WILDLIFE ZONE NEWSLETTER JANUARY 2015: NEW YEAR SPECIAL EDITION ISSUE 35 PRICE 50P Happy New Year to all! The Foundation for Endangered Species’ trustees and executive would like to give everyone their best wishes for 2015. In some ways 2014 had been a survival year with plenty of time and effort given to continuing our successes with wildlife gardening, beachcleaning, as well as being advisers to UNESCO, the Houses of Parliament and the Linnean Society. In other areas such as setting up new offices, a new fundraising plan and new projects were very difficult, and felt like swimming against the tide. Some of these difficulties were caused by ill health, whilst we also feel that we were let down by some outside the charity. We are sure that 2015 will be a most productive year with a lot of publications raising awareness for endangered animals, FES projects and Wildlife Zone issues. The Beachcleaning days for 2015 have been arranged for:FEBRUARY, Sunday 15th MAY, Sunday 17th JULY, Sunday 26th SEPTEMBER, Sunday 20th. Please take note that all of these events are held on Sundays, just as they always have been for the previous 10 years. For those volunteers who wish to get a lift down to Rottingdean beach, contact us to reserve a seat in one of our convoy of cars. We gather at Millstream Fork at 9.30 to get to Rottingdean in good time for lunch or a drink. We also use the time for proper introductions and an explanation of what beach cleaning is all about, what its purpose is and how we go about it. The convoy usually gets to the White Horse Inn by 12.00, which is situated right above the beach. We then start the beachclean at 1.00pm at the latest, sometimes a little before. For those who prefer to meet us at Rottingdean, please look out for us at lunchtime. UNITED NATION’S DAYS 2015 If anyone can give us tips of how we can mark or celebrate any of the following days, we would love to hear from you. Please let us know by using the contact details. May 22 International Day for Biological Diversity June 05 World Environment Day June 17 World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought Sep 16 International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer Oct 24 United Nation’s Day DON’T CRY FOR ME ARGENTINA My adventure to Argentina was short, pleasant and memorable. However everything didn’t go as I had planned, despite being in southern Brazil when I arranged it. It all happened when I was ending my South American tour, visiting Iguazzu, the largest and most beautiful waterfalls in the world. These are surrounded by sub tropical rainforest, quite different to that of the more famous tropical forests of the Amazon which lies to the north. The climate of sun, heat and rainfall determines the species of trees, shrubs, flowers and grasses which can grow in these dissimilar rainforests. Specialist animals have evolved to live in and on particular plants in these regions where they have established different behavioural patterns. This is why over thousands of years some animals have slowly developed into different species, limiting their lives to their adopted habitat. However, generalist species which have not ventured down this evolutionary pathway can live in different habitats. One example is the Jaguar which is ubiquitous throughout much of South and Central America. I could see examples of both types, but would I? The morning came when I travelled by car to the Argentine side of the spectacular waterfalls and sub tropical rainforest which straddles the two countries. Getting there meant winding through the dense greenness of the enveloping trees and crossing the massive river. On route we passed through border controls where I remembered the Falkland Islands wars of the early 1980’s as well as to Buenos Aires and the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Evita, about how President Juan Peron’s wife (Eva Peron) stole the nation’s hearts. Continuing on our journey, we meandered our way through the remaining Argentine wilderness. Unlike the Brazilian section, this portion of the sub tropical rainforest is not valued as a wildlife refuge and is not protected from encroaching farmland as much. I did not see many animals on our journey and we only stopped on one occasion. This happened when I saw some very colourful birds flying into nearby trees. I also got my closest sighting of a Toucan perching on a bough of a tree in the open and took some photos of it. I asked my guide and chauffeur for the bird handbook, but got a shock. “Oh no, mister. I forgot to bring it” he replied after some hesitation looking down at the floor. I was nonplussed and remained silent for quite some time, staring ahead, trying to take it in. I suppose I could have cursed and shouted, but it would not have changed anything or help me gain possession of another guidebook. So I handcuffed my feelings especially as I could feel his guilt at letting me down. It was evident that he knew it wasn’t just the spectacular waterfall scenery, but the wildlife I had come to explore. Within an hour we arrived at the waterfalls, albeit under a cloud of silence and disappointment. This soon lifted because when we arrived, I experienced a spectacular difference between the two countries and their cultures. Instead of seeing the green and gold Brazilian football shirts and listening to the Portuguese language, I now stood next to people wearing the striped blue and white football shirts of Argentina who spoke in excitable Spanish. Like many sports fans, my memories returned to Diego Maradona, their two world cup victories and intense football rivalry with Brazil. Paradoxically, because the most spectacular waterfalls were on the Brazilian side, we could see them more clearly from Argentina. I also had excellent sightings of the swallows that twisted and turned across the river and over the ‘devil’s throat’. This is where the roaring water dropped hundreds of feet, with some of it dissolving into spray whilst the remainder bounced back up from the riverbed floor to form permanent clouds. The swallows not only fed here successfully on flying insects, but were always darting through the dropping water to disappear into solid rock, or so it seemed. However I had learned that the birds’ oily plumage protected them from water damage, and that it was perfectly safe for them to do this. They made their nests on the precipitous rock surface just inches beyond the falling water where they regularly returned to feed their growing chicks. This made sense, because whilst the swallows were safe, any predators such as hawks, falcons and other birds of prey could not attack them or their chicks in the nest. I stayed there a few enchanting hours, but as the bright light of day began to dwindle, we set off back to Brazil. By leaving this natural wonder of the New World a little early, I grabbed the chance of seeing some extra forest wildlife at dusk. We stopped a few times to look at monkeys and birds through binoculars, but had some trouble closely identifying the species properly without that missing guidebook. Once again pangs of disappointments returned as I felt a good opportunity had gone begging. So I made do with butterflies and caterpillars which I could get close to, and photograph. I later spent a couple of hours indentifying them back at the hotel. As we journeyed back to the connecting highway, I wondered about what the rest of Argentina offered me in future visits. In particular there is Patagonia, which has its unique regional wildlife as well as an amazing event which happens on the shoreline when the Orca, (which is the world’s biggest dolphin and is also known as the Killer Whale) hunts seals. Occasionally Orcas deliberately but temporarily strand themselves on the pebbly beach in their attempts to catch careless adults and naïve pups. This is a gruesome but exciting event for documentary film makers and viewers alike, although this annual event only happens in the seal pupping season. Many other wonders of this fabulous country also await me, but I can only dream about returning to Argentina, as there are always other places across the globe competing to take my hard earned money. FOUNDATION FOR ENDANGERED SPECIES REGISTERED OFFICE Millstream Fork. 20 The Alders, Alder Road. Willowbank. New Denham.Bucks.UB9 4AY website: www.ffes.org.uk email: [email protected] © Copyright 2012-2015. FES publications. All rights reserved. The Foundation for Endangered Species is a UK registered charity no. 1114728 ISSN 2046 763X Editor: Andy Mydellton