Northern white rhinos: could science save the sub-species?

We stumbled upon this article on the BBC about a current initiative to harvest eggs from the two remaining female Northern White Rhinos, fertilize them with sperm from a deceased male, and implant any resultant embryos into a Southern White Rhino surrogate. We wish them the best of luck!

Brian Cox Meets An Aye-Aye

Here's a lovely clip of Professor Brian Cox with an Aye Aye lemur in this clips from the BBC "Wonders of Life" series. Brian gives us a nice close up of his long bony finger.

Lisa vs Tutoko at the kakapo feeder

Here's some very nice new footage of Kakapos Lisa and Tutoko feeding at special supplementary feeding stations. 2018 is still looking like it's going to be a very good breeding year. Fingers crossed!

Last Chance to See - Netflix USA

A reminder that the wonderful Last Chance To See TV series sequel to the original radio series is currently available on Netflix in the USA. For now it's just the original 6 episode series from 2009, and not the follow up "Return of the Rhino" episode.  It's a great series, presented by Stephen Fry and Mark Carwardine, and well worth checking out if you've never seen it before.

Virunga

Coming to Netflix on 11/11.

From the forested depths of the African Congo, among the last of the mountain gorillas comes Virunga, an incredible true story of idealistic conservationists, armed militia, and the struggle to control Congo's rich natural resources. A new Netflix Original Documentary, Virunga details the brave people risking their lives to build a better future in a part of Africa long since forgotten. In the Virunga National Park, life flourishes with lush plant and wildlife -- and it's a battleground for rogue soldiers, opportunistic poachers, and a small band of embattled park rangers, the last line of defense to protect the heart and soul of the Eastern Congo.

Stephen Fry jokes about New Zealand bird names

Meet The Lonely Dodo

Here's a new animation short produced by Aardman Animation for the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust and their www.thelonelydodo.com site, with voices by Stephen Fry and Alister McGowan.

Video: Mark Carwardine Searches New Zealand for their Small Five

VIDEO: Five endangered Amazonian Manatees released in Peru

Here's some happy Amazonian Manatee news from May. Sorry for the delay. Living in Peru documents the release of five endangered Amazonian Manatees back into the wild. There's also a picture slideshow.

On April 22, 2011 after more than three years of rehabilitation, Juliana, Victoria and three other manatees were released into their natural habitat deep in the Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve. This was the first release of the endangered species in Perú.

With the financial support of the Dallas World Aquarium the center was able to keep the young manatees alive with a lactose-free milk formulated for orphaned mammals. Previous attempts to rescue manatees with cow milk and other substitutes failed.

Kakapos Flying Far and Wide

Here's a nice tongue-in-cheek article from the Sunday Star Times about the Kakapo superstar Sirocco.

Sirocco the kakapo shot to fame in 2009 when he was filmed by comedian Stephen Fry engaging in mating behaviour on the head of BBC presenter and environmentalist Mark Cawardine.

The clip that went viral on You Tube is just one of the many ways Sirocco is helping New Zealand conservation.

He has Twitter address ((@Spokesbird), a Facebook page (Sirocco Kakapo), a website, and an official role as spokesbird for conservation. He is the new face of the Department of Conservation which until now, it admits, appealed predominantly to the grey-haired among us, said spokesman Rory Newsam.

And in other terrific news from Stuff, seven young kakapo chicks have been returned to Codfish Island after being hand-reared on the New Zealand mainland. The hatchings this year bring the total number of Kakapo up to 131.

Kakapo Recovery Programme leader Deidre Vercoe Scott said the seven chicks had all reached a healthy weight, between 1.3kg and 1.8kg.

"They've all done fantastic. Some initially had minor illnesses which is very normal, but they got over those very quickly."

Towel Day 2011 - Video

In celebration of Towel Day 2011, here's the Top 10 Celebrations to Get Wrapped Up In, and a strangely appropriate video...

The Encyclopaedia Galactica defines a robot as a mechanical apparatus designed to do the work of a man. The marketing division of the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation defines a robot as "Your Plastic Pal Who's Fun To Be With."

Kakapo's future may lie with ailing chick

Stuff.co.nz has an interesting article (and video) about 2011 kakapo chick "Solstice One" who has been suffering with poor health.

the chick might be suffering from "fatty liver", which can happen when rangers supplement the adult kakapo population's food sources. "It can be deadly – there was a chick a few years ago that died from it."

Kakapo have a 100 per cent herbivorous diet and rely on rimu fruit for much of their nutrition. In years when rimu trees fail to bear enough fruit, rangers give the birds pellets, but these can be too rich in protein and energy for the baby birds to tolerate.

Save The Rhino! An Introduction with Mark Carwardine & Martina Navratilova

A short film describing the work of UK charity, Save the Rhino International.

Save The Rhino! An Introduction with Mark Carwardine & Martina Navratilova from Gordon Main on Vimeo.

Competition: Become the Voice of Conservation at Shamwari in South Africa

The Community Coordinator at Worldwide Experience.com sent me this information on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to become the "Voice of Conservation" at Shamwari in South Africa this summer.

What do you get?
We’re offering a lucky winner the chance to spend a 1 to 3 month (depending on your availability) all expenses paid stint living and working with animals at the Shamwari Game Reserve, this summer.

What do we want in return?
For you to become the voice of the animals. As the Voice of Conservation at Shamwari, you will spread the word about the conservation issues facing the animals you work with, from rhino poaching to big cat rehabilitation, as well as sharing all your amazing adventures. The possibilities are endless – it’s up to you to amaze us!

Our first Voice of Conservation, Karra Rothery, spread the word on our blog and her own blog, on Facebook communities and numerous forums, by writing thought-provoking posts, interviewing people like famous author and conservationist Lawrence Anthony, creating fun videos and taking loads of photos.

The Unnatural History of the Kakapo - Now Available in North America (NTSC format)

Scott Mouat's terrific documentary The Unnatural History of the Kakapo is now available to buy in NTSC format DVD at The World Parrot Trust eStore.

As previously reported, the Region 0 PAL versions are available online at ELWIN Productions DVD store.

The production's website has photos and information on the slew of awards that the film has either won or been nominated for.

Here is the trailer for the film, followed by another re-post of my short review. I was fortunate enough to see an advance copy back in January, and it truly is a splendid piece of work, and thoroughly deserving of all the plaudits it has received.

Four years in the making, the film covers the history of the Kakapo from before humans arrived in New Zealand through to the present day. It then details the conservation efforts that have brought the bird back from near extinction to the 122 birds we have today.

The conservation story begins with Richard Treacy Henry's ultimately doomed attempt to transplant Kakapo to Resolution Island in the late 1800's to keep them safe from stoats and weasels. The story then continues with Don Merton's rescue program of the early 1970's which led to the Kakapo being installed on Codfish Island. Don features in the film as he and a small team return to Fiordland to see if there is any chance any lone Kakapos are still out there.

Finally, the story moves to the present day, with Dr. Ron Moorhouse and the rest of the Kakapo Recovery Programme team, learning how to gently extract sperm from males and artificially inseminate the females in order to coax the genetic diversity of the population in the right direction - a project we now know to have been a success - see Kakapo Artificial Insemination a 2009 Success .

Sometimes heartwarming, sometimes deeply tragic, Scott's film is a wonderful record of the dedication shown by a team of passionate conservationists, who are all doing their bit to save the world's favourite fat, green, flightless parrot.

You can learn more at the production's website, and become a fan of the project at their Facebook Page : The Unnatural History of the Kakapo.

Video: Stephen Fry LIVE at Sydney Opera House

Here's a nice diversion for the weekend. Watch the full recording of Stephen Fry's recent performance at the Sydney Opera House. Enjoy. NOTE: Douglas Adams does get a mention right at the end of the performance/interview.

MSNBC Video: Northern White Rhino Relocation

Just seen this 5 minute video on the MSNBC.com homepage about the recent relocation of the Northern White Rhinos to Kenya from the Czech Republic.

There's some great additional footage here.

Awards for Kakapo Film

Many congratulations to Scott Mouat for winning numerous awards at the Documentary Edge Festival 2010. Scott's film "The Unnatural History of the Kakapo", will be available for purchase on DVD later this year. Scott kindly sent me an advance copy earlier in the year, and I can promise you it will be worth the wait.

Scoop reports that the film won four awards: "Best NZ Feature Documentary", "Best NZ Sound", "Best NZ Cinematography" and "Best NZ Director".

Here is the trailer for the film, and my review can be found here.

Keep up with developments at the film's Facebook group.

Stephen Fry on the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson

On February 23rd, Stephen Fry appeared with Craig Ferguson on a special edition of the Late Late Show, one-on-one, with no studio audience. Towards the end of the interview he discusses his participation in the recent trans-location of the Northern White Rhinos from a Czech Zoo back to Africa. It was a very enjoyable show I thought.

The Unnatural History of the Kakapo

I have just spent a very enjoyable afternoon engrossed in Scott Mouat's new documentary film "The Unnatural History of the Kakapo", which will be available for purchase through the Elwin Productions website in February 2010. Thanks again to Scott for sending me an advance copy. I really appreciate it, and it was a real privilege for me to see the film so early.

Here is the trailer for the film, followed by a short review from me...

Four years in the making, the film covers the history of the Kakapo from before humans arrived in New Zealand through to the present day. It then details the conservation efforts that have brought the bird back from near extinction to the 124 birds we have today.

The conservation story begins with Richard Treacy Henry's ultimately doomed attempt to transplant Kakapo to Resolution Island in the late 1800's to keep them safe from stoats and weasels. The story then continues with Don Merton's rescue program of the early 1970's which led to the Kakapo being installed on Codfish Island. Don features in the film as he and a small team return to Fiordland to see if there is any chance any lone Kakapos are still out there.

Finally, the story moves to the present day, with Dr. Ron Moorhouse and the rest of the Kakapo Recovery Programme team, learning how to gently extract sperm from males and artificially inseminate the females in order to coax the genetic diversity of the population in the right direction - a project we now know to have been a success - see Kakapo Artificial Insemination a 2009 Success .

Sometimes heartwarming, sometimes deeply tragic, Scott's film is a wonderful record of the dedication shown by a team of passionate conservationists, who are all doing their bit to save the world's favourite fat, green, flightless parrot.

I heartily recommend you buy a copy as soon as it becomes available, with 25% of all profits going to the Kakapo Recovery Programme.

You can learn more, and become a fan of the project at their Facebook Page : The Unnatural History of the Kakapo.