</a>" will run September 29th to December 2nd 2006. There will be previews on September 26, 27 & 28th. (<a href="http://www.roadtheatre.org/shows/dirk/press_release.doc">PRESS RELEASE</a> - The Road Theatre Company, 5108 Lankershim Boulevard, North Hollywood, CA 91601)<blockquote>The stage has had a long tradition of great detectives.<br /><br />Dirk Gently does not belong to it.<br /><br />A 200-year old Greek pot. An ordinary modern salt cellar lodged inside. This is impossible (or at least inexplicable)! From the mind of Douglas Adams, who brought you The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, comes DIRK; a ghost / horror / detective / time-travel / romantic comedy / epic that begins with a seemingly innocent conjuring trick and ends with the most devastating secret of humankind! <br /><br />All this and a musical number! </blockquote>The production is based on my favourite Douglas Adams novel - "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?link_code=as2&path=ASIN/0671746723&tag=anotherchan04-20&camp=1789&creative=9325">Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=anotherchan04-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0671746723" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />" and I do hope the marvellous Dodo scene will be included. I'd love to see pictures of the Dodo make-up or costume!<br /><br />Here's the beginning of the scene in question...<blockquote>A large cross bird was looking at Richard and Richard was looking at a large cross bird. Richard was looking at the bird as if it was the most extraordinary thing he had ever seen in his life, and the bird was looking at Richard as if defying him to find its beak even remotely funny.<br /><br /> Once it had satisfied itself that Richard did not intend to laugh, the bird regarded him instead with a sort of grim irritable tolerance and wondered if he was just going to stand there or actually do something useful and feed it. It padded a couple of steps back and a couple of steps to the side and then just a single step forward again, on great waddling yellow feet. It then looked at him again, impatiently, and squarked an impatient squark.<br /><br /> The bird then bent forward and scraped its great absurd red beak across the ground as if to give Richard the idea that this might be a good area to look for things to give it to eat. <br /><br /> "It eats the nuts of the calvaria tree," called out Reg to Richard.</blockquote>Apparently, there was a suggestion that the Calvaria tree required its seeds to be digested by Dodos before they would germinate. However, it appears that this is not the case (<a href="http://home.conceptsfa.nl/~pmaas/rea/dodobird.htm">Dodo page</a>) and there are Calveria trees on Mauritius that sprouted AFTER the dodo's extinction. It would seem that the trees are not particularly rare.<div class="blogger-post-footer">---
Originally published at http://anotherchancetosee.blogspot.com</div>Garethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01016456671468216397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7804246.post-1153845359848612422006-07-27T12:29:00.000-04:002006-09-15T10:15:05.963-04:00DODOS - "Flock Of Dodos" movie coming to DVD and theatresThe <a href="http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/entertainment/15085746.htm">Kansas City Star</a> has word that the movie "<a href="http://www.flockofdodos.com/">Flock Of Dodos</a>", a hit at this year's Tribeca Film Festival in New York City, is coming to movie theatres later this year. A DVD release is expected in early 2007. <blockquote>"Flock Of Dodos" is a tongue-in-cheek documentary about the evolution-vs.-<a href="http://technorati.com/tag/intelligent+design" rel="tag" class="technorati" target="technorati" title="Technorati Tag">intelligent-design</a> fight in Kansas schools.<br />[...]<br />It will also be the closing-night movie (on Sept. 21) for this year’s Kansas International Film Festival at the Glenwood Arts Theatre.</blockquote><div class="blogger-post-footer">---
Originally published at http://anotherchancetosee.blogspot.com</div>Garethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01016456671468216397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7804246.post-1151976162222333242006-07-04T09:18:00.000-04:002006-07-07T09:16:52.656-04:00DODOS - Was extinction actually a natural event?Interesting follow up to the <a href="http://anotherchancetosee.blogspot.com/2006/06/dodos-mauritius-find-is-significant.html">recent "significant" discovery</a> of a good set of Dodo bones. The scientists that unearthed the mass grave on Mauritius say they have found evidence that could show that the Dodos could have been wiped out by a natural disaster, long before humans arrived on the island.<blockquote>Most theories about how the dodo became extinct blame early settlers who found the plump flightless bird on the Indian Ocean island in the 16th century and hunted it relentlessly.<br /><br />"There are indications that the fossil-rich layer represents the result of natural disaster wiping out a significant part of the Dodo-ecotope," a statement by the researchers said.<br /><br />While the latest find does not disprove the human theory, the scientists are convinced there was a mass dodo death, possibly caused by a cyclone or flood, pre-dating the arrival of humans, Christian Foo Kune, owner of the site, told Reuters.</blockquote>Full story at <a href="http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,19677820-1702,00.html">The Australian</a>.<div class="blogger-post-footer">---
Originally published at http://anotherchancetosee.blogspot.com</div>Garethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01016456671468216397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7804246.post-1151251232348958332006-06-26T12:19:00.000-04:002006-07-07T09:17:23.896-04:00DODOS - Mauritius find is "significant"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6949/167/1600/dodo_skelet.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6949/167/200/dodo_skelet.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>The BBC is reporting on a marvellous Dodo discovery made recently on the island of Mauritius... <blockquote>Scientists say they have discovered part of the skeleton of a dodo, the large, flightless bird which became extinct more than 300 years ago.<br /><br />One of the team in Mauritius said it was the first discovery of fully preserved bones which could give clues as to how the bird lived its life.<br /><br />Last year, the team unearthed dodo bones in the same area, but said the current find was more "significant".<br />[...]<br />No complete skeleton has ever been found in Mauritius, and the last full set of bones was destroyed in a fire at a museum in Oxford, England, in 1755. </blockquote><a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/5113372.stm">Full story with pictures</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">---
Originally published at http://anotherchancetosee.blogspot.com</div>Garethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01016456671468216397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7804246.post-1141433781759732452006-03-03T19:51:00.000-05:002007-07-12T17:03:22.958-04:00MAURITIUS - Dodos, Pink Pigeons, Echo Parakeets and Mauritius KestrelsHere's the Financial Times with a report on the the bird life of <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/mauritius" rel="tag" class="technorati" target="technorati" title="Technorati Tag">Mauritius</a>. "At worship in a forest cathedral" mentions Carl Jones and his remarkable efforts, and talks about all of the birds Douglas Adams mentions in <i>Last Chance To See</i>.<blockquote>It was the home of the dodo until the Portuguese settled on the uninhabited island in the mid 17th century and drove the species to extinction but more recent birdlife that has been nearing oblivion has been a bit luckier.<br /><br />The pink pigeon, a distant cousin of the dodo, the echo parakeet and the Mauritius kestrel have all had a reprieve, due largely to the work of the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation and the tireless efforts of conservationist Carl Jones, a scientific director of the foundation, who was greatly influenced by the work of naturalist Gerald Durrell.</blockquote><div class="blogger-post-footer">---
Originally published at http://anotherchancetosee.blogspot.com</div>Garethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01016456671468216397noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7804246.post-1140187500053878382006-02-19T09:45:00.000-05:002006-02-19T09:34:47.306-05:00DODOS - 'Flock of Dodos' movie looks at evolution circusCNET News with an article on the movie "<a href="http://www.flockofdodos.com/">Flock of Dodos</a>" which <a href="http://news.com.com/Dodos+film+pecks+holes+in+evolution+debate/2100-11395_3-6040741.html">pecks holes</a> in the evolution debate. <blockquote>There's nothing like evolution to get an audience riled up, scientist and filmmaker Randy Olson has discovered.<br /><br />His film, "<a href="http://www.flockofdodos.com/">Flock of Dodos: The Evolution-Intelligent Design Circus</a>", is the latest on the debate over intelligent design and evolution. Interviewing Harvard scientists, intelligent design advocates and even his 82-year-old mother (a voice of reason who thinks evolution should be taught in science classes and intelligent design taught in philosophy classes), Olson lets both sides speak, and pokes holes in the arguments of both. </blockquote><div class="blogger-post-footer">---
Originally published at http://anotherchancetosee.blogspot.com</div>Garethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01016456671468216397noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7804246.post-1135378195246188962005-12-23T17:49:00.000-05:002005-12-27T19:35:25.513-05:00DODOS - Scientists find 'mass dodo grave'<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6949/167/1600/dodo_skelet.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6949/167/200/dodo_skelet.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Exciting news from the <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4556928.stm">BBC</a>.<blockquote>Scientists have discovered the "beautifully preserved" bones of about 20 dodos at a dig site in Mauritius.<br /><br />Little is known about the dodo, a famous flightless bird thought to have become extinct in the 17th century.<br /><br />No complete skeleton has ever been found in Mauritius, and the last full set of bones was destroyed in a fire at a museum in Oxford, England, in 1755.<br /><br />Researchers believe the bones are at least 2,000-years-old, and hope to learn more about how dodos lived.</blockquote><a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4556928.stm">Click here</a> for the full article.<br /><br />Some other BBC articles on the dodo are:<br /><a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3281323.stm">Scientists pinpoint dodo's demise</a><br /><a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/2255991.stm">Bringing the dodo back to life</a> <br /><a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/1847431.stm">DNA yields dodo family secrets</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">---
Originally published at http://anotherchancetosee.blogspot.com</div>Garethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01016456671468216397noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7804246.post-1114742003232687942005-04-28T22:42:00.000-04:002006-07-06T12:39:16.356-04:00NEWS - Extinct bird found aliveRemember my <a href="http://anotherchancetosee.blogspot.com/2005/04/dodos-living-colony-discovered.html">April 1st Dodo post</a>? Well, truth is often stranger than fiction, because here's an equally astonishing story, and this one isn't made up for a lark! <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4493825.stm">BBC News</a> is reporting on the re-discovery of the ivory-billed woodpecker in North America. The bird was declared extinct in 1920.<blockquote>The news has stunned ornithologists worldwide, with some comparing the discovery to finding the dodo.<br /><br />Researchers began an intense year-long search after a tip-off before finally capturing the bird on video.<br /><br />The find has ignited hope that other "extinct" birds may be clinging on to survival in isolated places.<br /><br />"This find is so significant that it is really difficult to describe," Alistair Gammell, of the UK's Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), told BBC News. "We sadly won't rediscover the dodo, but it is almost on that level." </blockquote>The <a href="http://www.stopextinction.org/">Endangered Species Coalition</a> is also very excited by this news.<div class="blogger-post-footer">---
Originally published at http://anotherchancetosee.blogspot.com</div>Garethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01016456671468216397noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7804246.post-1109960116132577742005-04-01T00:42:00.000-05:002006-07-06T12:45:18.596-04:00DODOS - Living colony discovered breeding on MauritiusA colony of Dodos has been discovered alive, and breeding, in a remote part of the Mauritian Ivory Forest, off the coast of Madagascar. A full report on this amazing discovery will be published in next month's Natural Eco magazine.<br /><br />Douglas Adams used the Dodo as a prime example of a human-caused extinction in both his "Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency" and "Last Chance To See" books of course.<blockquote>Team leader Gwen Arnesen said that rumors of such a colony surfaced last year when a team of local loggers found a number of broken egg shells in the area. Such shells are not unheard of, but it was their excellent condition which prompted further research.<br /><br />"It really is the find of the century", Ms Arnesen said. "The remote location and hard terrain has facilitated the preservation of this 'Lost World' of Dodos. We believe the colony is some forty to fifty birds strong, with at least fifteen breeding females. We will now be working closely with the Mauritian authorities to ensure their protection."</blockquote>And for further reading on the Dodo, obviously written <span style="font-style:italic;">before</span> this stunning development, visit David Reilly's <a href="http://www.davidreilly.com/dodo/">The Tragedy of the Dodo (1598-1681)</a>.<div class="blogger-post-footer">---
Originally published at http://anotherchancetosee.blogspot.com</div>Garethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01016456671468216397noreply@blogger.com5