MOUNTAIN GORILLAS - A garden shed full of gorillas

Interesting tale from The Herald about a Scottish vet who wanted to create a self-sufficient back-yard hideaway for himself, but the project has turned into field laboratory for the Mountain Gorilla researchers in Bwindi.

It was intended as little more than a "nice wee place in the back garden", a hut designed by a Scottish vet in which he could relax with a cold beer after a hard day's work.

But now, the design behind an eco-cabin has been transferred from West Kilbride to a Ugandan jungle, where it is helping conservationists study an endangered species of mountain gorilla.

MARK CARWARDINE - Excess Baggage

Broadcaster and writer Mark Carwardine, co-author of Last Chance To See also works as a marine tour leader. You can hear him talking about this side of his life, whale, shark and manatee watching on this week's episode of BBC Radio 4's Excess Baggage (Tour Guides).

The vision of a tourist being sea-sick into a whale's blowhole, just before he "blew" is utterly priceless! Those poor people.

Presented by Sandi Toksvig, this episode is avilable to Listen Again, along with many previous editions of this always interesting travel related show. Check out the Highlights section in the right-column for the previous episodes. I very much enjoyed the Michael Palin, Ewen McGregor & Charlie Boorman ones.

Until the BBC add this show to their podcasting line up, I "self-podcast" Excess Baggage by recording it with Replay Radio. Piece of cake.

Hitchhiker vs KFC

On a tangentially related topic, peta2 reports on The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy movie star Martin Freeman's recent letter to KFC...

Martin Freeman of The Office fame and star of blockbuster film The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy has fired off a letter to KFC asking the company to implement PETA's recommended basic animal welfare standards that will stop the worst abuses experienced by the nearly 850 million chickens raised and killed every year for KFC restaurants.

KOMODO DRAGONS - News round up

Here's a couple of recent Komodo Dragon related stories.

First one from the Denver Post about Castor, Denver Zoo's 11 year-old Komodo dragon stud...

[Castor] scored a little love action with the help of a small band of humans.

Beth Jo Schoeberl, the zoo's curator of primates and carnivores, joined the group just as Castor's last clutch hatched in 2003. And Schoeberl will get to help decide if he mates again.

On a somewhat more disturbing note, Washington's WTOP reports on animals deaths at the National Zoo.

Several animal deaths at the National Zoo may have been prevented. Documents obtained by WTOP Radio describe specific treatment mistakes the Zoo admits making in caring for the animals.
[...]
A lemur died from blood loss due to the hemorrhage of a blood vessel in its leg. According to a final report, the animal had pneumonia with a small infection. The memo states the animal "was probably not receiving enough medication."

A Komodo dragon died when an ovarian growth ruptured and burst a blood vessel. No ultrasound was done on the animal. The memo states the Zoo doesn't have a written protocol requiring such examinations for female Komodo dragons.

MOUNTAIN GORILLAS - Our Adopted Gorilla

Let me introduce you to Urwibutso, the three year old Mountain Gorilla that readers of Another Chance To See have jointly adopted as our official mascot!

Thank you again to all our sponsors, who kindly donated $5 each to raise the necessary $50 to adopt Urwibutso from the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International.

Urwibutso is the youngest of six brothers and sisters, and his mother is called Tuck. Tuck is a 32 year old female who has been a member of Beetsme's group since 1988. The group is one of three studied and protected by the DFGFI. Since Beetsme's death in 2001, the group has been led by the silverback Titus. Urwibutso lives with his mother and big brother Vuba, but enjoys following Titus around. Titus is most likely his father, and genetic testing may soon confirm this.

Urwibutso is quite independent, but a very sociable infant, and enjoys wrestling with other gorillas, many of them 250 pounds heavier than him. His best friend is Pato, who is now four and a half. After a hard day's play, Urwibutso still enjoys cuddling with his mother Tuck. Tuck is never ruffled by her son's boisterous nature.

Urwibutso is also especially curious about his human observers, and they have to keep bags, binoculars and notebooks away from him. His friendly nature makes him a favourite of the researchers.

"Urwibutso" means "memories" in Kinyarwanda, and the name was chosen by a military general in honour of two gorillas who died during Rwandan conflict near where the gorilla was born.

As the recent gorilla naming ceremony has shown, corporate adoption of gorillas is proving to be a great way to raise funds for the protection of the gorillas.

Rwanda's national parks authority raised $850 000 for gorilla conservation by putting 29 animals up for "corporate adoption".

"The prices (for adoption) range from $5 000 to $50 000," said the executive director of the Rwanda national parks and tourism office, Rica Rwigamba.

The 29 animals were named in the northern town of Ruhengeri in an official ceremony of the sort that is traditionally carried out for human babies in Rwanda. Among the names they were given were Happiness and Gift.

MOUNTAIN GORILLAS - Naming ceremony video

BBC News has a nice video report on the recent gorilla naming ceremony at Virunga National Park. Two of the names given were "Happiness" and "Gift".

MOUNTAIN GORILLAS - Rwanda Holds Naming Ceremony for Rare Mountain Gorilla Babies

Scotsman.com has news on the naming ceremony for 30 endangered mountain gorillas babies.

President Paul Kagame joined villagers and conservation workers on the edges The Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda today to give names to 30 rare mountain gorilla babies – including the only recorded set of twins to survive to the age of 1.

Conservation workers and researchers traditionally name primates they track after identifying each one based on the patterns formed by wrinkles on their faces.

Saturday’s naming ceremony, however, is the largest and most public ever held in this small central African nation.

The ceremony – including traditional dances by warriors armed with sticks resembling spears and poems praising development projects financed by revenue from mountain gorilla tracking – will become an annual event intended to pull in more visitors to Rwanda’s leading tourist attraction, said Fidelle Ruzigandekwa, head of the Rwanda Wildlife Agency.