BBC Wildlife - Now You See Me

White satin moth caterpillars
feed on creeping willow that
is often found growing in
dune slacks and is part of the
succession of plant species
that stabilise the dunes, with
grasses at the seaward edge.
“I was attracted to this
caterpillar’s striking
aposematic [warning]
markings and coating of
irritating bristles,” says Alex,
“acting as a deterrent to
would-be predators.”

PHOTO STORY SAND DUNES

52 BBC Wildlife August 2021

August 2021 PHOTO STORY SAND DUNES

LEFT In June, flowering kidney
vetch and bee and pyramidal
orchids spangle Sefton’s dunes,
creating a dense, eye-catching
carpet of colour. “On a summer’s
day it’s literally buzzing with life,
as solitary bees feast on these
flowers,” says Alex. “It’s incredible
to me that this dynamic dune
system, with all these very rare
species – including endemic dune
helleborine – flourishes so close
to such centres of industry. A
lot of the animals are e ectively
marooned on this little island of
sandy habitat, so we really need
to look after this special place.”

ALEX HYDE is an award-winning wildlife
photographer based in the Peak District.
alexhyde.co.uk
O More info on the project: naturebftb.co.uk/
the-projects/gems-in-the-dunes

BBC Wildlife 53

YOUNOW

SEE Vincent Grafhorst/Minden

ME...

Some animals use colour
change to blend into the
background; for others
it is a powerful form of
communication. But how
exactly do they do it?

By Laurie Jackson

The panther
chameleon of
Madagascar in
all its splendid
technicolour.

Mixed
message

Several species,
including Caribbean
reef squid and
mourning cuttlefish,
have mastered the
art of multi-tasking
colour change. They
present di erent
messages on each
side of their body,
simultaneously
attempting to
impress a female
on one side while
sparring with a male
on the other.

Y ears ago, during a field trigger gradual colour changes, involving allowing them to blend in as they migrate Squid: Shane Gross/naturepl.com; hummingbird: Thomas Marent/Minden/NPL
trip to the Scottish island alterations to the type and concentration onto the seabed of the subtidal zone.
of Cumbrae, I came face of pigments within skin, exoskeleton,
to face with a stout bobtail feathers or fur. A diet-driven transition is Coloration in animals is achieved in
squid. As I watched, performed by several species of crab spiders, several ways. In birds and mammals, skin
rapt, the tiny mollusc which ambush flower-visiting insects. The cells known as melanocytes contain packages
blushed from ghostly pale arachnids take about a week to morph from of melanin pigments, which produce
to deep red and back again, like a magic white to yellow, hiding in plain sight against blacks, browns, yellows and reds that can be
performance. But this was no illusion. their preferred backdrop of golden blooms. combined in varying patterns. Birds can also
gather pigments such as carotenoids through
Squid are part of a whole spectrum of For crustaceans, a slow colour change their diet to produce yellows and oranges,
species that are able to change colour – allows them to adapt to alterations in their alongside the vivid greens, blues and violets
an ability that comes with several speed environment. Chameleon prawns, for created by the structure of their feathers.
settings. At its more relaxed end there instance, transition between green and red,
is a handful of birds and mammals – tracking the seasonal appearance of seaweed Awash with colour
including the Arctic fox, willow ptarmigan in their rocky shore habitat; shore crabs take
and snowshoe hare – that undergo a on a more uniform colour as they mature, The colour palette is expanded in fish,
seasonal whitening triggered by waning reptiles, amphibians, crustaceans and
day length. The transformation occurs as cephalopods (octopus, cuttlefish and squid),
pigment disappears from fur and feathers. which are equipped with colour-producing
In mammal fur, this makes space for more cells known as chromatophores. These
air, which provides the added bonus of extra cells either contain pigment or produce
insulation as temperatures plummet. iridescence, and there are several types,
including melanophores (black, brown,
Other environmental factors, such as red), xanthophores (yellow), erythrophores
ultraviolet, diet and surroundings, can also (orange and red), iridophores (iridescent
colours) and leucophores (iridescent white).
Crab spiders take about a Above: a shoal
week to morph from white of Caribbean Of these, the best understood are the
to yellow, hiding in plain reef squid in the melanophores. Pigment can be moved
sight against golden blooms. Bahamas. Right:
the shimmering
long-tailed sylph,
a species of
hummingbird.

56 BBC Wildlife August 2021

COLOUR CHANGE

within the branch-shaped structure of the BBC Wildlife 57
cell. When dark pigments are dispersed
throughout the melanophore, they
obscure the neighbouring chromatophores
and make the animal appear darker;
when concentrated into the centre, the
surrounding colour becomes more visible.

The oval iridophores contain thin layers
of crystal platelets that are mostly used
to produce a range of shimmering blues,
greens and silvers, according to how they
are spaced and orientated. Iridescence is
directional: a creature can appear utterly
striking from one angle yet drab from
another, allowing for targeted visuals.
Hummingbirds, for example, use frenetic
displays to appeal for a mate, and will
position themselves at just the right angle to
the sun in order to dazzle with their finery.

While birds rely on light to manipulate
their iridescence, certain fish, including the
paradise whiptail, can actually alter their
appearance by varying the space between
the layers of platelets in their iridophores.
In doing so, they change the wavelength of
light reflected by the cells and are thus able
to rapidly switch their reflective head stripes

August 2021

from blue to red. Likewise, the diminutive Some frogs, lizards and crabs use Natural habitats can be complex, though, Chameleon: Nick Garbutt/naturepl.com; cuttlefish: Gary Bell/Oceanwide/Minden; fangblenny: Alamy; lizard: Paul Souders/Getty
blue-ringed octopus tweaks its iridophores their chromatophores as natural dimmer with certain colours and textures inherently
to make a statement, throwing out a switches, adjusting their colour and more challenging to replicate. While
dazzling warning display when it starts brightness as day turns to night. While flatfish are adept at blending in with finer
to feel threatened. these daily changes provide camouflage – sediments such as sand and gravel, rocks
enabling, for instance, a frog to fade into can present a challenge. The fish, therefore,
Chromatophores are controlled either a darkening forest floor, they may also select substrates they are better able to
using hormones or neurons, allowing far play a role in temperature regulation and mimic. Behavioural adjustments, from
swifter colour change than seen in seasonally protection from damaging ultraviolet rays. the waving appendages of stonefish that
shifting mammals and birds. The cells can liken them to seaweed, to the characteristic
be spread in a mosaic across the body or Colour and pattern are important quivering walk of chameleons that obscures
clustered to create patterns, such as the elements of camouflage. Chameleons them among rustling leaves, boost the
stripes of a zebrafish. In some reptiles, and fish have the ability to blend into chance of the ruse succeeding.
amphibians and fish, chromatophores are their habitat, taking visual clues from
layered in the skin, with xanthophores closest their surroundings to guide decisions on On the run
to the surface, followed by the iridophores which colour combination to deploy. Some
and finally the melanophores. This gives fish, such as flounder, can match new Camouflage can be a crucial defence against
great potential for rapid appearance control backgrounds in a matter of seconds; others, the threat of predation, ensuring a species
and allows for striking displays. including sole, fine-tune over days. remains undetected, unrecognised or
untargeted. While background matching
Some fish can match new Above: a panther is a widespread tactic, it can be less useful
backgrounds in a matter of chameleon when a species is highly mobile and a
seconds; others fine-tune stalks its prey. habitat changeable. Here, other tricks, such
over several days. Sometimes colour as disruptive patterning, may be used. Bold
change helps them markings create visual ‘noise’ that breaks
58 BBC Wildlife avoid detection up a shape, making it hard to discern where
and sometimes it an animal begins and ends, and blurring
is a social tool. the line between what is or isn’t a potential
meal. A predator may fail to recognise its

August 2021

COLOUR CHANGE

1

2

3 shades of sly

With colour-shi ing ability comes
the temptation of dishonesty.
Here are three species that have
learned to be cra y with colour.

1 Subordinate male GIANT
CUTTLEFISH have been filmed
adopting female displays during
breeding congregations to distract rival
males guarding potential mates. If the
ruse works, the interlopers switch back
to a male pattern and make their own
bid for courtship.

2 The BLUESTRIPED FANGBLENNY,
found among the reefs of the Indian

3 and Pacific Oceans, shares its habitat

with the bluestreak cleaner wrasse,
recognised by other fish for its parasite-
removal service. The fangblenny
(pictured on the right) can rapidly
change to black with a single neon
blue stripe that mimics the wrasse and
gains it close access to other fish. The
fangblenny then bites a chunk of flesh
from a waiting customer.

3The male AUGRABIES FLAT LIZARD
(among others) imitates female
coloration to avoid confrontation with
more dominant males – though at close-
range, its scent gives it away.

59

Dressing for The wide repertoire Clockwise from above:
the seasons of the mimic octopus an Arctic fox in its
includes disguising itself winter coat; a mimic
With climate patterns changing, as venomous lion sh. octopus impersonating
the chances of a mismatch become a flounder; this crab
increasingly likely for seasonally spider has turned
whitening species. A recent study of yellow to blend in
mountain hares in Scotland found that with the flower; the
the timing of their moult has hardly deceptive dottyback.
changed when compared with data from
the 1950s, despite there now being a quarry entirely, or direct its attack to a less skin (papillae) rapidly switch their skin from Hare: Andrew Mason/FLPA/Minden; fox: Danny Green/NPL; mimic octopus: Alex Mustard/NPL; brown dottyback:
shorter season of snow cover. A similar damaging area of the body. smooth to textured, allowing them to melt Colin Marshall/Alamy; sp der: Chr s Matt son/A amy; S r Dav d: Gav n Thurston/Humb e bee F ms
pattern has been seen in their American into barnacle-clad rocks or soft sediments.
cousin, the snowshoe hare, which can Anything that is constantly transforming
also be seen gleaming against a snowless its size, shape or appearance is hard to Should they venture beyond the
mountain backdrop. The main trigger locate, and cephalopods are undoubtedly relative safety of rocky habitats and reefs,
to moult is changing day-length, and some of the most confusing meals to catch. cephalopods can masquerade as patches
these species now face about a month So complex are their chromatophores that of algae or coral. In an environment
sporting the wrong coat colour for their they are considered organs in their own where there are fewer places to hide, the
surrounding habitat, making them right, drawing together the pigment-filled objective shifts from being unseen towards
increasingly conspicuous to predators. cells with tiny muscles and nerves that all being unrecognised. You can be highly
The same problem is seen in seasonally function as a unit. Pigments are held in conspicuous, as long as you blend in.
whitening birds, but there is evidence of pouch-like structures that can be rapidly
behavioural adaptations that may reduce compressed or flattened out. This detailed Most species don’t have the luxury of
their vulnerability: male rock ptarmigans, architecture provides precision-control having just one predator to avoid. Instead,
for instance, have been observed dirtying over each chromatophore, and allows they must manage multiple adversaries
their white plumage with soil. that have diverse hunting strategies and
for mesmerising displays and vanishing detection abilities. Colour-shifting skills
Mountain hares acts alike. can offer flexible lines of defence. Dwarf
can be very visible With thousands of reflectors and chameleons match their background more
in early spring chromatophores, cephalopods’ colour- closely if their enemy is a bird, but brighten
if the snow has shifting creativity enables them to if it’s a snake. This shows a fascinating
gone while they face an unpredictable environment awareness of their predators: snakes have
are still white. head-on. A choice of uniform, relatively poor colour vision, and by dialling
mottled and disruptive patterns up the glare, the chameleon makes itself
helps them to hide in plain sight; hard to pick out against a sunlit canopy.
muscle-controlled bumps on their Cuttlefish also make proactive decisions

August 2021

COLOUR CHANGE

CATCH SIR
DAVID ON
COLOUR

sends a clear signal that they

are prepared to fight and that an

attack is imminent.

Octopuses, too, can use dark

colours as they puff themselves

up as part of an aggressive

display. Such visual signals allow

individuals to assess one another,

Find out more in the judging risk before resorting to

BBC show Life in potentially damaging altercations.

Colour with David Chameleons assert their strength

dependent on the predator, opting to the guise of as flatfish by Attenborough – which and dominance by biting, but
deploy their colour-changing prowess when
threatened by visual predators such as arranging its arms into uses innovative may engage in a colour battle
flatfish, which actively search for prey, but
beating a hasty retreat from sharks and crabs undulating fins and bulging technology to reveal first: the brighter the skin, the
that hunt using entirely different senses.
out its eyes. The dusky the extraordinary more willing the contender.
Clear winners
dottyback also sets its mind ways that colour Colour can also be attractive.
Several deep-sea octopuses even include
transparency within their armoury, helping to mimicry. This unassuming works in the wild. It’s For panther chameleons, it is
them to evade predators by disguising
their silhouette against the last rays of reef fish switches between available to watch for a deciding factor for females
light filtering down to the twilight zone.
At these depths, many species make their yellow and brown to match another eight months selecting a mate, with males
own light. The octopus can rapidly switch
to red – a colour incredibly difficult to see the damselfish with which it on BBC iPlayer. attempting to seduce them
in deep water, helping them to dodge the
bioluminescent searchlights that would cohabits. With such similar with displays of reds, yellows,
reflect off their internal organs if they
were in transparent mode. appearances, the species greens and blues. The females

Octopuses are accomplished character will mingle closely, and have exacting standards,
actors and the wide repertoire of the
mimic octopus includes disguising itself as the dottybacks reveal their preferring the suitors sporting
venomous lionfish and sea kraits. Its soft
body allows it to contort, and it embodies motivations and proceed to eat any juvenile the brightest shades.

neighbours. It is a well-named case of From dimming-down frogs to seaweed-

‘aggressive mimicry’. simulating prawns, wildlife is still offering

But colour change isn’t always about up its secrets when it comes to colour

hiding. Many species adorn themselves change. Perhaps the greatest surprise of all

to stand out. Colour can communicate is that, despite their talent for dynamic and

emotion or intent in an instant, allowing a dizzying performances, most cephalopods

species to determine willingness to mate, appear to be colour-blind.

aggression or social hierarchy. Trinidadian

guppies provide a subtle, but ominous, LAURIE JACKSON is a freelance

warning by changing their eyes from silver ecologist, wildlife guide, writer and

to black when competing for food. This natural history trainer.

August 2021 BBC Wildlife 61

Talking
point

Putting Hesitantly, I reached
my jittery hand into
insects the termite mound,
coaxed by my field
on guide to pull out one
of the tiny, plump
menuthe insects. Going against
all of my natural
Our appetite for meat and dairy is instincts, I put the miniscule bug into my
su ocating our planet. Surely it’s time mouth and began to chew.
to bring insect-based food to the table?
While the termites did not deliver the
By Jess Murray | Illustrations Harry Tennant promised taste of peanut butter, I had to
admit that these little creatures did pack a
62 BBC Wildlife salty punch that wasn’t entirely unpleasant.
My apprehension about eating them had
absolutely nothing to do with their taste
or texture, but everything to do with my
preconceived ideas about eating bugs.

It got me thinking. Where have these
ideas come from? In a world where we eat
birds, mammals and even sea creatures
such as prawns – themselves referred to as
‘insects of the sea’ – why does munching
on an insect evoke such feelings of
revulsion? And, more significantly, with
two billion people on our planet happily

August 2021

consuming insects as part of their daily Crescent – a scythe of land in the Middle die in winter. Insects were soon relegated
diets, why is this fare not served up more East – to Europe, whereupon it quickly as pests that threatened food production,
regularly on western plates? became apparent that, when it came to the rather than being considered a source of
needs of a growing human population, food themselves.
Humans across the planet were once domesticating livestock was far more
hunter-gatherers, with insects widely beneficial than catching and eating insects. F ast forward to today and insects
featuring on the menu. Studies have shown Farm animals delivered high yields of are slowly returning to the
that early hominins (an ancestor of humans meat and milk products; provided skins, table in the West. By 2050,
who lived about two million years ago) wool and fur for clothing; and were useful it’s predicted that there will be
used tools made of bone to dig into termite as a means of transport. They were also nine billion people on Earth.
mounds, while many examples of insect- far more reliable in comparison to the Put simply, our current methods of food
eating appear in religious literature in unpredictability and seasonality of insects production will not be able to cater for such
Christian, Jewish and Islamic faiths. – particularly in colder climes, such as the
UK, where many species lie dormant or Insects offer a promising alternative
Then, over 6,000 years ago, agriculture to a low-ecological-footprint diet:
swiftly spread from its origins in the Fertile
they are genetically very distinct
“Two billion people on our from humans, so viruses are
unlikely to make the jump;

insects as part of BBC Wildlife 63
their daily diets.”

August 2021

Talking
point

them is okay.

global biodiversity loss,
and contributes to
overfishing, climate
change and water

The way we produce and consume environments so that they encourage processed foods means we’re missing out
meat often requires huge amounts of healthier and more sustainable choices.” on the nutritional benefits this species
land to grow animal feed, such as soy and could provide. Insects, after all, are highly
maize. Indeed, growing livestock feed is But a revulsion towards eating bugs is a nutritious. They’re loaded with fibre (largely
the biggest driver of deforestation on the largely western phenomenon. Two billion the insoluble chitin in their exoskeletons),
planet. Fifty per cent (51 million km2) of people across South America, Asia and vitamins, and minerals such as calcium,
the Earth’s habitable land is currently given Africa currently eat insects regularly and iron and zinc. When dried, crickets contain
over to agriculture; of that, more than 70 generally always have done. Their choice up to 69g of protein per 100g, compared
per cent can be attributed to the meat and to consume something with six legs rather to beef, which delivers just 19.4g per
dairy industry. Meat production also guzzles than four has nothing to do with a lack of 100g. And, perhaps surprisingly for their
oceans of water – to produce just 1kg of beef alternative food options or income – many size, insects are also a complete protein,
protein, you’ll need an eye-popping 22,000 are even considered delicacies. containing all nine essential amino acids.
litres of H2O. For the same amount of
cricket-based protein, you’ll need just 1 litre. Ants, for example, are highly sought A s well as their nutritional
after in many parts of the world, and about value, rearing insects for
S tudies on human behaviour show 80 grasshopper species are consumed
that the way we view our food and across the globe. An estimated 9.5 billion more to other processes.
the decisions we make about what mopane caterpillars are harvested annually
to eat are controlled by different in South Africa, while in the Chiapas region
parts of the brain. It can be hard of Mexico, locals tuck into 27 types of
to change dietary habits, despite what we caterpillar, alongside red and white maguey
know about the negative environmental worms. The larvae of yellowjacket wasps are
impacts of our choices, as these are already a staple in Japan and, as of 2012, there were
so ingrained. Our decisions are further some 20,000 cricket farmers in Thailand.
reinforced by culture, social norms and the
influences of the people around us. W e may recoil at the idea of
eating insects, but many
Joanna Trewern, WWF-UK’s sustainable of us are consuming
diets and behaviour change specialist, is them without knowing
researching how food companies can help it. Honey, in its truest
consumers to veer towards more sustainable essence, is simply bee vomit. And if you’ve
diets. “Society has significant and often
overlooked influences on food choice,” she
says. “These include mass advertising, such
as television adverts, internet pop-ups and
billboards, as well as menu design and the
layout of canteens and supermarkets. For
example, placing a product at the end of
an aisle in a supermarket subconsciously
encourages customers to buy it. In order
to change behaviour at scale, it’s vital
to analyse, understand and adapt food

64 BBC Wildlife

So, what would incorporating insects

consumption to a significant degree”
within the EU before 15 May 1997.
Waters have been muddied further by

for insect farms in the UK and the EU.

consumption across Europe in January insect breeder starter kits. “Mealworms are Foods, there is a growing acceptance
2021 is a signal that things are moving in by far the easiest to farm due to the smaller of insect-based food. “Consumers
the right direction. There are more than space requirements to keep them healthy,” are being led more and more by the
20 applications for edible insects currently she says. “In comparison, crickets are sustainability and nutritional benefits of
awaiting approval. territorial, so they need a lot more space insect protein,” she says.
to be ethically farmed.”
In the meantime, the good news is that While there isn’t enough science yet
we do have some brilliant sources of insect B ecause one female mealworm to conclude the environmental impact
protein native to the UK, and farming beetle lays about 500 eggs, of large-scale insect consumption, there
insects for consumption is surprisingly these creatures produce protein is certainly research to demonstrate
easy. Tiziana Di Costanzo, who runs urban relatively quickly. Horizon the huge environmental benefit that
insect farm Horizon Insects, went from Insects is still breeding, eating insects has in comparison to our
breeding mealworms in her utility room to consuming and selling from the same overconsumption of meat and dairy. But
building a specialised shed in her garden, in as American naturalist Joseph Bequaert
wrote in his paper ‘Insects as Food’ in
Tiziana’s interest in insect cookery has 1921: “What we eat is, after all, more
a matter of custom and fashion than
It certainly seems to be an exciting time anything else.”

Awareness and understanding that
it is merely our societal and cultural
norms that encourage us to form
specific opinions about certain products
is crucial in breaking down these
barriers to alternative food sources and
opening our minds to different ways
of producing food that is good for our
health – and that of our planet.

JESS MURRAY is social
media manager for WWF-UK
and a content creator. She
writes about environmental issues, with
a particular interest in food systems.

WANT TO COMMENT? Should
we learn to accept insects as
food? Tell us what you think by
emailing us at wildlifeletters@
immediate.co.uk

BBC Wildlife 65

Rangers are nature’s rst
responders. They risk their
lives to protect our planet,
yet some don’t even own
a pair of boots. So, why are
rangers not respected and

supported? And what’s
being done about it?

By Sarah McPherson

Protect the p

Rangers from Virunga Adam Kiefer
National Park, Democratic
Republic of Congo, caring

for young gorillas at the
Senkwekwe Center (pre-
pandemic). The facility is
the only mountain gorilla
orphanage in the world,
and also plays a critical

role in rehabilitating
orphaned eastern lowland
gorillas confiscated from

animal tra ckers.

31 July 2021

protectors

RANGERS

“Can you name another RANGER STATS
profession that, all in
a day’s work, fights £1,000
wildlife crime, prevents
extinction and mitigates The cost of equipping a 10-person anti-poaching
against climate change ranger patrol team with basic but critical gear
and zoonotic disease?
No, you can’t, because there isn’t one,” 13
says Sean Willmore, managing director of
ranger support charity the Thin Green Line RANGERS KILLED BY
Foundation (TGLF). “Wildlife rangers are ELEPHANTS IN 2020
the missing link in saving our planet.”
Global biodiversity loss has reached
unprecedented levels, with one million
species estimated to be threatened with
extinction. Protected areas are key to saving
wildlife, but they cannot function without
rangers. Whether on the icy wastes of
Russia’s Wrangel Island, where they prevent
conflict between polar bears and people;
on the ragged slopes of Mongolia’s Gobi
Gurvansaikhan National Park, where they’re
camera-trapping snow leopards; or in the
high fells of our very own Lake District,
where they manage a landscape shared
with thousands of visitors, rangers defend
ecosystems across the globe.
“If you imagine the planet as a house,
then every park is a brick in its foundation,”
says Barney Long, senior director of species
conservation at Re:wild and contributor to
Life on the Frontline 2019, a global survey
on the working conditions of rangers. “By
looking after those bricks, rangers provide
essential services for humankind: the clean
air we breathe, the fresh water we drink,
the biodiversity that gives us new drugs
every year. The planet would be pretty much
unliveable without them.”
So, it makes no sense whatsoever that the
vast majority of the world’s rangers are not

RANGER STORIES I have been training indigenous I was once given a female pale-
rangers since 2005. They throated sloth to take care of. She
Marcelo Segalerba needed help protecting their had fallen out of a tree into the road
land in the Brazilian Amazon. and been hit by a car. I spent weeks
Freelance consultant ranger, Seeing them achieving nursing her back to health and then
Brazil remarkable things is very re-released her. It was hard saying
rewarding.
I’ve had a passion for nature and goodbye. I will never forget the last
conservation from an early age. When I Being a ranger comes time she looked at me.
realised that people were risking their lives
to protect nature, I wanted to be one of with many risks – wildlife I have to be prepared for
them. Rangers are my heroes. anything. A major challenge
criminals, natural disasters,
In 1998, when I was 26, I got a job as of my job is simply returning
park ranger in San Miguel National Park, wild animals, poisonous home alive. We need better
on the border with Brazil. I was the only working conditions,
ranger there at the time. That same year, plants. Once, I was shot at by recognition, security, pay
I completed a ranger course in Mexico. It and legal support. But I’d
was expensive, so my parents helped me poachers. I could hear the never dream of giving up
to pay for it. I’ll always be grateful for that.
bullets landing all Marcelo has August 2021
68 BBC Wildlife around me, but luckily rescued sloths
they all missed. from roads

and rivers.

RANGERS

Sergeat Nkateko Mzimba is one RANGER STORIES
of 23 Black Mambas – an all-
Prem Kanwar
female ranger unit. The women
are unarmed and trained in anti- Assistant forester,
Bhainsrorgarh Sanctuary, India
poaching and survival skills.
My love of nature made me become a
Black Mamba: Julia Gunther; sloth: Ariadne Van Zandbergen/Alamy; properly resourced, supported or trained. from a career in the ranger sector, this ranger. I was raised in a village where
Prem headshot: Ranjan Ramchandan ; workshop: Prem Kanwar Shockingly, nearly half of the 7,110 rangers is also one of the most dangerous jobs women did not have permission to leave
interviewed for Life on the Frontline stated in the world, claiming more than 1,000 their houses, and I’d gaze at the mountains
that provision of basic needs, such as lives in the past decade. Violent clashes through my window. My great uncle
drinking water, was inadequate; more than with armed poachers hit the headlines worked for the forest department and told
half said that medical treatment, when with tragic regularity (in January, another me inspiring stories, feeding my passion. I
required, was insufficient. six rangers were killed by rebels in am the only woman in my village with a job.
Virunga National Park, bringing the
Dangers of the day job total number of ranger deaths there I monitor and protect many species. I
to more than 200), but there is more have rescued more than 500 wild animals,
If the data is gloomy, the situation on than one way to die in the wilderness. including crocodiles, snakes and leopards.
the ground is gloomier still. “There are There are attacks by large predatory A few years ago, I single-handedly saved
about 1.5 million rangers in the world, and animals; there are deadly bites and several Indian peafowl from poachers.
my guess is that 80-90 per cent of them stings; there are tropical diseases,
are completely under-equipped,” says road accidents and bushfires. Rangers Much of my work focuses on managing
Willmore. “Some don’t have any boots. In put their lives on the line every day. human-wildlife conflict. I’m often called
Thailand, I’ve seen rangers drinking out out to emergencies involving poaching
of waterholes that elephants defecate in. The underlying problem, according and logging. Communities live close to
In Africa, they have no mosquito nets and to Long, is that despite everything reserves, so protecting species such as
get malaria eight times a year.” we know about the natural world leopards from retaliatory killings through
going to hell in a handcart, the education is very important.
As if the bugs and no boots weren’t global ranger force remains woefully
enough to discourage the faint-hearted Otters are my favourite animal – mothers
and cubs have a special bond. I’ll never
forget the day I saw a family cuddled up
together. It was reassurance that our
e orts are paying o .

I love every aspect of my work. It brings
challenges that no other profession o ers.
My community sees me as a role model
and are encouraging their daughters to
follow their dreams.

It can be di cult working in a male-
dominated arena. I face discrimination and
am often excluded from decision-making
processes. A lot of work is needed to
improve the lives and working conditions
of rangers. Addressing the gender gap is
most important of all.

Prem works with
local schoolchildren

to raise awareness
of wildlife.

August 2021

RANGERS

RANGER STORIES

Florin Halastauan

Wildlife officer, Southern
Carpathians, Romania

I spent my teens around people who loved
and protected nature, and was inspired by
all of them. My first job was in 2003, in the
mountains of Retezat National Park.

I am currently working on a WWF project
to reintroduce European bison into the
Romanian Carpathians. We need to
collect a lot of data to understand how the
species is adapting, so most of my time is
spent monitoring the animals in the field.

It may look like I do the same thing
every day – I don’t. Nature is continually
evolving, and I have to evolve with it. I’m
always learning.

One of the most important aspects of
my job is to inspire young people. I’ve
organised educational nature camps for
children. Young people are the future!

From 2010 to 2016 I worked in under-professionalised. Professional, her and her partner with a machete. Had
Mohammed Akram, a community ranger
Jotunheimen National Park, Norway. government-paid rangers – such as those from Pakistan, fully understood the
implications of being outnumbered, he
I went on patrol with the head ranger, in Canada, the USA or the UK – are the might have decided against confronting
the six illegal loggers that turned their
Rigmor Solem, and managed to film and exception, not the rule; most rangers work AK-47s on him.

photograph a wolf. I have seen wolves in in a community or indigenous capacity, Back to school

Romania, but Rigmor had not seen a wolf supported by local villages, charities or Life on the Frontline was borne of a
need to gather evidence to present to
in this part of Norway for 25 years. NGOs. “If we don’t treat rangers properly, the International Labour Organisation,
with the aim of gaining the ranger force
they will not be able to protect the planet,” professional recognition. “There are
recommendations for sectors such as
As a ranger, it’s di cult balancing your says Long. “I can’t fathom why we’re not teaching, but nothing like that exists for
rangers, because there’s no data,” says
work and personal life. Being a ranger throwing everything at this right now.” Long. “We need guidelines for rangers that
apply across the world. And we can expect
means being involved and dedicated, but “The role of a ranger needs to be consistent high standards in return.”

so does being a husband and father. repositioned,” adds Willmore. “Many Long believes ranger colleges are the
way forward, something that could be
are hard-working and dedicated, yet are achieved by adapting existing courses.
“Take the Carribbean. The University of
Rangers needs recognition, respect not respected or paid enough. The whole the West Indies has produced biologists for
years. Hypothetically, it could offer ranger
and support from all levels – from local system needs to be regarded in the same studies. Carribbean governments should
then commit to only hiring staff who have
communities to international authorities. way as a fire brigade or police force.” earned that qualification. If you can do it Rangers: Adam K efer; po ar bear: U yana Bab y; b son: Unterth ner/W d Wonders of Europe/NPL
for nurses, you can do it for rangers.”
We are the ones on the front line. We Training is at the root of that, with
In the meantime, there’s still a more-
need equipment, protection and legal rangers frequently not qualified to do than-pressing need for training on the
ground, but various initiatives have started
protection. Government support for what is being asked of them. They could to plug the gap. LEAD Ranger, launched in
2018 by the International Anti-Poaching
rangers is largely lacking in Romania. have knowledge of, say, tree planting, then
August 2021
find themselves extinguishing a

More than wildfire, handling an outbreak
100 bison of Covid-19 or enforcing the law,
now roam in confronting armed criminals
Romania. with none of the high-precision

training necessary to work in a

warzone. Had Esnart Paundi,

a Zambian ranger and mother-

of-five, been taught proper

surveillance techniques, she

might have cleared her patrol

zone before apprehending

two poachers. She might have

uncovered a third, hiding in

the bushes, before he killed

From left: Bienvenue RANGERS
Tsongo, Jean Paul
Rangers on Wrangel Island
Bisika and Sebastien Nature Reserve – which hosts
Kaposo, part of one of the largest gatherings of
polar bears on Earth – alternate
Virunga’s 700-strong spending winter on the island.
ranger force, guard
the Lulimbi River
and its resident

hippos on the park’s
eastern border.

RANGER STATS

500

Foundation, Ranger Campus and TGLF, is The number of families
having particular success, training rangers currently supported
to become instructors in disciplines such as by TGLF’s Fallen
anti-poaching strategy and first aid. “LEAD Ranger Fund
Ranger leaves a huge legacy as the skills
stay in situ, enabling long-term change,” $297.14
says Willmore. And it’s not just wildlife that
benefits: to date, medical skills acquired via The average monthly
LEAD Ranger have saved the lives of salary of a ranger
16 people and helped countless others.
61.9%
“LEAD Ranger is fantastic and we need
more like it,” says Long. “But it shouldn’t be of rangers
down to charities alone to drive training.” have to buy

Service charges their own
boots
Slap a dollar sign on something and people
tend to take notice. Ecosystem services – the Take forest elephants in Africa. They The collapse of elephant populations due
benefits to humans from a healthy natural earn their nickname of ‘mega-gardeners’ to poaching and habitat destruction, is, then,
environment – are nothing new, but only by weeding out small trees as they feed on a double-edged tragedy: the loss of both a
recently have we started to recognise their and trample vegetation, freeing up space marvellous keystone species and a huge
vast financial potential. And who holds the and fertilising larger, hardwood species. asset in the fight against climate change.
key to unlocking this pot of gold? Rangers. These, in turn, grow taller – and store “Governments spend money on education,
more carbon. Economist Ralph Chami health, development and transport, and
Rangers could has calculated that if forest elephants, if there’s any left, they spend a bit on
nd themselves which were recently declared Critically nature as it’s ‘nice’, not because it’s our
Endangered, were to recover their numbers life-support system,” says conservationist
extinguishing a and repopulate their former range, carbon and biologist Ian Redmond. “But if people
wild re or enforcing capture in the region would increase by view a species like an elephant as doing a
the law, confronting 13,000kg per hectare. The worth of this vital job for the planet, that work can be
armed criminals. service is, per elephant lifetime, a not-too- monetised, and its guardians – rangers and
shabby USD$1.75 million. It makes the communities – paid what it’s worth.”
August 2021 US$40,000 price tag on a pair of tusks
look like small change. To that end, Redmond has co-launched
Rebalance Earth, an initiative that will

BBC Wildlife 71

RANGERS

RANGER STORIES

Samuel Loware

Sgt ecological monitoring and
research, Kidepo, Uganda

My uncle inspired me to become a ranger.
He was campaigning about conservation
issues back in the 1940s.

I work in Kidepo Valley National Park and
its neighbouring reserves, with elephants,
gira es, bu aloes, lions, cheetahs,
leopards, elands, zebras and ostriches.

I’m very proud of my involvement in
translocations, including of gira es, elands
and kobs. Their numbers are amazing now.
I also do a lot of work monitoring gira e
and lion populations, which are increasing.

I enjoy the challenge of protecting nature
from wildfires. I am Kidepo’s fire master,
and I’m responsible for the park’s fire
management plan.

Dealing with armed criminals is just part Constance Mwaka
of the job. In 2018, I was shot by poachers Mwandaa with fellow
from Sudan. I was then charged by a rangers on a LEAD Ranger
wounded bu alo that had been shot by the instructor programme.
same poachers. Despite the challenges of
Covid-19, 76 rangers have
Inadequate transport, the poor road graduated the course in
network and lack of skills and knowledge the past two years, going
in the local area make my job very on to train more than
challenging. My low salary (equivalent to 2,000 others.
US$266 dollars a month) means I can’t
a ord a better home for my family.

I need better field and communications enable companies to offset their carbon The idea to create the Mambas was Samue : Thom P erce/The Th n Green L ne; rangers: LEAD Ranger 2019; e ephant: Jwngshar Narzary/EyeEm/Getty
something of a lightbulb moment for
equipment, and the technology to be able emissions by paying to protect forest Balule’s head warden, Craig Spencer.
“Wildlife crime had spiralled out of control
to share my work with the world. elephants, sending funds direct to their and Craig was at his wits’ end,” recalls
Holly Budge, founder of anti-poaching
protectors via secure digital blockchain. charity How Many Elephants. “Then one
day it just came to him – why not train the
Last year, I was awarded the Rhino Turning the tables local women as ‘bobbies on the beat’?”
Conservation Award for Best Field Ranger.
The Mambas have since proved an
I love working for wildlife, but being a If there’s one significant shift happening inspiration, not only to their communities
but to anti-poaching operations across
ranger in Africa leaves a lot to be desired. in the ranger sphere, it’s addressing the Africa, who are recognising women as
a vastly under-utilised workforce. The
gender imbalance in what has long been a Akashinga, an elite squad that protects the
Phundundu Wildlife area in Zimbabwe,
traditionally male domain (less than was formed in 2017; Team Lioness,
who guard Maasai land around Kenya’s
11 per cent of the ranger workforce Amboseli National Park, followed in 2019.

protect woodland is female). “It’s a huge missed “The training is tough – particularly
opportunity,” says Long. “Many for the Akashinga – but these women are
and savannah countries have deeply held views accustomed to hardship and see it as an
habitat in Kidepo. opportunity,” says Budge, who has joined
both the Mambas and Akashinga on
on gender that make it difficult for

women to enter the force. We need

to think systemically about how we

can change that.”

Women rangers are arguably most

visible in the all-female teams that

have shot to fame in recent years, the

first of which was the Black Mamba

Anti-Poaching Unit, founded in South

Africa’s Balule National Park in 2013.

August 2021

RANGERS

RANGER STATS Since the Mambas’
inception, Balule has
568 seen a 99 per cent
drop in snaring and
The number of an 89 per cent drop
rangers killed in in poaching.
action in Asia from
patrol. “It’s easy to see why the female
2009 2010 ranger movement is picking up momentum.
Women are natural communicators and
INDIA protectors, and can ease local tension.”

Statistically the most For anyone inclined to dismiss these
dangerous country all-girl crews as a PR gimmick, the proof
to be a ranger, with is in the percentages. Since the Mambas’
46 rangers killed inception, Balule has seen a 99 per cent
in 2020 drop in snaring and an 89 per cent drop in
bushmeat poaching. The unit has also been
Forest elephants are a key part of pandemic response, delivering
a valuable resource food parcels by the truckload. “These women
are on the front line of conservation, but are
in mitigating climate also educators and role models,” says Budge.
change, but are now at “They are beacons of hope, and are changing
attitudes towards women in Africa.”
just nine per cent of
their former population. Eyes forward

August 2021 In a noisy world, those who work for wildlife
are making their voices heard. The Universal
Ranger Support Alliance, launched in 2020,
is a collaboration of eight organisations that
intends to deliver a ‘new deal’ for rangers by
implementing the Chitwan Declaration, a
summary of needs and priorities drawn up at
the 2019 World Ranger Congress in Nepal.
Ranger round-tables with the World Health
Organisation and World Bank are also under
way. “These are going well,” says Long. “We
need governments to see rangers as a key part
of governance on the frontier, and of climate
change response and pandemic response.
They need to be talked about at a new level.”

The world is at tipping point. By 2030, we
will be asking rangers to protect 30 per cent
of the Earth’s surface. Without support, they
cannot possibly fulfil this critical role. “If
global authorities invest in rangers, then
we’ve got a chance,” says Willmore. “If not,
then all the ideas we have to save the planet
will stay in folders on shelves. And people like
Eznart and Akram will continue to die.”

SARAH MCPHERSON
is acting deputy editor of
BBC Wildlife Magazine

FIND OUT MORE internationalrangers.org;

ursa4rangers.org; howmanyelephants.org;
thingreenline.org.uk; leadranger.org;
rebalance.earth; worldfemalerangerday.org

BBC Wildlife 73

SThe reptiles

found that day

were dehydrated,

and had su ered

skin damage.T

74 BBC Wildlife August 2021

Behind
the
image

High-tech 2019
tra cking

by DOUG GIMESY

Documenting the illegal trade in Australian
reptiles, Doug encountered native lizards
concealed in electrical equipment.

DOUG GIMESY When scanners at a
Melbourne sorting
is an Australian office detected
conservation and wildlife blue-tongued lizards
hidden inside a DVD
photojournalist. player, you'd think the discovery would
gimesy.com have come as something of a surprise.
Sadly, such findings are all too common
– a symptom of the growing illegal
international trade in Australian reptiles.

This image, of a lizard being
measured by wildlife officers, was
captured by photographer Doug Gimesy,
who spent several months documenting
the issue. “This was just one of two blue-
tongues stuffed inside that DVD player,
which was intercepted en route to Asia,”
Doug recalls. “That same day, another
package was detected containing four
more blue-tongues, individually bound
with tape and wrapped in socks.”

Cruel and criminal

The illegal capture and export of endemic
Australian reptiles – which, along with
native amphibians and birds, are highly
prized overseas, mainly as pets – is a
lucrative trade, and one that represents
a significant conservation and welfare
problem. Removing individuals from the
wild not only impacts local populations,
but can also result in habitat destruction.
And transporting the animals, in food
packaging, toys or electrical appliances,
can lead to starvation, stress, exposure to
cold, injury and, all too often, death.

“The reptiles rescued that day were
dehydrated and had suffered skin
damage from the tape,” says Doug.
“They also had ticks, suggesting that
they had been taken from the wild.”
The lizards were given fluids and feed,
and checked by animal experts. Sadly,
though, some have to be euthanised.

Australia’s federal government is
contributing to the development of 3D
X-ray scanning technology to combat
such crimes. As yet, though, the cruel
trade continues. Paul Bloomfield

August 2021 BBC Wildlife 75

This month’s panel

STUART BLACKMAN NEIL GARRICK MAIDMENT DAVE HAMILTON ELLEN HUSAIN LAURIE JACKSON RICHARD JONES ALEX MORSS MEGAN SHERSBY

Science writer The Seahorse Trust Horticulturalist Wildlife film-maker Wildlife tour leader Entomologist Ecologist BBC Wildlife team

We solve your &A
wildlife mysteries.

Email your questions to
[email protected]
More amazing facts at
discoverwildlife.com

Are any animals
bulletproof?

Y es. Armadillo ‘armour’ bullets glancing off the
– composed of bony hides of saltwater crocodiles
plates known as osteoderms or being lodged in their
– has been seen to deflect robust skulls without
bullets. In one incident, a penetrating the brain. The
Texan man was hit in the semi-bulletproof nature of
face when his own bullet crocodiles and other large
bounced back from an animals, such as elephants
armadillo that he tried to and rhinos, gave rise to
shoot. In another, a bullet the ‘elephant gun’ in the
ricocheting off an armadillo late 1800s – this was a
penetrated a house, injuring very heavy-duty weapon
an elderly lady. specifically designed for
killing big game.
Accounts from early
colonial times describe Ellen Husain

Armadillo: Daniel Heuclin/naturepl.com (captive); bullet: Sean Gladwell/Getty;

August 2021

Q&A

Small but strong: the
word armadillo means
‘little armoured one’ in
Spanish. The animal’s
tough plates protect it
from predators and can

even deflect a bullet.

August 2021 BBC Wildlife 77

Q&A

BIRDS Leucism is the lack of melanin BOTANY
pigment in some feathers due to
What’s the the absence of melanin-producing Why are
di erence cells; albinism is the complete lack of strawberry seeds
between leucism these pigments due to the absence of a on the outside?
and albinism? particular enzyme (tyrosinase).
S trawberries are unusual among
However, according to Hein van Grouw, edible fruit in having their pips
senior curator of birds at London’s exposed on the outside, rather than
Natural History Museum, many ‘white’ nestled within the flesh. The fleshy,
birds are actually exhibiting something edible parts of most fruits are formed
different – a condition known as from the ovaries – the parts that
progressive greying. An individual starts contain the seeds – which swell after
life with normal pigmentation, then pollination. A strawberry, though, is
gradually loses the pigment-producing formed from an enlarged receptacle,
cells, so that with every moult, the the part of a flower on which the
amount of white feathers increases. ovaries sit. So, what look like seeds are,
This isn’t a heritable condition, and the in fact, tiny individual ovaries, each
precise causes are not usually known. “In housing a seed within. This means
progressive greying, the white feathers that, in botanical terms, a strawberry
are more randomly spread,” says Hein. is not a true berry, though most people
are happy to overlook this technicality
“Whereas most forms of leucism cause when making a summer pudding.
a bilateral and symmetrical pattern of
patches of white feathers, with the Stuart Blackman
extremities most affected.”
What’s in a name?
Megan Shersby Strawberries are
not technically
berries.

A ‘progressively
greying’ pu n, seen

on the Scottish
island of Handa.

ORNITHOLOGY Blue tits’ nest
sites are at risk
Why do blue and of attacks from
great tits hiss?
predators.

B lue and great tits are cavity- nice example of Batesian mimicry, Pu n: Dora Hamilton/Scottish W d fe Trust; strawberr es: Getty; t t: Dav d T p ng/naturep .com;
nesting birds, breeding in tree in which a species passes itself seahorse: Alex Mustard/naturepl.com; pinecones: Alamy
crevices and nestboxes. Despite off as something more menacing.
the apparent safety of these Cornered females employ further
enclosed spaces, the birds are still shock tactics: raising their wings,
vulnerable, since any predator jutting their heads and snapping
venturing inside will block the only their beaks. The performance is
escape route. Incubating females enough to make great spotted
therefore use their hiss, which is woodpeckers, yellow-necked
remarkably like that of a snake, to mice and cats think twice about
deter any would-be intruders. approaching nest sites, though is
not always successful against small
By invoking their inner serpent, predators, such as weasels, that
the tits are taking advantage of the enter the abode and discover the
innate fear of the reptiles held by deception. Laurie Jackson
many mammals and birds. It’s a

78 BBC Wildlife August 2021

Q&A

MARINE BIOLOGY

How do

seahorses

eat?

S eahorses are voracious feeders and
can eat up to 80 full-grown shrimp
a day. They need to feed continuously
because they have a very simple digestive
system. Seahorses consume their prey
using a special technique known as
pivot feeding. This involves a trigger
mechanism within the lower part
of the snout that, when activated,
accelerates the movement of
water through the snout and
out of the gill siphons on the
top of the head. The suction
force is so powerful that it can be
heard underwater, and rapidly draws the
prey item into the mouth.

Neil Garrick Maidment

Seahorses are noisy
eaters and almost
literally ‘hoover up’ their
meals using a special
suction technique.

3 questions on Some pine cones rely
on wildfire to release
Fire ecology their seeds – and the
wait can be long.

1HOW CAN FIRE HELP PLANTS? 2HOW DO THEY SURVIVE IT? 3WHAT ABOUT
Fire may seem a destructive force, Many plants have adapted to tolerate CLIMATE CHANGE?
but for some plants, it can be helpful. In fire. For example, larch, eucalyptus and
wildfire-prone lands, a blaze can bring some species of pine have thick, fire- A diverse community of plants
fresh vitality by recycling and boosting retardant bark; the South African aloe and animals is kept in flux by
nutrients, and bestowing space and light. has dense, insulating leaves; and Banksia natural fire cycles. However, there is
bushes are equipped with starchy, fire- a limit to how much even the most
For some species, fire also confers resistant growths (known as lignotubers) resilient plants can take. An increased
a competitive advantage. In that protect their buds. Tall growth also intensity and frequency of fire events
lodgepole pines, for example, helps. Once the flames die down, could destroy seed banks, and pressure
seed cones hang high in the dormant seeds and shoots are
canopy, their scales firmly awoken by the charring and from introduced grazers can a ect
sealed with resin. Only the the chemicals in the smoke, species recovery. In a warming
heat of a forest fire can triggering an explosion of world, land managers must
melt the glue, ensuring blossom in the scorched consider how they can help
the seeds fall on ash- landscape. forests and grasslands recover
enriched ground. – by creating restoration seed
banks, for instance. Alex Morss

Q&A ENTOMOLOGY

Wasps fed nitrogen- Do wasps feed royal jelly to
rich food as grubs their queens, like honeybees?
may grow into better
nourished queens. F or the first few days of life, famous royal jelly that produces larger,
honeybee grubs are fed on a better nourished and fertile queens.
The Explainer protein-rich substance secreted
from the throat glands of the Nothing like this has been found in
Red Queen workers (small, infertile wasps, but there is some evidence that
hypothesis females). Most are then fed grubs that are fed insect prey with a
with nectar and pollen and higher nitrogen content are more likely
develop into more workers. to become better nourished queens.
Some selected grubs, This dietary requirement could be
however, continue to receive achieved by feeding herbivore prey (such
the nutritious secretions, as caterpillars) to worker grubs, and
glutinous masses of which carnivorous prey (such as blowflies) to
accumulate in the wax predestined queens. It’s tantalising to
cells. This is the think that the wasp hunters could tell the
difference. Richard Jones

Bladderwrack – the
ocean’s answer to
bubblewrap – is one
of our most common
seaweeds.

Wasp & bladder wrack: Ross Hoddinott/naturepl.com; Alice: Getty; spores: Sarang Naik “It takes all the running you can MARINE BIOLOGY
do to keep in the same place.”
Why are seaweed fronds sometimes
Most of us can relate to the full of air and sometimes full of liquid?
Red Queen of Alice Through the
Looking-Glass fame, who had to M any seaweed species have bubble-like species of seaweed are fertile, additional
keep running to stay in the same structures on their fronds. These are cavities at the tips of the fronds can swell
place. Her predicament has been known as swim bladders, and comprise and fill with protective goo. Look closely
borrowed by biologists trying to oxygen-filled chambers that are used for and you will see little pits dotted across the
explain why virtually all species bouyancy, which aids photosynthesis. surface. Known as conceptacles, these tiny
reproduce sexually, even though structures contain either sperm or eggs,
it’s highly ine cient. The idea Swim bladders vary in position and size depending on the sex of the seaweed (yes,
according to species. On bladderwrack, for you get male and female seaweeds!).
is that organisms must keep instance, they lie either side of a central
evolving just to survive in a world spine; on eggwrack, one large, egg-shaped Seaweeds such as bladderwrack provide
where everyone else is evolving, bladder is added to the fronds each year important food and habitat for coastal
too. And by mixing up genes from (you can age an individual by counting creatures. You’ll often encounter sea snails
di erent individuals, sex allows these). In spring and summer, when certain nibbling on the fronds. Dave Hamilton

species to evolve faster. May 2021
Stop running on the spot and

extinction surely follows.
Stuart Blackman

80 BBC Wildlife

Q&A

What
is it?

GOBLET OF FIRE

Most fungi live rather secretive lives,
lurking out of sight within their wood,
dung-pile or humus habitats. But to
reproduce, they must temporarily
abandon their penchant for privacy
and reveal themselves via fruiting
bodies – better known as mushrooms
– through which they cast their spores
to the wind. In the right light, the
release can be a sight to behold, as
this individual (likely an Indian Reishi
mushroom) testifies, its millions of
spores rising into the air like a flame.

OUR WILD WORLD

At home Bring a little extra wildlife into
your life with the best of this
month’s TV, books, podcasts,
streaming and much more.

A beautiful corner of
England is revisited by
Chris Packham as he
walks north alongside
one of the oldest
waterways in
the country.

82 BBC Wildlife

WILD WORLD

A relaxing countryside

Join the naturalist and presenter in Hampshire as he revisits an TV
enjoyable springtime walk from his childhood. choice

CHRIS PACKHAM: THE WALK THAT MADE ME Winchester Cathedral. It’s an early spring day, with a
CATCH UP ON BBC IPLAYER blackthorn tree in flower (an “absolute cloud of
confetti”), frost covering the ground, an argumentative
different to his usual documentaries. Rather than robin singing overhead and sunlight filtering through
standing in a field somewhere in the UK or in the bush the branches and leaves of the trees.
somewhere in Africa, this one kicks off in his kitchen
with his gorgeous poodles, where he introduces the Supported by some fantastic drone shots, this is a
programme and explains that, without the normal film wonderful, emotional and enchanting journey.
crew available due to pandemic restrictions, he is using Packham points out the local wildlife and historical
a 360-degree, hand-held camera to record his walk. features, sticks the camera underwater to have a look
“It’s not any old walk, it’s a really important walk to me. at minnows, revisits both beautifully joyful and
heart-breakingly painful memories, and chats to other
I’m going to be following in my distant footsteps, on people enjoying the outdoors, including some rather
a path where I grew up. Where I really cut my teeth brave cold-water swimmers and a community
as a naturalist and had plenty of time to think following the ancient tradition of flooding their
about the world.” watermeadows. So intimate is the effect that
Chris takes us to the southern county of you feel as if you are walking with him.
Hampshire for the 16.4km walk, starting near
Eastleigh and following the River Itchen and Megan Shersby
the Itchen Navigation for much of
the way, before finally
finishing outside

Tim Smith/Atypical Media/BBC

BBC Wildlife 83

OUR WILD WORLD BOOK

Swallow-tailed The Glitter in the Green
hummingbirds are
named for their JON DUNN, BLOOMSBURY, £20
deeply forked tails.
The nature-quest genre – where
authors attempt to see a list of Jon Dunn
target species – is getting pretty
tired now, but Jon Dunn’s skill as a
travel writer sets this engrossing
book apart. His adventures in
search of rare and unusual hummingbirds
whisk us from Alaska to the chilly shores of
Tierra del Fuego, via a mouthwatering array of
habitats and off-the-beaten-track lodges.
Dunn encounters mudslides, a political coup
and the illegal wildlife trade, is checked out by
an inquisitive mountain lion and visits the
remote volcanic island that inspired Robinson
Crusoe. As you’d expect, we learn plenty about
the extraordinary lives of the ‘hummer’ family,
a group of birds only found in the Americas.
But the chequered history of our long-running
fascination with these exotic and colourful
creatures, and the obsessive characters who
painted, traded or collected them, proves
equally fascinating.

Ben Hoare, BBC Wildlife editorial consultant

O Look out for Jon’s feature on hummingbirds in

the next issue of BBC Wildlife Magazine

WILD STREAM PODCAST BOOK

RADIO DRAMA Golden Grenades Ecology and
Song of the Reed Natural History
Sophie Okonedo and Mark ON ITUNES AND SPOTIFY
Rylance star in this four-part BY DAVID WILKINSON, WILLIAM COLLINS, £65
Radio 4 eco-drama. For a podcast that pivots
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available now Golden Grenades remains using examples and
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TV SERIES simple: each week a bird-lover chooses landscape, David Wilkinson
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Actor and writer Patton Oswalt disaster. At the end of the show, one of stories through the eyes of a naturalist
narrates the lives of penguins in their birds must go head-to-head with and ecologist. Major concepts are
a South African town. presenter Kit’s favourite – the peregrine explored and explained, making this
Netflix, streaming now falcon. The real joy of this podcast is book an essential read for both the
found in the heart-warming, fascinating student of ecology or the layperson that
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A fictional thriller following their champions. From sky burials to asks questions of the interconnectivity
a forest o cer and her team vomiting fairies, once-in-a-lifetime of everything natural, then this book
tackling wildlife-human conflict sightings to garden regulars, Golden contains many of the answers. Highly
and a man-eating tigress. Grenades covers them all. readable and instantly engaging.
Amazon Prime, streaming now
Kerrie Ann Gardner Artist and writer Nick Baker Nature writer
84 BBC Wildlife Turn to p91 for a chance to win a copy
NEW TO PODCASTS? Read our guide:
August 2021

OUR WILD WORLD

TV Let’s Go For A Walk like, and discovery through wild play.
Loosely based around nature rambles,
Playing With Sharks BY RANGER HAMZA, ILLUSTRATED BY KATE KRONREIF.
THE IVY PRESS, £7.99 Kronreif’s artwork shows urban settings
STREAMING NOW ON DISNEY PLUS as well as the idyllic ponds, woods and
Super-bright, engaging, coasts that are the staple fare of similar
Valerie Taylor adores sharks. “Maybe accessible... this book is a books. Also refreshing, the multi-racial
I’m a bit funny, but I just love going blast of fresh air. Its 15 characters look like contemporary
down there, I love seeing that big bull cheery spreads are pitched at Britain. Wildlife is for everyone, urges
shark here, going ‘Ah!’” A champion early readers and inspired by the rhyming text. My daughters
spearfisher in the 1950s, Valerie has the popular CBeebies series commented that the book is great fun,
been a passionate conservationist and with Ranger Hamza – the alter ego of with one saying: “I wished I’d had it
underwater photographer and wildlife photographer Hamza Yassin. when I was younger, daddy!”
filmmaker for many years, alongside her Whereas children’s wildlife books often
husband Ron, who passed away in 2012. focus on identifying species or learning Ben Hoare BBC Wildlife editorial consultant
In particular, she’s been working to basic biology, this one is much less
change the public perception of sharks prescriptive. The emphasis is as much on MORE CHILDREN’S NATURE BOOKS
and campaigning to protect them. The sharing the thrill of spotting natural things,
film explores her relationship with these
predators, featuring vintage footage of
her years spearfishing and then later
filming sharks for Jaws and The Blue
Lagoon, plus interviews with friends
and colleagues. MS

A chainmail suit
was designed

for the couple’s
filming work.

Ron and Valerie Taylor

ON OUR WEBSITE BOOK BOOK

FLORAL FUGITIVES The Heeding The Sea Is Not
Learn how to identify non-native Made Of Water
summer flowers in our guide by BY ROB COWEN, ELLIOTT & THOMPSON, £12.99
BYADAM NICOLSON,WILLIAM COLLINS, £20
naturalist Brett Westwood Covering a year of the
discoverwildlife.com/non- pandemic, Rob Cowen could Plunge into the ocean with
have written in prose about this excellent new book by
native-summer-flowers his experiences. Instead, he Adam Nicolson, author of
chose to write 35 poems the award-winning The
MARINE ART crammed full of honesty Seabird’s Cry. Nicolson takes
Follow author Heather and pain, but touchingly funny, relatable, us down to the shoreline to
Buttivant’s step-by-step guide tender and full of hope. Add to this an discover the enthralling world of the
to pressing seaweed inspired collaboration with artist and intertidal zone, and to learn how its
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press-seaweed and you have a book about people, place around them. He also recounts stories
and nature that’s impossible to put of humans and our relationships with
SHROPSHIRE WILDLIFE down. From a sparrow as it “shrieks over the shoreline throughout history, from
Discover the beauty and variety the back wall into the cobbled street”, to the Mesolithic people moving north as
an elderly woman lovingly gifting cakes the climate improved and leaving
of Shropshire’s species and to staff at her local pharmacy, The behind impressive piles of used
landscapes in this collection of Heeding notices, and pays great care and seashells, to how landscapes and their
images by wildlife photographer attention to, the changed world we wildlife have become interwoven with
now live in. A book to be cherished. our superstitions and beliefs. MS
Andrew Fusek Peters.
discoverwildlife.com/ Jane Adams Nature writer BBC Wildlife 85

hill-dale-gallery

August 2021

OUR WILD WORLD Amazing images
taken by our readers
Your photos
Enter our Your Photos
competition at discoverwildlife.
com/submit-your-photos

Star
photo

At eye level

I was photographing bees in the
garden when I felt something land
on my hand. I looked down and saw
it was a damselfly – a really beautiful
and playful creature. I was glad it
wasn't afraid of me. The look on its
face was as if it was smiling.
Ata Hassanzadeh Dastforoosh,
Urmia, Iran

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3 1 OUR WILD WORLD
4 5
1 Caught in the act
August 2021
After a four-hour drive
to Su olk to spend a
day photographing a
kingfisher, I was rewarded
with some fantastic light.
I used a fast shutter
speed to capture this
individual diving for food
for his brood.
Neil Treloar,
Bognor Regis

2 Feeding time

While on safari in Kenya's

2 Maasai Mara, I was

walking around camp
when I noticed a mother
warthog with her piglets.
Once I'd spent a few
minutes quietly watching
the family, the female felt
comfortable enough for
her youngsters to suckle,
and allowed me to click
away with my camera.
Gavin Foster, Chesham

3 Park life

I took this picture at
Eastville Park in Bristol
while waiting for a
kingfisher. These cute
squirrels were playing in a
tree while their mum
watched over them from
above. I didn't see a
kingfisher, but I brought
home this nice shot.
Giorgio Pede, Bristol

4 Hide and seek

It had been my dream to
photograph a horned
viper. One evening, my
husband and I went to the
dunes in West Negev with
a guide. We saw this one,
which had burrowed into
the sand until only its
head was visible.
Limor Bahar, Israel

5 Feathered friend

In October 2020, I was at
my favourite birding spot
when I saw this stonechat
perched in the tall grass.
It was against the sun, but
eventually shifted
position, allowing me to
get a shot against the
green background.
Suman Paul, Pune, India

BBC Wildlife 87

OUR WILD WORLD

Feedback Want to get something
o your chest? This is
EMAIL US FOLLOW US facebook.com/wildlifemagazine; the ideal place

[email protected] twitter.com/WildlifeMag; instagram.com/bbcwildlifemagazine By contacting us, you consent to let us print your
letter in BBC Wildlife Magazine. Letters may be edited.

E WRITE TO US BBC Wildlife,
Eagle House, Bristol, BS1 4ST

Star Blogging and birding Targets for tigers
letter
I must say that I thoroughly
I am Henry and I am nine years old. I Attenborough, Chris Packham, Megan enjoyed reading Katie Stacey’s
have a deep passion for nature, as deep McCubbin and Dara McAnulty. wonderful article on tigers
as the Mariana Trench, in particular (Bringing back the tiger, May
for birds. During lockdown last year, I I’m autistic and my ability to focus 2021). The sad thing is that
started a blog called The Bovey Birder, means that when it comes to the natural during all of my life the tiger
where I could document my sightings. world, I am basically a sponge. I absorb has had to struggle to find a
every fact that comes my way, and birds place and country to live. It is
I got into birding when I was four, give me an intense joy I don’t get from the same tired tale of human
when I was given a book – I wanted, much else. Writing my blog helps me to inability to respect other
express my feelings and emotions in a animals and make a space for
way I can’t always do verbally. them to live naturally. Still, the
lessons being learnt gives one
My list of birds is currently 132 strong, some hope for their future,
and I am continuing to add to it. My particularly where there is
absolute favourite is the cuckoo, and the political will.
I love to hear it when we are up on
Dartmoor, mainly at Emsworthy Mire. I would welcome future
Henry J, age 9, Bovey Tracey, Devon articles on other endangered
animals, not necessarily the
Henry would Chris Packham and Megan McCubbin reply: well-known ones, such as the
like to be an Reading this is enormously uplifting. We can Mediterranean monk seal,
ornithologist. almost taste Henry’s enthusiasm for birds Barbary stag, kouprey and
and for the places he explores! When we see Bactrian camel.
a young person with such a powerful love for Norman Marshall,
the natural world it is so reassuring. Llandudno Junction, Conwy

Bolsonaro's decisions requires 1.4 million hectares take action to help. Education in Anyone reading your lead
of land, an area the size of feature on tigers ‘bouncing
I agree with Mark in his Northern Ireland. What we schools is helping, but we need back’ would think there
piece on Brazil (My way of eat has a huge impact on the are grounds for enormous
thinking, spring 2021). The future of the world’s forests. Is a far more urgent response. Can optimism. Small increases
current administration could it really worth six square metres from small tiger nations are
not be worse. However, the of rainforest to put a chicken on we support and learn from the encouraging, but this article has
declines in the rate of Amazon the table for dinner? not given India’s census figures
deforestation in the 2000s, that Dom Wormell, Jersey indigenous peoples around the even the most rudimentary
Mark mentions, are misleading. forensics. Conservationists
Big agricultural soy operations I agree with Mark's views on world who know how to live in concur that those numbers were
simply moved and began tearing Jair Bolsonaro and others, and questionable at best and a blithe
up the pristine ecosystems of support the call for him to be harmony with nature? acceptance of the government’s
the Cerrado and Pantanal to investigated by the International number is both naive and
produce livestock feed. Criminal Court. Having read Mark’s piece, I unwise. Some countries may
have doubled their populations,
But we can do something very The difficulty is that then read the proposals to mine but this does not mean India
powerful and direct: stop buying we need to get the can do the same, particularly
the end product of deforestation, message across the deep-sea floor for rare metal with flawed record-taking.
namely intensively produced to all those who
livestock. Brazil is a huge know little about nodules for manufacturing Sadly, the illegal trade in
international exporter of soy the link between Chinese traditional medicine,
for livestock feed. Intensive the state of the products such as batteries for which includes tiger parts,
livestock aren’t fed on fresh air; Amazon and our is flourishing. Until this is
meeting just the UK’s annual personal ability to electric cars. I am horrified – approached ferociously with
demand for livestock feed huge penalties and sanctions
is nothing sacrosanct? Had I rather than tokenism and
88 BBC Wildlife
known, I might well have August 2021

refrained from buying

an electric car last Bolsanaro: Rodrgio Pavia/Getty

year, when

I thought I

was doing the

right thing.

Marlies

Could Jair MacLean,
Bolsonaro via email
be accused

of ecocide?

OUR WILD WORLD

TALES FROM THE BUSH

Grounded by a gira e

Coming face-to-face with wildlife on a walking safari was Have a wild
a humbling experience for Teresa Allen. tale to tell? Email
a brief synopsis to
The fortunes of catherine.smalley@
tigers have varied immediate.co.uk
across Asia.
Teresa was able to Teresa Allen
toothless homilies, there will be admire the gira e's
no dramatic recovery of Asian beautiful markings
tiger populations. There is also from an intimate but
no mention of the 5,000-plus
tigers kept as pets in the USA – safe distance.
80 per cent of the world’s total.
D espite the number S Viewing high alert, reading the signals
Tigers, as with all wildlife, of safaris under my the bush was providing. He
are dependent on tourism for belt, I will always each person pointed out insects and plants
survival and there will be no
‘bounce’ without that. fondly remember in turn, his we couldn’t fully appreciate
Paul Goldstein, via email the time when I inadvertently during the game drives and even
became the centre of attention. gaze settled identified a fairly fresh leopard
New view
It was a case of the observer on me. T pawprint in the condensed sand
As a new reader of BBC Wildlife, becoming the observed. next to a stream.
I enjoyed perusing every page
of my first issue with pleasure, Seeing wildlife in its own As we rounded a corner of
viewing the vivid colours of
nature and reading about habitat provides unforgettable bushveld, we discovered a lone
animals both exotic and familiar
in one fell swoop. experiences and I’ve found male giraffe, prominent in his

The pictures of your some of the most authentic encounters stature, soaring up amongst the trees. From
magazine also captured
the moments of nature occur when you leave the confines of the where he stood, he swivelled his beautifully
so interestingly that the
impression was translated as 4WD behind and explore on foot. Walking patchwork-patterned body round to face
the feeling of sorrow when I
saw a lone gorilla sitting amid safaris are a humbling way to connect to the us head on. His aura remained calm and
the rude human spectators
taking its picture without surroundings, putting you on the same level there became a clear essence of intrigue
social distance amid the global
pandemic situation (Wild News, as the animals. in his behaviour. Viewing each person in
spring 2021).
My walking safari in the Hluhluwe- turn, his gaze settled on me and I could
People clamour for animal
welfare, but their egotistical Imfolozi Game Reserve in South Africa physically sense him ‘checking me out’ as he
ambition to fulfil entertainment
outfits their lofty metaphorical was led by Nunu Jobe, a.k.a. The Rhino deliberately looked me up and down.
ideals for an actual situation.
I hope that the administration Whisperer. With a reputation as a highly It was an unusually deep interaction.
for wild parks will enforce strict
rules and regulations protecting experienced trail ranger, I knew I was in I could sense him watching me with the
their animals in keeping, rather
than displaying them like extremely capable, experienced hands. same intent that I was watching him and I
creatures in freak shows.
Stephanie Suh, Los Angeles, USA As our intimate group gathered, Nunu felt immensely grounded to be sharing the

CORRECTIONS July 2021, Wild Quiz, p99: explained that going on a bush trail is a wild space with such a looming, yet serene

question 2 should have read “Which is the world’s most spiritual journey. We held hands in a circle presence. I appreciate it was a profoundly
venomous snake?”
and he invited us to express our intentions connected and shared moment, unlikely to
QUIZ ANSWERS (see p91)
about what we wanted to receive from the be repeated again.
1B, 2B, 3A, 4B, 5C, 6C
experience that day. It was a poignant lesson
August 2021
in mindfulness. TERESA ALLEN is a pastel wildlife

As we walked single file through the dry, artist and travel/safari enthusiast.

grassy shrubland, Nunu’s senses were on tjallenart.weebly.com

BBC Wildlife 89

From butterflies to rocky shores,

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@chiffchat Explore the full series and buy at discount at
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PUZZLES Win a prize with our crossword, and test your wildlife knowledge. OUR WILD WORLD

Answers Wild quiz
in our
October 2021
issue

JUNE ANSWERS Getty Images

ACROSS: 1 Snetsinger, Which tree do these leaves
6 stem, 10 harrier, belong to?
11 gannets, 12 lettuce,
13 exocarp, 14 bay willow, A ash
16 algal, 17 ascus, B rowan
20 desert fox, 23 garpike, C elder
24 ospreys, 26 Orinoco,
27 shingle, 28 erne, 2) How long is a newborn blue
29 hellbender. whale?

DOWN: 1 Sahel, 2 egretry, A 1-3m
3 stimuli, 4 nurse, 5 eagle B 7-8m
owls, 7 trepang, 8 moss C 12-14m
phlox, 9 Angola, 14 bean
goose, 15 lodgepole, 3) A ‘knot’ is a group of…
18 carrion, 19 Saigon,
21 reptile, 22 fledged, A toads
24 ouzel, 25 spear. B snakes
C rats
JUNE WINNER
4) Which is the most common
C Boardman, mouse in the UK?
Durham
A house mouse
ACROSS 23 ___fowl, African bird in the family found in the Indo-Pacific (8) B fieldmouse
Numididae (6) 16 Blue-plumaged corvid of South C yellow-necked mouse
7 Antipodean tree with flaky, russet 24 Plant in the genus Centaurea, also America (5,3)
bark (3,5) called loggerheads or starthistle (8) 18 Australian marsupial (6) 5) Which beetle is a parasite of
9 Orkney island, home to the Orkney 20 Tree of Indonesia, cultivated for solitary mining bees?
vole (6) DOWN spices (6)
10 Fish that might be largemouth, 22 Nocturnal flightless bird in the A violet ground beetle
smallmouth or spotted (4) 1 ___ hog plum, Himalayan fruit tree genus Apteryx (4) B leaf beetle
11 Behaviour seen in fleas and with yellow-green fruits (6) C oil beetle
mistletoe, for example (10) 2 Long-billed wader that might be
12 Substance found in the cells of sacred or scarlet (4) 6) How many years can a
wood and bark (6) 3 Endangered forest mammal of the common earthworm live?
14 Canine (3,5) Himalayas and China (3,5)
15 Series of wildlife guides published 4 Sea fish in the family Labridae (6) A up to a year
by Collins (3,10) 5 Climate zone such as the B up to 2 years
17 Large, white water bird with an Mediterranean basin or south-east C up to 6 years
orange bill (4,4) USA (10)
19 Like a grizzly, say (6) 6 Small songbird with black cap (5,3) Find out
21 Small grassland rodent found in 8 Sea duck known in the USA as lords the answers
the UK (5,5) and ladies (9,4)
22 Scavenging bird of prey that might 13 Home to 22 Down (3,7) on p89
be red or black (4) 15 Ancient species of marine mollusc
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August 2021

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TRAVEL

WHAT TO SEE FROM THE TRAIN MAMMALS

IT IS AMAZING WHAT CAN BE
SEEN FROM A RAILWAY

CARRIAGE PULLED BY A STEAM
LOCOMOTIVE ALONG THE
BEAUTIFUL KENT AND EAST
SUSSEX RAILWAY. WHY NOT
SEE FOR YOURSELF!

w w w. k e s r. o r g . u k

KENT & EAST SUSSEX
RAILWAY

VIEWPOINT

WILDLIFE CHAMPION

MARK WATSON

In our series about people with a passion for a species, we ask
caught his eye.

Interview by Catherine Smalley

Why do you love kingfishers? SI drew a picture fact that everything we do affects the
of a king sher many amazing creatures we’re sharing
Kingfishers are magnificent birds. One (being, as I am, a the planet with.
reason I love them – like most people city boy). I drew for my school
– is the dramatic way that they swoop a picture of it for How can we help?
down for their food (at least, some of my school journal, journal – I can’t
them do): it caught my attention as but looking back, I Many of the ways we can help are
a kid. But they also come in such a can’t say I entirely say I entirely just about small-scale changes to our
range of extraordinary colours. So, in did it justice. I can behaviour. Not running the shower
short, a mixture of visual style and did it justice.T too long, and taking showers instead
performance. A bit like how I would of baths; avoiding over-filling the
wish to be seen as a comedian, in a way. still remember the kettle; not letting the tap run. These
are all pretty easy mental habits
Coolest kingfisher fact? sight of it coasting to change, but it’s also easy not to
bother. Thinking about the beautiful
One thing that people often don’t know above the water, the gentle drama of it. animals and birds we live around, and
about kingfishers is that they are a large imagining life without them, is one
family of birds; the ones we see are What threats do they face? way of focusing on what is at stake.
only the tip of the avian iceberg. So, for
example, the Australian kookaburra is Like a lot of our wildlife, they’re at Where’s your favourite wild
a kingfisher. I love those guys because threat from the changing face of our place to escape to?
their call, famously, sounds like a climate, but there’s a more fundamental
laugh and is said to typify the Aussie I live in East London, and we’ve got a
spirit (I’ve spent a lot of time there and beautiful wetland, which is an easy
it’s a second home to me). In Borneo, run away (although you can’t actually
meanwhile, there’s a kingfisher that is run in there because it upsets the
seen as a bad omen. swans). For someone like me with a
pretty urban upbringing and
When did you first see one? background, who likes living in a city,
it’s really valuable to be able to dip into
During my school days, we used to nature in this way and connect with
have trips to Slimbridge Wetland things I’d normally be oblivious to.
Centre. That was the first place I saw a
kingfisher, along with many other birds MARK WATSON is a comedian and an
ambassador for A nity Water’s SOS: Save Our
Streams campaign. Visit saveourstreams.co.uk
for more information.

The expert view

Kingfishers spend Kingfishers are beautiful birds, often Kingfisher: Kevin Elsby/Alamy
most of their time associated with streams and rivers.
sitting quietly We have seen a decline in their numbers
on a perch. at suitable breeding areas due to the
lack of food available, agricultural run-o , pollution
and contamination of water sources. Once a
common sight on our waterways, they’ve become
increasingly sparse. If you get the chance, watch
them hunt their prey – their head remains perfectly
still whilst their body moves around in the wind.
Dan Rouse, ornithologist, author and presenter

August 2021

James Rushforth

Wilkinson Cameras
Ambassador Photographer

For more information about
our Ambassadors visit
wilkinson.co.uk/blog

jamesrushforth.com
@james.rushforth

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