I love to travel, mainly to Africa where I was born, I enjoy reading and playing bridge. I go for rambles in the countryside. I collect stamps and go to T'ai Chi classes. I love my two cats and my garden birds. I adore the African wildlife and try to help Conservation groups.
Pacific whale decline 'a mystery'
By Richard Black
Environment correspondent, BBC News website.
Grey whales in the eastern Pacific appear to be in some trouble, with the cause far from clear, scientists say. Researchers with the conservation group Earthwatch found that whales are arriving in their breeding grounds off the Mexican coast malnourished.
The same thing happened just after the 1997/8 El Nino event, which warmed the waters and depleted food stocks. Scientists are not sure whether the current decline is climate related or part of a natural predator-prey cycle. "We're not really sure what is going on now," said William Megill, a member of the Earthwatch team who also holds posts at Bath University in the UK and the University of British Columbia in Canada. "We certainly saw in Mexico this winter a very large number of starving whales," he told the BBC News website. "There is currently an El Nino building, and this is a worry."
There are thought to be between 15,000 and 18,000 grey whales in the eastern Pacific, a population that has been in generally good health since pulling back from the brink of extinction when hunting stopped in the 1940s. Numbers may be higher now than before the hunting era. ItBy contrast, the other population, on the western side of the Pacific near Russia, has been in trouble for many years owing to a combination of hunting and, latterly, oil and gas exploration. It may now number as few as 120 individuals.
On the eastern side, whales migrate between their summer feeding grounds to the north, which stretch from the waters near Seattle and Vancouver to the Arctic Bering Sea, and their winter breeding home along Mexico's Baja peninsula.
This is one of the longest migrations of any marine mammal; and at the end of it, in the last few years, Dr Megill's team has found the animals arriving thin and exhausted. "The animals are starving, their fat has just gone, and there's not a lot of breeding going on," he related. "They seem to spend their time looking around for food when they should be breeding."
The cause of this change is not clear. A link with climatic conditions makes sense; warmer waters hold less oxygen, they become less productive, resulting in less of the tiny crustaceans which are the grey whales' favoured food. This is thought to have caused the slump which followed the 1997/8 El Nino event.
One suggestion, from Dr Justin Cooke, who works with the World Conservation Union (IUCN) on cetacean issues, is that the greys have just become too plentiful. "No whale population can expand indefinitely," he said, "and these whales seem to have exceeded their historical level so it would be surprising if they continued increasing - they're due for a slump.
Have the eastern greys become too abundant for their own good? "When whale numbers were lower there was enough to go round in poor years, but now numbers are higher and so there's only enough to go round in good years."
William Megill acknowledges that the population could have become unsustainably high. "Around the year 2000, colleagues looked for mysids (tiny crustaceans) in kelp beds off the Canadian coast, and they found lots of them," he said. "The last two years, we've stuck cameras down there and seen nothing. "It could just be the whales ate them all, and what we're seeing is the same thing that happens to wolf and lynx populations when they eat too much of their prey."
But he is concerned that other factors may be involved too, in particular the slow rise in the average temperature of the oceans. The deepening annual Arctic melt, too, would also deprive the whales of a rich source of food, which accumulates along the edge of the pack ice. "I'm looking at it and thinking, 'I'm a bit worried about it'," he said, "and what we need to know is what's going on quickly so we can get proper management plans in place. "It may be a lot more serious than just grey whales - they may just be the early warning sign of changes for the whole Pacific, and we urgently need to know what's going on."
Richard.Black-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Probe clears S Korea wolf cloners.
The wolves are genuine clones, the university panel found A team of South Korean scientists have been cleared by an investigative panel of manipulating data over their claim to have created the first wolf clones. The panel said independent testing had verified that the team produced genuine clones of Korean grey wolves, which are an endangered species.
The two wolf clones, born in 2005, were announced to the world last month. The team was investigated on suspicion of massaging data to boost the cloning success rate for the wolves. The scientists from Seoul National University (SNU) were once hailed at home as heroes but later seen as an embarrassment after their group's reputation was tainted by allegations of stem cell fraud.
The SNU team was once led by the disgraced Hwang Woo-suk, who resigned from his post in December 2005 after a panel found that data had been fabricated in research he led. Dr Hwang was also listed as an author on the wolf clone study, which was published in the journal Cloning and Stem Cells.
Dr Lee's group has been cleared by the probe.But Kuk Yang, chief of Seoul National University's office of research affairs, said of the most recent research: "We concluded the team did not need or intend to inflate the success rate." The team, led by veterinary professor Lee Byeong-chun, had made errors in their wolf clones paper.
But it was limited to a data entry in one table, and an investigation of lab records and computer files indicated it was an honest mistake and not an attempt at fraud, Mr Kuk said. The team asked to correct its paper upon discovering its mistake, he added.
Cloning and Stem Cells withdrew the paper from its website earlier this month, pending the results of the university's investigation panel. Since the team produced the first wolf clones - named Snuwolf and Snuwolffy - in October 2005, six more wolf clones had been born, three of which had since died.
In 2005, an interim investigation into Dr Hwang's previous work with the group found data on producing patient-specific embryonic stem cells had been fabricated. This research had previously been hailed as a breakthrough.
A few weeks later, the investigation panel said another landmark paper on the creation of cloned embryonic stem cells was marred by serious fraud. Hwang is on trial for fraud, embezzlement and violating the country's bioethics laws.
The team produced the world's first cloned dog - Snuppy - in 2005. This has been verified by independent testing.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Panda pair arrives in Hong Kong.
The pandas were moved by truck and plane from Sichuan province. A pair of giant pandas has arrived in Hong Kong as a gift from China's central government. The gift is to mark the 10th anniversary of the territory's handover from British to Chinese rule.
The pandas, male Le Le and female Ying Ying, meaning happiness and abundance, will be unveiled to the public on the handover's anniversary - 1 July. The pandas will live in a special enclosure at a theme park where it is hoped they will breed.
They will join two other pandas, An An and Jia Jia, at Ocean Park's panda enclosure, who were given to Hong Kong by China in 1999 but have so far failed to breed.
"We wish them to breed as many offspring as possible," said Hong Kong's Home Affairs Secretary Patrick Ho at a welcoming ceremony for the pandas at the airport.
The 20-month-old cubs were transported earlier on Thursday by truck and then plane from the Wolong panda conservation centre in the bamboo-forested mountains of Sichuan province in south-western China.
In their old home, they were known only as number 606 and 610. Their new names were chosen from thousands of public submissions and were given to them upon their arrival in Hong Kong.
The pandas, each weighing about 60kg (132lb), will need about 250kg (550lb) bamboo between them every week.
The giant panda is one of the world's most endangered species and is unique to China. Some 1,500 live in the wild and another 217 have been raised in captivity around the world. The BBC's Vaudine England in Hong Kong says Beijing often uses gifts of the furry black and white bears as symbols of diplomatic goodwill.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Loch bottom clues to rare grebe.
Slavonian grebe numbers have gone down. The bottom of a Highland loch could hold clues to the breeding habits of a rare and colourful wild bird. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) Scotland considers Loch Ruthven in Inverness-shire to be the key UK site for the Slavonian grebe.
Layers of sediment will be examined for dead insects to determine whether years when they were in abundance helped the bird rear more chicks.
A total of 39 grebe pairs were counted last year, down from 43 in 2005.
RSPB Scotland said it was among the country's rarest birds and estimated there could be as many as 10 golden eagles and four ospreys for every Slavonian grebe in Scotland. The bird first nested in Scotland in 1909 near Loch Ness. The impact of the weather on the grebe is also being investigated.
RSPB Scotland is inviting the public to take a closer look at the grebe at the loch on 29 April between 1400 and 1700 BST.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
City birds sing for silent nights.
Urban robins find it too noisy to communicate during daylight.Robins in urban areas are singing at night because it is too noisy during the day, researchers suggest. Scientists from the University of Sheffield say there is a link between an area's daytime noise levels and the number of birds singing at night.
Until now, light pollution had been blamed because it was thought that street lights tricked the birds into thinking it was still daytime.
The findings are published in the Royal Society journal Biology Letters.
"You generally only seem to hear nocturnal singing in cities," explained Richard Fuller, one of the study's co-authors. "So this led us to think that there was some aspect of the urban environment that was driving this phenomenon."
Light pollution had been widely held as the prime suspect. It was thought to prevent the birds from roosting, leading to them remaining active through the hours of darkness.
"That was the stock answer you would get," Dr Fuller said, "that it was basically tricking the birds into thinking it was daylight and tripping some sort of physiological threshold. "But we thought that was pretty unlikely because birds are much more complex than that." He said that there had never been a scientific study to measure the impact of light pollution on the behaviour of urban robins. "So we went out and measured both noctural light and daytime noise levels and we found that daytime noise had a far stronger effect. "We found that night-time light had a small effect, but very much smaller than the impact of noise levels."
This led the team to conclude that it was an active decision by the birds to sing at night rather than passively responding to light levels. "The birds appear to be singing at night to avoid competition with high noise levels caused by our cities during the day," Dr Fuller suggested. "Noise levels were 10 times higher in places where birds were singing at night."
The findings form a part of a seven-year research programme by the university's Department of Animal and Plant Sciences to measure the impact of urbanisation on biodiversity.
BBC NEWS REPORT
'Match-making' for rare male croc.
There are an estimated 2,000 false gharials left in south-east Asia. An endangered male crocodile is moving zoos in search of his perfect partner. Experts hope to spark a reptile romance and produce much-needed offspring by providing Jantan, a false gharial crocodile, with a choice of mates.
Jantan is leaving Melaka Zoo in southern Malaysia and will be set up with four female crocs at a breeding centre in the state of Selangor. "He has got the right stamina and right aggression so we are very hopeful," his veterinarian Zainal Zahari told AP.
Breeding false gharial crocodiles is difficult as they require a setting similar to their natural swamp and river habitat in the jungles of Borneo and Sumatra, Mr Zahari said.
Mr Zainal said Jantan, who is 4.7m (15.5ft) long and weighs in at 470kg (1,036lb), is the largest false gharial crocodile on the Malaysian peninsular, according to the country's Department of Wildlife and National Parks records. Jantan, who is thought to be about 25-years-old, was a resident at the Melaka Zoo in southern Malaysia from 1995, before being transferred on Monday to the breeding centre.
The false gharial, or Tomistoma schlegelii species, is harmless and lives on a diet of mainly fish.
There are an estimated 2,000 left in south-east Asia. Females lay about 16 eggs and guard the nest within a radius of 3-4m.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
'Sickening' deer deaths condemned.
Wildlife rangers have condemned attacks on two deer found dead in Strathclyde Country Park. The animals were discovered in separate locations at the popular outdoor spot last week. Experts believe they were butchered by hunting dogs.
Police and conservation experts said those responsible for the killings would face prosecution.
Hunting with dogs became illegal in 2002 with those convicted facing a fine of up to £5,000 and six months in jail.
According to park rangers, the remains of a butchered male deer were found last week by dog walkers near the country park's North Motherwell Pavilion.
In the other attack, a heavily-pregnant female was found at a different spot with bite marks across her rump, rear legs and head.
Rangers confirmed that one of the animals appeared to have been killed in the park before being butchered off-site. The carcass was then dumped back in the grounds.
Both animals appeared to die from injuries caused by a pack of hunting dogs, experts said.
North Lanarkshire Council's environmental services director, Paul Jukes, said: "Let's make no mistake that these are crimes. "These are absolutely despicable and sickening crimes that will simply not be tolerated within North Lanarkshire. "The countryside is there to be enjoyed by visitors and wildlife alike and we all have to ensure that can be achieved."
Officials believe it is the third such attack in North Lanarkshire this spring, after the remains of a doe were discovered within Cambusnethan Woods in Netherton earlier this year.
Constable Brian Wright, wildlife crime officer in North Lanarkshire, said: "The shooting, coursing, or poaching of deer is totally illegal.
"Any incidents reported to Strathclyde Police will be investigated thoroughly with the anticipation that the person or persons responsible will be reported for relevant legislation, with aims to prosecution."
In February this year animal campaigners warned that teenage gangs were attacking and killing deer in urban areas after a roe deer was found dead having been shot with an airgun.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Salmon campaigner lands top award.
Overfishing led to a rapid decline in wild salmon returning to rivers. An Icelandic businessman's fight to save Atlantic wild salmon from being wiped out by overfishing has been awarded a top environmental prize. Orri Vigfusson, 64, won a Goldman Environmental Prize for his efforts, which have led to a resurgence in salmon numbers in the North Atlantic.
He founded an organisation that buys fishermen's netting rights in areas along the migration route of the fish.
The award is described as "the Nobel Prize for grassroots environmentalism". Mr Vigfusson and five other winners will receive their awards on Monday at a ceremony in San Francisco.
"We have been killing too many fish for too long," he said, explaining what prompted him 17 years ago to set up the North Atlantic Salmon Fund (NASF), a coalition of conservation groups that works alongside governments and fishermen to end commercial salmon fishing. "Having been a sport fisherman for over 20 years, I had been seeing the salmon stocks in rivers decline every year," he told BBC News.
Our ultimate goal is to return salmon stocks to historical abundance enjoyed 50 years ago - Orri Vigfusson
"I said that we had to do something about this or the fish would simply disappear."
The NASF assessed the situation and decided that the most destructive element was overfishing.
"We had to ensure that the salmon came back from the feeding grounds all over the Atlantic," Mr Vigfusson explained.
The problem began in the 1950s when it was discovered that salmon from rivers in the US and Canada, as well as from Europe, gathered in the sea around Greenland and the Faroe Isles. A massive commercial fishing industry was established in the region, resulting in thousands of miles of driftnets across the routes taken by the fish.
After an initial surge in salmon catches, the numbers crashed. Between 1979 and 1990, catches fell from four million to 700,000.
Mr Vigfusson's philosophy was simple - to pay licensed netsmen not to fish salmon.
If driftnet fishermen, who intercepted salmon migrating along the coast to rivers, sold their licences to the NASF they received generous compensation in return.
"We believe in commercial agreements," he explained. "Over the past 17 years we have made commercial agreements all over the northern Atlantic."
The NASF began by striking deals in Greenland, Iceland and the Faroe Islands, but have now expanded across much of Europe, including Scotland, which is home to about 80% of the UK's salmon stock.
By raising $35m (£17.5m), Mr Vigfusson's coalition has been able to "retire" net licences around many of the continent's key salmon spawning rivers.
As well as offering compensation, the NASF also finds alternative employment for the netsmen, either in sustainable fisheries or in the revived angling tourism industry, boosted by the replenished rivers.
Mr Vigfusson said his "green capitalism" efforts were already paying dividends.
"Iceland, for the past three years, has enjoyed the best seasons ever, and there has also been an increase in salmon stocks in Scotland and Canada."
But he said the job was far from done, even after winning a Goldman prize. "Our ultimate goal is to return salmon stocks to historical abundance enjoyed 50 years ago."
Other winners of this year's Goldman Environmental Prize include:
Hammerskjoeld Simwinga - an anti-poaching campaigner from Zambia
Ts. Munkhbayar - a Mongolian who highlighted the impact of unregulated mining on the nation's rivers
Willie Corduff - an Irish activist who campaigned to stop a pipeline passing through a bog ecosystem
Each winner will receive prize money of $125,000 (£62,400) at a presentation ceremony in San Francisco on Monday.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Scottish Wildlife Volunteer.
Yesterday morning was my first day on volunteer duty at the Loch of the Lowes www.swt.org.com
I have been meaning to take part in this worth while job for a few years, but for one reason or another for the past few years I always seemed to be away. I was away this year for the month of February in Zimbabwe, so now the next few months were clear. I went along to the Start of the Season meeting, to find a dedicated number of people all eager and willing to offer their time to man the hides, day and night to protect the Osprey and their eggs.
There had been a great deal of improvements to the shop. There was now an area where one could sit and watch out of large full length windows looking out to a cleared section, in which there were several bird feeding boxes. There were so many birds to see, from Great Tits to Woodpeekers, Wrens and Robins being some of the species. A beautiful red squirrel delighted us all by sitting and eating the nuts he manged to get out of the various boxes.
On one of the walls a very large Video Cam was sited, and it showed all the action at and on the nest. The picture was so clear, and I was able to get a really good look at these magnificent birds at long last. There was a great deal of interactive material for people to enjoy, specially for children.
Anyway I got up early and set off with warm gloves, scarf, and extra warm jacket , and my flask of tea, bananas and oat biscuits to eat. On arrival I was met by Andrea who took me to the Hide, She showed me how the Log-in Book worked and how to contact her on the mobile phone. She also attached the high powered binoculars to the bar in the hide, so that we could use them and so that they were not removed!
There was an Osprey on the nest I could see through one of the binos. It was the female, and sitting on a nearby tree watching her was her mate.My stint proved rather uneventful, just the ususal, the male taking over the guarding of the 3 eggs while she went off, and then her return later on. The male then took off to find some fish for her. My time at the hide went by very quickly, and there were a number of people who popped in for a look. As well as the Osprey there are several other birds to see various ducks,swans and swallows being some of them. So there is plenty to see and lots going on all the time.
I am booked in again and I am looking forward to it very much indeed.
Godzilla made it across the North Sea in eight hours.
A fast-flying barnacle goose has made it from south west Scotland to Norway in just eight hours.
Godzilla the goose was part of a project to tag and track 10 birds on the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust's Caerlaverock Reserve.
He left his Dumfries and Galloway base at 2000 BST on Wednesday and made it to Norway by 0400 BST the next day. The bird had an average speed of about 60mph on his trip and is the only goose of the 10 to make the journey so far. WWT Learning Manager, Brian Morrell, said the speed and timing of the trip had come as something of a surprise.
Old Godzilla must have just thought - right, off we go! -Brian Morrell,WWT learning manager. "We have fitted 10 GPS transmitter tags on barnacle geese to monitor them on their northward migration," he said. "It is usually the end of April or beginning of May that the birds head off. "But one of the birds, Godzilla, has headed off already."
The GPS tags allow the WWT to monitor the speed, altitude and location of the birds to within a five-metre radius. The 10 geese involved in the monitoring project were given their names by local schools - five on the Scottish side of the Solway and five on the English.
Godzilla received his name from the Solway Community School in Silloth.
"He made it in pretty good time, we think he flew to Norway overnight," said Mr Morrell. "At eight o'clock on Wednesday evening he was at Caerlaverock and by four o'clock on Thursday he was nearly there." Now the WWT is trying to work out why Godzilla set out before his fellow participants in the project. The geese are being tracked on their journeys via GPS tags
"They know it is time to migrate - they wait for a south westerly wind," said Mr Morrell. He said a strong following breeze on Wednesday night appears to have convinced the goose to make his move. "Old Godzilla must have just thought - right, off we go!" he said.
Every winter the entire population of Svalbard barnacle geese arrives on the Solway Firth. A large number of them feed at the WWT centre at Caerlaverock. In the spring the birds make the 2,000 mile return journey to their breeding grounds in Svalbard midway between Norway and the North Pole.
The birds stop off in Norway on their travels back north.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
China criticised for 'tiger wine'.
A recent poll declared the tiger the world's most popular animal.China has come under fire for allowing tigers to be bred for the production of so-called "tiger bone wine". The drink is reportedly made by steeping tiger carcasses in rice wine. Those who drink the wine believe it makes them strong.
Chinese delegates at the International Tiger Symposium in Nepal are arguing for the lifting of a current ban on the trade in tiger bones and skins. But other Asian nations with threatened tiger populations want the ban to stay.
There has been a forceful exchange of views on the issue at the symposium, according to the BBC correspondent in Kathmandu, Charles Haviland.
Experts say there are several reasons why tiger numbers have drastically declined, but just one has grabbed the limelight, our correspondent says.
The argument centres on the existence of so-called "tiger farms" in China, which have bred thousands of captive tigers with the ostensible purpose of entertaining visitors.
But the conservation group WWF, which is chairing the symposium, says these farms are fronts for the production of tiger bone wine.
WWF also says the captive tigers cannot survive in the wild, and believes the production of wine and underhand trade in skin and bones also threaten to make wild tiger poaching more lucrative.
A senior WWF official said the discussions were heated, with Chinese academics saying their country should lift its ban on the trade in tiger parts.
But experts from states like Nepal and Bangladesh, which have threatened tiger populations, are urging that the ban should remain.
On Wednesday, a more formal forum of government delegations will begin discussing the fate of the majestic beast, which a recent television poll declared to be the world's most popular animal.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Assam rhino poaching 'spirals'
By Subir Bhaumik - BBC News, Calcutta.
Kaziranga is home to a wide variety of wildlife Wildlife authorities in the Indian state of Assam say they are troubled by a sudden rise in poaching of one-horned rhinos at the state's Kaziranga park. They say that they suspect a newly-formed gang of poachers killed six rhinos over the last three months - with two being shot over the last week.
Officials say the problem has been made worse by a lack of wildlife wardens.
Kaziranga is Assam's most famous national park and is estimated to have 66% of the world's one-horned rhinos. "We suspect that a new gang with better resources is operating in the area," said Kaziranga's wildlife warden Utpal Bora.
The 450 square km (280 square miles) park has nearly 1,900 one horned rhinos - and celebrated its centenary two years ago.
The older generation of expert foresters is retiring, and not able to pass on their knowledge and skills-Chief Conservator of Assam Forest (Wildlife Division) MC Malakar
"Kaziranga is a great conservation success. So we are upset whenever poaching intensifies. And now the new group of poachers seem to be very well equipped," Mr Bora said. Poachers cut high tension lines during power cuts and lay the wires on beaten tracks used by rhinos. The animals tread on to the live wires and die of massive electric shocks.
Police investigations into recent rhino kills also suggest the use of telescopic rifles fired long distance with special armour-piercing ammunition. The poachers use electric saws to take away the horns without wasting much time. Police says the poachers have some local "collaborators" who know the forest zone well. "It all indicates the presence of a global poaching racket in Kaziranga. The masterminds are big time players," Mr Bora said.
Rhino horn powder, considered an aphrodisiac, is highly valued in Asia and the horns fetch nearly $40,000 a kilogram. It is also used for Asian medicines and for ceremonial purposes. There were hardly 20 rhinos left in Kaziranga at the turn of the 20th century when the British declared it a game sanctuary in 1916. By 1966, their number had gone up to 366. In 1974, the Indian government declared Kaziranga a national park and placed more resources for conservation of the rhinos.
Five to ten rhinos have been killed every year on an average for the past decade. That's a sharp fall from the early 1990s when up to 50 rhinos were killed a year. There are not enough wardens at the park.
Then, Assam's leading separatist group, United Liberation Front of Assam (Ulfa) started attacking poachers and even executed a few of them after trying them in a "people's court". The army, while chasing Ulfa guerrillas, also confronted poachers and killed them, suspecting them to be linked to armed rebels. Now there is little rebel activity around Kaziranga - and the poachers have a free run because there are few armed guards to watch over the sprawling game sanctuary.
MC Malakar, Chief Conservator of Assam Forest (Wildlife Division) says there are 110 posts lying vacant at the Kaziranga, which is now a World Heritage Site. "Practically no recruitment has taken place since 1994," he said, "while the older generation of expert foresters is retiring, and not able to pass on their knowledge and skills to the new generation."
Officials say that rhino poaching is not the only problem that Kaziranga faces - timber smuggling is also on the rise. Utpal Bora says the forest department has asked for more armed guards, better weapons and more watch towers to check poaching.
Kaziranga contains one-third of the world's one-horned rhinos.But forest officials say they have not got what they wanted because of Assam's chronic budgetary constraints. Rhinos are not the only animals in Kaziranga. It has a high concentration of Royal Bengal tigers, Asiatic elephants and Asiatic buffalos.
According to the last animal count in Kaziranga , the Asiatic water buffalo count is more than 1,500 while the elephants number more 1,000. "It is amazing mix, and one we have to preserve because this makes Kaziranga an irresistible tourist attraction," says Assam's tourism commissioner Himangshu Das.
A cruise down the Brahmaputra river from Assam's capital Guwahati to Kaziranga has been booked out until next year. Most of those going on it are foreigners.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Bid to halt bumblebee decline.
The Bombus hortorum is a common species of British bumblebee. A national drive to help boost the number of bumblebees in Britain has been launched.
Campaigners from the Bumblebee Conservation Trust are calling on the public to take part in a bumblebee survey to catalogue different species.
Conservationists from the University of Stirling want gardeners to help them get a better idea of the national distribution of bumblebees.
Studies show that in recent years three species have become extinct in Britain.
Ben Darvill from the trust said there was a lot the public could do to help. He said: "People will be surprised to hear that there are actually 25 different species of bumblebee and six or so of them are common in people's gardens. "But a lot of the others are seriously threatened, in fact three of them are already nationally extinct."
Studies show that three species of the insect have become extinct in Britain, while another nine are endangered.
Researches said the decline was largely down to changes in the countryside with a reduction in flowers, hedges and marshland.
Mr Darvill said bee numbers could be increased by simply changing the plants grown in gardens. He said: "Gardeners can do a lot to help just by planting the right sorts of plants in their garden by moving away from traditional bedding plants to more cottage garden styles of plants."
Those wishing to take part in the survey are being asked to record the bumblebees in their area by taking photographs and emailing the trust.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Sea lion attacks Australian girl.
Sea lions rarely attack humans, say marine scientists. A teenage girl has been attacked by a sea lion while surfing behind a speedboat off Australia's west coast. Ella Murphy, 13, suffered cuts to her throat, a broken jaw and lost three teeth when the mammal leapt out of the sea and mauled her. She is in a stable condition in a Perth hospital after having surgery.
A marine scientist said attacks by sea lions were rare and it may have been trying to play with the girl. Sea lions can grow up to 300kg (660 pounds). The sea lion jumped out of the water like a white pointer shark, family friend Chris Thomas, who was driving the speedboat at Lancelin, 125km (80 miles) north of Perth, said to Western Australia's Sunday Times newspaper.
"It actually lined her up. It jumped out of the water at her and hit her head-on ... it opened its mouth and grabbed her head. It latched on," he said. The girl narrowly avoided a second attack, Mr Thomas said. "It was going back for her, it was looking for her and it spotted her," he said. "I had this horrible feeling I was not going to make it back in time."
Sydney Aquarium marine scientist Grant Willis told AP news agency he had never heard of such an incident. "To be out in the water and be attacked like this is just bizarre," he said. Mr Willis said the protected species would only attack humans if provoked.
"It might have been like a rag doll toy ... it could have been ... play for them, just wanting to shake it around," he said.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Crocodile severs Taiwan vet's arm.
Surgeons in Taiwan have reattached a vet's arm, after it was bitten off by a crocodile as he tried to give it an anaesthetic injection. After six hours of surgery, Chang Po-yu is said to be doing well and in a stable condition in hospital.
His attacker is one of a pair of Nile crocodiles kept at Shoushan zoo, in the southern Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung. Nile crocodiles are known to be man-eaters, but are also listed as an endangered species.
The incident, which was dramatically caught on camera, occurred when Mr Chang had his arm through the crocodile's enclosure to administer the anaesthetic. Believing the animal was successfully anesthetised, Mr Chang tried to remove the syringe, but the crocodile suddenly turned and bit off his left arm, holding it in its mouth.
As the vet was rushed to hospital, zoo employees tried to retrieve the severed arm by shooting two bullets at the crocodile's neck. Although the bullets failed to penetrate the reptile's hide, the effect was enough to cause it to drop the arm. "It probably was shocked, and opened its mouth to let go of the limb," zoo official Chen Po-tsun was quoted as saying.
After his operation, Mr Chang was seen on television waving and smiling to reporters from his hospital bed. According to media reports, his girlfriend and mother seemed more worried than he was, with his friends voicing concern about how soon he would be able to play the piano.
As for the crocodile, it is also doing well. It has found fame as a result of the incident, attracting many visitors to its enclosure.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Galapagos Islands 'facing crisis'.
Ecuador's President Rafael Correa has declared the Galapagos Islands, home to dozens of endangered species, at risk and a national priority for action. The islands, Ecuador's top tourist draw, were suffering an environmental and social crisis, he said.
Mr Correa's call came as a UN delegation was visiting to see if the islands should be declared "in danger". The Galapagos Islands were made a World Heritage Site 30 years ago for their unique plant and animal life.
"We are pushing for a series of actions to overcome the huge institutional, environmental and social crises in the islands," Mr Correa said, adding that these problems were the result of years of neglect by previous governments. He did not detail the measures, but indicated Ecuador would consider suspending some tourism permits, Reuters news agency reported.
The islands, located some 1,000km (620 miles) off Ecuador's mainland, are home to an array of species, including giant tortoises, blue-footed boobies and marine iguanas. About 20,000 people, working mainly in fishing and tourism, also live there.
The Galapagos Islands inspired naturalist Charles Darwin and helped him develop his theory of evolution.
Last month, several rangers of the ecological reserve in the islands clashed with members of the Ecuadorean Armed Forces over what the rangers say was illegal fishing in protected waters. The incident provoked an outcry in Ecuador as it illustrated for many the practices which are damaging the site.
Mr Correa announced that a number of military officials had been suspended pending an investigation.
However, ecologists say the problems in the Galapagos run much deeper than the government has acknowledged. They fear that a rapid increase in the human population and the gradual introduction of external species of flora and fauna are threatening the entire ecosystem on the islands.
Representatives of the UN's scientific, educational and cultural body, Unesco, have travelled to its research station on the Galapagos to inspect the state of conservation there. Last month, a senior Unesco official warned of threats to the "fragile and delicate" ecology of the Galapagos.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
How do military aircraft harm livestock?
WHO, WHAT, WHY?
The Magazine answers...
The Ministry of Defence has revealed its compensation figures for accidents caused by low-flying military aircraft, some of which relate to cattle. What sort of injury is involved?
A farmer was paid £126,565 after losing pedigree cattle when Chinook helicopters were sent in to demolish hilltop sites in South Armagh.
The payout was revealed following figures published annually by the Ministry of Defence, which paid a total of £4.1m in 2005-06 to claimants affected by low-flying aircraft, including a beehive owner in the Balkans.
Some of these payouts are made to farmers in relation to livestock. So what kind of damage is wreaked to cattle and sheep by low-flying aircraft?
It's very unlikely that stock is hit directly and killed, says Robert Sheasby, rural surveyor of the National Farmers' Union in England and Wales. What is more likely is that stock is startled.
THE ANSWER
Few cattle or sheep are hit
More commonly they are "spooked" which causes them to run and injure themselves
"Imagine walking through a field and a jet flies above you at 500 feet.
"It will startle you and you can understand what it's doing. Stock in a field can't. It may spook them and they run and may cause an injury, perhaps a broken leg, which can mean they are put down.
"Or more commonly if it is pregnant stock in a field, it may cause them to abort the foetus they are carrying, which has economic implications."
For those affected, it can be a catastrophe, depending on what stock is involved, but for the vast majority, it's not an issue, says Mr Sheasby. In the last year, he has only received about three phone calls from farmers seeking guidance on how to make a claim.
WHO, WHAT, WHY?
A regular feature in the BBC News Magazine - aiming to answer some of the questions behind the headlines
And the number of incidents has fallen in the last decade, partly due to better contacts between farmers and defence officials.
"We will advise our members if we're alerted by a defence organisation that a low-flying exercise is taking place, so they can move stock indoors, or from areas of low-flying aircraft.
"Forty years ago problems arose and we would have no idea if low-flying was taking place. Suddenly they would shoot over the top of a hill and startle stock.
"But generally it works a lot better now and the number of requests on how to make a claim has diminished."
There is no obligation for the MoD to pay, because a Royal Prerogative gives an "absolute right" to military aircraft activity. But defence officials described it as an "emotive issue" so payments are made on an ex gratia basis.
The MoD figures revealed that in the previous year, 2004-05, only £760,000 had been paid to claimants disturbed by aircraft, although the number of claims was roughly the same as 05-06. A spokeswoman said the increased sum was due to two expensive cases which were not related to farmers and livestock.
She said efforts were being made to get the level of claims down, such as a telephone hotline for people to check if there is any activity in their area, and advice issued to horse-riders.
Livestock are not the only victims. Douglas Chalmers of the Country Land and Business Association said in the past helicopters have posed problems for horse-riders, although better communications meant it was happening less.
In 2003, Heather Bell, 38, was thrown through the air and killed when her horse galloped off as a Chinook went over a farm in Market Rasen, Lincolnshire.
An inquest made several recommendations, including the use of high-visibility clothing to help air crews spot riders.
Other reasons to make claims include property being damaged and personal injury.
BBC MAGAZINE
By Sam Bagnall
Producer, Dog House .
Dogs that can retrieve cash from ATMs and empty washing machines help disabled people lead more independent lives, but can they also help reform disruptive teenagers?
Midhurst in West Sussex is about as well-to-do as any small town in England. A mile or so outside, in a converted farm surrounded by peaceful, rolling hills, is the headquarters of a charity called Canine Partners.
The centre is dedicated to the training of assistance dogs - mostly Labradors and golden retrievers. Here the dogs learn the extraordinary skills they need to help give independence to disabled people.
Last summer this rural calm was shattered by the sound of teenagers screaming and swearing. Five youngsters had arrived to be taught how to become dog trainers. They were disruptive, violent or painfully shy, and they had agreed to be part of a unique experiment.
CP's head trainer Nina Bondarenko, who made her name training Rottweilers in her native Australia, had dealt with "stroppy" teenagers before and thought the teenagers would not be too much of a problem.
"Then I met them and I thought OK, this is going to be a bit more difficult," she says.
It was to be the start of a traumatic learning curve for her and an emotional journey for the youngsters.
The idea was simple. Kids really like dogs and the skills involved in training them - patience, consistency, rewarding good behaviour - could provide the young people with the discipline they need in their lives.
This kind of scheme was pioneered in America, where assistance dogs have been used with problem kids in High Schools. The results these projects claim to have achieved are impressive: school attendance up by more than 70% and major increases in self esteem.
The teenagers involved in the UK experiment were put forward by local schools in West Sussex, who had run out of ideas of how to deal with them.
Liam was typical - 14 years old, sullen, aggressive, foul mouthed and about to be permanently excluded from school. Allie, Rob and Ellie, while completely different characters, had similar problems - inability to concentrate, dislike of being told what to do and serious anger problems.
ASSISTANCE DOGS CAN...
Open doors
Help people dress
Help with shopping
Call lifts
Pay in shops
Only Katrina was different. Painfully shy to the point of agoraphobia, Katrina suffered from depression and had taken herself out of mainstream education.
To help run the course CP teamed up with youth development charity Fairbridge, experts in working with challenging kids, and it was lucky they did. The course was nearly over before it began.
On only the second day of training youth worker Jason Cummings was having serious doubts. He thought the youngsters might struggle with the amount of time they were going to have to concentrate.
Their screaming, swearing and mucking about was also seriously disrupting the training regime of the dogs.
The dogs themselves are trained using a system of rewards - when the dog does what you want you give him a treat and you ignore the behaviour you don't like.
Parents might notice a similarity with bringing up kids. Dogs, like kids, need boundaries; they need consistency in order to learn.
Once fully trained, a CP assistance dog can carry out dozens of tasks, including unloading a washing machine, calling a lift, retrieving the TV remote control and taking money from a cash machine. They can transform the lives of people who use wheelchairs.
Gradually, working with the dogs began to have an impact on the kids. But, in order to fully appreciate the significance of what they were doing, the kids needed to meet the disabled people who benefited so much from having these dogs, the charity decided.
The meetings had a profound impact on the teenagers. Liam was typical. After a journey to London to meet Eileen Hobson and her dog Sailor, he changed his ways and his unlikely friendship with severely disabled wheelchair user Eileen blossomed.
Two months into the course Liam began to connect with the dogs too - particularly a young yellow Labrador called Aero. The relationship flourished to such an extent the dog often knew instinctively what the teenager wanted him to do before he'd even asked. "He just knows," says Liam.
His school noticed a phenomenal change in his whole outlook. "More than anything I see a confident and happy young man, any negative feelings I had about him have gone - it's been superb," says his year head Nick Brown.
The course had a profound effect on Katrina too. At the beginning she was so shy she struggled to even leave her house. After a couple of months with CP she managed to confront her fears by giving a talk about the charity to an audience of more than 40 college students. Her parents were overwhelmed with the transformation.
All the kids went through an emotional journey and all of them gained something real from the experiment. Whether three or four months can change them forever remains to be seen, though so far the signs look good.
Ellie is now doing work experience at a kennels and Liam is working one day a week at CP itself. They are all more focused at school.
It wouldn't be practical to roll out such a scheme on a national scale, but there are serious lessons to be learnt from it and increasingly youth workers are seeing the value of animals in working with kids.
For Nina, it's a wider issue about our whole approach to young people. "If you look at society, kids are not positively reinforced, they are always told they are wrong."
Dog House is broadcast on Wednesday 11 April at 2240 BST on BBC One.
BBC NEWS REPORT,
DNA study sheds light on dog size.
Dogs show the greatest variation in size of all mammals. A single gene could explain much of the size difference between dog breeds, according to a study. The domestic dog (Canis familiaris) shows the greatest range of body size of any mammal.
Researchers studied 3,000 dogs from 143 breeds and found small dogs all shared a mutation in a gene that influences size in other animals. This form of the gene was almost absent in large dog breeds, an international team reported in Science journal.
The 14 small dogs in the sample, such as Portugese water dogs, chihuahuas, fox terriers and pomeranians, share a specific sequence of DNA that includes the gene for making a hormone called insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1).
The scientists also looked at DNA from nine large breeds including Irish wolfhounds, St Bernards and Great Danes. The IGF-1 gene has been known to influence size in other organisms, including mice and humans.
Dr Carlos Bustamante, a member of the research team from Cornell University in Ithaca, US, said: "It is staggering to think that so many of the small dog breeds came about through selection on the same mutation in the same gene.
Small dogs may have appeared more than 10,000 years ago. "These results suggest that while there are invariably differences among breeds - even in genes for size - IGF-1 has played an important role in the evolution of many small breeds by being a gene that consistently affects body size."
The new research suggests that a mutation in this gene led to the appearance of small dogs more than 10,000 years ago. Over the several thousand years that ensued, selective dog-breeding ensured the dog gene was kept around and spread through human migration and trade.
All domestic dogs are descended from wolves. They were the first animals to be domesticated more than 15,000 years ago, although early humans and wolves may have co-existed for about 400,000 years.
While wolves tend to look the same, today's dog breeds come in a huge variety of shapes and sizes. The genetic origin of this diversity has long puzzled scientists, especially the size differences. "We know this is only part of the story, but it's a necessary part of the story," said Elaine Ostrander of the National Human Genome Research Institute in Bethesda, US, an author on the Science paper. She noted there were a few exceptions, with the small-dog sequence appearing in larger dogs. Other, as yet-unidentified genetic factors must cause the exceptions.
Dr Ostrander said the research could assist the understanding of cancer and other disorders of growth.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
UK couple hurt in elephant fall.
The couple fell as they attempted to climb down from the elephant.A British couple suffered multiple injuries after falling from an elephant during a safari in South Africa. The pair, named as Michael and Lorna Denyard, are expected to undergo surgery for leg and pelvic fractures following Thursday's accident.
The couple, in their 30s, fell after finishing the elephant trek in an animal sanctuary outside Johannesburg. A spokesman for local emergency service ER24 said "the lady fell forward and also dragged her husband down". He said it happened as the elephant knelt to let the couple climb down.
The spokesman, who said the elephant was following a "normal procedure" to lower the pair, said: "Both landed on the ground and that is where they sustained most of their fractures."
The couple were taken by ambulance to the Akasia Hospital, in Pretoria, where the woman is being treated for "quite severe" leg fractures. Her husband is receiving treatment for pelvic injuries.
The spokesman said: "The injuries, if left unattended, would be life threatening but they are in a stabilising environment and are receiving all the necessary treatment."
The couple arrived in South Africa on Wednesday and embarked on the elephant safari on Thursday morning, according to the spokesman. Their family have told about the accident, which happened as the pair were returning to base camp.
The Foreign Office said it was "aware of the incident" and would be "on standby to provide consular assistance".
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Serbian farms seek good shepherds. Fit young people with a love of the outdoors now have a chance to escape the trials of city life - by working as a shepherd in the Serbian hills. With young people leaving rural areas to live in Serbia's cities, farmers are desperately seeking willing workers.
Shepherds can earn a salary of 2.5 euros (£1.70) per month per sheep, and with a healthy flock can earn close to the average monthly wage of 300 euros.
But sheep flocks have dwindled with the supply of shepherds in recent years. There were once 300,000 sheep grazing on the hills of eastern Serbia, there are now fewer than 10,000.
That decline has affected the landscape, with plants and bushes taking over the plains without enough sheep to keep their growth in check.
Farmers say the struggle to find and keep good shepherds is one reason why the flocks are shrinking. Another, they admit, is the tough nature of the work.
"It's a difficult job," said Aleksandar Vasov, a farmer seeking fresh farmhands. "Basically you're on call 24 hours a day, feeding them, taking them to the mountains, lambing them." "I once had 100 sheep, now I have 20 because I can't find anyone to help me," Ilko Dmitrov, 61, told the Reuters news agency.
"It's difficult to find good workers. Some are really cruel to the animals, they beat them. The only ones willing to work are pensioners." "Getting workers here is like in the westerns I watched as a kid," Mr Vasov, 39, told Reuters. "A stranger comes out of nowhere, works for a while, then leaves."
But some tough it out, like Sandor Balani, who has tended his 80 sheep for a decade now. "It's hardest in winter when there is a lot of snow. But I would never give it up," he said. Prospective applicants should head to Dimitrovgrad, eastern Serbia, and look for the job centre.
BBC NEWS REPORT
Striped rabbit spotted in Sumatra.
The elusive rabbit is rarely captured on camera. One of the rarest species of rabbit in the world has been spotted for only the third time in the last 35 years.
The Sumatran striped rabbit was photographed in late January on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, the Wildlife Conservation Society said.
The species is listed as critically endangered by the World Conservation Union, due to loss of habitat. The rabbit was previously photographed in 2000, with the last sighting by a scientist back in 1972. The 30cm-long rabbit was photographed by a camera trap in Bukit Barisan National Park, said Colin Poole, director of the Wildlife Conservation Society's Asia Program.
The sighting also highlighted the need to protect the habitat of the species, also known as nesolagus netscheri, from threats such as farming, he said. "This rabbit is so poorly known that any proof of its continued existence at all is great news, and confirms the conservation importance of Sumatra's forests," Mr Poole said.
Back in 1999, researchers discovered another species of striped rabbit in the Annamite Mountains between Laos and Vietnam, and named it the Annamite striped rabbit.
Genetic samples revealed the species were distinct, though closely related, most likely diverging about 8 million years ago.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
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GPS to reveal walrus whereabouts
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They will track animals for two months off west Greenland - and gauge how hunting, oil exploration and climate change may be affecting the animals. The project is being run by the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources and the Danish Polar Centre. The satellite data will be shared with BBC News and posted on its website so readers can follow the migration. At this time of year, west Greenland's walruses are lazing around on pack ice, basking in the early spring sunshine. But as temperatures rise further, the ice will begin to retreat, and the mammals will soon be heading north to colder climes. The exact location of their summer hideaway has long been a mystery. "We want to find out where they are going," explains Professor Erik Born, the senior scientist in charge of the project. And to do this, he plans to employ Global Positioning System (GPS) technology. I will be joining the Danish team as it leaves the port of Sisimiut, travelling north by trawler along the coast. During two weeks at sea, the researchers hope to attach 10 satellite tags to walruses.
The devices will be deployed using a cross bow or CO2-powered gun fired from the boat. Although this method might sound cruel, you have to remember that walruses have a hide that is about 2-4cm (0.8-1.3in) thick, Professor Born says. Each time the tagged creatures emerge from the water, a signal will be beamed up to a satellite, allowing the walruses' coordinates to be determined. The researchers will watch the walruses' day-to-day progress - as will readers of the BBC News website on its Walrus Watch map. The tags will stay on for one to two months, eventually being pushed out as the hide heals. The team believes the time period should provide enough data. This will be the third spring in which Professor Born's team has tracked the animals. "They are fascinating creatures," he tells the BBC News website. There are at least two sub-species of walrus: the Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens), found in the Bering Strait region, off Alaska; and the Atlantic walrus ( O. rosmarus rosmarus), found in eastern Canada and the high Arctic.
Some believe walruses in the Laptev sea off Siberia are another sub-species, but this has not yet been confirmed. They are bulky beasts, weighing up to two tonnes, with tusks that can grow to 80cm (30in) in length. The animals of central west Greenland that Professor Born and his team plan to track form one of at least eight separate sub-populations of Atlantic walruses. One of the issues the scientists are hoping to resolve is whether these walruses are connected with other populations. "We suspect they have a connection with walruses that occur along Eastern Baffin Island. Alternatively, they might be connected with those that occur year-round in northwest Greenland," Professor Born explains. This information could have an impact on another concern: hunting. Walruses make an easy target for hunters. Though graceful and swift in water, their lumbering gait on land has made them an easy kill. Over the last 500 years, they have been exploited for their blubber, hide, ivory and meat, bringing some populations to the brink of extinction.
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In pictures
