Komodo Dragons: Walking with Dragons

Regular Another Chance To See reader November Tan contacted me to tell me about a two-part Komodo Dragon Field Journal written by Charith Pelpola. Charith is a TV/Documentary writer-director whose work has appeared on Discovery's Animal Planet. These are a great couple of posts from Charith on their "Lost In The Jungle" blog, and loads of great Komodo Dragon pictures too! Good stuff.

From Part 1 - Walking With Dragons

Now I began to realize how film crews before ours had managed to capture such awesome closeups of the dragons. It could well have been just a case of, "Ok, let's just park the boat over here, set up camera on the beach over there, throw some chunks of meat around the place, have a cup of tea and a few sandwiches while the dragons plod over, shoot a few rolls, pack up and head back home."

Kind of demystifies the whole illusion of dangerous wildlife film-making doesn't it?

From Part 2 - Walking With Dragons

Its not long before the sounds of frantic scurrying and scrabbling among the rocks and boulders reveal the presence of juvenile dragons, rushing for cover. Dragons have famously earned themselves a reputation as a cannibalistic species - and rightly so, although most victims end up being the youngsters who accidently get in the way of an adult during its feeding frenzy.

Juvenile dragons have come up with a novel 'cannibal anti-deterrent'. They smear themselves in the faecal matter of fallen prey. Even catholic eaters like Komodo Dragons, with their wide-ranging menu, still draw the line when it comes to faecal matter...

Komodo Dragon Swallows Pig

Here's a couple more frightening videos of Komodo Dragons in all their voracious glory.

Komodo Dragon Swallows Pig

Komodo Dragon Swallows Goat

Komodo Dragon Swallows Goat (Part II)

For more Komodo Dragon video clips, check out last week's post - Live Deer For Lunch?

Gorillas: Love-hungry apes move to island

The BBC has an interesting story about lowland gorillas that have been straying into local villages looking for a mate.

Five male gorillas in the Republic of Congo that have been straying into villages in search of love are to get their very own "bachelor island". They began roaming for mates after being squeezed out by dominant males.

Work has begun to convert 60 acres of the Lefini Reserve that is surrounded by rivers into a self-contained home. The animals were orphaned as a result of the bushmeat trade and then sold into the illegal pet market before being rescued, conservationists said.

Full story at BBC News.

Kakapo Parrots: "Code of the Kakapo" documentary film

Scott Mouat of ELWIN Productions kindly wrote to tell me about the opportunity he has had recently to follow the Kakapo Recovery Team and film their progress for a new natural history documentary feature film called "Code of the Kakapo". The trailer for the film is available at the bottom of that web page and looks GREAT! Check it out now!

Code of the Kakapo

Over the past 30 years mankind has battled to ensure the survival the world's rarest wild parrot. The kakapo, pushed to the brink of extinction by introduced predators, is down to its last breeding population, a population plagued by infertility. The kakapo recovery team must find a cure.

Cutting edge science has broken the kakapo's genetic code and uncovered the reason for their poor hatching success. Almost all the surviving birds are descended from an inbred Stewart Island population, unable to breed with kakapo from other populations their gene pool is diminishing and if left unchecked it could be disastrous for the species.
[...]
This film will follow the dramatic events that unfold as the recovery team battles to save the species.

I've asked Scott to keep us all informed on Code of the Kakapo's progress and to let us know how we can get to see it once it is complete.

I'm sure I speak for all Last Chance To See and Kakapo Parrot fans when I wish Scott the very best of luck with this very splendid and worthwhile venture.

Plus, the latest news from the Elwin Productions site is that filming is underway on Ulva Island for another film about the island, its flora and fauna. Ulva was home to Sirocco the Kakapo Parrot during this year's Kakapo Encounter.

Douglas Adams: Thanks

On this Thanksgiving Day, let me send my thanks to Douglas Adams for giving us all those crazy, hilarious stories such as "The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy", "Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency", his hilarious "Meaning of Liff" and "Last Chance To See" of course.

Here's Douglas Adams' "Last Interview" video as posted recently on YouTube

And another video tribute to Douglas Adams

Endangered Animals: Going, Going, Gone

I was browsing through this new book about endangered animals in the bookshop the other day. It's quite nice.

To compile this book, 100 conservation groups around the world were each asked to nominate one animal or plant that gave them cause for concern. One species under threat of extinction. One symbol of the fight to save the ever-vanishing natural world around us.

What species did they choose? And how can you help them save these animals and plants?

"Going, Going, Gone" holds the answers.

100 animals and plants. One book. One last chance.

The book features a double page spread for every animal or plant, information on current status and estimated population. Each page also contains a box-out of "What you can do" with charity and conservation organization information.

Species featured include the Bengal Tiger, Giant Panda, Water Vole, Corncockle, Polar Bear, Snow Leopard, Red-breasted Goose, Northern Right Whale and many more.

Fifth Douglas Adams Memorial Lecture

Details have been announced for the Fifth Douglas Adams Memorial Lecture. The presentation will be made by Dr Richard Leakey and is entitled "Wildlife management in East Africa – Is there a future?".

The lecture takes place at 7.30pm on Thursday 15 March 2007 at the Royal Geographic Society, 1 Kensington Gore, London SW7. Tickets will be £12, with a pay bar before and after the Lecture, and they are available now from www.savetherhino.org or Zoe at Save the Rhino, Email: zoe_AT_savetherhino.org.

Save the Rhino International and the Environmental Investigation Agency are co-hosting the Fifth Douglas Adams Memorial Lecture, a talk by Dr Richard Leakey, on Thursday 15 March at the Royal Geographic Society in London SW7. In this talk, Dr Leakey will draw on his own experiences in Kenya, as founder and Director of the Kenya Wildlife Service and as the Head of Kenya's Civil Service to reflect on the successes, current problems and future challenges.

Richard Erskine Leakey was born on 19 December 1944, the second of Louis and Mary Leakey's three sons. Quickly following in his parents’ footsteps, his first career was in the field of paleoanthropology, with many important finds including (with Alan Walker in 1984), "Turkana Boy," a Homo erectus roughly 1.6 million years old, one of the most complete skeletons ever found. In 1968, aged just 24, Richard Leakey was appointed Director of the National Museums of Kenya.

In 1989 Richard left his post to become Director of the Kenya Wildlife Service. In this capacity, he spearheaded efforts to end rampant elephant poaching, but he made political enemies in the process. Nonetheless, the elephant population has since stabilised and continues to grow. In 1993 Leakey survived a serious plane crash and the following year he resigned as director of the Kenya Wildlife Service, though he continues to be active in political and environmental arenas.

As the former Director of Kenya's National Museums and former director of the Kenya Wildlife Service, he has used his leadership skills and considerable influence to raise money for the preservation of Kenyan culture and wildlife. Never one to back down on a challenge, in 1995 Richard Leakey took a stand against corruption in Kenya’s government by forming Safina, an opposition party. Despite being subjected to beatings, death threats, and constant government surveillance, Leakey has continued his crusade for political justice. Although no longer active in fieldwork, Dr Leakey, as one of the foremost authorities on wildlife and nature conservation, continues to educate others about the dangers of environmental degradation through his many lectures and books.

The lecture is in aid of Save the Rhino International and the Environmental Investigation Agency, two charities supported by Douglas Adams. Douglas developed his deep-seated interest in wildlife conservation during a 1985 visit to Madagascar, which eventually resulted in a book (Last Chance to See) about the plight of species facing extinction. Douglas Adams died unexpectedly in 2001 at the age of 49. These Memorial Lectures continue to explore the themes in which Douglas was so interested.

Dr Leakey’s books include: Wildlife Wars: My Battle to Save Kenya's Elephants (paperback, August 2002, PanMacmillan, RRP £7.99); The Sixth Extinction: Biodiversity and Its Survival with Roger Lewin (paperback, November 1996, Phoenix Press, RRP £7.99); and Origins Reconsidered: In Search of What Makes Us Human also with Roger Lewin (paperback, October 1993, Abacus, RRP £10.99).

Douglas Adams created all the various and contradictory manifestations of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: radio, novels, TV, film, computer games, stage adaptations, comic book and bath towel. For more information about Douglas Adams and his creations, please visit www.douglasadams.com

The Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) is an international campaigning organisation committed to investigating and exposing environmental crime. Since 1984, EIA has used pioneering investigative techniques all over the world to expose the impact of environmental crime and to seek lasting solutions. More info at www.eia-international.org

Save the Rhino International works to conserve genetically viable populations of critically endangered rhinoceros species in the wild. We do this by providing financial and in-kind support for rhino- and community-based conservation projects in Africa and Asia. More info at www.savetherhino.org

Tickets are on sale now. Simply download the form and send it in with your cheque, alternatively phone the office on 0207 357 7474 and pay over the phone.