Mouse Lemur: 'one of the most beautiful animals I have ever seen'

Check out this video clip of Stephen Fry encountering the "darling" Mouse Lemur, which he describes as 'one of the most beautiful animals he has ever seen'.

Last Chance To See the Aye-Aye?

Mark Carwardine has an article on the BBC Earth News site about the upcoming episode of the TV series about the Aye-Aye Lemur.

One of the many repercussions of Madagascar's coup, which took place in March 2009, has been a dramatic rise in criminal networks plundering the country's protected areas for precious hardwoods and wildlife.
[...]
the recent breakdown in law and order, and the unwise withdrawal of foreign aid agencies, has wiped the smile from many faces.

From a wildlife point of view, in particular, it has resulted in huge numbers of lemurs, including several endangered species, being captured for the pet trade or butchered for sale to restaurants.

Stephen Fry on "Steve Wright in the Afternoon" (with Graham Norton)

Thanks to Dave Haddock again. He has pointed out that Stephen Fry appeared on the "Steve Wright in the Afternoon" show on BBC Radio 2 last Friday, talking to substitute DJ Graham Norton. At the time of writing there's still 3 days left to listen to the show. Stephen is on between 1hr 30m 50s - until 1hr 46m.

Sirocco the Kakapo Visits Auckland Zoo until September 23rd

Scoop has news that Sirocco the Kakapo is appearing at Auckland Zoo until September 23rd.

His visit is our way of celebrating the thousands of hours that volunteers, rangers, vets, scientists and sponsors have put into maximising the survival chances of kakapo over the last 30 years,” says DOC spokesperson Nic Vallance.

Sirocco, who has charmed the likes of famous English actor Stephen Fry with his gregarious personality, recently moved back home to Whenua Hou or Codfish Island after spending the summer on Pearl Island, south east of Stewart Island.

Tickets are very limited and pre-purchasing is essential.

Tickets (allocated for specific tour times) are $20 for adults, $10 for children (aged 4 – 15 years) or $50 for a family (2 adults, 2 children). To pre-purchase tickets phone the Auckland Zoo Information Centre (09) 360 3805. For further details about Sirocco and his visit, www.aucklandzoo.co.nz; www.doc.govt.nz, www.kakaporecovery.org.nz and www.conservationweek.org.nz

Titus "The Gorilla King" has Died

BBC News has reported that Rwanda is mourning its most famous mountain gorilla. The silverback Titus, known as 'The Gorilla King', has died at the age of 35.

He was the subject of a BBC documentary last year, and was studied by naturalists throughout his life - including US expert Dian Fossey."
[...]
"He was born on 24 August 1974 and has been observed closely by researchers throughout his entire life," a statement from the Rwandan national parks office said.

"Tragically, he succumbed to old age on September 14."

The life expectancy of a healthy gorilla is about 40.

Q & A with Mark Carwardine

The Ecologist is running an excellent interview with Mark Carwardine on his thoughts about the Last Chance To See TV series.

What do you hope the series will achieve?
I hope it will make a lot of people who wouldn't normally watch a wildlife series, let alone a conservation series take notice.

I think that by having Stephen on board who has such a big following, and making it a light hearted travelogue with a serious theme - I hope it will get a wide audience.

Twitter Feed now available

If Twitter is your preferred method of receiving new content, I'm happy to say that Another Chance To See is now on Twitter, and the posts are automatically getting published there.