BBC Wildlife Volume 36 #02

BUDGIES

































Above: budgie particular budgie when the super-flock it flies into is able
super-flocks can change direction so swiftly and seamlessly.
travel hundreds of As Roland sat and watched them, the budgies seemed
kilometres to find
standing water. to land at the waterhole in wave after wave, with groups
Left: although the of birds taking it in turn to drink. As each bird departed,
size of flocks may another was always ready to take its place. Some sipped
change, bonded from the water’s edge, while others touched down briefly
pairs always
stay together. on the surface to quench their thirst. “They can land on
the water for one to two seconds,” Roland says. “Along
with an unusual species of Australian pigeon called the
flock bronzewing, they’re
the only land birds I know
WILD BUDGIES HAVE TWO SET that can do this.”
Budgie feathers, however,
are not waterproof. So if a
FLIGHT SPEEDS THAT THEY
bird lingers on the water
SWITCH BETWEEN ABRUPTLY.
too long and is pushed
under by an incomer,
TOP SPEED IS SAVED FOR USE
its plumage can become
waterlogged and the bird
IN CLEAR, OPEN SPACES.
struggles to take off. As
they haul themselves onto dry land they are sitting
have filmed budgies flying towards each other in a wind ducks (pardon the pun) for the large monitor lizards
tunnel and found that, to avoid collision, the birds follow an called goannas, feral cats and Australian ravens that wait
unexpectedly simple rule. They always veer to the right. opportunistically on the shore to seize them.
Moreover, wild budgies appear have two set flight Overall, this ‘collateral damage’ makes little difference
speeds that they switch between abruptly. They either fly to the size of the already swollen population. For wild
fast, at around 9.44 metres/second, or slow, at a more budgies, when times are harsh, there really is safety in
leisurely 5.44 metres/second. Top speed is saved for use numbers. Nor are the birds thought to be suffering any
in clear, open spaces, while ‘second gear’ is reserved for ill-effects from climate change. Although the total wild
cluttered environments. It’s a technique that Srinivasan population is unknown – it’s tricky to estimate because
thinks helps them to judge distance and avoid crashes. numbers fluctuate so wildly – the International Union
for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) believes that the
SHAPE SHIFTERS population as a whole is increasing.
By flying at the appropriate speed, and always swerving Budgies have survived the harsh conditions of
in the same direction, the budgies are able to orchestrate Australia’s outback for millions of years, and they’re not
their amazing aerial displays without collision or showing any signs of buckling now. It means that one of
catastrophe. But why do it? Surely there’s more to these + FIND OUT MORE the continent’s best-kept and most spectacular secrets will
manoeuvres than just the joy of flying or showing off? Watch budgies be around for some time to come.
Scientists think that the budgies perform their swirling in this BBC clip:
www.bbc.co.uk/
murmurations in order to confuse the predators that are HELEN PILCHER is a science writer. Her book Bring
programmes/
inevitably drawn to this enormous avian buffet. It is hard Back the King: The New Science of De-extinction
p028f7qv
for a whistling kite or Australian goshawk, say, to target a (Bloomsbury Sigma, £16.99) is out now.
February 2018 BBC Wildlife 51

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AGENDA AFTER LILLITH:
ANALYSIS
WHAT NOW FOR
BRINGING LYNX
BACK TO BRITAIN?

O ARE WE READY TO REINTRODUCE
ii UNDERSTAND THE ISSUES | BE PART OF THE SOLUTION THIS KIND OF LARGE CARNIVORE? P60


The South Sandwich
Islands are a nearly
pristine marine
environment – one
island alone has half of
all chinstrap penguins.
































BLUE PLANET’S PENGUIN PICK-UP


THE HUGELY POPULAR NATURAL HISTORY PROGRAMME COULD BEQUEATH A SIGNIFICANT CONSERVATION LEGACY.

alls for one of the world’s Helena and Tristan da Cunha, Georgia together hold a quarter permitted, but GBO wants the
largest ‘no-take zones’ all in the South Atlantic. of all the world’s penguins.” Government to go further.
Cto be created around the But the South Sandwich As BBC Wildlife went to press, The campaign was launched
South Sandwich Islands – one Islands are regarded as the jewel 216 MPs had backed its calls using #BackTheBlueBelt, and
of 14 of the UK’s Overseas in the crown because they are for this to be declared a fully according to GBO, someone
Territories (OTs) – have gained still a near-pristine environment, protected marine reserve with all was tweeting about it every 1.8
significant impetus following according to Simon commercial activity seconds during the last episode
the conclusion of Blue Planet II Reddy of the Pew such as fishing and of Blue Planet II.
at the end of last year. Bertarelli Ocean DID YOU fossil fuel extraction “We are leveraging Blue Planet
A coalition of conservation Legacy, one of the GBO KNOW? prohibited. As to see this once-in-a-generation
and environmental groups, coalition partners. envisaged, the reserve opportunity realised by making
under the banner of the Great “They are so remote South Georgia would cover 0.5m the biggest public noise possible,
and the South
2
British Oceans (GBO), says the and inhospitable, no Sandwich Islands km , an area twice the one our MPs can’t ignore,” GBO
Jan Vermeer/Minden Pictures/FLPA even greater than that. he says. “One island wildlife hotspots, (together with South + FIND OUT MORE
size of the UK.
says. James Fair
legacy of the BBC series could be
one ever goes there,”
are considered one
of the world’s top
The islands
alone is home to half
It is pressing the British
home to 95 per cent
Georgia) were declared
Government to protect some 4m
the world’s chinstrap
of all Antarctic fur
Government of South Georgia
2
seals and more than
penguins, and the
a Marine Protected
km of ocean – an area larger
and the South Sandwich
half of all southern
than all of India – in territories
Area in 2012, with
South Sandwich
Islands: http://bit.ly/2D675I4
including Ascension Island, St
February 2018 Islands and South elephant seals. sustainable fishing BBC Wildlife 53

Most British rivers may
now be contaminated with ORIOLE'S
new pesticides, hitting
freshwater species VAGRANT
such as mayflies.
VALUE

The value of a single
black-backed oriole in
Pennsylvania, in the US,
has been calculated at
$223,000 (£166,000) by
a team of scientists lead Mayflies: Catalin Eremia/Shutterstock; oriole: Ricardo Medina/Shutterstock; hawfinch: Fernando Sanchez de Castro/Alamy
by a Phd student from the
University of New South
Wales in Sydney.
That’s because the oriole
was a vagrant, spotted some
5,000km from its usual
home of Mexico in January
2017, and an estimated
1,800 birders came from the
US and Canada to see it over
UK RIVERS POLLUTION CRISIS 67 days, spending $3,000
a day on travel, food and
accommodation.
Monitoring carried out in 2016 in Norfolk were the two most “This suggests if you stop using Some birdwatchers
found high levels of pesticides polluted rivers, probably because them, they stop coming down the contribute “significant time
in our freshwater habitats. of the use of neonicotinoids on river,” he says. and financial resources”
sugar beet, Buglife says. Neonicotinoids are highly to viewing rare or vagrant
Monitoring of 23 rivers in “We have known there’s been toxic to aquatic insects such as birds, notes author Cory
the UK has revealed massive a problem with neonicotinoids mayflies, thereby impacting on Callaghan in the journal,
contamination of our freshwater in our rivers since 2009,” says both fish and birds. the Human Dimensions
systems with the pesticides Buglife’s Matt Shardlow. The Environment Agency says of Wildlife.
known as neonicotinoids. According to Shardlow, the it has not taken any action to
The data was obtained by use of these pesticides in arable reduce neonicotinoid pollution
Buglife but not released by the fields is not the only problem in England since the work was
Environment Agency, which – contamination coming from carried out. “We monitor for
carried out the work, or the greenhouses and pets treated for pesticides annually at 18 sites, and
Department for Environment, flea control is also a big issue. the data is issued to the EC, Defra
Food & Rural Affairs (Defra), There is a glimmer of hope, and the Health & Safety Executive
which is responsible for policy. Shardlow says. The River Ouse, to inform policy decisions,” it says
Nearly 90 per cent of sites in in Bedfordshire – which is largely in a statement. James Fair
Britain were contaminated with surrounded by fields used for
neonicotinoids, with eight rivers oilseed rape – has low levels of + FIND OUT MORE
exceeding recommended levels. pollution. The EU banned the use Read Buglife’s report: This oriole was
The Waveney, on the Norfolk- of neonicotinoids on flowering http://bit.ly/2Bl3NTZ worth £166,000,
say academics.
Suffolk border, and the Wensum plants, such as rape, in 2013.
Owl: Simon Litten/FLPA; Caroline Lucas: Mark Thomas/Alamy; otter: Arterra/Getty

ON
CONSERVATION briefing

E
BARN OWL RESERVE A SCREECHING U-TURN
The Hawk and Owl Trust is looking to ` AND A HUGE WIN
o
expand its Sculthorpe Moor reserve
FOR
in Norfolk after receiving grrant FOR CAMPAIGNERS."
money to help it develop plans for
the purchase of two new paarcels of
land. The reserve currently covers The rea c ction of Green MP Caroline Lucas to Michael Gove’s
announc cement that the Government would pass legislation
18ha and is home to barn and forcing m
ministers to consider animal welfare and sentience
w policies. It followed political controversy when MPs
m
tawny owls and breeding marsh in all new
rejected the same idea while considering an amendment put
harriers in the summer. forward b by Lucas to the EU Withdrawal (Brexit) Bill.
54 BBC Wildlife February 2018

AGENDA NEWS




BE
Conditions both here
and on the Continent BEYOND
brought an influx
of hawfinches.
THE
h
headlines

SEPARATING FACT FROM FICTION



THE TRUTH IS OUT
– DNA ANALYSIS
OF 'YETI' PELTS
HAS SHOWN THEY
REALLY BELONG TO
BROWN BEARS AND
ASIAN BLACK BEARS,
SAYS CHARLOTTE
NATIONAL TRUST DETECTS LINDQVIST.
-
ALL-YEAR SILLY SEASONS What did you do?
A paper published in 2014
Weird weather impacting Bluefin tuna were spotted analysed two samples
species in both positive and off Cornwall, drawn back to purported to be from Sorry, but yetis
negative ways, Trust says. UK shores after an absence of yetis and claimed they aren't real – and now
more than 50 years by returning actually came from a we have the proof.
Freak weather conditions and herring and mackerel, while brown-polar bear hybrid,
strange seasonal episodes purple emperors were discovered while the mountaineer to live on in the Himalayan
contributed to some bizarre at the Trust’s Sheringham Park, Reinhold Messner, who was region and local folklore, as
wildlife events in 2017, the the first time they’ve been seen in obsessed with unravelling similar myths do in many
National Trust has said. Norfolk in 40 years. the identity of the yeti, had other cultures. Besides,
On the plus side, the autumnal On the minus side, a dry previously suggested that even if there is no proof
crop of berries, nuts and seeds winter led to a lack of breeding yetis were really bears. We for the existence of these
(and a correspondingly poor pools for natterjack toads at looked at 24 samples from creatures, it is impossible
return in mainland Europe) saw Sandscale Haws, and autumnal both bears and creatures to completely rule out that
a huge influx of hawfinches to storms contributed to a high claimed to be yetis. they live or have ever lived.
Britain, with flocks as large as mortality rate of grey seal pups in And, of course, people
50 reported in some areas. Wales and the south-west. What did find? love mysteries!
We concluded that all the
samples were indeed from Did your research reveal
ursids, but none of them anything else?
The proportion of voters who say
pesticides that harm bees and other were polar bear hybrids. Yes, we showed that
80% pollinators should be completely banned, We found they belonged Himalayan brown bears
to Himalayan, Tibetan and
appear to be from an
according to a new poll. Environment
secretary Michael Gove has recently committed the UK Eurasian brown bears and ancient lineage that
Government to further restrictions on the use of neonicotinoids. Asian black bears. may have been isolated
from other brown bear
So, the yeti is a myth? populations – including the
Our results from this relatively close ones living
research strongly suggest in the Tibetan Plateau – for
that the belief in yetis has more than 600,000 years.
its roots in biological facts So the Himalayan bears
and is closely connected have special significance,
GLAND TO MEET YOU
to bears that still live in the and since their population
Otters in Britain have different
region today. Personally, is dwindling, this suggests
odour dialects, according to new
I have no doubt that the they should be of high
research carried out at Cardiff
existence of a primate- conservation priority.
University’s School of Biosciences.
like cryptic species in the
Otters use scent glands to
communicate with each other, and Himalayan-Tibetan region is DR CHARLOTTE LINDQVIST
is an associate professor of
the study suggests that individuals indeed a myth. biological sciences in the
with different odour profiles might University at Buffalo College of
Arts and Sciences. Chronicle/Alamy
struggle to understand each other. Is that it for yetis?
O Want to comment? Email
I’m sure they will continue [email protected]
February 2018 BBC Wildlife 55

AGENDA NEWS



Q EXPERT BRIEFING
CONSERVATION



INSIGHT







ADDER


BRITAIN’S ONLY VENOMOUS
SNAKE IS DECLINING BUT INCREASED
AWARENESS CAN TURN ITS FORTUNES
AROUND, SAYS JIM FOSTER.

hough adders appear to lizards, and occasionally
be widespread across nestling birds and amphibians.
TGreat Britain and are There are a number of reasons
found from Cornwall to north- why adders are declining. Loss of
east Scotland, the truth is they habitat is one factor, but adder
are rare or absent in many habitat also deteriorates where it
areas of the country, and have is unmanaged because it
disappeared entirely from becomes too shaded, and
whole counties, including problems develop if
Adder: Jason Steel; map from Britain’s Reptiles and Amphibians by Howard Inns (Princeton WILDGuides)
Hertfordshire, Nottinghamshire it is overgrazed or ADDER
and Warwickshire. subjected to ` HABITAT
Globally, they have a huge extensive burning.
range, and are found right across Disturbance, DETERIORATES
Europe and Asia, as far north as predation by cats and WHERE IT IS
the Arctic Circle and as far east as pheasants (the birds
Russia’s Pacific coast. They live in are known to kill UNMANAGED
a variety of habitats, including young adders) – IT BECOMES
s
heathland, acid and chalk and genetic
grassland, open woodland, impoverishment TOO SHADED.”
moorland, mire and coastal areas. may all be
South-west Scotland and coastal issues too.
South Wales have large areas of The situation can be turned
good adder habitat. around, but we need to act
They require open areas quickly. Greater awareness is
receiving sunlight for basking, needed (including in the
vegetation that provides shelter conservation sector), plus better
overnight and for winter data on the factors affecting them.
hibernation and a healthy Where habitat enhancement
supply of prey, mainly small work is done – such as at the
mammals (voles) and common Amphibians and Reptile
Conservation Trust’s Town
Adders have Common reserve in Dorset –
been recently
recorded they do well. It would also help
if negative public attitudes
Within species’

range but few and misconceptions could
recent records
be corrected.
No adders
JIM FOSTER is the conservation
director of the Amphibian and Reptile
Conservation Trust ( (ARC). ) Snake in the grass:
the secretive nature
+ FIND OUT MORE of the adder and
its camouflaged
ARC adder fact file: markings often means
Xxxxxx www.arc-trust.org/adder that it goes unnoticed.
56 BBC Wildlife February 2018

FACT FILE
ADDER
VIPERA BERUS
HABITAT Heathland,
grassland, open woodland,
moorland and coastal areas
DIET Small mammals, lizards,
nestling birds
THREATS Loss of, and poorly
managed, habitat; predation
by non-native species; small,
fragmented populations

! IUCN RED LIST STATUS
LEAST CONCERN




































































February 2018 BBC Wildlife 57

READER
HOLIDAY EXCLUSIVE


Go on a wild long
weekend to beautiful
Slovenia!














Lake Cerknica
provides a home
for a huge range
of species.

Brown bear


extravaganza




S eek out br o w n b e ar s in unspoilt S
Seek out brown bears in unspoilt Slovenia with
BBC Wildlife on this fantastic four-day trip. MEET YOUR GUIDE

MIHA MLAKAR
Growing up on the
he Dinaric Alps region of Slovenia 25-28 will stay in a traditional guesthouse edge of the forests of
is one of Europe’s great wilderness on the forest’s edge run by local Sneznik inspired Miha
Tareas that has remained largely MAY naturalist Miha Mlakar, where you to develop an interest
unchanged for 50 years. This exclusive 2018 will enjoy delicious meals. in wildlife in the region.
He has been observing
BBC Wildlife four-day reader holiday takes This carefully chosen region of
brown bears for many
you to view the area’s thriving European Slovenia is renowned for its fascinating years using a network
brown bear population from specially designed karst landscape that offers a plethora of of viewing hides.
hides, just a short distance from where you natural wonders to explore. A morning’s
will be staying. Throughout the trip you will birding could include a visit to Lake
be accompanied by specialist guides and a Cerknica, one of the largest lakes in Europe
member of the BBC Wildlife staff. that is dry for part of the year. This Wetland
There will be great opportunities to search of International Importance provides
in the forests for impressive Ural owls and habitat for 276 species of birds, including READER HOLIDAY
an exciting range of woodpeckers (three-toed, corncrakes and white-tailed eagles. TO SLOVENIA
black, grey-headed and middle spotted) On return to Ljubljana you will explore
with help from bird expert Domen Stanic. the remarkable Krizna Jama cave, where it’s 25–28 MAY 2018
After spending afternoons and evenings possible to see some endemic cave species
a
ng
y
ou

and
bear and bird watching you and Ice Age fossils of cave bears. COST
bear

watchi

bird
Price including flights £1,145
HIGHLIGHTS OF YOUR TRIP Price excluding flights £995
Single supplement £70
● Observe European ● Travel with local Group size: maximum 9
brown bears from naturalist Miha
purpose-built hides Mlakar, bird expert TO BOOK
Domen Stanic and
ˇ
● Discover one of a member of the
Europe’s great BBC Wildlife staff 01962 302 086
wilderness areas
● Find Ural owls and [email protected]
● Stay in a traditional woodpeckers
guesthouse on the www.wildlifeworldwide.com/group-
edge of the forest ● Explore the region’s tours/brown-bear-weekend
with meals included karst landscape
Not included: Drinks outside of mealtimes, tips, travel insurance
The Dinaric Alps is and other items of a personal nature
home to Europe’s
highest density of O The full itinerary for this trip is available at
breeding Ural owls. www.discoverwildlife.com/reader-holiday/bears-slovenia
58
58 BBC Wildlifee February 2018
BBC
ildlif
W

AGENDA OPINION




Mark Carwardine’s

AT A GLANCE...







25
CORAL BLEACHING


WHAT IS CORAL? together cover an area no more frequent, more
When corals
It may look like a plant but bigger than France. intense and more
expel the algae
it is an animal, related to sea living in their widespread, leading
anemones. A tiny, soft-bodied WHY ARE THEY tissues, they to massive die-offs
creature called a ‘polyp’, it UNDER THREAT? turn white. around the world. As
lives with thousands of other Coral reefs are fragile well as a shocking
polyps to form a colony. ecosystems. Major amount of regional
So-called hard coral polyps threats include bleaching, there
extract calcium carbonate pollution, fishing have been three
from the seawater and use with cyanide and Global Bleaching
it to build exoskeletons to dynamite, overfishing, Events – in 1998,
protect themselves. They coastal development, 2010 and, most
build on the exoskeletons of collection for the recently, June 2014
their ancestors and, as the pet and curio to May 2017. Experts
centuries pass, the coral trades, coral mining predict that if greenhouse
reef slowly grows. for building materials and gas emissions are not
sedimentation. According to drastically reduced, these
WHAT ABOUT THE WWF, roughly one-quarter events will become routine.
FAMOUS ‘SPECIAL of coral reefs worldwide are ` SMALL
RELATIONSHIP’? already considered damaged RISES IN HOW IS THE GREAT
Reef-building corals would beyond repair, and most of the BARRIER REEF DOING?
not survive without single- rest are under serious threat. TEMPERATURE The Great Barrier Reef – the
celled algae living inside their FOR A FEW world’s largest living structure
tissues. In this remarkable WHAT ABOUT CORAL – has experienced its worst
symbiotic relationship, the BLEACHING? WEEKS AT ever mass bleaching events in
coral provides the algae The symbiotic algae are A TIME IS the past two years, and these
with a home and nutrients highly susceptible to changes are believed to have killed at
for photosynthesis (from in their environment – it ENOUGH TO least half the coral.
its own metabolic waste) doesn’t take much for them CAUSE CORAL
and, in return, the algae to stop producing food and BLEACHING.” CAN CORAL REEFS
provides the coral with food die. Then they are ejected RECOVER?
(to supplement the food it from the coral. If they go, Yes and no. The polyps can
scoops out of the seawater). so do their vibrant colours catch their own food and
It is these extra nutrients that and all that’s left is the survive for a short time
enable the coral to build reefs. coral’s white skeleton. This without the algae, but they
is ‘coral bleaching’. Many ultimately die themselves if
WHAT IS SO SPECIAL environmental issues cause it, they can’t find replacements.
ABOUT CORAL REEFS? but the single biggest factor is The problem is that they need
It would be hard to exaggerate rising sea temperatures due time – full recovery can take
their importance. Teeming to global warming. Coral reefs as long as a decade. If the
with life, they support are already operating very temperature is too high
MARK CARWARDINE
more species than any near to their upper limit of is a frustrated and for too long, or it peaks too
frank conservationist.
other marine environment heat tolerance, so small rises often, the chances of survival
Every month he
and even rival rainforests of just 1–2ºC above the norm demystifies some of the are slim. And, if the reefs
in their biodiversity. They for a few weeks at a time is most important issues die, everything else dies
Jurgen Freund/naturepl.com support fishing industries HOW BAD IS THE the organisations + FIND OUT MORE
affecting the world’s
act as natural barriers,
enough to cause bleaching.

with them.
wildlife and assesses
that protect it.
and communities, provide
PROBLEM?
employment through tourism,
O Would you like to
National Ocean Service
comment? Email
Very bad. Over the past 30
and much more. Yet all
website: http://bit.ly/2zLZrDy
wildlifeletters@
the coral reefs in the world
February 2018 years bleaching has become immediate.co.uk BBC Wildlife 59

AGENDA ANALYSIS





















An application to
release six lynx
into Kielder Forest,
Northumberland, is
being considered by
Natural England.













Lillith the lynx escaped
from captivity and
ended up in a caravan
park. Some experts
dismiss claims that she
was ever a public threat.


hen a young to lynx reintroduction in any
female lynx area of the UK. Lillith, it seems,
escaped from had unwittingly scored an own
THE CASE WBorth Wild goal, putting back the case for
Animal Kingdom in Mid Wales the reintroduction of her own
FOR THE in late October, nobody could species into the wild.
have foreseen the scale of the
outrage that was unleashed.
After Borth zoo spent two
First, it was the turn of local DANGER CAT
MISSING of seven sheep were found in recapture Lillith, council
weeks trying and failing to
farmers when the carcasses
officials decided she had to
a field, suggesting Lillith had
be destroyed because of the
used her new-found freedom to
LYNX practise her hunting skills. danger she posed to the public,
which was described as having
Post mortems revealed the
“increased to severe” after she
sheep had been killed by a
single bite to the neck. Two
park. When this was carried out
had been partially eaten, but took up residence in a caravan
the other five were otherwise there was a backlash, especially
untouched, all suggesting a on social media.
lynx – rather than feral dogs, “Since the disgraceful
THE ESCAPE OF A LYNX FROM A ZOO as had also been mooted – was slaughter of poor Lillith, lynx
IN WEST WALES REVEALED HUGE the culprit, claims the National are back in the news,” reads
DIVISIONS OVER OUR ATTITUDE TO Sheep Association (NSA). one Facebook post. “Please
LARGE CARNIVORES. HAS LILLITH “There cannot be a clearer support these guys to bring this
SPOILED THE CASE FOR BRINGING warning of the damage lynx beautiful cat back to the UK.”
By “these guys”, the poster
PREDATORS BACK TO THE UK OR could do if they were released was referring to the Lynx UK
into the wild,” says Phil Stocker,
SHOWN WE ARE FINALLY READY TO chief executive of the NSA, an Trust, which currently has an
S
J
DEAL WITH THEM, ASKS JAMES FAIR. organisation resolutely opposed application being considered by
60 BBC Wildlife February 2018

AGENDA ANALYSIS





LYNX: GLOBAL RANGE AND NUMBERS





















Confirmed
lynx range
Possible
lynx range
` THERE Finland
CANNOT
BE A CLEARER In general, the lower the 2340-2610
population density in a
16
WARNING OF country, the healthier the Germany
lynx population. Finland
THE DAMAGE has the equal lowest 23 232
LYNX COULD number of people per km 2 Romania 1200-1500
DO IF RELEASED of any EU country and 84
the highest number of
INTO THE WILD.” lynx. Germany has a high France 108
population density and
116
only a small, reintroduced
Sweden
lynx population. There Human
Natural England to reintroduce 1400-1900 population
are exceptions – Norway per km 2
six lynx into Kielder Forest in 22
doesn’t have many lynx Norway
Northumberland. The Trust’s
despite being sparsely 384-408
Paul O’Donoghue believes the
populated. The UK has the 16 Total lynx
outcry over Lillith’s death has population
highest population density UK
boosted its case for bringing
of any EU country and – as
the species back to Britain. 271
yet – no wild lynx.
“People are aware that 0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000
lynx are not big cats and
are disgusted the council
took the decision to kill this lynx, that’s 2.4 sheep a year,” prolonged period. A separate adds. “What is important is that
animal,” he says. “It has been O’Donoghue says. “No one can study, carried out in the south seven sheep were found dead,
inexperienced, poorly advised argue that’s a significant threat, of Norway, found (during the and somebody believes they
and out-of-step [with public particularly compared with summer) sheep represented 64 were killed by a lynx. If lynx are
opinion] in dealing with background mortality rates.” per cent of ungulates killed by reintroduced to the UK, this
this issue.” 24 lynx monitored over a five- type of event will be repeated
O’Donoghue maintains SERIAL KILLERS year period. (Ungulates – sheep, again and again within a radius
there was no evidence the But John Linnell, a lynx expert goats, moose, red deer, roe deer of hundreds of kilometres of
sheep were the victims of a who works for the Norwegian and reindeer – represented the release site.”
Institute for Nature Research,
lynx attack, suggesting that for
80 per cent of their kills, with
These incidents will need to
Lilith: Borth Wild Animal Kingdom/PA; kielder: Getty biologically unprecedented”. dispatch large numbers without the other 20 per cent.) Males can differentiate lynx kills from
says lynx are capable of
be responded to rapidly, and
beavers, hares, squirrels, foxes
a single animal “to have killed
“multiple killings” and could
will require trained staff who
and grouse and other birds
seven sheep in one night is
other predator kills and then
eating them. His study of
and females with kittens were
Indeed, the Lynx UK Trust
communicate their findings
radio-collared lynx in northern
has consistently maintained
more likely to target sheep. One
to sheep farmers, the media
Norway revealed one case of
individual was responsible for
that lynx are not a threat to
eight sheep being killed by one
and the public. “Who will do
54 kills in a 100-day perod.
livestock, saying evidence from
animal in a single incident.
this?” he asks. “Who has the
mainland Europe suggests a
“Whether this lynx really
Lynx can also be major
single animal takes, on average,
and networks?”
0.4 sheep a year. “For our six
is not the main issue,” Linnell
61
February 2018 predators of sheep over a killed those sheep [in Wales] necessary funding, trust, skills
BBC Wildlife

AGENDA ANALYSIS



The extent to which
lynx will attack and
kill sheep is disputed
by experts.






Reducing roe deer
numbers and
helping woodland
regeneration would
be one benefit of
bringing back lynx.


PREDATORS ` LYNX WERE
ON THE RETURNED
PROWL TO THE HARZ
MOUNTAINS IN
When carnivores such as
lynx and wolves escape GERMANY AND
from zoos, there’s rarely LEARNED TO
a happy outcome.
KILL VERY FAST.” cropping the sward, leaving i th d l i Whatever happens with
ith
Wh
h
t
BORTH ZOO little variation in plant life. the Lynx UK Trust’s Kielder
Lillith the lynx was on the run But the Scottish Wildlife application – and the word is
for 12 days after getting out. There’s also no question, he Trust, which supports bringing that environment secretary
Attempts to recapture her adds, a zoo animal could have lynx back to Scotland, does not Michael Gove supports the
failed, and she was shot for been responsible. They were use this to justify its stance. idea of doing a trial lynx
public safety reasons. used in a reintroduction in the Instead, it argues there is reintroduction somewhere –
Harz Mountains in Germany, both a “moral and ecological even some conservationists
DARTMOOR ZOO and “learned to kill very fast”. imperative for reintroducing believe releases of these large
A male lynx spent three [lost] species” because they carnivores should not be a
weeks in the wild and killed TOURISM CONCERN can be a cost-effective way of priority in Britain right now.
four sheep in 2016, but was According to NSA press officer managing ecosystems and “I don’t think, despite the
recaptured after being lured Hannah Park, reintroducing increasing their robustness. Not hype, we are ready for lynx,”
into a trap with a piece of veal. lynx to Kielder would have a all predators would be suitable says Derek Gow, who has been
detrimental impact because – there is appropriate habitat at the forefront of bringing
COLCHESTER ZOO of the fear of losing livestock for lynx, the Trust argues, but beavers back to Britain. “There
Five timber wolves escaped to them. Farmers would move not for wolves or bears. Lynx is no evidence that the Lynx
from Colchester Zoo in away from sheep, leading to would have a beneficial impact Trust has built any bridges with
November 2013, and three of a loss, or degradation, of the by reducing roe deer numbers, anyone else, and a complete
them were shot later that day. environment that attracts thereby helping tree and climate of opposition to the
organisation’s approach to this
scrub regeneration.
viltkamera.nina.no the other was darted. is sceptical of the line that lynx conservation, Susan Davies, application – though not its
tourists to the area. The NSA
One returned to its enclosure,
The Trust’s director of
principal aims – currently exists.
can aid tourism because they
There is support in the north
says she hopes to see a licence
are so elusive.
COTSWOLD
wolf: Klein & Hubert/NPL(captive); deer: Getty; sheep: morning in July 2017. for an animal they cannot a coalition of organisations unanimous lack of support from
application put forward within
from tourist-based businesses
“There’s only so many times
WILDLIFE PARK
WILDLIFE PARK
for the Kielder proposal, but a
the next 10 years, probably from
people will go to an area to look
A female wolf got out one
that includes landowners
even the reasonable elements of
see,” she says.
ff
Park staff said she
and communities, as well as
the farming community.”
Many conservationists
was out of range to
Besides, Gow adds, there’s a
environmental groups.
will cheer the prospect of
tranquilise, so she
far more interesting
landscapes with fewer
was shot later
reintroduction idea he’d like to
FAKE NEWS
FAKE NEWS
sheep. Of all livestock,
that day.
they arguably have
“I don’t think [the escape and
get involved with – bringing
the most detrimental
effect on biodiversity,
that’s another story...
has set reintroduction back,” she
says. “It shows just how much
partly because of the subsequent shooting of Lillith] wildcats back to England. But
density with which they are work needs to be done in terms + FIND OUT MORE
farmed and partly because of of increasing understanding
the way they feed, closely and building consensus. A lot of Lynx UK Trust’s trial
reintroduction plans: www.
misinformation [came out] about lynxuk.org/publications
what lynx can and will do.”
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Southern giant petrel
chicks are raised with
a spectacular sea view.
After fledging, juveniles
spend their first few
years on an extensive
circumnavigation of the
Southern Ocean.

















































Photos by Jamie Coleman

VULTURES








of the WAVES









Although not the prettiest birds to grace the planet, if you ever get
the chance to see giant petrels in the wild they will command your

respect like few others, says research scientist Jamie Coleman.

GIANT PETRELS





hey may not be pretty but they most definitely and thrive in some of the most inhospitable
l
e
are beautiful in their own uncompromising environments of the world,” says ornithologist
ogist
way. There is nothing quite like watching the David Steel. “It’s no coincidence that petrels ls
coming together of hundreds of these majestic are most numerous in latitudes with
giants at a recently deceased corpse. With persistent winds. They make flying in the e
piranha-like efficiency, they can tear hundreds strongest of weather look easy, as wing adaptations
daptations
he air currents
of kilograms of flesh from an elephant seal let them exploit the wind’s energy and the air currents
Tcarcass in hours, with powerful tube-nosed that develop over steep ocean waves. This allows them
s allows them
of energy. These
bills strong enough to crack open a seal skull. Plunging to travel long distances with little waste of energy. These
deep into the remains, the heads and necks of these usually seabirds are true pelagic species and their rather short
ir rather short
exquisitely preened birds quickly become coated with bright broad tails and often broad-tipped wings give them the
give them the
red blood and gore. It’s not a sight for the squeamish! benefits of dynamic flight.”
Equally striking is the competition for the optimal
place at the feast. The birds posture with wings spread ADMIRE FROM AFAR
s
toric-looking
and tails fanned, moving their heads from side to side Most human encounters with these prehistoric-looking
under-appreciate
while emitting their best war songs – chillingly primitive birds are from a distance and it is easy to under-appreciate
mfortably stand
guttural cries – to put off challengers. If this deterrent is their true size. Side by side, they would comfortably stand
unsuccessful the birds clash chest to chest, locking bills taller than a human adult’s knee height. Few experiences
ew experiences
dow of their
and slapping wings until one contender concedes. It’s are as haunting as being cast into the shadow of their
a spectacular display of competitive carnage from this magnificent 2m wingspan as you walk along a beach with
ng a beach with
ultimate scavenger. them soaring over your head. The ghostly ‘whoosh’
ly ‘whoosh’
adds to the
Yet, in stark contrast to this savage behaviour, these sounds that accompany their flight only adds to the
birds are resplendent in flight as they seem to follow supernatural atmosphere. Above: giant
:
giant
Abo
v
e
ships effortlessly across the Southern Ocean. “Petrels are The Antarctic and sub-Antarctic islands where giant petrels are similar
true masters of the waves with the ability to manoeuvre petrels breed lack native mammalian predators, so these in size to many
albatrosses, but
birds have fulfilled the twin roles of top predator and have narrower,
FEW EXPERIENCES ARE AS top scavenger. I am currently living and working on shorter wings.
one of these sub-Antarctic islands, South Georgia, Below: when
HAUNTING AS BEING CAST roughly 1,390km south-east of the Falklands and rearing chicks,
2,150km from South America. the petrels
INTO THE SHADOW OF THEIR As a product of its isolated nature and extreme rely heavily on
xtreme
penguin and seal
ent human
MAGNIFICENT 2M WINGSPAN. conditions, South Georgia has no permanent human colonies as a
of British
residents. Instead, it boasts a conveyor belt of British
source of food.

Main image: Water
clarity was excellent,
showing in great detail
this humpback. Right:
Richard snorkels close
to a surfacing whale.































WHAT MAKES THEIR BILL SO SPECIAL?

Giant petrels belong to an of South Georgia are distinguished
order of seabirds known as by the reddish hue of this maxillary
Procellariiformes. The common unguis, while the southern species
(
ed
tur
pic
e

the
s
ses
) h

eenish
ing
t
e

as
r
a g
name that encompasses these (pictured) has a greenish tinge. .
flecting their
birds is ‘tubenose’, reflecting their
a
t sit on the
prominent nostrils that sit on the
s
ag
d
appen
l
e
upper bill. These nasal appendages
give the birds an extremely sensitive
emely sensitive
sense of smell, enabling them to
ng them to
d br
eeding
locate food sources and breeding
n
distances.
colonies across large distances.
The bills of giant petrels are
els are
tes,
made up of horny plates,
like the maxillary unguis which have a higher survival rate than lighter chicks. This
uis
at the tip, that helps sort of study gives a reasonably accurate impression of how
hold slippery food. The e healthy the ecosystem is, since any large-scale shifts lower
northern giant petrels s down the food chain will sooner or later affect the keystone
predators, whether in a positive or negative way.
We have both species of giant petrel – southern and
northern – breeding on the island. As their unimaginative
Antarctic Survey staff, who inhabit the island for a year at Clockwise from names suggest, each has a geographically distinct breeding
Feeding: Otto Plantema/Minden Pictures/FLPA; bill: David Osborn/Alamy wandering albatrosses, gentoo penguins and giant petrels. chicks on bare or appear later, just before the Antarctic fur seals breed
top: two giant
range, and they overlap in South Georgia. Northerners
a stretch, studying fisheries and Antarctic ecosystems. It
petrels fight
arrive in September, just in time for the beginning of the
is my responsibility to monitor the success of the higher
over food; the
elephant seal breeding season. Their southern cousins
predators on the island, including Antarctic fur seals,
birds raise their
grassy ground in
Throughout the southern summer, I spend most of my
and when penguin chicks provide prey and scavenging
colonies; feeding
opportunities. The behaviour of giant petrels differs
time out in the field collecting data on their colonies and
on carcasses is a
between each peninsula on the island, depending
monitoring their health. Throughout the winter, when the
messy business;
petrels have departed to their wintering grounds, my focus
on the local food resources, since different birds in different
giant petrels are
concentrates on the Antarctic fur seals.
areas specialise in different prey. And in seasons where
largely scavengers.
other species fail or struggle, these birds prosper owing to
My particular work with giant petrels looks at their
reproductive success. I monitor the birds from when the
increased scavenging opportunities.
first adults arrive at the colonies until the last chick fledges.
Giant petrels will also feed on the wing, often with skilled
I record when birds initiate breeding, how many eggs hatch
of the sea, making them particularly susceptible to the
and when, and the size and weight of the chicks before
they fledge. Good feeding by the adults results in fat chicks,
accidental ingestion of marine litter. “It’s estimated that as
BBC Wildlife
February 2018 precision to scoop morsels and scraps from the surface 67

IN THE SOUTHERN

HEMISPHERE
THOUSANDS OF

PETRELS ARE
KILLED BY HOOKS

ON LONGLINES.





























thousands of petrels and albatrosses are needlessly killed
by longline fishing fleets. Longlining is a method in which
fishing lines with thousands of baited hooks attached are
set over the side of a ship into the water column and left to
catch targeted prey over a period of time. This practice is
associated with the bycatch of many seabirds as well as non-
target fish species: the baited hooks make very appetising-
looking meals for birds, which get hooked and dragged
beneath the surface where they drown.
A GLOBAL PROBLEM
The good news is that in South Georgian waters, with the
help of the Convention for Conservation of Antarctic
many as 90 per cent of seabirds have man-made items, Top: with their Marine Living Resources, alternative fishing methods
such as balloons, in their stomachs,” says David Steel. meat-cleaver have been put in place to reduce bycatch. These have been
bills, giant petrels
Both species are largely monogamous. They lay a single a great success, reducing the incidental death of seabirds
have presence.
egg every year, which is incubated for two months. Chicks Above: there from thousands every year in the late 1990s to almost
are born white-grey and downy, but before they fledge are two colour nil currently. Other fisheries are now being encouraged
at four months old they moult this down and replace it morphs, white to introduce these simple modifications. Unfortunately,
and dark. Young
with darker feathers. As they age, most of them gradually however, many pelagic seabirds have massive ranges and
of the dark
become paler. After hatching, the chick will be guarded by so they simply end up in fishing areas that remain less
morph, as here,
one parent while its mate finds food, but they grow rapidly are sooty black. well-policed and where bycatch is still too high.
and within only three to four weeks both adults can head Hopefully we’ll find a way to help giant petrels thrive
out to forage, leaving the chick to fend for itself – very ably. across the Southern Ocean for centuries to come. In the
From afar the chicks may look vulnerable – but this is by meantime, I feel privileged to get up close and personal
no means the case. Most petrels create an energy-rich oily with these amazing – if somewhat gruesome – birds. After
substance as a biproduct of digestion, which they are able to a day in the field with them I’ve often returned
store for periods when without food. However, if required, + FIND OUT MORE to base bleeding from multiple peck wounds
this disgustingly pungent glop can be ejected over large O South Georgia Heritage and smelling like nothing on Earth, and several
distances to ward off an attack from the likes of a skua. It Trust: www.sght.org washes later may still be asked to sit at a table
may not sound like much of a weapon, but the oil binds to O Read Jamie’s blog post on my own for dinner. But it’s worth it.
feathers and can cause permanent damage. It also binds about South Georgia: www.
bas.ac.uk/blogpost/life-on-
to clothing and skin, as I know to my cost. JAMIE COLEMAN is a research
the-sub-antarctic-island-of-
Sadly, smelly glop is no defence against the impact of the south-georgia scientist working in South Georgia;
fishing industry. In the southern hemisphere many tens of www.jctravelography.co.uk
68 BBC Wildlife February 2018



Mark Carwardine/naturepl.com Ugandan kob (Kobus kob
thomasi) are mainly found
in the west and northwest
of Uganda, including Queen
Elizabeth and Murchison
Falls National Parks. Kidepo
National Park didn’t have a
population until recently.

The kob antelope is an icon
in Uganda, featuring on the

country’s coat-of-arms.

Mark Eveleigh investigates
a project to translocate over

100 into a breathtakingly

beautiful yet little-visited

East African wilderness.















































HOME ON THE





R ANGE

A s we watch a mixed herd of defassa “ WITH ITS SOARING MOUNTAINS AND GREAT
waterbuck and newly arrived Ugandan
kob grazing near a waterhole, Corrie Brits,
manager at Apoka Safari Lodge, comments
SWEEPING VALLEYS, KIDEPO IS PERHAPS
drily: “It seems that kob are not yet on the
THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PARK IN EAST AFRICA.”
menu as far as the lions are concerned.”
The rock outcrop at Apoka was once a
Mark Eveleigh x3; sparring: Jabruson/naturepl.com; lioness: Adri de Visser/Minden Pictures/FLPA
meeting place for the ancient Ik tribe, who roamed these Above: Ugandan and tough old askaris (guards) protected the flanks of a
valleys long before the nearby borders of Kenya and South kob inhabit open herd that was big enough to trample a swathe as wide
and wooded
Sudan were even imagined, and who now live in the as an airstrip. Even for the 120-strong lion population,
savanna with
nearby mountains. Even farther back in time, before the access to water, divided into prides numbering up to a dozen individuals,
Ik arrived, this rock was a prime lookout point for local as well as riverine tangling with adversaries like this would be a formidable
lion prides, and so it persists today. Neither the presence of grasslands. The challenge. Zebra, too, form part of the lions’ diets. But
tribesmen nor of tourists seems to worry the cats unduly. antelopes from the huge numbers of waterbuck are rarely hunted, since
Muchison were
As I stepped out of my stilted bungalow early in the the cats find their meat unpalatable, and the common
released into the
morning, the first thing I noticed was a series of massive most protected Jackson’s hartebeest are usually too fast to catch. Kob,
pugmarks crossing the flowerbeds by my back door. and visible part on the other hand, might make a tasty meal.
The lions of Kidepo Valley National Park are known for of Kidepo.
the power that equips them to hunt the estimated 13,000 RECENT ARRIVALS
buffalo that roam here. At 1,442km , the park covers an With its soaring mountains and great sweeping valleys,
2
area that’s only slightly smaller than Greater London. Kidepo is perhaps the most beautiful park in East Africa.
While traffic jams are unlikely (in fact, it’s rare to see It is Uganda’s third largest, after Queen Elizabeth and
another vehicle), Uganda’s secret northern wilderness Murchison Falls. But, while Murchison is overpopulated
can still get spectacularly congested: while exploring the with about 40,000 Ugandan kob, Kidepo has had none
previous afternoon it had taken us more than an hour at all, until recently that is.
to ease our Land Cruiser through a vast herd of buffalo. “In 2013, two Ugandan kob inexplicably appeared in the
Young calves skittered away, tossing their hornless heads, valley,” recalls Johnson Augustine Masereka, manager of
72 BBC Wildlife February 2018

KOB ANTELOPE





Male Ugandan
kob spar at a lek
to impress females.


















STRUTTING THEIR STUFF
Lekking is not just for birds: male kob antelopes use
group displays to set up territory and attract a mate.
On the face of it, kob displaying their fitness
appear to be a fairly typical with parallel walks and
African antelope – elegant, head shaking. Then, if
horned, agile – but one challenged by another
thing sets them apart from male for the territory, they
many of their cousins: will test their horns against
they gather to lek. Usually the intruder in an effort to
Above: Philip associated with grouse, establish superiority. If two
Akorongimoe
waders and other birds, males are equally matched
(right) has been a
lekking is a territorial these showdowns may
ranger in Kidepo
for 17 years and mating strategy where escalate into full-blown
has become a males gather in a particular horn-locked fighting,
friend of the
area to impress females. but more often than not
Ik tribe. Right:
The kob assemble posturing is sufficient.
‘Walter’ the kob
hangs out with in clusters of circular Once a hierarchy been
waterbucks territories, each 10–15m established, females
for protection. in diameter, within a larger then mate with just a few
Below: this lioness
breeding area. Those at of the most dominant
and kob made
the centre are prime real males, ensuring their
headlines in 2012
as the big cat estate and the bucks jostle offspring inherit the
seemed to ‘adopt’ for these best positions, strongest genes.
the youngster.
Kidepo Valley Conservation Area. “Most likely they’d come
from the South Sudan section of Kidepo Valley.”
Kob are found in a range that extends right across
sub-Saharan Africa, from Senegal east to Sudan
and southwards through Uganda into the Congo.
Their habitat is threatened by human expansion and
agriculture and they are now regionally extinct in Kenya
and Tanzania. The newly arrived pair seemed to do well
in Kidepo Valley, however, and before long there was a
herd of 10. This was taken as a sign that Kidepo would
be a favourable habitat for the species. In May 2017, the
Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) formed a team of
rangers, naturalists and veterinarians to begin a carefully
coordinated translocation process from a remote section
of Murchison to Kidepo.
Moses Osuna, a Kidepo local from the pastoralist
Dodoth tribe, was involved in the round-up as a UWA
driver. “We used six off-road vehicles to herd the animals
into a six-foot tall boma,” he recalls. “Some days we only
caught a few, but once we caught more than 20. Mostly
February 2018 BBC Wildlife 73

problems – sharing a frontier with South Sudan and
northern Kenya’s Turkana district,” says chief warden
Masereka. “But we have the support of the Ugandan
People’s Defence Force to control armed dissidents in the
area and we have rangers at 11 outposts. We have more
than adequate manpower, and since disarmament in the
Karamojong area in around 2008–2009 we have had no
security issues and little poaching in the park.”
THE EARLY SIGNS ARE PROMISING, AND Kidepo’s Narus Valley gets its name from a local
Karamojong word meaning ‘muddy’ and it is the floodplains
here that help to guarantee a sustainable habitat for
DISCUSSIONS ARE ALREADY UNDERWAY
grazers even when the bigger Kidepo Valley has dried out
FOR THE TRANSLOCATION OF MORE KOB.
completely. Kob are highly dependent on water – though one
subspecies, the white-eared kob, undertakes long-distance
it was a slow and cautious process, but occasionally there Above: female kob migrations through the Sudd region (one or two have even
were sudden bursts of unexpected excitement that gave may have young turned up in Kidepo), kob usually try to stay close to water.
twice a year so
me a new respect for what kob are capable of.” So it is expected that Narus Valley will remain their preferred
a herd can grow
Osuna will never forget how one kob ewe jumped right quickly. Below: range, where they will be able to benefit from the trampling
over a pickup truck and a big male cleared the six-foot lions aren’t a and clearing effect of vast buffalo herds and a healthy
boma wall, landing with a glancing blow against the threat to the new population of about 700 elephants.
als
arriv
e
t
…
y
driver’s shoulder but miraculously leaving him unhurt. arrivals… yet. . Because the kob were taken f
ulously leaving him unhurt.
Because the kob were taken from a particularly remote
hree weeks and
The round-up took about three weeks and section of Murchison Falls National Park, the herd was
section of Murchison Falls Nati
re loaded into a
an unhabituated one. Having been introduced into
then finally the animals were loaded into a an unhabituated one. Having b
truck for the 440km drive to Kidepo. Even a habitat that is unfamiliar to them, the new Kidepo
o Kidepo. Even
a habitat that is unfamiliar to th
Mark Eveleigh x4; kob: Eric Baccega/naturepl.com colleagues were forced to wrestle with them other hand, they have arr
inhabitants are unusually shy. So they’re only slowly
inhabitants are unusually shy. S
then there were complications when some
ons when some
. Osuna and his
of the males started to fight. Osuna and his
becoming used to wildlife-watching vehicles. On the
becoming used to wildlife-w
other hand, they have arrived from a habitat where
restle with them
they were the preferred p
heir rapier horns
they were the preferred prey of big cats and so are
to pull rubber piping over their rapier horns
familiar with strategies for avoiding predators.
ng each other.
to prevent them from hurting each other.
familiar with strategies
With luck the kob popu
The location for the release of the 26 rams
With luck the kob population will have risen
se of the 26 rams
to a healthy and sustai
d an ideal habitat in
and 86 ewes was crucial and an ideal habitat in
to a healthy and sustainable figure before the
d and visible – part of
the central – most protected and visible – part of
lions realise there’s now an alternative to the
lions realise there’s n
dangerous buffal
Kidepo National Park was chosen.
hosen.
One of the ewes that was relocated
th very specific security
One of the ew
74 “We’re a border park with very specific security dangerous buffalo on offer. February 2018
BBC Wildlife

KOB ANTELOPE





Three Endangered
Rothschild’s giraffes
were relocated to
Kidepo in 2015.















REVITALISING UGANDA’S NORTHERN WILDERNESS
Kidepo Valley National Park is successful relocation efforts. Three
home to 500 bird species and 86 Endangered Rothschild’s giraffes
mammals (28 of which can be found were relocated here in 2015, bringing
nowhere else in Uganda, including the total herd in the park to 35; 11
the cheetah, caracal, lesser kudu, eland were brought here from Lake
mountain reedbuck and Guenther’s Mburu in 2004, since when the herd
dik-dik). Together with the largest has swelled to almost 50-strong;
buffalo population of any park in and, most recently, the 112 Ugandan
Africa, there’s an estimated 700 kob arrived. Now there are even
elephants and about 120 lions. discussions about relocating black
Kidepo has been the scene of several rhino from Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary.


Right: predation from Murchison must have been pregnant because
ff
ff
of buffalo by lions within a month the ‘refugees’ had dropped their first
could potentially young. Kob can breed twice a year and within three more
be eased now
the kob have months there were 25 babies in the herd.
turned up. The early signs are promising, and discussions are
Below: Johnson already underway for the translocation of more kob from
Augustine Murchison. “We’re still monitoring predation pressure
Masereka
recalls when the on the herd in Kidepo,” says UWA executive director
antelopes first Dr Andrew Seguya. “We’re in the planning stages and
appeared in possibly by mid-2018 we’ll be ready to transport more.”
the valley. All well and good, but nature has shown time and
again that the most well-meaning intervention can lead to
unforeseen ripple effects. The arrival of kob on the menu
could turn out to be good news for Kidepo’s buffalo, but if
kob numbers and accessibility elevate them to the position
of preferred lion prey then there’s a chance that the already
massive buffalo population could be left with virtually no
predation pressure and might grow unchecked.
Uganda Wildlife Authority ranger Philip Akorongimoe
sees little reason for worry, though. “We now have about
13,000 buffalo in the park and the majority roam Narus
Valley,” he says. “Numbers could rise above 20,000 and
it would still be fine as long as they spread their range
into Kidepo Valley as well.”
SMELLY DETERRENT
For the time being, though, the Kidepo lions don’t seem
to know what to make of the new arrivals. Moreover,
at least one of the kob has demonstrated a seemingly
cunning survival strategy.
A lone male kob – the rangers call him Walter – who
damaged his leg, perhaps during the relocation, now
walks with a pronounced limp. He also seems to have
developed something of an identity crisis because he
February 2018 BBC Wildlife 75

LOSE YOURSELF IN A WORLD of
BOOKS


FIND YOURSELF IN
OXFAM’S ONLINE SHOP


oxfam.org.uk/shop

KOB ANTELOPE





HOW TO VISIT

KIDEPO NATIONAL
PARK, UGANDA

WHEN TO GO
The best wildlife viewing months
are during the dry seasons: June–
September and December–February.
At these times, the only permanent
water source is in the Narus Valley,
making it a prime wildlife watching
location. The rainy season peaks in
March–May, when travel can be difficult.

TOUR OPERATORS
Natural World Safaris (www.
naturalworldsafaris.com) offers a
five-night ‘Kidepo by air Safari’, priced
from £2,310 per person sharing.
Great Lakes Safaris (www.
greatlakessafaris.com) offers
a four-night Kidepo safari from
£1,367 with road transfers. Locally
based Buffalo Safari Camps (www.
buffalosafaricamps.com) run a seven-
day Murchison Falls and Kidepo Valley
tour with 4x4 transport from £742.
FURTHER INFORMATION
Kidepo National Park is 840km from
Kampala, a full day’s drive away, or
there is a light aircraft strip at Akopa.
For more information on Kidepo,
see www.safaribookings.com/tours/
kidepo and www.visituganda.com.




hangs out with the herd of waterbuck around Apoka The sedentary 2,749m peak of Mount Morungole, I met an elder of
Safari Lodge. But perhaps he knows it’s an ideal form nature of grazing the Ik tribe by the name of Mzee Mateus Yeya Acok. The
kob and their
of camouflage, since the fur of a waterbuck has an oily lions might be confused, but I wondered if he would
tendency to
excretion that taints the meat and that’s what makes it gather in open recognise the new arrivals. Peering head-to-head into the Ariadne Van Zandbergen/Alamy
unpopular with lions. The lodge often seems to be almost areas make them back of my camera with Mzee Mateus, I asked him to
over-run with lions, yet even with his obvious mobility vulnerable to look at several random animals from the valleys below
hunting. But at
problem Walter has so far avoided becoming the first and give me their Ik names…
Kidepo they are
Kidepo kob victim of a lion attack. “Aha. We call that one dorok,” he exclaimed when I
protected.
flicked to an image of a kob ram.
MISSED MEAL “I remember my grandfather’s stories about hunting
“For now, the lions simply don’t know what these new those,” confirmed 60-year-old Mzee Hillary when I
animals are,” smiles Corrie Brits. “They’ve never seen or showed him the picture. “Of course, that was before
tasted them before. So hopefully the kob population will Kidepo became a national park and we had to stop
be well established before the cats figure out just how hunting and moved up here onto the mountain.”
delicious kob could be to the lion palate.” So it seems that the Kidepo kob are not recent colonists
In a village high on the mountain slopes, near the of a new range. They might actually be the first arrivals in
a long overdue homecoming.


“ FOR NOW, THE LIONS SIMPLY DON’T KNOW
MARK EVELEIGH is a writer and photographer:
www.markeveleigh.com. His visit to Kidepo Valley
WHAT THESE NEW ANIMALS ARE. THEY’VE
National Park, Uganda, was hosted by Natural
World Safaris: www.naturalworldsafaris.com
NEVER SEEN OR TASTED THEM BEFORE.”
February 2018 BBC Wildlife 77

A red squirrel sits in a lichen- and snow-
covered oak tree in December. Scotland
is home to about 120,000 red squirrels,
75 per cent of the total UK population.
Contrary to popular myth, these hardy
mammals do not hibernate. In the autumn
they store surplus food either just below
the ground or in the gaps of tree trunks
to feed on in the colder months.

PHOTO
STORY



SEEING





REDS






Cairngorms National Park in the Scottish
Highlands is a stronghold for our native red
squirrels. Neil McIntyre has visited its
Caledonian forest throughout the seasons
to photograph the behaviour of
these lively little crowd-pleasers.






























February 2018 BBC Wildlife 79

All photos by Neil McIntyre/SCOTLAND: The Big Picture/naturepl.com





















TOP Red squirrels inhabit both pine forest ABOVE LEFT Stripped bark is ABOVE Often the only sign
(pictured) and broadleaved woodland. Like collected as bedding material of red squirrels in winter is
grey squirrels, they make roughly spherical for a drey. Red squirrels mate their prints in the snow. On
nests called dreys, and each individual may between January and March the ground they move in
use several dreys within its home range. and have litters of three to four jumps like a rabbit, placing
Dreys tend to be built from twigs 6m above kittens, which are born in the their front feet first, and then
the ground in holes in trees or set between drey following a gestation period the hind feet in front of them.
trunks and branches. They are snugly lined of 36 to 42 days. Females can Pawprints are 3–4cm long,
with moss and grass. have two litters a year. and about 2cm wide.
80 BBC Wildlife February 2018

PHOTO
STORY







LEFT In winter red
squirrels hunt for
food buried in the
snow. Their varied diet
consists of spruce and
pine seeds, hazelnuts,
acorns, berries,
fungi, bark and sap
tissue. In spring and
summer, they will
also take insects and
occasionally birds’
eggs and young.































































February 2018 BBC Wildlife 81

PHOTO
STORY























































ABOVE Spring is in the air for this red
squirrel as it leaps between tree stumps
in March. The species can jump more than
2m and has double-jointed ankles that
allow it to climb down trees head-first.
The rodent’s bushy tail is an aerofoil that
also provides balance and warmth.
RIGHT Mineral-rich deer antlers
provide an extra source of calcium and
phosphorus for squirrels, as well as
helping them to sharpen and trim their
incisors. This antler, cast off by a red
deer, is covered in teeth marks from
the gnawing rodents.












82 BBC Wildlife February 2018

ABOVE During the
summer months red
squirrels lose their
characteristic ear
tufts, and many sport a
streamlined blond tail,
which returns to the
more familiar rufous
coloration in autumn.









RIGHT Two young red
squirrels leave the natal
drey to explore their
surroundings. Summer
litters are weaned in
August to early October.
The juveniles are
capable of breeding at
around 10 to 12 months
and most females will
wean their first litter
when two years old.
















February 2018 BBC Wildlife 83

LEFT Sessile oak
leaves and acorns on
moss. Red squirrels
can recognise ripe food
by smell: squirrelling
away food is a waste
of effort if it is not
nutritious. The rodents
will reject acorns and
hazelnuts that have
been hollowed out by
weevils, acknowledging
that they are too light.






























































LEFT In autumn when food is
abundant, squirrels have plenty of
spare time to collect nuts one at a
time in their mouth. They scrape a
small hole in soft earth and bury their
prize, patting the soil down on top
to hide it from birds. The caching is
not random: a particular place will be
chosen that they can find later.


84 BBC Wildlife February 2018

PHOTO
STORY









































































ABOVE Less than two per cent of
NEIL MCINTYRE is a
Scotland’s wildwood – the forest
wildlife and landscape
that would once have allowed a red
squirrel to travel from Lockerbie photographer based in
to Lochinver without touching the Cairngorms National Park, where he
ground – remains intact. Expanding runs wildlife photography tours. His
and reconnecting the country’s book The Red Squirrel: A Future in
fragmented woodland is essential the Forest (£25) is available via www.
for this species and other wildlife. scotlandbigpicture.com. See more of
his images at www.neilmcintyre.com.
February 2018 BBC Wildlife 85

REVIEWS O BOOKS

O TV
O RADIO
O DIGITAL
O MOVIES




























The grey wolf
Nick Garbutt/naturepl.com in Yellowstone
reintroduction
National Park,
US, is a modern
conservation
success story.


YELLOWSTONE’S
WONDER WOLF


How the death of a canine shook the world.
BOOK
The Wolf OF THE
By Nate Blakeslee MONTH
One World £20 Beyond Spring Birdmania
By Matthew Oates By Bernd Brunner
Fair Acre Press £10.99 Greystone Books £24.99
On a snow-clad December day in 2012 a
O
hunter in Wyoming, US, shot the most
h Following ecologist Matthew This handsome book is as much
f famous wolf in the world. O-Six was the star Oates on his ‘wanderings about humans as it is about
o
of the Yellowstone National Park wolf through nature’, from the stirring birds. A fascinating window on
r
recovery project. Thousands of park visitors of spring to the fullness of the subject rather than a
h
had watched her catching elk. So celebrated summer, is like going for a walk comprehensive history, it
w r with a favourite uncle. He takes features a large and very varied
was she that The New Yorker gave her an
This
w
obituary. This wonderful book is about the human lives she us to his most cherished places bunch of characters linked by
obituary
touched and the controversies that led to her death. (Cumbria, and the Cotswolds, their avian obsessions. They
We meet committed rangers like Rick McIntyre who has amongst many others) and shows include Richard Meinertzhagen,
notched up 85,000 wolf sightings; and Doug Smith, who us the seasonal treasures that notorious for perpetrating the
leads the Yellowstone wolf studies. And we also meet the he’s found there, including his greatest ornithological frauds of
ranchers and hunters who see the reintroduced wolves as a beloved purple emperor all time, conservationist George
deadly threat to their livelihoods and to their elk herds. butterflies. Although written with Archibald, who imitated the
Best of all, writer Nate Blakeslee takes the trouble to a naturalist’s knowledge, Beyond endangered whooping crane’s
g
befriend the man who fired that fatal shot so that he can Spring is suffused with poetic mating dance to persuade a
tell his own side of the story. This is a must-read for charm. It’s a book to get you female to lay, and a whole
anyone interested in the passions that wolves arouse. through the darker months. flock of pigeon breeders.
Stephen Mills Wildlife writer Pete Dommett Nature writer Jonathan Elphick Ornithologist
86 BBC Wildlife February 2018

REVIEWS BOOKS





R
H
O
ecological lessons and MEET THE AUTHOR
anatomical details with which
the text is littered.
From the frustrating Ruth
familiarity of head-lice and the
bizarre mystery of the once Pavey
Young famine-threatening Rocky
readers Mountain locust, to intestinal In 1999, Ruth bought a
Wicked Bugs worms and the foot-hollowing small, scrubby wood in
By Amy Stewart chewings of the chigoe flea, Somerset – and set to work.
Algonquin, £10.99, Age 8–12
Stewart does not hold back
Yuck – exactly the response you from the stomach-churning Why did you take this on? What sort of wildlife
need to capture the attention of anecdote. She does, however, I wanted to plant trees. encounters have you had?
an eight- to 12-year-old. Before avoid tabloid sensationalism, Trees should outlive us, so Meeting a stray llama wasn’t
they’ve decided to be afraid of and on the way she dispels to plant them now is to send exactly a wildlife encounter,
creepy-crawlies, or too cool for some of the silly myths about a good wish to the future. but memorable all the same.
wildlife, kids are enthralled as black widow dangers and I once found a lame fox in
they experiment with the deathwatch beetle omens. What have you achieved? the hollow of a tree, and I’ve
emotions of fear, disgust, Richard Jones Entomologist When I bought the wood seen a stoat chasing a rabbit
excitement and awe. it was very dense scrub, and a buzzard about to
They’ll get them all part of which had been an despatch a jay.
here in droves, but orchard. I’ve opened up
woven through the some areas to replant fruit IT IS
gruesome facts are longer-lived trees such as `
trees, and have also put in
scientific facts too. NOW AN
Author Amy Stewart oak, beech and cedar. It’s AIRIER PLACE
offers up just the now a sunnier, airier place, BUT HAS
right balance in the but still has plenty of cover COVER FOR
for wildlife.
gory details to get
Briony Morrow-Cribbs them hooked, but at What were your toughest WILDLIFE.”
the same time
learning experiences?
educated by the
That border disputes can be
very trying, and that sharing What has been your most
land with wildlife, and rewarding project?
wild plants with territorial I’m thrilled that some of
ambition such as coarse the apple trees I’ve grafted
tussocky grass, dock, old from the survivors are
man’s beard, hemlock, bearing fruit. I also love
nettle and thistle, requires the cedars and the fast
a surprising degree of care growth they’ve put on (I
and patience. understand arguments
The Aliens Among Us The Inner Life of Animals against non-native trees,
By Leslie Anthony By Peter Wohlleben How do you protect your but the wood has few of
Yale University Press £25 Bodley Head £16.99
saplings from wildlife? them), and the way the
Species that have been Author Peter Wohlleben’s most It’s hard. I was amazed at snowdrops and Narcissus
transported by humans from one recent offering is like taking a how delicious the rabbits, have settled.
region of the world to a new gentle stroll down a meandering rodents and deer found
region in which they did not woodland path with a fascinating the saplings, so enclosed What is your hope for the
previously exist, are termed alien companion at your side, full of them with spiral guards future of your wood?
or non-native species. While entertaining stories. And this and wire. When weeds I would like it to grow on in
some non-native species have forest contains an astonishing grew up inside I tried light- its semi-wild, semi-managed
minimal effects on biodiversity, array of animals and beyond. excluding membrane, but state for as long as can be
and a few may be beneficial, There’s a slime mould that root-eating voles sheltered imagined, so wildlife can
about 15 per cent have damaging recreated the Tokyo underground underneath. Now I use the continue to live there and
consequences and are termed system, a crow that fed an rigid wire cylinders you see the fruit trees can provide
invasive alien species – The Aliens abandoned kitten, beech martens round street trees, and try apples, pears and plums for
Among Us provides a fascinating that savage car engines and to keep weeding. as long as possible.
s
overview of this topic. It tackles friendships between ravens
the complexities of invasion and wolves. After finishing this
science but also offers a range you’ll have no doubt that O A WOOD OF ONE’S OWN is Ruth’s account of the joys
of perspectives on the subject. animals are sentient beings. and tribulations of restoring her woodland (Duckworth
Helen Roy Alien species expert Liz Kalaugher Science writer Overlook, £14.99): http://ducknet.co.uk
February 2018 BBC Wildlife 87

This BBC One series
offers a cheetah’s-eye
view of what it is to
hunt with the fastest
mammal on Earth.





































TV

CHOICE


Going wild behind the camera lens


Nine animals on land and in water lead us into their secret worlds.


Animals with Cameras never otherwise have – and giving biologists and avoid potential predators? And as you’d
TV BBC One the chance to unravel some wildlife mysteries. hope with a series like this, there’s behaviour
Due to air 1 February First to go a-filming are meerkats in the new to science. The cameras on Magellanic
No matter how brave, patient and persistant Kalahari. This is an incredibly well studied penguins hunting off Argentina, for example,
wildlife film-makers are, there will always group of mammals, yet virtually nothing show the birds passing up perfectly adequate
be places that they can’t go and creatures is known about their lives underground. shoals of shrimp and squid, holding out
that they can’t follow. In these cases, why Thanks to a team of camera-clad youngsters, instead for anchovies. It’s as risky as it is
not pass the filming buck on to the animals researchers enjoy their first ever viewing of remarkable – like walking through town with
themselves? Presented by Gordon Buchanan, a meerkat's underground residence, and hungry, fractious children and blanking a fast
this new three-parter does exactly that, kitting crucially, of the day-old pups inside. food shop on the chance there’s something
out nine species both on land and in water The cameras also prove valuable in healthier around the corner.
and sending them on their way. researching potential outcomes. In Cameroon, As if that’s not enough, we are also privvy
Attaching teeny-tiny a device on an orphaned to cheetahs learning to hunt; fur seals
cameras to animals is chimp named Kimbang avoiding great whites; conflict resolution
nothing new, but the devices WE SEE THEIR enables his carer to answer between baboons and farmers; a deep dive
used in this series – many ` WORLDS the all-important questions with Chilean devil rays; feeding brown bears
of which were developed THROUGH THEIR that will dictate when and sheepdogs protecting their charges from
Graham MacFarlane/BBC Chris Watts – are designed EYES, GAINING into a wild group: can he diverse teams to ever film a wildlife series,”
wolves. “Our camera crew is one of the most
he is ready for release
by miniature camera expert
says Gordon. “This is their world, their
competently climb among
to function for longer,
NEW INSIGHTS.”
the highest branches,
footage, their story – and we’re going to see it
offering extended, spy-on-
the-wall views that we would
February 2018
88 BBC Wildlife select the best fruits to eat through their eyes.” Sarah McPherson

REVIEWS BROADCAST





Q&A WILD over a 20-year


burger requires
Chris Watts STREAM timeframe; one
600 gallons
THE LATEST ON iPLAYER, of water to
Which animal
NETFLIX AND BEYOND produce). Finally,
was hardest to
Elephants are if you missed
work with? in peril from
I worked with If the festive season has left poachers. it when it aired
the cheetah, you feeling the need to slow on Boxing Day,
brown bear, down, this new series from make sure you
chimp and meerkats. They all BBC Four allows you to do resolutions is to eat less meat, catch Snow Bear (BBC iPlayer,
had different challenges. The exactly that. Turtle, Eagle, strengthen your resolve with until 25 January) a one-hour
meerkats were particularly Cheetah: A Slow Odyssey the 2014 film Cowspiracy: special narrated by Kate
tricky as they kept running (BBC iPlayer, until 26 January), The Sustainability Secret Winslet that follows a polar
w
down holes when I was made to complement Animals (Netflix), a feature-length bear family (below) travelling
s
ollowing
from their den in Svalbard to
trying to attach their devices. With Cameras (left), enables documentary following from their den in Svalbard to
you to experience the natural film-maker Kip Andersen as the pack ice of the North Pole.
world in real time through he investigates tthe impact of
How did you ensure the
the eyes of a cheetah on the large-scale animmal agriculture,
cameras didn't cause stress?
We did lots of research into African savannah, a green unearthing somme eye-opening
comfort and stability. We turtle cruising the reefs statistics along tthe way
even made it possible for of Indonesia and a white- (livestock coverss 45 per
Kimbang the chimp to put tailed eagle (above) on the cent of Earth’s ttotal land;
his own camera on! wing over the west coast of methane is 25––100
r
Scotland. On the subject times more harmful
of New Year, if one of your than carbon diooxide
What was the most
rewarding footage?
The meerkats. Researchers in
the Kalahari study them all
Spells of mild weather MONSTER
day, but have no idea about
bring hedgehogs out
their first weeks. So getting and about during FOSSILS
shots of the newborns was hibernation. Attenborough and
very special.
the Sea Dragon
ONLINE BBC iPlayer
What was most dramatic?
The hunting cheetahs. I put the Following the success of
camera on the individual’s head Attenborough and the Giant
as this is the most stable area Dinosaur, Sir David is back
of its body when it’s sprinting. in the land of palaeontology,
The housing moulds to its head investigating the remarkable
and the camera has a stabilised chance discovery of a huge
sensor, so the shots are ichthyosaur found on the
incredibly smooth. Jurassic Coast. This predatory
dinosaur-dolphin is thought to
be a completely new species,
Do the cameras differ much
Sir David: Robin Cox/BBC; polar bears: Roie Galitz/ John Downer Productions/BBC;
sea eagle: Mark Medcalf/Shutterstock/BBC; hedgehog: Paul Hobson/NPL/Getty
from animal to animal? FEELING THE CHILL and potentially the biggest
Yes. The larger the animal, Winterwatch found in the UK. Attenborough
the heavier the battery it can TV BBC TWO Due to air 29 January–1 February follows scientists as this super-
carry, so the longer the run fossil is excavated, scanned
time. But we always had a It’s that time – to curl up and enjoy the best of Britain’s winter and replicated, uncovering the
trade-off between quality and wildlife from the warmth and comfort of your sofa. HQ for secrets of this ocean predator
run time. The meerkats, for this year’s seasonal spectacular is Sherborne Park Estate in and the world in which it lived.
instance, could only carry Gloucester, and wild treats in store include cranes and other
25g, so we went for the best winter waders at West Sedgemoor on the Somerset Levels; a snow
camera and smallest battery diary of the Cairngorms as temperatures plummet around these
– great footage but only two famous Highland peaks; new research on grey seal behaviour (see
hours’ run time. In contrast, p36); hedgehogs stalking dark urban streets for a home; red deer
the bear’s camera could last and a trio of kingfishers squabbling over hunting territory – and
for four days. not your average leafy riverbank, but the seaweedy surroundings
of Ramsgate Harbour, on the East coast. “Winter is the hardest
h
CHRIS WATTS is camera designer time of year for British wildlife – Winterwatch has this dramatic Sir David studies
a super-fossil.
on Animals with Cameras. season covered,” says series producer Chris Howard.
February 2018 BBC Wildlife 89

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February 2017 BBC Wildlife 97

Q Q Q Q A
Q&
THE PANEL
THE P ANEL




MATT DOGGETT
Marine biolog gist





SARAH MCPHERSON
Q&A editor
LVE YOUR MYSTERIES. MORE AMAZING
FACTS AT WWW.DISCOVERWILDLIFE.COM


MICHAEL ENGELHARD Q MARINE BIOLOGY
Author and wildlife g guide
How and why



LIZ KALAUGHER do seahorses
ogic
uthor
L
urry
F
o
f
Author of Furry Logic
A
change colour?
HELEN SCALES Many fish have the ability to
Marine biologist change colour and do so for all
sorts of reasons. Seahorses change
colour to mimic their surroundings
when hiding from predators or
prey (sudden, bold changes in
STUART BLACKMAN appearance may even deter their
er
writ
e
S Science writer
cienc
enemies), and to communicate
during courtship displays and
territorial disputes.
Like other fish, seahorses change
colour using small, sack-like
AMY-JANE BEER organs known as chromatophores,
Naturalist and author Seahorse: Wild Wonders of Europe/Zankl/NPL; elephant: Francois Savigny/NPL; seal: Andrey Nekrasov/Alamy; owl: Jenny E. Ross/NPL
which are embedded in their skin.
Each chromatophore contains
one of three or four pigments.
Expansion or contraction of the
chromatophores via tiny muscles
MIKE TOMS
Ornithologist t results in different colours being
rnithologis
O
displayed with varying intensity.
Chromatophores are controlled
in two ways: by the nervous system
(when rapid camouflage is required
for predator avoidance) and by
JAMES FAIR
edit
vir
onment
n
Environment editoror hormones (during courtship and
E
breeding). The latter causes a
slower, more controlled change,
often to a brighter, less subtle hue.
EMAIL YOUR Matt Doggett
QUESTIONS TO
[email protected]
or post to Q&A, BBC Wildlife
Magazine, Immediate Media
Company, 2nd Floor, Tower House,
Fairfax Street, Bristol BS1 3BN
98 BBC Wildlife

Q&A




Q AFRICAN MAMMALS
Q ARCTIC WILDLIFE
Can elephants be
right- or left-tusked?
A Yes. Just as humans are right- or left-
handed, elephants are known to use one
tusk more than the other. This favoured
appendage is sometimes referred to as
the ‘master tusk’ and often A Dogs – namely labrador retrievers – annual movements. Their research revealed
appears more worn. Tusks have played an important role in ringed seal that ringed seal subpopulations interbreed
are evolved from teeth and research, a challenge to carry out on the throughout the Arctic, reducing the species’
have all sorts of uses – in snowy wastes of Arctic sea ice. vulnerability to extinction; and that earlier
snowmelt, driven by climate change,
seal
about
‘
dogs
an
ter
learning
Af
from
’
defence, as weapons, for After learning about seal dogs from an snowmelt driven by climate change
stripping bark, foraging Inuit hunter, marine biologist Brendan is exposing the pups sooner and more
and digging. Sarah McPherson Kelly from the University of Alaska used frequently to the elements and predators,
labradors to sniff out breathing holes and such as polar bears and Arctic foxes.
lairs (caves dug in the snowdrifts over Michael Engelhard
breathing holes, which females use to rest
Seahorses – here a short-
snouted – can change and nurse their pups). The dogs
colour quickly, blending boasted an 80–85 per cent
into their habitat to success rate in a search area
hide from predators. 5–10km wide, pinpointing
up to 200 lairs and holes
in a month.
Thanks to their canine
assistants, Kelly and his
team were able to secure
samples of moulted skin for Named for its
DNA analysis, and to attach tags circular markings,
the ringed seal is the
to dozens of individuals to follow their
Arctic’s smallest and most
common seal species.
Q BIRDS OF THE WORLD
What’s a spotted owl’s
favourite type of tree?
A California spotted owls – endangered birds that live

in the mixed conifer forests of the western US – prefer
the tallest trees. Measurements taken by bouncing a laser
pulse from an aeroplane off the treetops in the Sierra
Nevada mountains revealed that these birds are drawn to
trees more than 32m high; that their favourite nesting
sites are in trees more than 47m high; and that they
avoid areas with lots of trees less than 15m high.
The discovery should be enormously helpful when
it comes to forest management. It was previously
thought that California spotted owls needed a canopy
with at least 70 per cent tree-cover, a density that
can make forests vulnerable to fire and drought.
Knowing the birds’ heads for heights
means foresters can now remove the
shortest trees, thus reducing the
canopy cover without destroying
valuable nesting habitat.
Large trees also host the nests of northern flying
squirrels, a key prey item that the owls hunt by perch-
and-pounce. The birds have low energy requirements,
California spotted
even by owl standards – an adult caring for young can
owls like the cool
survive on just one squirrel every 1.8 days. conditions of old-
Liz Kalaugher growth forest.
February 2018 99

Q&A Q&A





WHAT Q FRESHWATER FISH

IS IT? How do archerfish
use water as a


weapon?


A Woe betide any insect perching on a leafy
frond near the water’s edge if an archerfish lurks
nearby. This predator can strike its prey with a
mouthful of water from up to three metres away,
Pretty in pink:
a fungus fit even compensating for the way light bends as
for fairies. it crosses the waterline and adjusting its aim to
make a direct hit.
Exactly how the archerfish water pistol works
New Caledonia in the South Pacific
Fungus: Marc Ducousso/Cirad; archerfish: Photo Researchers/FLPA; geese: Robin Chittenden/Alamy
has until recently remained a mystery. It was
is most famous for its tool-using
long assumed to involve an inbuilt catapult, but
crows, but the islands are teeming
nobody could find such a mechanism. Then,
with other endemic species, including
in 2012, a team of Italian scientists discovered
the flightless, heron-like kagu, and
that archerfish don’t rely on catapults or muscle
Amborella, the sole surviving species
power, but instead manipulate the water itself.
of the oldest lineage of flowering plants
An archerfish spits out streams of water by
on Earth. It is also home to contenders
pushing its tongue along a groove in the roof
for the largest living fern, pigeon, gecko
of its mouth. By pushing harder towards the
and skink. And then there’s this little
end of the stream, the droplets further
beauty. Podoserpula miranda might be
back collide with those ahead, merging
just the thing for fairies to serve scones
into larger blobs. So instead of
on if it wasn’t for the smell of radishes.
sprinkling their prey with a
It was only discovered in 2009 and has
gentle mist, archerfish throw
come to be known as the Barbie pagoda The secret to
powerful water bombs
fungus, for obvious reasons. The the archerfish’s
that speed up as they
specific name translates from the shooting skill lies
approach their target. not in anatomy,
Latin as “she is to be admired.”
Helen Scales but physics.
Stuart Blackman
Q BRITISH BIRDS
Do wintering A Britain – particularly Norfolk – hosts more While the grazing of cereals and pasture
than 80 per cent of the world population of does bring the birds into conflict with farmers,
pink-footed pink-footed geese during the winter months. utilising sugar beet is seen as positive. The
Numbers have increased dramatically over
crop is harvested from September to the end
geese cause recent years, largely due to reduced hunting of December, and it is the cut tops and other
pressure, but also to the availability of
remains that the geese eat. If the beet fields
problems for agricultural crops. are left unploughed through the winter, the
pinkfoots can ‘clear up’ any leftovers and are
As with other geese species, the past few
decades have seen pinkfoots switch from less likely to move onto more precious crops –
farmers? feeding in wetlands to grazing on farmlands, so both geese and farmers benefit.
Mike Toms
with a particular fondness for sugar beet tops.
Approximately
50,000 pink-footed
geese wintered in
the UK in the 1960s.
Today, there are
more than 200,000.