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.
Tax rebates for zoo 'adoptions' .
By Sanjaya Jena - Bhubaneswar.
Taxpayers who 'adopt' animals in a zoo in the eastern Indian state of Bhubaneshwar are to be given rebates. People will be entitled to the tax breaks if they donate anything between the equivalent of 20 cents up to $25,640 to Nandan Kanan zoo.
The zoo's annual costs amount to some 10 million rupees ($256,000), most of which goes to feeding and looking after the animals. Officials hope the scheme will strengthen conservation efforts.
The chief of Nandan Kanan zoo, Ajit Patnaik, said the animal adoption for tax breaks scheme will begin early next year. People will be able to 'adopt' a tiger by paying an annual donation of 80,000 rupees ($2,050). Adopting a bird will cost some 100 rupees ($2.5).
People will be allowed to "adopt an entire lion or tiger safari" with an annual donation of 800,000 rupees ($20,510) to 1 million rupees. "I hope this move will create a mass awareness about conservation of birds and animals. It will also ease the financial pressures on the park," Mr Patnaik said.
Zoo officials say special enclosures will be set up for the animals and the names of people who adopt them will be displayed outside. Income tax rebates are given in India on a variety of donations, but they are usually for causes to benefit people.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Male topi antelope's sex burden.
Choosy males and aggressive females - a role reversal has been found in the sexual behaviour of the topi antelope. Some males are so forcefully pursued by pushy females that they refuse the advances of previous partners. According to research published in the journal Current Biology, this helps males conserve their sperm for the possibility of mating with new females.
It therefore increases the chances of fatherhood with the widest possible number of partners. Dr Jakob Bro-Jorgensen, the scientist conducting the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) research, said: "In cases where the male antelope was free to choose between females, he deliberately went for the most novel mate, rather than the most high-ranking." He added: "However, some pushy females were so aggressive in their pursuit of the male that he actually had physically to attack them to rebuff their advances."
The research was undertaken in the Masai Mara area of Kenya, in the traditional breeding grounds of the topi. Females are fertile for a single day only. The topi antelope (Damaliscus lunatus jimela) come together once a year, for just over a month to mate. Dr Bro-Jorgensen said: "It is not uncommon to see males collapsing with exhaustion as the demands of the females get too much for them."
He observed that each female would mate, on average, with four males, while some reached 12 different partners. And each individual would be mated with approximately 11 times, although one pair was observed together on 36 occasions. "[The females must] ensure that they become pregnant, and preferably with a hotshot male, so they must focus all their energies on ensuring that males mate with them in that time," Dr Bro-Jorgensen explained.
These findings are contrary to conventional sexual selection theory which says males are competitive and females are choosy. Talking to the BBC News website, Dr Bro-Jorgensen said: "We may not have our eyes open to the fact that opposite sexual conflicts may occur more commonly than we think. Normally, males are persistent and females resistant. What I saw in African topi was unexpected."
The synchronised mating activity, and the species' promiscuity, makes males the limited resource and females the competitive ones. It is thought the females are interested in mating with several partners to ensure fertilisation, in case their first choice happens to have reduced sperm supply, or is genetically incompatible with them.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Cameroon gorillas returning home.
Four rare gorillas are being flown from South Africa to Cameroon, five years after they were illegally smuggled to Taiping Zoo in Malaysia. The Malaysian authorities returned the four Western Lowland gorillas to South Africa in 2004 and they have since been kept at Pretoria Zoo. The International Fund for Animal Welfare said the "Taiping Four" will now be taken to a wildlife sanctuary. The male and three females were sedated before being put into giant crates.
"Africa's wildlife is disappearing from the earth right in front of our eyes," Ifaw's Christina Pretorious told the AFP news agency. "The return of the Taiping Four sends a clear message that Africa wildlife is worth fighting for - that international law must be upheld."
Tinu, Izan, Oyin and Abbey, all six years old and weighing about 100kg each, are to be transported to the Limbe Wildlife Sanctuary in south-west Cameroon. There are believed to be less than 100,000 Western Lowland gorillas in the wild. Their status was recently upgraded to critically endangered.
Gorillas and other primates are often hunted to be eaten in Cameroon and neighbouring countries.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Puppy rescued from watering can.
Ted got stuck while playing in Jackie Paterson's mother's garden. A three-month-old puppy had to be rescued after he got his head stuck in a metal watering can. Ted, a chocolate Labrador, got himself trapped in the can while playing in a back garden on Wednesday afternoon.
Hampshire fire service's specialist animal rescue team was brought in to release Ted. They had to cut away the watering can using bolt cutters, after initial attempts to free Ted using a hacksaw blade failed.
Anton Phillips, watch manager, said: "... The watering can fitted like a glove around Ted's head and great care had to be taken to keep the pet calm. "Thankfully we were able to swiftly release Ted's head and he bounded away safely from his ordeal with no ill effects."
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Mars starts using animal products.
Masterfoods' brands are household names. Some of the UK's best-selling chocolate bars, such as Mars and Twix, will no longer be suitable for vegetarians. Also affecting brands such as Snickers and Maltesers, owner Masterfoods said it had started to use animal product rennet to make its chocolate products.
Masterfoods said the change was due to it switching the sourcing of its ingredients and the admission was a "principled decision" on its part.
The Vegetarian Society said the company's move was "incomprehensible". Masterfoods said it had started using rennet from 1 May and non-affected products had a "best before date" up to 1 October. Masterfoods' decision to use non-vegetarian whey is a backward step Rennet, a chemical sourced from calves' stomachs, is used in the production of whey.
It will now also be found in Bounty, Minstrels and Milky Way products, and the ice cream versions of all Masterfoods' bars. "If the customer is an extremely strict vegetarian, then we are sorry the products are no longer suitable, but a less strict vegetarian should enjoy our chocolate," said Paul Goalby, corporate affairs manager for Masterfoods.
The Vegetarian Society said it was "extremely disappointed". "At a time when more and more consumers are concerned about the provenance of their food, Masterfoods' decision to use non-vegetarian whey is a backward step," it said in a statement.
"Mars products are very popular with young people and many will be shocked to discover that their manufacture now relies on the extraction of rennet from the stomach lining of young calves," it added.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Bird racers' rates plea to Queen.
Mr O'Connell and Mr Sim are writing a letter to the Queen.
Pigeon racing enthusiasts are seeking the Queen's help over a government refusal to recognise it as a sport, which could see them charged rates. Members of Belford Racing Pigeon Club in Northumberland may have to start paying rates on a small shed where they store their race baskets. Most sports groups are exempt, but pigeon racing is not included in the HM Revenue and Customs list.
The Queen is patron of the Royal Pigeon Racing Association (RPRA).
EXEMPT FROM RATES
Aikido
Hurling
Ballooning
Shinty
Baton Twirling
Skateboarding
Skipping
Bobsleigh
Korfball
Crossbow
Octopush
Source: HMRC
Under proposals to introduce rates on sports clubs and village halls, groups can formally apply for dispensation from HMRC for 80% relief and then to their local authority for a 20% reduction. But unlike recognised sports such as football, rugby and athletics, pigeon racers have been told that they will have to pay up. Sports such as yoga, arm-wrestling and trampolining are also exempt from paying rates.
Eric Sim, pigeon owner and chairman of Belford Racing Pigeon Club, said: "Pigeon racing has been recognised as a sport for well over 100 years and this latest turn of events will cause many clubs to struggle to make ends meet. "It seems so unfair and shows what a cheeseparing attitude the treasury can adopt."
Peter Bryant, general manager of the RPRA said it was the first such case he had heard of, but confirmed that HMRC did not recognise pigeon racing as a sport. He said: "This has been a big issue with the tax people for many years. We have to pay VAT on our subscriptions and as a result it's difficult for us to get grants from the lottery sports board. "Pigeon racing is really suffering - to impose taxes on people just to store their baskets is crass."
Councillor Geoff O'Connell, of Berwick-upon-Tweed Borough Council, proposed to raise the matter with HMRC and Berwick constituency MP Alan Beith.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Dogs to sniff out owner diabetes.
Researchers at a Belfast university are to investigate if dogs can sniff out diabetes. Dr Deborah Wells, from the School of Psychology at Queen's, said there were anecdotal stories of dogs detecting a drop in blood sugar in their owners. She and Dr Shaun Lawson, from the University of Lincoln, have been awarded £10,000 funding from Diabetes UK for a year-long study. They want 100 Type One diabetics to complete an online survey.
The researchers are also seeking video footage of dogs reacting to their owner's 'hypos' or low blood sugar levels. "Anecdotal reports suggest that some dogs can perform early warning of hypoglycaemia by using their sense of smell to sniff out if their owner's blood sugar levels are dropping," Dr Wells said. "At present there are a couple of people in the UK trying to train dogs for hypoglycaemia detection, but scientific study of this phenomenon is sorely lacking and in much need of investigation."
She said the study has the potential to be of enormous benefit and could be used to help develop an "electronic nose" to detect either decreases or increases in blood sugar levels. "The video footage will be analysed to see if dogs exhibit any changes in behaviour or show alertness," she said.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Death-cheating cat dubbed bionic.
A cat who was fitted with metal plates in all four legs after surviving two 21ft falls has been dubbed "bionic". Six-year-old Baby fractured her back legs after falling from a window in her south London home in September. The domestic short-haired cat had a metal plate and screws inserted at the Blue Cross animal hospital in Victoria. To the surprise of vets, an X-ray showed she had two implants in her front legs, inserted after a similar plunge when she was a kitten.
Vets said Baby was making a good recovery but will need further surgery to her hind legs to remove some temporary implants. Ms Gower said Baby was extremely lucky "A cat falling from this height will commonly sustain severe injuries, so we were stunned to find it was the second time she had done it," she said. "Now she has metal implants in all four legs, so the staff decided to call her the 'bionic cat'. "She's had two lucky escapes but needs to be very careful to keep her remaining lives intact."
The hospital advises that pets should never be allowed to rest on balconies or window ledges if they are above ground level. It said cats in particular are easily spooked by sudden noises and this could cause them to bolt and slip.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Shootings threaten black rhino project.
Efforts to save the black rhino from extinction have been dealt a blow by the killing of three adults who were part of a breeding programme in Zimbabwe. The apparently gratuitous act has stopped the programme in its tracks, writes the BBC's John Kay. Armed men in camouflage shot dead all three adult females. Charles Hamilton has tears in his eyes as he clicks through the images on his laptop.
It's hardly surprising. The pictures show all three of his family's adult black rhinos lying dead on the dusty floor. You can see the bullet-holes in their thick hides.
"It's just totally unbelievable," sighs Charles. He has just returned to the UK from Zimbabwe, where his family runs the Imire Safari park, 100km (60 miles) southeast of Harare. The park is home to one of the only breeding centres for black rhinos, one of the most endangered mammals on Earth.
For the past 20 years the family has been rearing the animals and returning them to the wild, but last week, in the dead of night, armed men in camouflage gear burst onto the site and shot dead all three adult females.
One of them was just days away from giving birth. Her unborn calf died as well.
"We simply can't believe it. Those rhinos were our friends. We knew them all so well," said Charles.
"It is deeply tragic. We've been left with four little orphan rhinos, which won't be able to reproduce for about 20 years. The whole breeding programme is now at a standstill. It's desperate."
There are only abound 3,000 black rhinos left in the wild, and the species is listed as Critically Endangered by the World Conservation Union, which means they "face an extremely high risk of extinction". Last year, one of the four sub-species was declared as "already extinct".
Not surprisingly, the shootings have caused deep alarm among conservation groups, not least because there have been a number of similar attacks in Zimbabwe this year.
Cathy Dean from Save the Rhino International said: "The situation for rhinos in the country is becoming more and more difficult every day. We must continue to support those working to save the vital rhino populations in this troubled nation."
So, who was responsible for the attack? And why would they have shot the black rhinos?
BBC News is banned from Zimbabwe but a government spokesman has told us that poachers are to blame. He described the shootings as "wanton destruction" and said the police and military had stepped up patrols to search for the gunmen.
Black rhinos are sometimes shot by poachers, who sell their horns as dagger-handles or for use in Chinese medicine, but the Imire rhinos had recently been de-horned as a precaution, so they didn't have any value to hunters. This has led to fears that black rhinos are instead becoming a target in Zimbabwe's battles over land-ownership.
The youngest of the orphans is now being bottle-fed.
Cathy Dean from Save the Rhino said: "Over the last few years, we have made some real progress, working with the conservation authorities in Zimbabwe. "I hope this event, and others recently, don't mean we are returning to the disastrous poaching of the late 80s and early 90s. I hope this is not the start of a very worrying trend."
According to Charles Hamilton, the orphaned rhinos on his ranch have been left "stunned" by the deaths of their mothers. The youngest of the orphans, baby Tamba, is now being fed by bottle. "It's heart-breaking," says Charles, "but we are determined to give these animals a future, and the breeding programme will continue."
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Cockerel handed night-time curfew !
A cockerel threatened with an anti-social behaviour order has been handed a night-time curfew. The deal was agreed at Scottish Borders District Court as it met to discuss the fate of Charlie - a four-year-old bird from Selkirk. Neighbours had raised a court action against the cockerel's owners in a bid to curb its early morning crowing. Charlie will now have to be kept in lightproof accommodation between specified hours every night. Last year Scottish Borders Council applied to Selkirk Sheriff Court for an anti-social behaviour order on the bird.
Neighbours had complained the cockerel was crowing from 2.30am and exceeding a 30 decibel limit set by World Health Organisation guidelines. However, the Asbo application was put on hold when neighbours - George MacFarlane and John Emond - raised an action against the bird's owner Kenneth Williamson under the Civic Government (Scotland) Act.
Two days had been set aside to hear the case at district court but a deal was agreed between both parties in the year-long dispute. It means Charlie will be in lightproof accommodation between 8pm and 9am from 1 May to 30 September and between 7pm and 7am for the rest of the year.
"This has caused both parties a considerable amount of grief for quite a while," said JP Andrew Bramhall.
"Both parties have been looking for this result and it is in all your interests that an agreement has been reached." However, he warned Mr Williamson that failure to observe the curfew would be dealt with severely. "To breach an order to allow the cockerels out within these times would be the subject of criminal proceedings," he said. "It would then become a police matter."
Mr Williamson said he was happy to accept the court agreement. Mr Williamson has been given four weeks to erect the lightproof sheds required to house his animals. The 60-year-old said he was happy to go along with the agreement reached in court. "But I have to say the whole thing has been ridiculous from the start," he said. "There is more noise from the lorries which go along the road outside our houses than from Charlie. "You would think I had killed someone by all the fuss that has been caused."
In a joint statement, the neighbours who raised the action said they were pleased with the outcome of the court hearing. "The reason why we and other neighbours wanted to gain a court order against Mr Williamson to stop unhoused geese and cockerels during the night was that both families have suffered sleep deprivation," it said. "Members of both families have suffered life-threatening illnesses in which they need sleep to recover and rest. "Mediation was offered several times to Mr Williamson but was rejected."
Scottish Borders Council's asbo application has been put on hold in the wake of the district court agreement.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Tigers seek refuge from cyclone!
By Alastair Lawson - BBC News, Joymonir Ghol, Bangladesh.
Residents of a village hit by last week's cyclone in Bangladesh say two Royal Bengal tigers sought shelter from the ferocious storm in their village. A woman in Joymonir Ghol said when she went out of the house on the night of the storm to check her belongings, she found a tiger on her veranda. Another man said he saw a tiger attacking and killing a stray dog.
A local official in the village said it was not uncommon for tigers to seek refuge in the village in bad weather. It was a case of mankind and some of the most feared wild animals in the world hiding together from the fearsome forces of nature. "It was a very strong storm and it seemed to break everything," Momena, a housewife, said. "During the storm I went outside to check my belongings. It was then when I saw a tiger sheltering underneath our veranda. "It seemed reluctant to leave when I shone my torch on it because the weather was so terrible. But eventually it left," she said.
Momena is not the only person who saw a tiger on that fateful night. "I was taking shelter from the terrifying storm with some of my relatives," said Babul Hawladar. "As I was running to their house I noticed that a stray village dog was following me. "As we were arriving a tiger jumped on the dog, killed it and fled, taking the dog away in its mouth. "We were in panic from both the tiger and the cyclone at the same time," Mr Hawladar said. "But the winds were so terrible that we were afraid of the cyclone more than the tigers because at that time, the cyclone was more dangerous than the tigers," he added.
The villagers had good cause to be frightened, because at least four people were killed during the storm. A local government official in the village, Abu Taleb, said that it was not uncommon for tigers to seek refuge in the village when the weather gets bad. "During bad weather, they have hunted cattle, recently even killed a man in our village," he said.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Fake snakes to scare Aussie birds.
By Phil Mercer - BBC News, Sydney.
Residents are anxious to get rid of the unwanted visitors. Plastic snakes are being deployed in an effort to scare away tens of thousands of starlings that have invaded a small city in Australia. Authorities in Tamworth have used water cannon and large nets in unsuccessful attempts to get rid of the hordes.
Tamworth is the home of Australia's most famous country music festival as well as many unwanted small birds. Officials there are hoping that brightly coloured plastic snakes could bring an end to months of misery.
Thousands of starlings have descended on the city and have been drawn like magnets to trees that line one of the main streets. The local mayor has insisted that pungent droppings have become a major problem. Leave your car under one of the trees for an hour to go shopping, he said, and you probably will not recognise it when you get back.
Tamworth council has been trying for months to eradicate this resilient pest. The starlings though are unmoved. The latest weapons in the fight between man and bird are pink, orange, green and black plastic snakes, which are being tied to branches. Officials believe there is a good chance the starlings will be scared away.
There does not appear to be strong scientific evidence to back this up but clearly Tamworth is getting desperate. The city, which lies 420km (260 miles) north of Sydney, has used high-powered water cannon to try to get the birds to move on. That did not work - neither did flashing lights or sounds pumped out of loud-speakers.
If the fake snakes do not do the job, there are suggestions that Tamworth's feathered foe could be deterred by covering trees with cotton webbing or using artificial fog to disorientate them. There are no plans at this stage to bring in sharp-shooters.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Lion killer is killed by hyenas.
Killing a lion is a rite of passage for young Samburu males.
A Kenyan herdsman who fought off and killed a lion, has died after being attacked by a pack of hyenas. Moses Lekalau, 35, was walking home in the Maralal safari area north-east of Nairobi when the lion leapt out at him. Exhausted by his struggle, he lacked the strength to fight off a subsequent attack by hyenas.
Mr Lekalau was eventually rescued by a passing motorist who drove him to hospital. He was airlifted to Nairobi for surgery but died of blood loss. Mr Lekalau told doctors that it took him half an hour to spear and bludgeon the lion to death.
As a Samburu, he came from a community where it is traditional for boys to kill a lion as a rite of passage on entering manhood. He spent seven hours in the operating theatre where doctors treating his extensive injuries were at first hopeful he would survive, but he had lost too much blood.
"Hyenas are cowardly animals that usually feed on leftovers," Kenyan Wildlife Service spokesman Paul Udot told reporters . "They must have been very hungry and realised the victim was vulnerable after the lion attack."
National parks in Kenya are not fenced off and the wildlife roam freely so animal attacks are quite common in rural areas.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Kittens 'adopted' by pet rabbit.
Six abandoned kittens have found an unexpected new mother figure - a pet rabbit. Veterinary nurse Melanie Humble took the three-week-old kittens to her Aberdeen home. The kittens seemed to think Summer the rabbit was their mother and began to climb all over her and try to feed from her. Efforts will be made to find the four males and two females permanent homes in the coming weeks.
Melanie, 29, told the BBC Scotland news website: "The abandoned kittens were handed in when they were about three weeks old and I took them home. "Summer the rabbit was taken inside on Bonfire Night because of the fireworks and the kittens seemed to really like her and thought she was their mother." She added: "They were trying to get milk from her and climbing over her. And Summer was not bothered by them at all.
"Summer is five months old and she's gigantic. It is lovely to see them all together. "They are all doing well and Cats Protection will re-home them".
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Piglet saved from loo roll peril.
The RSPCA said those responsible had been thoughtless.
RSPCA workers are caring for a young piglet which was discovered in a lorry-load of toilet paper. The animal, thought to be two to three weeks old, was found among a delivery at Tesco in Ilkeston, Derbyshire. Staff said they were unsure of how the piglet, nicknamed "Andrex", came to be on the lorry but believed it might have been a deliberate prank. The piglet suffered cuts and bruising to his snout and will be rehomed when he has recovered.
Ella Herring, deputy manager for the Radcliffe-on-Trent animal shelter, said: "If this was a deliberate prank, those involved have spared no thought for the animal's welfare. "Fortunately Tesco staff acted quickly in contacting us and kept the piglet warm until the RSPCA arrived. "We will now care for him until he is fit enough to be found a permanent home."
A Tesco spokesperson said: "Staff are used to dealing with the unexpected, but little Andrex's arrival was a shock. "They took it in their stride, wrapping him up straightaway in a duvet in the manager's office and calling the RSPCA for advice and help. "It was distressing for everybody to see the piglet in such a sorry state."
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Broody eagles boost chick numbers.
Sea eagles were reintroduced in Scotland in the 1970s.
Scotland's breeding population of sea eagles has risen to its highest number since the reintroduction programme began more than 30 years ago. RSPB Scotland said 42 territorial breeding pairs had been logged, an increase of six pairs since last year. The charity added that the breeding eagles had led to a record 34 chicks.
Skye, Mull and the Western Isles remain the core population areas since the species were brought back through reintroduction programmes. The on-going monitoring of white tailed eagles, as they are also known, is conducted by the Sea Eagle Project team, which includes RSPB, Scottish Natural Heritage and Forestry Commission Scotland.
Jeremy Wilson, head of research at RSPB Scotland and the chairman of the sea eagle project team, said: "It has been a fantastic year for these stunning birds, which are now firmly established as a totem of the incredible natural heritage that Scotland plays host to.
"This breeding population is likely to continue to rise in coming years as juveniles from the reintroduction programmes reach sexual maturity, find vacant territories and pair up with a mate, with which they remain faithful for life. "Eventually, as they continue to spread out, and west and east coast populations meet, we can expect to see these majestic birds all around Scotland's coast, bringing this fantastic and inspiring spectacle to people throughout the country."
The project team understands there are about 200 individual sea eagles resident in Scotland .
The reintroduction programme began on the island of Rum from 1975 to 1983 and then on to Wester Ross from 1993 to 1998. This year breeding pairs have established territories as far south as the Argyll islands and west on to the mainland in the Highland district of Lochaber. Now the final phase of the programme to firmly establish a population right across Scotland is introducing chicks taken from nests in Norway to the east coast.
Fifteen chicks were released in Fife at the beginning of August, and up to 20 young birds from Norway will be released each year for the next four years. It is hoped that this population will eventually mix with the west coast birds and set up territories right round the suitable coastal habitats of Scotland.
Environment Minister Mike Russell said: "This is fantastic news for Scotland's sea eagle population, our sustainable environment and our tourist economy. "I am delighted to hear we can now expect to see these majestic birds all around Scotland's coast. "The increase of breeding pairs to their highest level in over 30 years is a credit to the work of the Sea Eagle Project Team and bodes well for the future development of these stunning birds."
Conservationists in Ireland have taken similar steps to reintroduce sea eagles in the Killarney area of South West Ireland.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Romania's horse and cart crackdown.
By Nick Thorpe - BBC News, Romania.
If I shut my eyes and think of Romania, I smell apples and hear horses. In the mountains around Ariesen, winter lasts for seven months The steady clip-clop, but rather the more urgent clippety-clop, clippety-clop of a horse or two pulling a covered wagon down the homeward straight. On my atlas of Central Europe, published in Budapest on the eve of the World War II, there is even a horse map, each dot representing perhaps 100 horses. The dots, not surprisingly, become more heavily concentrated the further east your eye wanders.
What would a horse map of Europe look like today, I wonder? A great white blank for much of the continent but still a healthy number east and south of the rusty old Iron Curtain, like red ants on the page, down over Romania and parts of the Balkans. There are still an astonishing 750,000 carts registered in Romania as a whole. Yes, carts, not cars. But now the horses and their owners are in trouble, and it seems they have nowhere to turn.
A new law which bans them and their wagons from all main roads because they are blamed for 10% of all road traffic accidents in the country, is a cruel blow, aimed by the bureaucrats in Bucharest at the solar plexus of their own peasantry.
I met Andorin Gligor in the mountain village of Ariesen, where I stood in the market place asking passers-by what they thought of the new regulation. No-one had a good word to say about it. Andorin suggested that we go and talk to his father, as long as we did not mind a good walk in the deep snow up the mountain to his house.
I stepped in his tracks in knee-deep, dazzling snow between the pines, leaving the village far below us in the valley. The horses were cantering wildly about the small yard when we arrived, bells ringing round their necks, enjoying the snow as much as any child might. They scared the hens from under their hooves, and were watched by a slow-chewing, wide-eyed calf lying in the straw from the safety of the stable.
Ilarie Gligor arrived and tamed the horses in a moment with a soft word and a cob of corn. He led them both with one hand and harnessed them to his cart as we spoke. "It takes a long time to take care of horses," he began, "twenty-five, 30 years of my life." What worries him most is if the police follow through on their threat to confiscate any horses and carts they find using the roads.
So far they have just warned people. "If that happens," he says simply, "many people will starve. "Winter here lasts seven months. We use the horses for everything: to travel, to plough the fields. "But especially to take timber from the woods here down on to the plains to sell. And with the money, we buy food to bring home." A significant proportion of Romania's population lives from subsistence farming. The mayor of Ariesen, Marin Giurg, admits it is a big problem, especially in places like this where the main road runs right through the middle of the village.
As mayor, all he can do is to try to gather funds for alternative roads. But where the mountains slope down so steeply, it is difficult to see where he would build them. The prefect, the top state official for Alba county, is Cosmin Covaciu. "It's difficult to convince people not to drive fast," he explained. I searched his face to confirm he is talking about drivers of cars, not their more ancient wooden equivalents. "But they're in a hurry to get to their homes or their businesses."
He told me how many new speed detection devices the county had bought in the past few years and how, right across Romania, the penalties for breaking the limit have increased dramatically. But he admitted that the regulation on horses was not well thought-out. "That's an issue in Romania all the time," he said, rather offhandedly. "We put legislation in place and we don't find solutions for the people concerned."
Like the mayor, he sees the answer in the long run as the construction of side roads for horses and carts.
Back in his yard, in snow as white as the icing on a Christmas cake, Ilarie climbed up into his cart to show me his brake pedal. "Why could they not just ask everyone to wire this up to some lights on the back, like a car?" he suggested. "Or tell everyone to put reflectors on the back?" "It may happen from time to time," he added, "that a driver falls asleep at the reins, but even then the horses usually know where to go."
He blamed reckless car drivers for most of the accidents. Down in the main square, all the horses and carts of the village have congregated. They have brought their animals to the vet to be vaccinated. A cheerful young man in a woolly hat, he rubbed the necks of each horse in turn, before applying his syringe. The horses, with a patience beyond human history, barely flinched.
From Our Own Correspondent was broadcast on Saturday, 17 November, 2007 at 1130 GMT on BBC Radio 4. Please check the programme schedules for World Service transmission times.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Blind bullmastiff named top dog.
Oliver was dumped when he was five months old. A blind dog that was dumped when he was just five months old has been voted the nation's RSPCA Dog of the Year. Bullmastiff Oliver was thrown out by an unscrupulous breeder as a puppy because he had an eye infection. He was found by a dog warden before Christmas 2005, but despite urgent veterinary treatment lost his sight, with one eye having to be removed. But Oliver, now two, has found a new life with owner Julie Harkness, from Houghton-le-Spring, near Sunderland.
She read his distressing story in the local paper and immediately offered to give Oliver a chance of happiness and a home. Oliver has overcome his disability and even has a special artificial implant in his one remaining eye to give him a normal appearance, even though he cannot actually see through it. Ms Harkness, 38, said: "I can't believe that Oliver has won the competition. He's a true inspiration and clearly the rest of the country think he is too. We're so proud of him. "Oliver has been through so much but he's made such good progress that we forget he's blind. No matter how down we might feel Oliver always lifts our spirits."
RSPCA chief vet Mark Evans, added: "Oliver's had such a tough start to life, but despite everything he's now such a happy dog." Readers of a national newspaper voted for Oliver, who was up against five other rescued dogs from around the country. Oliver will receive a host of prizes, including a year's supply of dog food.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Japan to commence whaling mission.
Environmentalists have clashed with the crew of Nisshin Maru before. Japan has confirmed that it will carry out its largest whaling programme in the South Pacific. The mission, expected to draw strong protests from environmentalists, will depart on Sunday and breaks a 44-year moratorium on hunting humpback whales. Japan's fisheries ministry said the fleet had instructions to kill up to 1,000 whales, including 50 humpbacks. Japan was forced to abandon commercial whaling in 1986, but has since carried out whaling for "scientific research".
Four whaling ships, including the lead craft Nisshin Maru, will depart from the southern port of Shimonoseki. The 239-man mission plans to kill more than 900 minke whales as well as fin whales and humpbacks, in a South Pacific whale hunt that will run until mid-April. The 8,000 metric tonne Nisshin Maru was crippled by a fire on a whaling mission in the Antarctic in March. One crew member was killed. A Greenpeace campaign ship will be following the Japanese fleet.
Tokyo's plan to target the humpback - which was hunted to near extinction four decades ago - has drawn condemnation from environmentalists. "Humpbacks are very sensitive and live in close-knit pods. So even one death can be extremely damaging," Greenpeace spokesman Junichi Sato said.
Japanese fisheries officials insist both humpback and fin populations are back to sustainable levels. "Humpback whales in our research area are rapidly recovering," fisheries spokesman Hideki Moronuki said. "Taking 50 humpbacks from a population of tens of thousands will have no significant impact whatsoever," he said. Mr Moronuki said killing whales allows marine biologists to study their internal organs.
Meat from Japan's scientific catch is sold commercially but Japanese officials deny that the mission plans to make a profit. Japan argues that whaling is an ancient Japanese tradition, and has pushed unsuccessfully at the International Whaling Commission to reverse the 1986 moratorium on commercial whaling.
Environmentalists say Japan's research programme is a pretext for keeping the whaling industry alive.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Cat recruited to patrol station.
Pc Tizer is said to be a valuable member of the team. Police at a north London railway station have got mice running scared - after recruiting a 13-year-old cat. Tizer was adopted by British Transport Police (BTP) from the Cats Protection charity in September and inducted into the force as an honorary constable. In his role as the Chief Mouser Pc Tizer walks around King's Cross rail station to keep it rodent-free. An "essential member" of the team, he has unfettered access to all areas and shares an office with a senior officer.
Insp Roy Sloane, who enlisted the tabby, said: "Pc Tizer is already an essential member of the team. "Since we got him we haven't seen any mice in the building at all... Prior to his arrival we were spending a fortune on pest control and it wasn't really working."
Insp Sloane said he visited the charity's adoption centre in north London with the aim of finding a cat to clean up the station's rodent problem. He met Tizer, who arrived at the centre in August after his owner died. Insp Sloane, who shares his office with Pc Tizer, added that his feline colleague helps other officers "de-stress" and has given a boost to the force's morale.
"Everyone is always asking after him, and he is probably the most popular member of staff," he said.
Cats Protection Adoption Centre acting deputy manager Alex Davies said: "He loves being around people, and likes nothing more than playing fetch with his toy spider."
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Squirrel's epic swim across lake.
The squirrel swam at least 300 yards. Tourists on board a pleasure boat in the Lake District could not believe their eyes when they spotted a red squirrel in the middle of Ullswater. The mammals can swim, but they find it very strenuous, and have been known to drown in water troughs. But this determined squirrel had swum 300 yards (274m) - or about the length of six swimming pools - from the shore.
Passengers lowered a rope to the mammal and it climbed on board and hitched a lift back to shore.
Robert Benson, chairman of the Penrith and District Red Squirrel Group, said: "I've been involved with the conservation of red squirrels for 15 years and I know they can swim, but I have never seen it. "This squirrel was swimming strongly and had its tail coiled on its back so it didn't look bedraggled or as if it was struggling. "I've never seen anything like it before."
Once ashore the squirrel ran along a fence and disappeared, apparently none the worse for its dip.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Seal colony 'devastated' by storm.
Many newborn seal pups have died in the storms Recent storms appear to have badly hit a grey seal colony on the Farne Islands off the Northumberland coast. Naturalist Simon King, who presents the BBC's Autumnwatch, said bad weather and high tides had "greatly affected" the colony - one of the largest in the UK. He said a survey was being carried out, but that it appeared a significant number of newborn seals had perished.
Storms have also forced thousands of Arctic seabirds, called little auks, to the islands over the past week.
Grey seals have made their home on the Farnes for the last 800 years. Mr. King said: "The grey seals have been severely affected by the storms we have experienced over the past few days. "Early signs are pretty grave. There is no doubt the colony has been severely affected by the great surge of waves that washed over the islands a few days ago.
"Each year you would expect about 1,200 pups to be born on the islands. Naturally you would expect about 50% of them would die. But this year it looks as though the death toll has been very dramatic indeed. "We have yet to get a complete picture simply because the weather has been so bad."
Meanwhile more than 50,000 little auks, which are more used to the Arctic Circle, have been spotted off the Farnes. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and National Trust put the influx down to recent stormy weather. The small black and white bird is a relative of the puffin, but is only around the size of a starling and is normally found in Greenland.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Japan emperor's woe over US fish.
Japan's Emperor Akihito has said he "feels pained" that he introduced an aggressive non-native species of fish to Japan nearly 50 years ago. Several bluegill fish were given to the emperor during a visit to the US. He hoped the fish could be bred for food but some escaped from research centres and have now spread through Japan, threatening native species.
The emperor urged an audience of marine experts to take measures to protect native species. Speaking at an annual convention on fishing and conservation, Emperor Akihito said he was distressed by the results of the bluegill experiment. The fish were given to him by the mayor of Chicago during a visit to the Chicago Aquarium nearly 50 years ago, when he was still crown prince. They were passed to a research facility next to Lake Biwa, Japan's largest lake, to investigate whether they could provide an abundant food source during a time of protein shortages in Japan.
It soon became clear that the fish had spread into the wild. They have now spread throughout Japan's waterways, wiping out the Japanese royal bitterling and drastically reducing the number of some other native fish.
The emperor said he was distressed that the attempt to provide food had resulted in a threat to native species. He urged marine experts to ensure that no further extinctions would occur as a result of the bluegill's success.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Cat's daily routine baffles owner.
Sgt Podge is collected between 0800 and 0815 GMT every day.
A cat is baffling his owner by wandering off at night before expecting to be collected by car every morning at exactly the same time and place. Sgt Podge, a Norwegian Forest Cat, disappears from his owner's home in Talbot Woods, Bournemouth, every night. The next morning, the 12-year-old cat can always be found in exactly the same place, sat on a pavement about one and a half miles (2.4km) away.
His owner, Liz Bullard, takes her son to school before collecting Sgt Podge. She said the routine began earlier this year, when Sgt Podge disappeared one day. Owner Liz Bullard thinks Sgt Podge crosses a golf course every night.Ms Bullard rang the RSPCA and began telephoning her neighbours to see if anyone had seen him.
An elderly woman who lived about one and a half miles away called back to say she had found a cat matching Sgt Podge's description. Ms Bullard collected him but within days he vanished again. She rang the elderly woman to find Sgt Podge was sat back outside her home.
She said a routine has now become established, where each morning she takes her son to school before driving to collect Sgt Podge from the pavement between 0800 and 0815 GMT.
It is thought Sgt Podge walks across Meyrick Park Golf Course every night to reach his destination. Ms Bullard said: "If it's raining he may be in the bush but he comes running if I clap my hands." When he gets home Sgt Podge has breakfast before going to sleep All she has to do is open the car passenger door from the inside for Sgt Podge to jump in. Ms Bullard also makes the trip at weekends and during school holidays - when her son is having a lie in.
She does not know why, after 12 years, Sgt Podge has begun the routine but explained that another woman who lived nearby used to feed him sardines, and that he may be on the look-out for more treats. "As long as you know where they are you don't mind as a cat owner," Ms Bullard said. "I know where to collect him - as long as he's not wandering the streets." Back at home, Sgt Podge has breakfast before going to sleep by a warm radiator.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Concern grows for smallest bear.
Experts are fearful for the long-term survival of sun bears.Habitat loss and commerical hunting have been blamed for a decline in the number of sun bears - the world's smallest species of bear. An assessment by World Conservation Union (IUCN) has re-classified the animal as "vulnerable". Experts estimate that sun bears, found in south-east Asia, have declined by at least 30% in the past 30 years.
The IUCN's bear expert groups warn that six out of the world's eight bear species are threatened with extinction. "Although we still have a lot to learn about the biology and ecology of this species (Helarctos malayanus), we are quite certain it is in trouble," said Rob Steinmetz, a member of the IUCN bear specialist group.
RED LIST DEFINITIONS
Extinct - Surveys suggest last known individual has died
Critically Endangered - Extreme high risk of extinction - this means some Critically Endangered species are also tagged Possibly Extinct
Endangered - Species at very high risk of extinction
Vulnerable - Species at high risk of extinction
Near Threatened - May soon move into above categories
Least Concern - Species is widespread and abundant
Data Deficient - not enough data to assess
"We estimate that sun bears have declined by at least 30% over the past 30 years and continue to decline at this rate." Mr Steinmetz said deforestation had reduced the size and quality of the bears' habitat. "Where habitat is now protected, commercial poaching remains a significant threat," he added. "We are working with governments, protected area managers, conservation groups and local people to prevent extinctions of the many small, isolated sun bear populations."
Until this latest assessment, the bears had been classified as "data deficient" because not enough was known about the state of the species. One of the iconic species for conservationists, the giant panda, remains listed as "endangered", despite recent efforts in China to release captive-bred pandas into the wild.
The American black bear is one of two species not to be under threat ."Even though some people have claimed that panda populations are on the rise, we still consider them endanagered because too much uncertainty exists to justify changing their status," explained Dave Garshelis, co-chairman of the IUCN bear specialist group. Although the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) remains the world's most threatened bear species, there are reasons to be optimistic about its long-term survival.
China has established nearly 60 panda reserves, a logging ban and begun a programme of reforestation. Out of the eight species featured on the IUCN Red List, only the American black bear is considered secure throughout its range, which includes Canada, the US and Mexico. With an estimated population of 900,000, there are more than twice the number of American black bears than all the other species put together.
STATUS OF WORLD'S BEARS
Giant panda - Endangered
Sun bear - Vulnerable
Asiatic black bear - Vulnerable
Sloth bear - Vulnerable
Andean bear - Vulnerable
Polar bear - Vulnerable
Brown bear - Least Concern
American black bear - Least Concern
(Source: IUCN)
"An enormous amount of effort and funding for conservation and management continue to be directed at bears in North America," said Bruce McLellan, Mr Garshelis' fellow co-chairman of the group. "It is unfortunate that so little is directed at bears in Asia and South America where the need is extreme." The assessment of the seven terrestrial bear species and polar bear (technically classified as a marine mammal) was published on Sunday following a meeting in Mexico.
The findings will be used to update the bears' entries in the 2007 edition Red List of Threatened Species, which is considered to be the most authoriative audit of more than 41,000 species.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
For D.J., Amber and Gomo
Saturday 10th November 2007
Tragedy came to my home area this week and I write this letter for a family represented by three generations who have worked to save an endangered species for Zimbabwe. More specifically I write this letter for D.J., Amber, and Gomo who were shot and killed one night this week.
These three Black Rhino were saved from rampant poaching that was ravaging Zimbabwe in the mid 1980's. Seven young Black Rhino calves, three males and four females were sent to Imire Game Park where they were hand reared. Standing chest high they were bottle fed on a carefully worked out milk formula from five litre plastic bottles fitted with calf teats. You have to see this to really appreciate it, the pushing and shoving, the loud schlurping noises and contented glugging, the vast streams of silver dribble and the look of contentment and pure delight in the eyes of the young animals.
These seven Black Rhino were part of a grand scheme by farmers and Government to save a species. Private Game Parks and Conservancies, at entirely their own risk and expense, would rear the animals, allow them to breed and then return the offspring to National Parks so that all Zimbabweans could share in this wonderous heritage.
Over 20 years those seven Black Rhino thrived at Imire. This was a superb achievement - for man and animal. The Rhino had to be guarded from poachers, day and night; they had to be fed on massive amounts of purchased supplementary feed and they had to be contented enough to breed and for the females to carry their calves for the full 450 day gestation. Vets and experts came in when needed and de-horned the Rhinos, removing the matted hair-like structure which was the lure to the poachers and the very cause of their persecution. Over two decades the Travers' family returned more than half a dozen Black Rhino reared on Imire to the Department of National Parks and gave a great gift back to our country.
Four poachers came to Imire at around 9.30 in the evening this week. D.J. was shot and killed. Her calf, just a few weeks old, survived. Amber, heavily pregnant, was shot and killed. Her unborn calf, almost at full term, did not survive. Gomo, a male, was shot and killed. The horn stump from one rhino, perhaps one handful, was taken by the poachers.
D.J.'s calf will be hand reared on Imire with two other young rhino. Already that precious milk formula has been sought and the ingredients searched for in this time of madness when our shops are empty and almost all goods are unobtainable.
I do not know the details of the crime, the slaughter and the perpetrators but I feel a great sadness inside me. It is many years since I had first hand encounters with elephants and rhino but they are memories ingrained in my heart: the feel of their skin, the look in their eyes, the sounds they make and the smell of them and knowing that their lives and their future depended on us. We must not give up.
Until next week, thanks for reading, love cathy.
Cats 'killed by flea treatment'.
Hundreds of cats may have died because their owners mistakenly treated them with anti-flea products intended for dogs, a study suggests. The Veterinary Poisons Information Service found that one in 10 cats referred to it had died after being exposed to permethrin.
The chemical is used in flea treatments for dogs but is very toxic to cats, said Alex Campbell of VPIS. VPIS wants clearer warnings to be displayed on canine treatments. Mr Campbell said the substance was present in many products, but in very low concentrations.
If accidentally applied to cats they can show "severe clinical signs" and need two or three days of intensive veterinary treatment if they are to survive. "You'd find it in ant powders and a few things like that, but in those sort of products it's in very low concentrations, so it doesn't usually cause problems in either cats or dogs," he told BBC Radio 5Live.
"However, it is occasionally used in spot-on flea treatments for dogs and if you accidentally apply these to cats, or you've treated your dog and your cat comes into contact with the dog, and actually manages to groom some of it off or whatever, then potentially the cat can get severe clinical signs. "This substance is very toxic to cats."
In a study of 286 cases in which canine spot-on permethrin preparations had been used on cats found that 97% showed signs of poisoning. Around 90% displayed symptoms of twitching and convulsions, with one in 10 dying or having to be put down.
However, Mr Campbell said poisoning may be more widespread as not all vets report every case, nor do they all use the VPIS, which is part of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
How do you count tigers?
WHO, WHAT, WHY?
The Magazine answers...
India is lining up a "tiger protection force" to try to prevent poachers forcing the animal into extinction. New figures put numbers at less than 1,500. But how do experts count the big cats? As any visitor to India's wildernesses will tell you, the beautiful Bengal tiger is an elusive beast. You might hear one, see its droppings or spot its footprints in the mud, but few clap eyes on one.
Even for experts, arriving at an accurate estimate of their numbers is a huge challenge. First they have to find the tigers, or evidence of them, then be sure they haven't counted the same one twice. With tiger numbers at such a critical low, it is crucial to know how many remain.
THE ANSWER
Camera traps that take a picture of the tiger are being used again, along with other tactics "You need 30 to 40 breeding females and 10 to 20 males to form a viable population," says Valmik Thapar, one of India's leading conservationists. "Otherwise in-breeding becomes a problem."
The authorities also need to gain a clear picture of the extent of poaching - the biggest threat to tigers. The latest figures are based on data collected using a variety of techniques from radio-collaring to camera trapping. Numbers are gathered for an area of 100km2 then extrapolated to give an estimate for a wider area.
Camera trapping - getting the animal to set off a camera to take a picture of itself - was pioneered in the 1920s by Englishman FW Champion, a forester with the Imperial Forestry Service in India. A tripwire triggers the camera. Using tripwires and flash, Champion obtained dozens of remarkable photographs of tigers at night, as well as other passing wildlife.
Champion was fascinated by tigers and hated having to issue permits to dignitaries who came to his area of forest to shoot them. "He often gave out permits for areas where he knew there weren't any tigers," says his grandson James Champion, who is researching his grandfather's life for a book.
A rare early conservationist who detailed his experiences with tigers in two books still used by foresters today, Champion recognised that with good photographs of the animals, it was possible to tell individuals apart by their different stripe patterns. But since tigers numbered tens of thousands at the time, there was little need for counting and the idea of using photography for that purpose seems to have been lost in the mists of time.
By the 70s tiger numbers had been decimated by hunting, habitat loss and poaching. Then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi outlawed hunting and launched Project Tiger in an effort to save India's most impressive beast. Scientists involved in the project used a technique called the "pugmark method" - taking plastercasts of tiger footprints and measuring them - to provide data on the tiger population. But the technique had many pitfalls; it's difficult to get a good foot impression in hard soil or by a waterhole, and how to tell how many cubs in a litter when all their footprints would be roughly the same size?
Thirty years on, many experts began to realise using pugmarks alone was unreliable and began arguing for more sophisticated means. Camera trapping came back into fashion. Now cameras are set off by more advanced methods than Champion's tripwires, and photos show both sides of the animal, making identifying and comparing them much easier.
Using these photos along with signals sent by radio collars, conservationists behind the recent national survey in India have gained more accurate data than ever before and the sad truth has emerged - a tiger population that many fear is on the brink of dying out.
"I had a meeting with the Prime Minster [Manmohan Singh] the other day and I didn't mince my words one tiny bit. I told him we are heading for extinction, so let's see what happens," says Valmik Thapar. FW Champion would doubtless be delighted to know camera trapping is being used again, but horrified that numbers have dropped so low.
BBC MAGAZINE
Wild boars 'invade' Chinese city.
China is lifting a ban on hunting wild boars after a number of the animals were discovered roaming freely in an eastern city, local media have said. The wild hogs have invaded dormitories, kitchens and scenic spots around West Lake in the city of Hangzhou, 200km (124 miles) south-east of Shanghai. One broke into a university kitchen and ate the leftovers before leaving.
The boars have been driven out of their usual mountain habitat by a scarcity of food, Shanghai Daily newspaper said. In one incident, tourists at a popular West Lake scenic spot were frightened by the sudden appearance of some of the boars, the newspaper said. Another of the boars, reported to weigh 200kg (440lb), rushed into a security guard's room and jumped onto his daughter's bed. The animal then ran out and rammed a taxi before disappearing from view.
The wild boar is usually a protected species and has thrived recently in the West Lake area due to an absence of predators, the Shanghai Daily said.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Texas man's snakes-in-tub record.
A Texas man has beaten his own bizarre world record - by sitting in a bathtub with 87 rattlesnakes for 45 minutes. Jackie Bibby, known as the Texas Snake Man, beat his previous best by 12 snakes in the heart-stopping feat. The venomous snakes were not defanged, he said, but none bit him during the challenge, which was certified by a Guinness World Records official. He set another record by holding 10 rattlesnakes by their tails in his mouth last year.
The snakes slithered all over him during Monday's event in Dublin, Texas, but Mr Bibby said the key to not getting bitten was to avoid making sudden movements. "The key to not biting is for me to stay still," he said. "Rapid movement scares a rattlesnake. If you move real slow and gentle, that doesn't seem to bother them."
He set his previous record sitting in the specially-made see-through dry tub with 75 snakes in Los Angeles in 1999.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Piranha-like fish found on beach.
Despite their teeth Ray's bream are harmless to people. A rare piranha-like fish, normally native to deep waters, has been found washed up on a Norfolk beach. A Ray's bream was identified by staff at Hunstanton's Sea Life Sanctuary after a chalet attendant found it on the town's beach. Up to 20in (50cm) in size with huge teeth, the fish have only been seen four times in the UK in the past 35 years and are common near Iceland.
A sanctuary spokesman said the ferocious looking fish are harmless. Robert Meyer, aquarist at the sanctuary, said: "It normally lives in deeper waters and is common around Iceland but apparently this is a species that can suddenly invade in large numbers, and that might well be what's happening.
"Because it looks such a ferocious fish people might well be worried about going in the sea or letting pets splash in the tide edge, but they've nothing to fear. "It might look a bit like a big piranha and it certainly has sharp teeth, but it never uses them on anything as big as a person, or even a very small dog."
The sanctuary said that although there are usually intervals of several years between sightings of the fish, their inquiries had discovered three fish had washed up in Moray Firth, Scotland, last month and one in Heacham, Norfolk in 2005.
Prior to this the most recent recorded sighting was in Bacton, Norfolk in 1972.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Cat found in pub's lager delivery.
Pub staff were surprised to discover that a cat had been delivered along with their weekly lager supplies. The black and white animal arrived at The Swan in Ironbridge, Shropshire, on board a Carlsberg lorry with the driver unaware of his extra passenger.
It has now been adopted by staff member Catherine Redgrave who has christened it Carlsberg. "He is more than welcome to stay with me, but it would be nice to see him back with his real owners," she said. It is not known where Carlsberg has come from, or how long the animal had been travelling in the back of the lorry.
"We spotted little Carlsberg cowering on the lorry frame and eventually coaxed him down," said 26-year-old Catherine. "The delivery driver was as shocked as we were and said that we could look after him because he didn't know where he had come from. "We fed him some bacon and milk and took him to the vet in case he had been microchipped.
"When we still had no idea where he belonged at the end of the day I took him home and he has been with me ever since. "He is more than welcome to stay with me, but it would be nice to see him back with his real owners where he belongs."
BBC NEWS REPORT.
India to step up guard on tigers.
There has been a sharp decline in the number of tigers in India. India is to recruit retired