Wildtravel 02/14

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COUNTRY Plan your bear-watching trip with our essential guide to the pristine wildernesses of Alaska

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The African Parks story

We report on the pioneering project to revive Africa’s forgotten national parks

PHOTOGRAPHY

BEST OF

BRITAIN

We reveal the ultimate places to hone your wildlife photography skills, from Scotland to Sussex

PLUS MONARCH BUTTERFLY MIGRATION,MEXICO BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO BEEKEEPING EXPLORE BULGARIA’S RODOPI MOUNTAINS

FEBRUARY 2014

RIGHT WHALE WATCH: Where to see southern and northern right whales in the wild

BORNEO TRIP REPORT: Meet the king of the swingers at Semenggoh Wildlife Centre, Sarawak

WELCOME CONTRIBUTORS

Robin Gauldie Robin reports on the bears, birds and butterflies to be found in Bulgaria’s Rodopi Mountains

A murmuration of starlings over Brighton’s West Pier

Wildlife through a lens

Regina Asmutis-Silvia Regina offers her guide to the three species of right whale found across the world’s oceans

W

hen it comes to wildlife photography I definitely fall in the keen-but-slightly-clueless category, with a reasonable DSLR camera and all the passion in the world, but far too much reliance on the auto focus setting and my (usually feathered) muse staying still long enough for me to snap it. However, I’ve been told by more than one diplomatic pro that it’s nothing a little tuition, a lot of practise (make that a lifetime and several hundred HD cards) and a bit of insider knowledge about the best locations can’t rectify.

So where would you place yourself on the blurred-backside to WildlifePhotographer-of-the-Year scale? For those of you for whom wildlife watching goes hand in hand with reaching for the long lens and then not quite knowing how best to use it, we’ve come up with our definitive list of the best UK locations to hone your skills (see page 18). For those of you seeking professional help, look no further than Ben Hall’s long-running wildlife photography workshop on page 106.

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TO SUBSCRIBE Tel: 0844 848 4211 Email: wildtravel@subscription.co.uk www.subscriptionsave.co.uk www.greatbritishmagazines.com (US only) TO ADVERTISE ADVERTISING GROUP SALES MANAGER Kim Lewis, Tel: 01242 211 072; kim.lewis@archant.co.uk ACCOUNT MANAGERS Katy Byers, Tel: 01242 265 890; katy.byers@archant.co.uk Justin Parry, Tel: 01242 216 060; justin.parry@archant.co.uk TO CONTACT EDITORIAL Archant Specialist, Archant House,

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Stuart shares his photos of the monarch butterflies that migrate to Mexico every year

Jim DuFresne

Matt Havercroft, Editor

WILD TRAVEL

Stuart Butler

Jim makes the case for swapping the city for the untrammelled wilds of Alaska Oriel Road, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL50 1BB Tel: 01242 211 080 Email: editorial@wildtravelmag.com EDITOR Matt Havercroft DEPUTY EDITOR Sheena Harvey EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Debbie Graham DESIGNER Steve Rayner ARCHANT SPECIALIST MANAGING DIRECTOR Mark Wright; mark.wright@archant.co.uk FOR CUSTOMER SERVICES Tel: 01242 216 002 Email: sylvie.wheatley@archant.co.uk Email: estelle.iles@archant.co.uk PRINTING William Gibbons ISSN 2048-2485

© Archant Specialist 2014. All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of Archant Ltd. Although every effort has been made to ensure that the information in this publication is correct at the time of going to press, we cannot accept any responsibility for any loss, injury or inconvenience however caused. For the latest travel and health information on all destinations covered in the magazine, go to www.fco.gov.uk

WILD TRAVEL IS AN OFFICIAL MEDIA PARTNER OF Cover image: grizzly chasing salmon in Katmai NP, Alaska

WILD TRAVEL 3

FEATURES 18 UK wildlife photography locations c Perfect your wildlife photography skills at a selection of Britain’s most spectacular locations with our top 10 guide

26 Trip report: Sarawak, Borneo c

Graeme Green meets Ritchie, an alpha male orangutan, and a host of other colourful creatures, including snakes, lizards and tropical fish in the wilds of Malaysian Borneo

36 Take me there: Rodopi Mountains, Bulgaria c Bears, vultures, wolves and wild flowers are just a few of the attractions on the unspoilt slopes of the Rodopi Mountains in southern Bulgaria says Robin Gauldie

46 Field guide to right whales c

Regina Asmutis-Silvia from Whale and Dolphin Conservation gives her guide to the three species of right whale that were almost hunted to extinction across the world’s oceans

54 African Parks c

Sue Watt reports on the pioneering conservation work that has seen African Parks bring seven parks in six countries back to life

60 In focus: monarch butterflies c

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CONTENTS 87

Back from the fir forests of central Mexico, photographer Stuart Butler shares his images of the millions of monarch butterflies that migrate here every year

DESTINATION ALASKA 74 Alaska overview c

Jim DuFresne offers his guide to help you plan a wildlife watching trip across Alaska, where you can find pristine wildernesses just a short drive from the cities

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87 Ones to watch

Our rundown of the 10 most spectacular species to look out for across Alaska’s national parks and wildlife refuges

92 Trip report: Denali National Park

Will Gray enjoys encounters with black and grizzly bears during a trip to Denali National Park and Kachemak Bay State Park via bus, boot, sea kayak and floatplane

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74

All cover stories marked with a

c

© MIKE PARRY/MINDEN PICTURES

A great white shark displaying its formidable array of sharp teeth

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WILDWORLD NEWS

EVENTS

CONSERVATION

INTERVIEW

SPOTTER’S GUIDE

NEWS REVIEW

AUSTRALIA

Shark attack Despite suffering just 20 fatal shark attacks in their area in the past 100 years, the government of Western Australian has decided on a contentious policy of catching and destroying sharks of more than 3m near its popular beaches. The deployment of drum lines with baited hooks began in January and will continue to April. Patrols are made by armed commercial fishers with a mandate to shoot white, tiger and bull sharks caught on the hooks.

The move has been condemned by scientists and conservation bodies as window dressing to give the public the illusion that they are being protected. In reality, it is claimed, drum lines do nothing to reduce shark attacks but can harm other marine animals.

In defence, the Western Australia Premier Colin Barnett said the new measures were necessary after increased shark activity in recent years.

“I know that the many West Australians who love to use the ocean want increased protection from dangerous sharks at these beaches.”

Disagreement came from next door South Australia and the Greens’ Parliamentary Leader, Mark Parnell. “The sharks were here first,” he said. “Most users recognise this and either take precautions or accept the risk, which is still incredibly low. You are 80 times more likely to drown at the beach than be taken by a shark. Reducing top order predators has implications all the way down the food chain.”

Express your opinion at www.wildlifeextra.com/ go/news/australia-shark-cull.html

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WILD TRAVEL 7

EUROPE

Animal experimentation Use of wild animals in labs across Europe rises by 75 per cent

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he number of wild animals used in animal experimentation across the EU has risen alarmingly. The European Coalition to End Animal Experiments and its UK member group, BUAV, have expressed disappointment that despite an overall decrease in the number of animals being used in experimentation, the numbers of wild animals has increased by a dramatic 75 per cent.

The BUAV’s Chief Executive, Michelle Thew, stated: “Whilst we cautiously welcome the decrease in overall numbers of animals used in Europe’s laboratories [by 4.3 per cent since 2008], it is disappointing that further progress has not been made. A

75 per cent rise in the use of these sentient wild animals is upsetting and unnecessary.”

The statistics, which were collated between 2010 and 2011,

include the use of foxes, badgers, seals, otters and polecats for testing involving fundamental biological studies, the production and quality control of veterinary

medicine, toxicology and the diagnosis of diseases. Wild badgers, for instance, have been used to study the transmission of tuberculosis and to test vaccines.

Other experimentation involved cases such as seals trapped from the wild and subjected to frightening blasts of noise up to 180 decibels, designed to find a deterrent system to protect fish farms from predation. Even more worrying, the study revealed that 90 animals were used to test cosmetic substances despite the fact that this experimentation was banned in 2009.

According to Thew: “These researchers should be leading the way in pioneering humane alternatives, not continuing to carry out cruel animal experiments. This isn’t the significant progress for animals in laboratories we had hoped for.”

INDIA

flying from Siberia to Africa are welcome guests in India FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE Falcons A HEAD START NEW SPECIES

Three Amur falcons have been tracked by satellite from Nagaland in India to their journey’s end, with one making it all the way to South Africa. The trio were among thousands saved this year by an international effort to stop the trapping of migrating falcons passing over this remote area of north-east India.

After leaving Nagaland, the birds flew over the Bay of Bengal, then central India and the Indian Ocean, before heading south. The tracking has provided much

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information about the amazing longdistance journey taken by these birds, and has led to questions such as whether their annual migration is timed to coincide with movements of their dragonfly prey from India to East Africa.

“Long distance movement of Amur falcon from Siberia to southern Africa, with a few weeks’ stop in India, further proves the importance of protecting these small raptors, particularly in Nagaland,” said the Director of BirdLife in India, Dr Asad Rahmani. “As our Chief Minister has written, Amur falcons are really our guests, who need our protection during their stay in India.”

A new type of tapir, Tapirus kabomani, was identified and scientifically described at the end of 2013 by paleontologists in Brazil and Colombia. It is most similar to the Brazilian tapir (Tapirus terrestris), but with darker hair and a much smaller frame. It also has shorter legs, a distinctively shaped skull, and a less prominent crest. It belongs to the order Perissodactyla (which includes tapirs, rhinos, and horses) and lives on the open grasslands and forests in the states of Rondônia and Amazonas.

Researcher Mario Cozzuol first had suspicions that he had stumbled on a new species a decade ago. While studying tapir skulls he came across some that were markedly different to what he was used to seeing. The Karitiana, a local indigenous tribe, helped to collect genetic material and specimens from the animals they have long known and hunted, and which they named ‘little black tapirs’.

Tapirus kabomani is the world’s fifth tapir and the first to be discovered since 1865.

WILDWORLD NEWS SCOTLAND

BEEHAPPY

The future of Scotland’s native black bee is looking brighter

RUSSIA

MAN OR NATURE?

© BIRDLIFE INTERNATIONAL, MARIO COZZUOL, WWW.JSGROVE.COM/WWF, KEVIN AITKEN, OLEG SUTKAITIS/WWF-RUSSIA, ALAMY, SHUTTERSTOCK

A new study looks at what is causing most damage to the Russian Arctic A study by WWF of changing climate and human activity on Vaigach Island in the Russian Arctic has revealed a number of past and future potential threats to its flora and fauna.

There has been a 50 per cent increase in weather events such as hurricanes, extended dry spells and altered frost-thaw cycles, and these have already had detrimental effects on some life on the island, and could be more destructive in the future.

The long, dry summer of 2013, for example, drove waterfowl north in search of wetter areas, which had a deadly effect on many of the young birds that were forced

to migrate unexpectedly.

The predictions for the coming years include the effects of strong winds during the seabirds’ breeding season destroying nests, eggs and nestlings; sea surges flooding the land with salt water and

damaging native plantlife; and prolonged periods of freezing rain and thawing which build up a solid ice crust and stop wild reindeer from foraging and lemmings from leaving their dens.

On the human side, poaching is already diminishing polar bear populations, and unregulated reindeer herding is causing erosion and melting permafrost. The prediction is that as the sea ice decreases, so the risk of oil spills will increase, with all the resultant dire consequences on wildlife, including Vaigach’s colony of walruses. www.wwf.org.uk

The UK’s first honey bee reserve has been created in Scotland. From 1 January it has become an offence to keep any other species of honey bee on the Hebridean islands of Colonsay and Oronsay apart from the black bee (Apis mellifera mellifera). The black bee is thought to be the only native honey bee in Scotland and the new legislation is designed to protect it from cross-breeding and disease.

“The black bee is an important genetic resource for all beekeepers,” said the Scottish Environment and Climate Change Minister, Paul Wheelhouse. “The bee-keeping order will ensure the population of black bees on Colonsay is protected from hybridisation with non-native bees.”

Colonsay beekeeper, Andrew Abrahams, is delighted with this commitment. “The Scottish Government’s recognition of the Colonsay and Oronsay Reserve will inspire other beekeepers in Scotland to conserve black bees,” he said.

OMAN

Khor values All fishing bar handline has been banned from the coral-rich bays of Khor Najd and Khor Hablain on the Musandam peninsula of Oman. The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries has prohibited the use of all forms of nets and cages in an effort to protect the pristine corals and conserve the natural beauty and marine resources of this relatively untouched area.

The ban is the culmination of a five-year underwater research effort and campaign spearheaded by

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TWO SECLUDED BAYS IN OMAN HAVE RECEIVED GOVERNMENT PROTECTION

the international organisation Biosphere Expeditions. Its founder, Dr Matthias Hammer, praised the move, saying: “This is a wise and important step in ensuring the survival of this unique marine ecosystem and natural jewel in Oman’s crown. This area has a high coral coverage at nearly 60 per cent of the underwater surface. This is greater than that of most reefs around the world, and the Musandam reefs are certainly the best in the region.”

A senior official from the Oman Marine Sciences and Fisheries Centre which recommended the ban said: “The destruction of corals means severe damage to the marine life in the area. So this measure not only protects reefs but also helps in sustainability of marine resources.”

Biosphere Expeditions is hoping that this measure will be the first move in the creation of a full Marine Protected Area on the peninsula, which will lead eventually to a network of MPAs in the region.

WILD TRAVEL 9

WILDWORLD NEWS

ENGLAND

UNITED KINGDOM

Spotter’s guide to

CHANGING TIDES

BACK GARDEN BUGS Paul Hetherington of Buglife (www.buglife.org.uk) gives a rundown on invertebrates you can find around the home, some even in winter

UK’s largest coastal habitat flood scheme completed in Sussex

© CLAUDIA WATT, MATT SHARDLOW, FRANCIS ROWLAND, DAVID HOLYOAK, ROGER LABBETT, BUGLIFE, RSPB, SHUTTERSTOCK

DEVIL’S COACH HORSE OCYPUS OLENS The largest of the Rove Beetles (Staphylinidae), it reaches a length of 28mm. If threatened it raises the rear end of its body and opens its jaws, like a scorpion, letting loose a foul smell from its abdomen (the ‘olens’ part of its name coming from the Latin oleo meaning ‘emit an odor’) and excreting a noxious fluid from mouth and rear. The beetle has had dark connotations since the Middle Ages.

Active: Spring-autumn and through mild winters

COMMON CENTIPEDE LITHOBIUS FORFICATUS These are brownish red with long antennae at the front and a pair of long legs at the back which reach out almost as far as the antennae.

Adults can grow to 3cm with 15 pairs of legs, They can sprint very quickly in order to pounce on their victim, and inject it with venom from their modified front legs.

Centipedes are an ancient species, and have been found in fossils dating back 400 million years.

Active: All year round

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HARLEQUIN LADYBIRD HARMONIA AXYRIDIS This recent accidental introduction owes its name to more than 100 different colour patterns having been recorded, ranging from reddish-orange with black dots to black with red patches. There are cases of tens of thousands of these ladybirds found in homes in winter.

Harlequins threaten our native ladybirds as they have such voracious appetites they out-compete them for food.

Active: Spring-winter

BROWN-LIPPED SNAIL CEPAEA NEMORALIS This gastropod is named after the brown band of colouring found around the opening of the shell.

Preferring moist areas in wet weather they will come out and climb up plants and trees. The shell varies from light yellow to dark brown, through pink and orange with up to five bands (or stripes). This snail eats many different plants such as nettles, but prefers them decaying.

Active: All year round

TAWNY MINING BEE ANDRENA FULVA Keep an eye out for small mounds of earth in your lawn, because these could be home to one of our earliest bees. This furry, ginger-coloured bee is common even in city centre gardens.

Female tawny mining bees dig the holes in order to provide a safe nesting place to lay their eggs and develop the young bees. This species is a solitary and stingless bee that works on its own to collect pollen.

Active: Spring-early summer

GARDEN CROSS SPIDER ARANEUS DIADEMATUS This ‘orb-web spider’ has a distinctive cross of pale spots across its bulbous abdomen and can be found in woodland, scrub, and gardens of all kinds. Adult females can grow to 15mm (body length), and males to 9mm. Colours range from a sandy brown to burnt orange or even almost completely black. Garden cross spiders weave enormous orb webs, which can be seen in the garden all year round.

Active: Spring-winter

A new coastal flood realignment scheme has created 180 hectares of habitat for wading birds in West Sussex. The Medmerry scheme has been led by the Environment Agency as part of new flood defences, but at the same time it has created coastal habitat for important species, such as the rare black-tailed godwit, which will be managed by the RSPB. Its Chief Executive, Mike Clarke, commented: “The UK is internationally important for coastal wildlife, particularly the millions of migrating birds that rely on saltmarsh and mudflats. This project will become a thriving wildlife haven and a big draw for nature lovers.” www.rspb.org.uk USA & CANADA

Suffering starfish Starfish along the west coast of the US and Canada have been falling prey to a disease in which they develop tiny wounds on their bodies, then their legs detach, often walking away by themselves, and eventually the whole starfish disintegrates into a slimy goo. The disease primarily affects the purple and orange Pisaster ochraceus, considered an important indicator for the health of the intertidal zone.

Toxins, ocean acidification and, particularly, sea water warming are being considered as factors in this Sea Star Wasting Syndrome.

There’s also an outside suggestion that it could be nuclear pollution from the 2011 Japanese earthquake. Dr Peter Raimondi of the University of Santa Cruz, is researching the phenomenon, and says pinning down the cause has become a matter of tracking the progress of the disease. “We’re trying to figure out if it’s a single or multiple points of initiation that have spread,” he said, “because that will really be helpful in understanding the delivery mechanism.”

NEWS IN BRIEF

PLASTIC PERIL Scientists have found more than 8,000 pieces of plastic submerged along the river bed of the upper Thames estuary during a three-month trial to assess river pollution. Dr Paul Clark from the Natural History Museum said: “Plastic can have a damaging impact on underwater life. Large pieces can trap animals but smaller pieces can be inadvertently eaten. Once digested, plastic can release toxins which are then passed through the food chain.”

RIGHT OF PASSAGE Indian elephants are one step closer to being able to travel freely from the Emangre Reserve Forest to the Rewak Reserve Forest in Meghalaya state. These forests in the south Garo Hills, are home to more than 1,000 elephants. Over the past few years Meghalaya has been creating what are called ‘elephant corridors’, which will eventually connect with a network stretching across the country. Meghalayan corridors will help enhance species survival and birth rate.

JUNGLE SURROUND SOUND Thanks to the latest technology, you can enjoy the sounds of the Peruvian rainforest in your living room. Gordon McGladdery, a musician and sound designer from Canada used a method of recording sound that uses what are called binaural microphones to mimic human hearing and create a 3-D stereo effect.

For recorded examples go to www. perunature.com/rainforest-soundsrecording-amazon.html

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ICELAND

BAD NEWS FOR WHALES Iceland allows new whaling quotas despite its meagre consumption of whale meat

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hoosing to ignore poll results revealing a mere three per cent of Icelanders eat whale meat regularly, the Icelandic Government has issued new quotas for 2014 that will allow 229 minke whales and 154 rorquals, which include blue, humpback and fin whales, to be harpooned each year for five years.

The survey of Icelanders commissioned by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) also revealed that 75 per cent of the inhabitants never buy whale meat. The bulk of the catch will be sent to Japan and the lobbying to increase the quotas has allegedly come primarily from one company with whale meat interests there.

Robbie Marsland, UK Director of IFAW, said:

“We are deeply disappointed that such a controversial decision has been made in such a manner. To sneak the decision out on a Friday evening shortly before Christmas without any reference to Icelandic and international criticism of this unnecessary and inhumane trade demonstrates how embarrassing one stubborn whaler is becoming to Iceland.”

The IFAW has worked alongside Icelandic whale watch operators for many years to promote whale watching as a humane and profitable alternative to the cruelty of whaling.

Iceland is one of Europe’s top destinations for whale watching and last year hosted 175,000 visitors for the spectacle. www.ifaw.org

BOLIVIA

HOME ON THE RANGE The Barba Azul Reserve in the Bolivian Beni, which protects the world’s remaining population of blue-throated macaws, has recently doubled in size thanks to the purchase of an additional 14,827 acres of natural savanna and forest habitat. The Beni tropical savanna is an area twice the size of Portugal and almost entirely ranched for cattle.

It is a land of extreme contrasts with intensive flooding in the summer and drought in the winter. Despite the region being considered an Endangered Critical ecosystem, the Barba Azul Reserve is the only part of it protected from cattle impact and annual grassland burning.

The Omi River within the

An important Bolivian reserve doubles in size with the purchase of adjoining ranch

reserve is the only year-round water source for a massive area, and many mammals depend on it through the dry season. More than 250 bird species frequent the reserve; the most critically endangered being the

blue-throated macaw.

This latest extension is significant because it will protect a mosaic of tropical grasslands, as well as two large palm forest islands (ensuring food resources for the macaws), a small central river, water-edge short-grass habitat, and more than 20 small isolated palm islands, which will protect macaws’ remote roosting sites.

The size of the reserve will also now support landscape species that require large protected home ranges, such as jaguars, pumas and maned wolves. And the reserve’s ability to protect 27 species of medium and large mammals such as pampas deer and capybara has also improved with the expansion.

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© DAVID BEBBER/WLT, SHUTTERSTOCK

MALARIA VACCINE There could be a solution to malaria within five years say scientists from the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. They have identified a key process during a malaria parasite’s invasion of a blood cell which has led to a way to block it. “We developed antibodies which can interfere with this invasion process,” said Professor Peter Preiser, who hopes a vaccine will now be possible.

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WILDLIFE

EXTRA

For the latest wildlife and conservation news go to wildlifeextra.com

WILDWORLD NEWS

BURMESE PYTHON

THON BURMESE PY heast Asia hern and Sout ut Location: So d mammals Diet: birds an e 3.7m Length: Averag kg 90 to yer) Weight: Up iparous (egg la Ov : on ti uc Reprod le Risk: Vulnerab

VS BOA CONSTRICTOR

HABITAT The Burmese python is a rainforest dweller that inhabits Southern and Southeast Asia, while the boa constrictor lives in North, Central and South America in a wide variety of habitats from arid semi-desert landscapes to the tropical rain forests, although it is the latter that they prefer. It is also found in some of the Caribbean Islands. Both snakes can be found near water as they are excellent swimmers.

REPRODUCTION Burmese pythons breed in the early spring, with clutches of 12–36 eggs being laid in March or April. The female will remain with the eggs until they hatch. The boa, by contrast, gives birth to live young between October

Find out which of these snakes give birth to live young and which is the heaviest and January. As many as 60 snakes can be born at a time, each measuring 17-20in.

DIET Both species are nocturnal and, like all snakes, both are carnivorous. They predate on a wide variety of small- to medium-sized mammals and birds. They wrap themselves around their prey and contract their muscles to kill by constriction. Thanks to elastic jaw ligaments both snakes are able to extend their jaws wide so they can swallow their prey whole.

MORPHOLOGY The Burmese python is one of the five largest snakes in the world and can reach up to 5.74m, although averages are usually nearer 3.7m. It can weigh up to 90kg. The slighter boa

NEPAL

WILDLIFE A&E Due to the generosity of an American zoo, Nepal’s animals will have access to new vet facilities Nepal’s first wildlife hospital is to be built in Chitwan National Park, thanks to support by Denver Zoo in the US. The park is a World Heritage reserve that protects more than 900 sq km of forest, marsh and grassland with their accompanying wildife, including one-horned rhinos, Bengal tigers and Gharial crocodiles, but to date it hasn’t had bespoke medical services.

The zoo has verbally assured its financial assistance to the tune of $150,000 (£91,000) to build a hospital that will treat injured and endangered wild animals from the park. Up to now, basic medical care has been provided by four veterinary practices in villages around the park, which cater mostly for domestic and farm animals. This has amounted to only 50-60 cases per practice per year. Once the facility is built, many more wild animals will benefit.

BOA CONSTRI CTOR Location: Nort h, Central and South Americ Diet: Birds an a d mammals Length: Up to 4m Weight: Up to 27kg Reproduction : Ovoviviparou s (live bearer) Risk: Not Eval uated

constrictor ranges from 0.91–4m in length and weighs in at a lighter 27kg. The python is also a good climber, aided by a prehensile tail.

THREATS The biggest threat to both snakes is human contact, as both are popular as exotic pets, particularly the albino python, and they are also hunted for their skins and flesh, which are traded in certain parts of the world. Both are also often killed by farmers as pests. Young boas are preyed upon by a variety of animals such as coatis, caimans, eagles and wild pigs.

The boa constrictor is classed as Not Evaluated by the IUCN, which means it has not been assessed for the Red List, while the Burmese python is listed as vulnerable with populations decreasing.

ENGLAND

FARM FUNDING SHORT Disappointment has been expressed by the Wildlife Trusts at the recent government decision to transfer only 12 per cent of agricultural funding from farmers’ direct payments to the budget for environmental and rural growth schemes, as opposed to the 15 per cent allowed by the EU. There is relief that the status quo has been maintained but, as Paul Wilkinson, Head of Living Landscape at the Wildlife Trust, said: “The government’s decision leaves both taxpayers and wildlife short-changed.

It shows a lack of ambition and poor understanding of how much nature

matters to the future of farming.”

Farm-environment schemes don’t just ensure that wildlife thrives on farmland, they play a vital role in sustainable farming systems, protecting soil, water quality and pollinators.

“This funding could have been prioritised for those forwardthinking farmers who are not only producing food but also doing most for wildlife as well as creating other significant benefits such as improving water quality,” said Wilkinson. “The need to restore nature is now so very urgent and the need is so pressing.”

WILD TRAVEL 13

WILDWORLD NEWS REVIEW

IT’S A WORM’S WORLD The discovery of giant-mud-volcano-creating worms deep below the surface of Scotland’s western lochs is proof that exciting – and unexpected – marine life is often closer to home than you might expect, writes Georgina Kenyon

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14 WILD TRAVEL

THE MUD VOLCANO WORMS LOOK A BIT LIKE GREEN COURGETTES WITH A TAIL. THEY ARE BEAUTIFUL

flowers. Sea anemones are close relatives of coral and jellyfish, with hollow columns for bodies, and a mouth with stinging tentacles at the top.

Also related to anemones are sea pens – long, skinny soft corals that grow up to 2m long and extract plankton and other organic material from the sea using scores of tentacles. They need muddy sea-beds to live in, often over 20m deep and free from disturbance from the tide, making the sea lochs of Scotland, which stretch deep inland, the ideal sea pen habitat.

In another site south of Arran, scientists also found ocean quahogs, a species of edible clam, which can live over 400 years, making them the world’s oldest mollusks, with their age recorded by the rings on their shells, similar to the circles on a tree’s trunk.

And I haven’t even mentioned the horse mussels, northern sea fans, sea potatoes (relatives of the sea urchin) and sponges that also

live in this environment.

Following the survey of Scotland’s lochs and their sea beds to better understand the wildlife of these little-explored marine habitats, it’s heartening to learn that the Scottish government is planning to develop a network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) that include Loch Sween, as well as the Firth of Clyde and Loch Linnhe on Orkney, with 33 sites around the coast of Scotland being considered as possibilities.

The establishment of these marine sanctuaries gives hope for the volcano worm’s survival, which makes me happy as I have been very fond of worms ever since I first saw glow worms in an old railway tunnel decades ago – their blue glow the result of a chemical reaction in the body, designed to lure prey such as mosquitoes.

Chances are that whatever animal or plant you find fascinating on land, you will find an even more extraordinary

version of it under the sea.

What’s more, these underwater creatures are also essential to the health of the seas. For example, the volcano worms, dubbed ‘burrowers’ by scientists, churn up mud and sand and so oxygenate it and mix nutrients and mineral into the seabed.

As a result, they help to create a favourable environment for fish, shellfish, anemones, tube worms and sea pens.

I am so pleased that the Scottish government sees value in their marine environment. My only disappointment is that certain sections of the media still like to depict these fantastic underwater animals as horrors, with many news reports about the scientific survey describing the volcano worm as a B-movie style monster!

It will be good news for conservation when we accept all these marine creatures for what they are: not bizarre or weird, but an essential and beautiful part of our natural world. WT

WILDLIFEEXTRA.COM

© ALAMY

hen it comes to discussions about the world’s richest marine environments, the UK rarely gets a look in, but all that might be about to change after giant worm mounds and a raft of other extraordinary sea creatures have been discovered during a survey of the sea lochs along the west coast of Scotland.

The scientists who found the mud volcano worms living in Loch Sween in Argyll described their home as the “UK’s biggest and best known example” of an unusual marine habitat, where the worms have created countless large mounds of mud of up to a metre (3ft) high over an area of about 1,630 acres (660ha). The worms themselves look a bit like green courgettes, measuring 20cm in length, with a tail. They are beautiful, and they are essential to the marine environment in which they live.

The worms’ discovery is a great example of how the most exciting wildlife is often closer to home than you might think. All too often we think we need to spend lots of money and travel to the other side of the planet to see the wonders of the world’s seas and oceans, but extraordinary aquatic creatures are often right under our noses. Although, in this case, you would have to get rather muddy and cold to see them!

Not interested in worms that look like courgettes? Don’t discount the lochs just yet, as the surveys revealed they are also home to extraordinary underwater ‘gardens’, with seemingly contradictory plants and creatures in them. For example, there are sea anemones, such as the dahlia anemones, which look like

COLUMN

Call of nature The recently published British Trust for Ornithology Atlas has revealed that bird populations are on the move, so if you just sit still southern Europe’s finest might come to you, writes Mark Avery

© MIKE LANE/ALAMY

I

acquired a passport at the age of 20, so I could travel to Norway to study birds. I seriously thought about getting a one-year passport rather than a 10-year one because I didn’t imagine I would leave the country very often. Since then I have visited five continents, and most of those journeys have been studying birds – either for a living or a hobby.

Of the world’s 10,000 or so bird species I’ve seen about one in eight, but many friends have put a lot more effort (and money) into it, and have seen more than half of the world’s bird species (although I sometimes wonder how many of those they truly remember). The variety of life on our planet is what makes it special and if you want to enjoy seeing that life to the full, from polar bears to penguins, or from baobab trees to blue whales, you have to be prepared to travel. Those species won’t come to me in rural Northamptonshire.

However, the publication of the most recent bird atlas for the UK and Ireland shows that birds are on the move, too. Compared to the first atlas of British birds, 40 years ago, the ornithological map of Britain has changed dramatically.

Some species have declined and are far harder to spot within our shores. The turtle dove, formerly a common summer visitor to southeast England is now a rarity. Too many turtle doves are shot, illegally, during their spring migration as they pass through France, but those that do get here arrive to find farmland far less rich than that of the 1970s – the seeds they eat are just not allowed to persist with our intensive farming methods.

Turtle doves are declining in numbers right across Europe. They were mentioned in the Bible, in the Song of Solomon; when spring arrives and ‘the flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land’.

That song is now much diminished.

Other species are thriving though. Forty years ago, the only type of heron I could see in Britain was the familiar large, grey heron.

Nowadays the booming song of the smaller, brown bittern is heard in reedbeds in East Anglia (to which it used to be largely

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The pretty, purring turtle dove, once familiar in the UK in spring but now much reduced in numbers

Xxxxxxm xxx xxx xxx xxxx xx xxx xx xx xx xxx xx xx x

IN 40 YEARS, THE ORNITHOLOGICAL MAP OF BRITAIN HAS CHANGED QUITE DRAMATICALLY restricted), along with Kent, Lincolnshire and Somerset. And the species is expanding in numbers and range thanks to the restoration and creation of bittern-friendly wetlands.

Even more spectacular is the spread of another small heron – the little egret. Forty years ago no little egrets nested in the UK. And really, none of us thought they ever would; they were a southern species to be seen in Mediterranean destinations such as the Camargue in France or the Coto Donana in Spain. But the first pairs nested in 1996, and now I see little egrets on most of my visits to my local gravel pits. The new atlas reveals that there are over 160 little egret nesting sites in the UK and Ireland and they are commonly seen on coasts all around England and Wales, along with much of Ireland and southern Scotland. Inland, they can be spotted everywhere south of a line from the River Severn to The Wash.

As a result, a bird that once inspired many bird-watchers to head overseas in search of

them is now a common part of the domestic bird-watching scene.

The little egret’s arrival and spread was pretty obvious because this bright white bird struts around in the open on estuaries and inland water-bodies. However, you can’t be sure that every white heron you see is a little egret because there are two similar-looking herons that are also starting to expand their horizons. Cattle egrets and great white egrets have started to arrive on British shores from southern Europe, and although they are much rarer than little egrets currently, we expect their numbers to increase steadily, too.

So why are these birds on the move? Many believe they have expanded their ranges to include the UK due to climate change, although it’s difficult to be sure. Whatever the reason, other southern species of birds and insects are following their example.

Mediterranean gulls (slightly larger versions of our black-headed gull) and various warbler species, along with southern butterflies, grasshoppers and dragonflies, are all starting to head towards my Northamptonshire home.

In the meantime all I need to do is sit and wait for them to arrive. Nature is on the move, but I’ll still need that passport if I want to see those penguins or polar bears. WT

WILD TRAVEL 17

If you love wildlife and enjoy photography, you’ll want to search out the best places to combine the two. But where should an aspiring snapper start?

Here is our run down of Britain’s top 10 wildlife photography locations

PICTURE perfect I

t’s easy to find captive animals in wildlife parks that will pose obligingly for the camera, but if they’re sitting pretty for you they’re also providing easy snaps for lots of other people. Nothing gives you a thrill and sense of achievement quite as much as capturing your own unique image of a truly wild creature in its native habitat.

To do that, though, you first need to find your subject and then get reasonably near without disturbing it. You don’t want to upset its natural behaviour, but you also don’t want it to be just a tiny spec on a distant land or seascape.

The good news is that there are certain places around the UK where it’s possible to get closer than you might

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imagine to some truly spectacular wildlife – places that will give you the best opportunity of a photograph worthy of hanging on your living room wall.

You can arrange for a guide to help with the project, and so benefit from some insider knowledge in finding your subject, or if your field craft is up to it you can always self-guide. In most areas there will be other interesting animals specific to the region to photograph as well. You could also seek out a local photography workshop and combine some tuition with your wildlife watching trips.

Then all you need to do is to choose the right time, be patient, and make sure you have lots of space on your memory card!

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UK WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY PUFFINS

Farne Islands, Northumberland Nothing attracts a crowd better than a ‘sea parrot’.

The neat black and white livery, big orange feet and clown’s face of the Atlantic puffin make it an ideal muse for the fledgling wildlife photographer. The only chance you have of a good picture, though, is during the bird’s breeding season when both male and female grow the prominent colourful bill which they rattle together in courtship. After breeding is over, the bill is shed and a smaller grey one is revealed. Ordinarily puffins spend most of their lives far out at sea but they come to land in spring to nest in burrows. When the chicks hatch there’s a lot of activity by the adults with beaks full of tiny silver sand eels, and this provides good opportunities to photograph the birds in flight as well as on land.

Probably the best place to get close to puffins in the UK is on the Farne Islands in Northumberland.

You can get a boat from Seahouses to Inner Farne and Staple Island where, on the scrubby tops, a team of resident National Trust rangers protect vast breeding colonies of thousands of seabirds. You can walk out on the boardwalks and get close enough to a puffin for it to peck at your shoelaces. There’s also a photographer’s dream in the shape of incredibly close views of nesting Arctic terns and eider ducks, not to mention guillemots, razorbills, shags and gannets on the sheer cliff sides. Framing the perfect shot couldn’t be easier.

BEST TIME TO SEE: late April to end of July GUIDED TOURS: Billy Shiel’s Boats at Seahouses offers, among other trips, an all-day bird watch for photographers. It lasts for around six hours – ample time for great puffin pictures.

Tel: 01665 720 308; www.farne-islands.com

OTTERS

© BRYDON THOMASON, STEVE LINDRIDGE/ALAMY

Shetland Isles, Scotland Thanks to efforts to clean our watercourses, improve habitat and impose a total ban on hunting, otters are gradually increasing in the UK. They are still hard to find, though, and photographing them requires good knowledge of local geography and otter movements, and careful planning as to tides, light conditions and wind direction. It also requires patience and often an ability to clamber over rough terrain to get the best position to set up the camera.

A sighting of these elusive animals can never be guaranteed, but you give yourself the best chance in Shetland, as 12 per cent of our Eurasian otters live there. It is also an area of high density, as the seas around provide ample quantities of marine life to support them.

As well as having diurnal habits, they also primarily inhabit salt water coast. These two factors offer advantages over more nocturnal

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otters that prefer rivers elsewhere in Britain.

Otters on Shetland are protected by Scottish Natural Heritage. They are shy and can be very sensitive to disturbance so their welfare must always be the primary consideration. An accredited guide will help ensure this. On Shetland you’ll get the opportunity of some fantastic bird life as well, including rare breeding species such as red throated divers and red necked phalaropes (be aware however that these rare breeders are protected and a licence is often needed to photograph them).

BEST TIME TO SEE: all year, but autumn to early spring for young cubs GUIDED TOURS: Brydon Thomason has a lifetime of experience of the otters on Shetland and knows where to find them and how to view without risk of disturbance.

Tel: 01957 710 000; www.shetlandnature.net; email info@shetlandnature.net

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PINE MARTEN This rare mustelid is the Holy Grail for photographers visiting the Highlands of Scotland. With its sleek brown and cream fur, the beautiful pine marten was once highly persecuted for its pelt and so became very rare.

The decline in wearing fur has led to its gradual recovery, but it remains one of the hardest mammals to find. If you are extremely lucky you may find one crossing a quiet road in the Caledonian pine forest, but you are only likely to see them in daylight in the summer months when they have hungry kits to feed.

Their great liking for jam and peanuts will attract them to a secluded feeding station, so it’s possible to set up a hide that will give good, close views without alarming them. You still have to have great patience, though, as they can be deterred by the slightest noise or sign of human presence: they have very sharp hearing and an acute sense of smell.

If you’re prepared to put in the time of an evening, sitting quietly in the hide, you’ll be rewarded by the sight of them padding through the pine needles under the trees, climbing the trunks and sliding sinuously along the branches to get to their sticky treat. In the silence all you’ll hear will be the slurpy chomping of a happy pine marten and the discreet click of your camera shutter.

Hides in areas where pine marten live can also be good places for seeing badgers, as these animals can travel great distances in their nightly foraging and are not averse to a peanut snack themselves.

BEST TIME TO SEE: all year GUIDED TOURS: Aigas House Field Centre near Beauly in Inverness-shire, has a purpose-built pine marten hide which boasts a 95 per cent sightings success rate. Aigas also has a loch where a beaver reintroduction trial is taking place, and wildlife photography courses led by Laurie Campbell.

Tel: 01463 782 443; www.aigas.co.uk

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© JEROME MURRAY, JERRY HOARE, SHARKY/ALAMY

Aigas House Field Centre, Inverness-shire

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UK WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY DRAGONFLIES Wicken Fen, Cambridgeshire Photographing these gorgeous insects with their iridescent colours presents a completely different challenge to most other wildlife as you have to get extremely close to take an effective macro shot. Skill and patience can be given a helping hand at Wicken Fen in Cambridgeshire, where you can find 22 species of dragon and damselflies in great numbers.

Wicken Fen was the first nature reserve to be owned by the National Trust and its reed-fringed waterways and ditches are designed to provide the ideal habitat for creatures that rely on wet areas for breeding. The dragonfly larvae hatch from eggs laid in rushes, mud or rotten wood, and live in water. There they feed and moult for years, gradually getting larger, before they develop to the flying adult stage that lasts only a few days or weeks in the summer sunshine.

At Wicken Fen, the British Dragonfly Society

WHALES AND DOLPHINS Falmouth, Cornwall There can’t be a greater thrill, or bigger photographic challenge, than an encounter with a breaching whale or dolphin on the open seas. In the waters off Falmouth in Cornwall there are minke, fin and pilot whales, white-beaked, common, bottlenose and Risso’s dolphins, harbour porpoises, basking sharks, ocean sunfish and even the occasional leatherback turtle, depending on the season.

Thanks to the warm waters of the Gulf Stream pushing into the western approaches of the English Channel, plankton here is

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has entered into a joint partnership with the National Trust and the Dragonfly Project, which has resulted in a specialist Dragonfly Centre housed in a renovated fenland cottage. Here you can learn all about the animals and the research that is being conducted to promote their healthy survival. Outside there are ponds, one of which is raised, so close observation and photography is made easy.

Of course, you can stroll around the reserve and capture your own unguarded moments of dragonfly life, too.

BEST TIME TO SEE: from late May to end of September FURTHER INFORMATION: Wicken Fen is the National Trust’s oldest nature reserve and is open throughout the year. Entry is free for National Trust members.

Tel: 01353 720 274; www.nationaltrust.org.uk/ wicken-fen

plentiful and begins the food chain that brings a fantastic variety of marine species to a relatively small area. It’s not unknown to have sightings of pods of more than 1,000 common dolphins, for instance, and a high chance of seeing many other different cetaceans on a trip, as well as common and grey seals.

At 12m in length, the basking sharks that can also be seen here are the second largest fish in the world and they come here to enjoy the local plankton soup.

They are laid-back animals that are not put off by a boat-load of sightseers, so the chances are high of a really close photograph of one of these amazing

creatures languidly drifting past the vessel with huge gaping mouth sucking in its prey.

BEST TIME TO SEE: all year, although autumn is possible best for variety. Rough seas will hamper trips and species may vary at different times GUIDED TOURS: AK Wildlife Cruises in Falmouth offers small group boat trips (12 people max) with a naturalist crew member, to make sure the animals are respected, you travel in relative comfort and you get the most out of your wildlife viewing.

Tel 01326 753 389; www. akwildlifecruises.co.uk

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RED SQUIRRELS

Kielder Forest, Northumberland These extremely photogenic animals came close to extinction in England, Wales and Northern Ireland by the 1990s because of loss of habitat and the rise of introduced American grey squirrels. These compete for food in deciduous woodland and act as carriers for the disease squirrel poxvirus that decimates the red populations.

Scotland remains the animals’ stronghold in the UK, with areas such as Loch Garten in the Highlands a good spot for finding squirrels that are not too wary of human presence to pause for a photo opportunity.

One of the most accessible places for a close encounter south of Scotland is Kielder Forest in Northumberland, which is home to around 50 per cent of England’s native red squirrel population.

If you’re self-guiding, Kielder Castle Visitor Centre has a red squirrel information room and a special hide, and there is also a hide at Leaplish Waterside Park, but for quiet photo sessions away from the crowds a private guide is recommended.

Between April and September Kielder is also a great place to see the ospreys that migrate to Kielder Water to breed, and pipistrelle bats. In addition, it’s home to roe deer, otters and badgers.

BEST TIME TO SEE: all year, but January is mating season so the animals are at their most active chasing a mate, and catching a still pose could be tricky GUIDED TOURS: Northern Experience Wildlife Tours arranges trips to Kielder Forest and owner Martin Kitching can provide advice on the best photo opportunities not only for red squirrels but also other amazingly accessible wildlife in Northumberland.

Tel: 01670 827 465; www.northernexperiencewildlife tours.co.uk; email enquiries@ newtltd.co.uk

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UK WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY RED DEER Cairngorms National Park, Scotland The most desirable time to catch dramatic shots of red deer is during the annual rut, when testosterone-charged males lock horns to win a harem of females. One of the best places for close views of this display is in the Cairngorms in the Scottish Highlands. Here red deer are common in most areas, where they’ve been part of the natural biodiversity since the end of the last Ice Age. Red deer are among the largest of deer species; only moose, elk and sambar deer are bigger, although the Scottish branch of the family tends to be less weighty than its European cousins. In autumn the males grow thick neck manes and their antlers are at their best, having been growing since the spring. In preparation for the rut these calcify and harden, ready to take the punishment when competing stags clash heads.

There are around 25,000 red deer on the moorland and in the forests of Cairngorm, and there are also herds of reindeer. A visit there also offers the opportunity to photograph rare grouse – ptarmigan and black – and mountain hares. For the deer, a guided tour in an off road vehicle will give the distinct advantage of local knowledge and a mobile hide from which to photograph.

BEST TIME TO SEE: September and October GUIDED TOURS: the Bird Watching and Wildlife Club, based at the Grant Arms Hotel in Grantown-on-Spey, is running a special Red Deer Rut Break at the end of September with deer-related walks, field trips and talks. They can also arrange a Red Deer Rut Safari with Glenlivet Wildlife while you’re there.

Tel: 01479 872 526; www.bwwc.co.uk

SEALS

© CRAIG CHURCHILL, ROY CHILDS/ALAMY

Blakeney Point, Norfolk There can’t be anything more heart-melting than a close-up picture of a seal pup and at the National Trust reserve of Blakeney Point near Morston in Norfolk you can have a natural experience of both common and grey seals lounging on the sandbanks just off shore. The best way to get close enough for good photographs is from a small boat. The seals are used to visitors and look up from their basking positions with only mild curiosity when they hear the engine. Those on feeding expeditions in the sea will also not be shy of popping up near the boat.

Common seals are smaller and have the more rounded faces of the two species, with v-shaped nostrils.

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Grey seals have large speckles on their coats and longer, more pointed, Roman-nosed heads.

Around Blakeney Point the colony numbers around 500 of both. The other advantage to this location is that you don’t have to go out into the open sea to view the seals, which helps reduce the movement of boat and camera – also beneficial if you’re prone to seasickness! The boats will also take visitors to the large tern colony on the Point.

BEST TIME TO SEE: June to August for common, November to January for greys GUIDED TOURS: there are four boat companies running tours from Morston or Blakeney Quays.

Tel: 01263 740 241; www. nationaltrust.org.uk/blakeney

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UK WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY STARLING SPECTACULAR Brighton, East Sussex In the winter huge flocks of starlings gather over the Fens and around Greta in the Scottish borders, but possibly the closest you’ll get to the awesome sight of 40,000 of these acrobatic birds wheeling and flowing in unison is over the West Pier at Brighton in East Sussex.

In the evenings, native birds that are with us all year are joined by incomers from Scandinavia, to gather and eventually come to roost on the supports of the pier.

There they cluster for warmth until the sun begins to rise. They then leave the roost en mass to spend the day foraging in smaller groups in the countryside.

Like the huge winter gatherings of wading birds such as Knot at Snettisham on the north Norfolk coast, or the clouds of pink-footed geese that fill the skies at various sites around the country, no one can fail to be impressed by the sheer numbers of these birds.

Starlings, however, offer the extra thrill in their murmurations – complex patterns formed as they glide backwards and forwards, surging into rounded bulges and soaring in liquid helixes, like flowing wax globules in a 1970s lava lamp. Still photographs can record most amazing shapes in the pink-tinged sky, but this sight also calls for moving photography, as you will scarcely credit what you’re seeing without the proof of video.

BEST TIME TO SEE: winter dusk for the murmuration and dawn to see them leave the roost, particularly in December FURTHER INFORMATION: The West Pier, or rather the skeletal remains of this iconic Victorian landmark can be found on Brighton seafront, just a short walk from the neighbouring Palace Pier. The recently refurbished Brighton Seafront gallery features some of the best West Pier artefacts. www.westpier.co.uk/starlings

Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire The growing population of wild boar in southern parts of England and the border counties of Wales has divided opinion, but it’s undeniable that escapes and deliberate releases from boar farms have been returning a once-native species to the wild after some 700 years.

Wild boar are very secretive and largely nocturnal so finding them to photograph in daylight is challenging, but the best chance to date is in the Forest of Dean where they are known to be active during the day. Boar in the Forest date back to a release of about 60 animals in 2004 and there’s now said to be a population of about 200.

You’ll need a long lens to photograph boars as maintaining a safe distance is

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essential for your own welfare as well as the animals’. You should stick to paths and avoid dense undergrowth, especially in spring when the boars breed. Cute as they may be with their humbug colouration, if you come across a litter of piglets you should retreat, as your presence could be construed as a threat by the sow.

While you are in the area, there are also good photo opportunities for birds of prey such as goshawks in the Forest and in nearby Wye Valley.

BEST TIME TO SEE: all year, but it’s wise to avoid the breeding season in spring FURTHER INFORMATION: The UK Wild Boar Trust campaigns for better understanding of wild boar and peaceful human/boar cohabitation. www.ukwbt.org

© PETER CURRELL, DANITA DELIMONT/ALAMY

WILD BOAR

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26 WILD TRAVEL

TRIP REPORT SARAWAK, BORNEO

OF THE

SWINGERS Thousands of years of natural history in Sarawak have produced a myriad of colourful creatures.

Graeme Green met the mighty orangutan, the tiniest of clownfish… and a million wrinkle-lipped bats

© GRAEME GREEN

T

he trees thrash, bend and sway. Whatever’s moving through the forest has considerable size and force, like a monster in a Hollywood blockbuster. A face appears through the greenery. It’s Ritchie, the alpha male orangutan at Semenggoh Wildlife Centre in Sarawak, recognisable by the wide cheek pads on each side of his mighty face. He’s one of 27 orangutans here, and a regular guest at afternoon feeding times.

He settles on a wooden platform and tucks into bananas, veg and boiled eggs.

The orangutans are semi-wild, living in the forest but coming in for twicedaily feeding sessions. Many were previously kept as pets and brought to the centre for rehabilitation into the wild, although the younger orangutans were born here.

I spend a day at Semenggoh. At the morning feed, an adult female and her infant dangle casually from vines and branches. On the ground, another female, Soduku, sits and munches on a sweet potato. Her infant, Endu, climbs high, swinging or walking with expert balance along thin moving branches.

“The baby never goes far from the mother,” observes Valentine Rintong, my Malaysian guide. “It goes up, plays around, but always comes back. They learn

WILD TRAVEL 27

TRIP REPORT SARAWAK, BORNEO Clockwise from far left: a young macaque; Endu, an infant orangutan and his mother Suduku; a bearded pig trots through Bako NP; a crocodile at Matang Wildlife Centre; Richie, the alpha male has breakfast; guide Valentine Rintong searches the trees for monkeys

interaction, and with their expressive eyes. Ritchie munches away on a boiled egg, before a sudden downpour brings an end to today’s show.

Sarawak, one of two states that make up Malaysian Borneo (Sabah being the second), is the largest state in Malaysia, covering 37.5 per cent of the country. More than 27 ethnic groups live here: Chinese, Indian, Malay and indigenous Dayak tribes, including Iban and Bidayuh. But the country’s wild inhabitants are even more diverse. Much of the vast region is covered in rainforest (though there are serious concerns about high rates of deforestation from logging), home to colourful creatures including an estimated 2,500 orangutans, Proboscis monkeys, flying lemurs, bats and hornbills. The rivers contain crocs and Irrawaddy dolphins, while off the coast are coral reefs filled with marine life great and small.

LIVING LOCALLY Much of the wildlife is easy to access from the state capital Kuching, including Semenggoh and Matang Wildlife Centre, a rehab/research centre with orangutans, crocodiles and sun bears. This is a quick, reliable way to see some of Sarawak’s creatures, which is handy, as my trip across the state reminds me how shy and unpredictable animals in the wild can be.

From Kuching, Valentine and I drive to Batang Ai National Park and motor upriver in a longboat. We stay overnight in a traditional wooden longhouse, with a sizeable Iban family, eating freshly caught fish and drinking homebrewed tuak (rice whisky) and in the morning trek into the hills to look for wild orangutans.

It’s a steep, hot climb through humid forest. But, unfortunately, our luck’s not in.

“Mayahs, mayahs,” Siaphocksind, a local tracker, whispers urgently, after hours of hiking. The reddish

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TRIP REPORT SARAWAK, BORNEO Clockwise from here: soft corals filter the warm Borneo waters; a blue ring angelfish; a longboat on the way to Batang Ai NP; the profile of Abraham Lincoln in a rock face; thousands of wrinklelipped bats leave the roost; a blue-eyed angle-headed lizard

BLIND AS A BAT?

How bats negotiate the dark network of caves in Mulu National Park

A

swim. Bluefin trevally and tuna jacks check us out.

Some corals are long and wiry, like TV aerials, others are like clay pots in blue, white and green, or James Cameron’s alien eggs, or giant rugby player’s ears, crumpled and pink. I particularly like the fine table coral with dozens of tiny humbug damsel fish and electric blue neon damselfish swimming among the delicate branches.

There are sharks, turtles and even whale sharks to be found in these waters but it’s the smaller life that draws divers to Miri. Ross points out colourful nudibranches as we swim through anemone gardens. Tiny orange and white clownfish (aka Nemo) make their home among the tentacles of bright anemones. At the end of the dive, a Pharoah cuttlefish glides elegantly by.

Back at the western end of Sarawak, Valentine and I visit Bako National Park. It’s the oldest national park in Sarawak and the animals are accustomed to people; bearded pigs come close enough to be patted or fed but both are against the rules. Close encounters with several species of monkey are almost guaranteed, including the big nosed kind.

“Proboscis monkeys are endemic to Borneo. Bako is the best place in Borneo to see them,” says Valentine.

“Nowhere else can challenge it.”

Shortly after arriving, a boy points out a deadly pit viper resting in a tree, digesting an unlucky meal. By the

t least 12 known species of bat make their home in the caves of Mulu National Park, the majority of them wrinkle-lipped bats. They can fly at up to 60 miles per hour and climb as high as 3,000m. They’re also, my guide Jenny tells me, the only mammal that can genuinely fly. Many other ‘flying’ mammals – flying squirrel, flying possum, flying lemur – can only glide.

Each evening, following the bat exodus, it’s thought the millions of bats scoff 15 tons of insects, which helps explain why walkways through the forest are pleasantly low on mosquitoes.

Deer Cave, the largest of Mulu’s caves, is 160m high at its highest and 100m wide. There’s no shortage here, or in the other caves, for bats to find a place to roost. In the dark nooks and crannies the bats’ sensory system of ‘echolocation’ is essential. Bats ‘see’ in the dark by sending out ultrasonic sounds that produce echoes. They then read the signal that returns to them to ‘visualise’ their environment, including the shape and size of obstacles. They use this process to locate prey, too.

Jenny says that despite using this special skill to navigate, bats aren’t blind as many people believe. “These bats see perfectly well outside. They have eyes, maybe as good as humans’.

They just don’t use their sight inside the caves.”

“The expression ‘blind as a bat’ makes no sense, then?” I ask.

“None at all.”

It’s enough to blow apart a whole animal-based world-view. Are mules really stubborn? Are beaver’s eager?

Are lark’s happy? Are owls wise?

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TRIP REPORT SARAWAK, BORNEO

Clockwise from left: a proboscis monkey at Bako NP; a bearded pig forages on the Bako beach; a green pit viper rests in a tree, digesting its meal

Proboscis monkeys move around on a highway of high branches

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TRIP ADVISER >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> COST RATING SAMPLE PACKAGE TOUR: Intrepid Travel has an 11-night Wild Sarawak tour, including Bako, Semenggoh and Mulu, from £1,170pp (plus flights).

Explore has a 19-day Borneo Discovery of Sarawak and Sabah trip, including Semenggoh, Bako, Miri and Mulu, from £2,269 (plus flights).

The author dived with Co.Co Dive (www. cocodive.com.my) which has 3-dive packages for 350 Ringitt (£75).

GETTING THERE: Flights from the UK to Kuching via Kuala Lumpur or Singapore.

Malaysia Airlines (www.malaysiaairlines. com, 0871 423 9090) has return flights from London Heathrow to Kuching, via Kuala Lumpur, starting from £892 return.

Flights take approximately 16 hours (with 1 hour 55 minute transit through KL).

VISA REQUIREMENTS FROM THE UK: UK nationals don’t need a visa to travel to Malaysia unless the stay exceeds three months. See www.imi.gov.my TIPS & WARNINGS: Sarawak has an equatorial/tropical climate with relatively uniform temperatures throughout the year. It’s a hot and humid country, with daytime temperatures of up to 32°. Take a sunhat, cool clothing and suncream, and drink lots of water. Tropical strength insect repellent is also advised. Time difference between UK and Sarawak is: GMT + 8 hours. For more information, visit Sarawak Tourist Board’s website: www.sarawaktourism.com WHEN TO GO: It’s possible to visit all year round, but December to February are slightly cooler and have a little more rain.

July to September are the hot months.

TOUR OPERATORS ■ INTREPID TRAVEL, Tel: 0800 781 1660; www.intrepidtravel.com ■ EXPLORE, Tel: 0844 499 0901; www.explore.co.uk ■ GREENTOURS, Tel: 01298 83 563; www.greentours.co.uk

WILDLIFEEXTRA.COM

© GRAEME GREEN

boat jetty, I watch a troop of silver leaf monkeys munching on leaves. Long-tailed macaques walk along the railing. A proboscis monkey climbs down from high branches and sits, eating. “Some people say the big nose is for them to control body temperature,” Valentine says.

“Others say it’s for attraction: the bigger the nose, the more chance to attract the female and control a colony.”

In the afternoon, a group of proboscis monkeys moves along a ‘highway’ close to the beach. One by one, they leap from high branches to the next tree. A little monkey pauses uncertainly, steps back from the edge, then turns again to face the challenge, like a child on a diving board. Eventually, he makes the heroic leap and joins his group. It’s a cool little moment to witness.

Near the end of the trip, we take a boat to Tanjung Dato National Park, close to the Indonesian border.

Turtles (hawksbill, leatherback, green) are known to lay their eggs on the beach, but our chances of seeing them are slim. The ranger’s seen only three in the last month.

But the trip isn’t wasted. After dark, Valentine and I walk through the forest. Two bright pairs of eyes watch us from the bushes. I think they’re deer but, as one turns, I see they’re wild cats. Further into the forest a trio of mouse deer are resting. We come out onto the beach, under countless bright stars. We turn off our torches and walk by starlight. Waves crash against the shore and I see a single shooting star fizz across the sky. Wild animals might not always appear exactly when you want them too, but nature as a whole rarely lets you down. WT

RWANDA

Orangutan and Tribes Voluntour Become immersed in tribal life whilst working towards the conservation of the magnificent orangutan – all within the lush and verdant rainforests of Sarawak.

5 Highlights of this tour include:

1 Work behind the scenes at the award-winning Matang Wildlife Centre

Here you will be able to work at Matang with staff facilitators alongside one of South-East Asia’s most iconic and endangered animals: the orangutan. Not only will you will be able to help in providing enrichment for the resident orangutans, sun bears and binturongs, but you will also be able to help in the feeding of them – a complete once in a lifetime experience.

© Owen Huw Morgan

2 Explore the stunning jungle trails of Bako – Sarawak’s oldest National Park

After a short boat ride through the beautiful rainforest, you will settle into your accommodation at Bako. Known as one of the best places in the whole of Sarawak to see the endangered Proboscis monkey, this is truly a magical place in which to discover.

Aside from the Proboscis’s, there are also bearded pigs, slow loris and giant monitor lizards to try and spot – keep your eyes peeled! What’s more, you’ll also get the chance to trek through five different kinds of rainforest – perfect for those eco-tourists amongst you!

© Owen Huw Morgan

This tour exceeded all expectations in relation to adventure, wildlife and nature – more than we could have ever imagined! Volunteer - June 2013 For more information on this fantastic, once in a lifetime experience, please phone us, visit our website, or email us at: info@thegreatprojects.com

3 Soak up the sun on Damai Beach – the perfect relaxation spot!

As Kuching’s major beach resort, Damai offers an excellent chance for visitors to relax and unwind – all under the comfort of the warm Malaysian sun. With crystal clear waters set against a backdrop of the imposing Mount Santubong, Damai is a must on any trip to Sarawak.

You will also be able to visit the nearby Sarawak Cultural Village – a living museum dedicated to the indigenous tribes (Dayaks) of Borneo.

4 Travel to mountainous Batang Ai National Park and see how the local tribes reside

One of this tours signature attractions, Batang Ai is a must on any trip to Borneo. Only accessible by longboat, this is a truly untouched pocket of Sarawak and offers visitors the chance to spot gibbons, hornbills, and even wild orangutans. A major attraction here is for travellers to visit the local Iban tribe, learning how to make traditional handicrafts as well as traditional hunting, fishing and survival techniques. What’s more, travellers will also be able to camp out for a night in the open jungle – adventure at its finest!

5 Finish your voluntour in the fantastic Semenggoh

Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre – a leading centre for orangutan conservation Before their final transfer back to Kuching, visitors will be able to have one last glimpse of the iconic ‘man of the forest’.

Here you will be able to see the resident orangs and observe just how the largest arboreal animal in the world is able to navigate through the trees. Don’t forget to pack your camera!

PRICES START FROM ONLY £1,095

© xxxxxxxxxxxxx

SOARIN Here: a Eurasian griffon vulture glides through a blue Bulgarian afternoon

36 WILD TRAVEL

WILDLIFEEXTRA.COM

TAKE ME THERE RODOPI MOUNTAINS, BULGARIA

G SKIES From its headline attractions of vultures, bears and wolves, to the peacefulness of its unspoilt wildflower meadows full of butterflies, Bulgaria’s Rodopi Mountains offer astonishing biodiversity in spectacular scenery, writes Robin Gauldie

S

ay what you like about the Russians, they build a great off-road vehicle.

The gruelling, 45-minute drive into the uplands above Devin, in Bulgaria’s Rodopi Mountains, traverses steep, deeply rutted dirt trails that would defeat some off-roaders. Our sturdy Lada takes it in its stride – admittedly, though, that’s not much more than walking pace. No wonder foresters in these ranges close to Bulgaria’s southern frontier still favour sturdy hill horses.

The challenging drive is followed by an even more taxing half-hour trek through pine forest until we reach an open bowl of tussock grass and juniper bushes, surrounded by conifers. It’s here, we hope, that a bear will be lured to a dummy log, baited with honeycomb, about 30m from the hide.

I wish I’d brought a cushion. I wish I hadn’t drunk that second cup of coffee. I wish I had night vision binoculars. I wish a bear would turn up, so that I can declare the job done, stretch the kinks out of my legs, empty my bladder, and head for home. This hide – cobbled together from turf, scrap timber and old cardboard boxes – is spartan.

We’ve chosen a full moon night in late May for

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optimum visibility. We arrive at around six o’clock and, in the gloaming, a series of supporting acts put in an appearance in the clearing: a couple of roe deer and a red fox which scampers briskly past, pauses with ears pricked, then carries on busily with its nose to the ground. After dusk, a wild boar – just a dark but easily recognisable silhouette in the pale moonlight – pauses briefly to rootle. But the bears do not turn up to take centre stage, and after a five-hour vigil we agree to call it a night. I’m a little disappointed, but it’s not unexpected. At best, the chance of seeing bears on any given night here is not much better than 50/50.

In my time in the Rodopi, the closest I got to a bear encounter was finding a pile of fairly recent droppings on a walking trail not far from the village. But there’s plenty to make up for the absence of ursines. Sightings are guaranteed of chamois, picking their way daintily over limestone crags. For me, tinier creatures can be just as exciting, and there were plenty of those. Yellowbellied toads and salamander tadpoles lurked in trailside puddles. Glossy, indigo-coloured scarab beetles scrambled among lumps of horse dung in the tussocky grass of the high pastures. These meadows were splashed with the yellow of dwarf broom, clumps of wild violets and the freckled spires of elder-flowered orchids. And there are butterflies everywhere. Bulgaria has more than 200 butterfly species (Britain has fewer than 60).

WILD TRAVEL 37

Rodopi is a country of lower, limestone hills, carved by deep river gorges and cloaked by deciduous woodland

Io n w e n 30 different types in less than an hour, including scarce and common swallowtail, orange tip, brimstone, clouded yellow, mazarine and other blues, and the charmingly named Balkan copper.

Bulgaria claims greater biodiversity than any other European country except Spain. It has more than 400 resident and migrant bird species, more than 70 amphibians and reptiles, and 88 mammals, from brown bear and wolf to the tiny Eurasian pygmy shrew.

Habitats range from the vast, prairie-like fields of former state-owned farms to lowland wildflower meadows, mixed deciduous woodland and conifer forests, montane pastures, riverine wetlands and

38 WILD TRAVEL

brackisho l coastal lagoons. d The landscapes of the Eastern Rodopi are strikingly different from those found further west. This is a country of lower, limestone hills, carved by deep river gorges and cloaked by deciduous woodland. The little village of Madzharovo sits close to the west end of the easternmost of the chain of long, thin artificial lakes that dominate the valley of the Arda River. The Arda rises in the high Rodopi and flows eastward, across the Greek border, where it joins the larger Maritsa. Where it hasn’t been tamed by Soviet-era dams, the Arda can be a magical river, a place of wide oxbows, deep screesided canyons, and sandy banks.

It’s also a haven for big birds. Madzharovo

d n a

d a e m

TAKE ME THERE RODOPI MOUNTAINS, BULGARIA

CROSS-BORDER CONSERVATION Why protecting Bulgaria’s most important wildlife is an international effort

T

here’s increasing recognition that most of the Balkan region’s most important birds and mammals are no respecters of national borders. Many of Bulgaria’s most biodiverse areas – including the Rodopi – lie on its borders with Greece, Turkey and Macedonia, so conservation must focus on international cooperation. Cross-border initiatives include the Border Zone Bear Project, set up by the non-profit organisation Wild Rodopi (www.wildrodopi.org) to survey the movements of wolves and bears along the Bulgaria/Greece border.

In 2011, the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds, together with the Hellenic Ornithological Society and the RSPB, set up a project to save the Egyptian vulture in Greece and Bulgaria by helping the birds to breed

successfully and reducing deaths by poison, electrocution, and hunting.

The Balkan Vulture Action Plan (www. balkanvultures.net), another multi-national programme, has brought together experts from Spain, France, Italy and Austria to help Bulgaria and its neighbours to stabilise colonies of griffon vultures on the Greek-

Bulgarian border and fill in the gaps between these colonies and others in Macedonia and Serbia.

Meanwhile, the LIFE+ project has succeeded in re-introducing the griffon vulture to other sites in Bulgaria by releasing, feeding and monitoring more than 100 birds imported from Spain, France, and breeding zoos in the Netherlands,

© MIKE LANE, BLICKWINKEL/ALAMY

Clockwise from left: a red fox; the elusive wallcreeper, that can be tricky to see until it spreads its wings; the wild landscape of the Rodopi Mountains; Egyptian vultures, which now breed successfully in Bulgaria

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Germany and the Czech Republic.

In April 2013, Bulgaria and Romania agreed to declare Srebarna, the Belene islands, and Ibisha island on the Bulgarian side of the Danube, and Lake Calarasi, Suhaia and Bistret on the Romanian bank as ‘Transboundary Ramsar Sites’, reinforcing cross-border management of these fragile wetlands.

can claim to be Bulgaria’s vulture capital.

Nearby is one of the country’s two griffon vulture colonies, and a feeding station operated by Birdlife Bulgaria attracts not only these but Egyptian vultures – which also breed in Bulgaria – and the most striking of them all, the black vulture.

It’s amazing that a bird that soars with such amazing grace when airborne becomes a clumsy, hopping hunchback when on the ground. I’ve watched vultures feeding on carcasses in Africa, but I’ve never before seen this spectacle in Europe.

It takes the griffons less than half an hour to dispose of the dead donkey laid out for their delectation. The initial feeding frenzy shuts out the smaller Egyptians. With their orange-

WILD TRAVEL 39

RODOPI MOUNTAINS, BULGARIA

From here down: griffon vultures make short work of a donkey carcass; the lush wetlands of Rodopi; a red-breasted goose

yellow faces, black and white wings and punk-style head plumage, these are the prettiest vultures, but they’re not much more than half the size of the big brown griffons and at first they have to stand on the sidelines while their cousins pile in. Then, when the sated griffons take a break, spreading their huge wings to catch the sun, the Egyptians pick over the remnants.

Black vultures are occasional visitors here – they haven’t bred in Bulgaria since 1993, but adults and juveniles fly in from the breeding colony in the Dadia National Park just across the border in Greece. When they do turn up, black vultures stand out like dark-cloaked aristocrats among the common rabble of scrawny-necked griffons.

There are more big wings over Bulgaria’s northern provinces, near to the banks of the southern arm of the Danube that separates Bulgaria and Romania.

Mike Black is an English expat who, with his wife Jerry, owns the Pelican Lake Guest House in the tiny village of Srebarna and arranges birding trips in the nearby Srebarna Biosphere Reserve. He tells me that some birders have sighted more than 90 species in just one day around this 600-hectare expanse of water, reedbeds and floating islands.

The lake is the breeding home of almost 100 species, and around 80 more arrive in

BLACK SEA WETLANDS

© MARK SISSON/FLPA, ARTERRA PICTURE LIBRARY/ALAMY

M

ost of the time, in Bulgaria, you have to go deep into the boonies to encounter the creatures you really want to see, but sometimes they come to you.

Just before I left the country, a squadron of Dalmatian pelicans put on a surprise aerial display above the serried ranks of sun-loungers on ‘Sunny Beach’.

Leaving this vast stretch of golden sand undeveloped was never going to be an option within the holiday business. Built in the 1950s, Slanchev Bryag – to give the place its real name – was touted by western tour operators as a cheap and cheerful alternative to Spain. A building boom followed the melting of the Iron Curtain, and Bulgaria’s biggest holiday resort now boasts

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200 hotels and 300,000 beds.

Casinos, half-built hotels and apartment complexes clutter the landscape.

None of that seemed to bother the pelicans. They wheeled over the bay in the classic ‘training flight’ pattern before falling into line astern and flying off to the south. Their destination was surely the largest wetlands system in Bulgaria, 20 miles south of Sunny Beach. The Borgas Lakes comprise four brackish and saline lagoons with a total area of more than 9,500 hectares, providing shelter for 316 bird species, including purple, grey, night and squacco herons, spoonbill, glossy ibis, little egret, great and pygmy cormorant, and white and Dalmatian pelicans.

Large colonies of avocet,

WHILE IN BULGARIA, DON’T MISS THE CHANCE TO VISIT THE COUNTRY’S BIRDING HAVEN

black-winged stilt, and little common tern nest among the salt pans of Atanasovsko Lake, a hypersaline lagoon which teems with brine shrimp. Located on Europe’s second most important bird migratory route, the ‘Via Pontica’, the lake is a vital way-station for white pelican, red-footed falcon, marsh harrier and white stork, and for vast flocks of wintering widgeon, mallard, pintail, shelduck and other ducks and geese, including the red-breasted goose.

Artificial breeding platforms provide nest sites for tern colonies, and a tribe of great cormorants has taken up residence on disused electricity pylons. A bird-watching hide and a migration observation point, which forms part of the

100-hectare Poda Nature Reserve, allow you to get close to many of the lakes’ waders, shorebirds and waterfowl. It’s hard to believe that this bird-rich reserve is within sight of the country’s busiest holiday airport.

WILD TRAVEL 41

Clockwise from here: wild horses roam the Rodopi hills; a Balkan chamois; a Dalmatian pelican flock; pigmy cormorants roost after a fishing trip; one of the rescued bears in Belitsa Dancing Bears Park

DANCING BEARS The project to rehabilitate traumatised former ‘performers’ A dancing bear is a pitiful sight. The bears which will spend their last years in relative comfort at the Belitsa Dancing Bears Park still sometimes respond to humans by going into a pain-conditioned routine of swaying and padding the ground. It takes them months, often years, to learn they will no longer be tortured for not doing so.

Bulgaria banned dancing bears in 1998.

Traumatised by their treatment as cubs, when they were trained to ‘dance’ by being forced to stand on hot embers or heated metal sheets, the 25 surviving dancing bears which live here can never be fully rehabilitated and released. Instead, they are cared for at the Belitsa sanctuary in the Rila Mountains, 170km south of Sofia. It’s funded by animal rights activist (and former film goddess) Brigitte Bardot and by campaigning foundation Four Paws International (www.vier-pfoten.org), which pays bear owners €5,000 compensation when they hand over the animals.

Newly rescued bears need constant care and attention. When they begin to recover from years of abuse and poor diet, they can be released into larger paddocks in the 120,000 square metre sanctuary, where their food is buried to encourage them to forage as they would in the wild.

There, 15-foot electric fences keep the bears in – and the visitors who might harm them, out.

You’ll need a four-wheel-drive vehicle to get to the park, which is open daily, dawn until disk, from the beginning of April until the end of November. Tours are free, but donations are welcomed.

42 WILD TRAVEL

© MARK SISSON/FLPA, EMIL ENCHEV, VLADIMIR ALEXEER, DAVID TIPLING/ALAMY, WONDERS OF EUROPE/WIDSTRAND

A squadron of Dalmatian pelicans put on a surprise aerial display above the sun loungers winter. Formed by an oxbow of the Danube, Srebarna lake is home to vast numbers of migrant and resident birds. I couldn’t match the record, but in just four hours under Mike’s expert guidance I saw pygmy cormorant, ruddy duck, glossy ibis, bittern, pochard and ferruginous duck, and squacco and great grey heron, among many others.

One of Mike’s Belgian guests reported seeing black-breasted sand grouse – the first sighting for Bulgaria.

Butterflies abound in the mixed microenvironments around the lake, which include flower-splashed grassy slopes, muddy lake verges and sunny woodland glades. I counted at least a dozen butterfly species.

For me, Srebarna’s big-ticket show is the nesting colony of more than 200 Dalmatian pelicans. When on the ground, Srebarna’s pelicans keep themselves at a distance – the nesting sites on the lake are strictly off-limits to all but a privileged handful of scientists – but from viewpoints around the lake we

watched individual birds and flights of two or three coming in to land, and sometimes squadrons of 30 or more spiralling above.

Throughout my journey through Bulgaria, the air was never empty of wings, from the vast spans of vultures and pelicans to the brilliant blues and oranges of the tiniest of butterflies.

Eco-tourism here is still feeling its way into the 21st century. With a land area of just under 111,000 sq km, Bulgaria is only 15 per cent smaller than England, but with a population of under 7.5 million. Around 70 per cent of Bulgarians live in its eight major cities, and around 14 per cent live in Sofia, the country’s capital and its largest city.

Bulgaria is the poorest nation in the EU, and emigration to wealthier countries, coupled with a declining birth rate, is reducing population density still further. Over large swathes of

RODOPI’S

MOST WANT ED The five species to look out for on a trip to the mountains

1

Brown bear (Ursus arctos)

Seeing brown bear is at the top of the wish list for any wildlife enthusiast visiting Bulgaria, but you have to have luck on your side. An estimated 600-1200 bears remain in Bulgaria – around 300 of them in the Rodopi and others in the Pirin, Rila and Central Balkan National Parks. Hunting is banned, but farmers may shoot bears which attack livestock.

2

Balkan chamois

The Rodopi is home to 1000-1200 Balkan chamois – about half the country’s total chamois population. Living on exposed crags, at an altitude of 1000-2000 metres, the chamois is perhaps the easiest to observe of any of the Rodopi’s large mammals. Since 2002, chamois from the Rodopi have been captured and transferred to the Vitosha Nature Park, just outside Sofia.

3

Grey wolf

Bulgaria’s other big carnivore is still persecuted, and a bounty is paid for each wolf killed. However, the government has said it will ban wolf hunting during the April-June breeding season. The country has around 1000-1200 wolves, most of them thought to be in the Rodopi. They prey mainly on roe deer and smaller mammals, but occasional attacks on flocks make headlines.

4

Egyptian vulture

Bulgaria’s Egyptian vulture population has declined steeply, from more than 100 pairs in the 1990s to fewer than 30 pairs in 2012. Poison aimed at stray dogs, jackals and wolves is the main cause, along with electrocution hotspots on the birds’ migration routes – some as distant as Sudan.

5

Wallcreeper

The wallcreeper’s grey and black colouration makes it tricky to spot against the monochrome cliff faces that it favours – until, that is, it opens its wings in a flash of crimson. It nests in rocky crannies between the 1000m and 3000m levels, and one of the best places to spot it is the Trigrad Gorge, in the central Rodopi.

WILD TRAVEL 43

TAKE ME THERE RODOPI MOUNTAINS, BULGARIA Clockwise from here: a seldom-seen brown bear; autumn colour in the Rodopi; and old world swallowtail

For everything from tiny creatures to big beasts, few European countries compare the Bulgarian hinterland, settlements of any kind are thin on the ground.

This has the effect of reducing human impact on wildlife and as Bulgaria’s economy was dominated by agriculture under the old regime, its legacy of pollution from poorly managed heavy industry is less problematic than in some post-Soviet countries.

However, capitalism has arrived in Bulgaria with a vengeance, and poorly controlled development poses threats to the environment in fast-growing winter sports resorts in mountain areas and on the Black Sea coast.

A grandiose development dubbed ‘Super Borovets’ is under way in the Rila mountains, and will eventually rival Bansko, a large ski resort which opened in the Pirin National Park in 2003, despite protests from environmentalists.

Travelling from Devin to the eastern Rodopi, I passed through Pamporovo, a ski resort that is encroaching further into the forests each year. It also seems unlikely that any sandy stretches of Black

44 WILD TRAVEL

Sea coastline will escape development.

Despite this, Bulgaria has to be one of the most rewarding countries in Europe for the wildlife-loving visitor. Sighting bear and wolf can’t be guaranteed it’s true, but in spring and autumn an abundance of avian migrants fill the skies.

So if you’re prepared to take things as they come, and delight as much in tiny creatures as big beasts, few European countries can compare. And none can offer so much natural diversity, so close to home, for such a modest budget.

That means, of course, that you can stay longer – and maybe double your chances of seeing bears, and plenty more. WT

COST RATING SAMPLE PACKAGE TOUR: Responsible Travel offers walking, wildlife watching and birding holidays in Bulgaria’s mountains and on the Black Sea coast. Prices start at £512 (plus flights) for a five day/four night brown bear observation holiday based in Devin, in the central Rodopi, and including full board accommodation, transfers and guides.

GETTING THERE: Bulgaria Air (www.air.bg) flies to Bulgaria’s capital, Sofia, and to Bourgas and Varna on the Black Sea coast from London Heathrow, and to Varna from London Gatwick. Fares start at around £180 return. Balkan Holidays flies to Sofia, Varna and Bourgas from London and UK regional airports.

VISA REQUIREMENTS FROM THE UK: No visas required.

TIPS & WARNINGS: Essential kit includes binoculars and a head-torch. A fleece blanket makes nocturnal bearwatching more comfortable. If your budget will stretch to it, night-vision equipment will increase your chances of seeing bears. For bird and mammal photography, pack your most powerful lens and a tripod – you will be shooting at long range. Swarms of mosquitoes lurk in the shade of woodland close to the waterside, and hard-bodied and soft-bodied ticks can carry Lyme’s disease or Lassa fever.

Be advised – cover up and use a serious insect repellent.

Temperatures vary a lot, so pack lightweight inner layers, shorts and long trousers, warm clothing and a waterproof jacket.

Few Bulgarians speak English. A few words of Bulgarian help, and learning to decipher the Cyrillic alphabet makes finding your way around much easier.

WHEN TO GO: The best time to visit is spring (April to early May), when bears are emerging from hibernation and up to 230 bird species are present. Autumn can also be spectacular for birds, with huge numbers of migrant raptors, storks, pelicans and shore birds.

TOUR OPERATORS

■ RESPONSIBLE TRAVEL, Tel: 01273 823 700;

www.responsibletravel.com

■ EXODUS, Tel: 0845 287 2265;

www.exodus.co.uk

■ ECOTOURS WILDLIFE HOLIDAYS,

Tel: +36 30 606 1651; www.ecotourswildlife.co.uk

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© MIHA KROFEL, JUNIORS BILDARCHIV GMBH, VLADIMIR ALEXEEV/ALAMY

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WILD TRAVEL 45

Once targeted by commercial whale hunters, the right whale is making a slow recovery, with three species spread across the world’s oceans, writes Regina Asmutis-Silvia from Whale and Dolphin Conservation

FIELD GUIDE TO

RIGHT 46 WILD TRAVEL

WHALES

WILDLIFEEXTRA.COM

FIELD GUIDE TO RIGHT WHALES

Here: a Southern right whale heaves its 70 ton body out of the water.

Above: two North Atlantic right whales at the surface

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© GILLES BARBIER/FLPA, NATURFOTO-ONLINE/ALAMY

T

he name Eubalaena glacialis may sound like a medical diagnosis but, sadly, a pill won’t fix what ails this endangered species of whale. Its scientific label translates to ‘baleen whale of the ice’ but the species is more commonly known as the North Atlantic right whale.

Like all types of right whale, they were, at one point, quite common. So much so that early US settlers complained that the sound of the whales breathing disrupted their sleep!

Perhaps apocryphally, these settlers claimed that so many right whales inhabited Cape Cod Bay that you could walk the 27km (17 miles) span from Plymouth to Provincetown on the backs of these gentle giants.

Like many cetaceans, right whales have suffered at the hands of commercial hunters.

In fact, right whales are so-named because whalers considered them the ‘right’ whales to hunt – they were easy to approach and catch; floated when dead, and had a lot of oil in the cells of their blubber.

It seems the Basques in northern Spain viewed the North Atlantic right whale as a never-ending bountiful resource when they started hunting them more than 1,000 years ago. Yet now this species is far from common, with fewer than 500 individuals remaining.

It didn’t take long before Basque whaling decimated the animals in the Atlantic, forcing whalers to travel nearly 4,000km (2,500 miles) west to the Canadian provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador to hunt both right and bowhead whales. It’s unlikely they realised that bowheads and right whales are different species, never mind that three

distinct species of right whales exist.

Sadly, all three of these species suffered a similar fate, with commercial whalers gradually driving each of them to the brink of total extinction.

SUB-SPECIES It was only when DNA testing became possible in the new millennium that it was confirmed there were, in fact, three distinct species of right whales, living in different oceans.

While the North Atlantic right whales can be found along the east coast of the US and Canada, Southern right whales (Eubalaena australis) roam the waters of the southern hemisphere. They feed in the cold Antarctic in the austral summer, and then migrate to the waters off Australia, New Zealand, South America and South Africa each winter to mate and give birth to their 4.5m (15ft) long calves.

Southern right whales live in groups of up to 12 individuals, but are more commonly found in smaller groups of two or three, unless at feeding grounds.

The critically endangered North Pacific right whales (Eubalaena japonica) spend their summers around Alaska and may migrate as far as the tropical waters off Hawaii to breed.

This journey is even more impressive when you consider that a pregnant female is nearing the end of her 12-month gestation.

DISTRIBUTION In the North Atlantic, right whales hug the coast of Florida in the winter and travel up to the Gulf of St Lawrence in Canada each summer. This gives humans the perfect opportunity to catch a glimpse of these black

WILD TRAVEL 47

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS With a head nearly a third of its body, a right whale’s gaping mouth could make a roomy office, but humans need not fear being swallowed, as its throat is only the size of volleyball and its food of choice, the copepods, are about the size of a grain of rice. Yet, feeding on some of the smallest animals on earth enables the whales to reach a massive 17m (55ft) and 65,000kg (70 tons) with females edging out males.

Unlike most other large whales, right whales lack a dorsal fin, earning them the nickname ‘tubes’ when the captains of whale watching boats encounter one of these shiny black giants. Out at sea, it is possible to identify them, even from a distance, by their distinctive V-shaped spout, which results from the angled position of their blowholes. Other distinctive features include the whales’ 6m (20ft) wide triangular black flukes and their unmistakable callosities. Shortly after birth, black roughened tissue erupts from the head of right whales, which become home to small white

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THE LUCKY WATCHER MAY SEE A WHALE BREACH... CREATING WHITE WATER REACHING MORE THAN 10m HIGH

journey, as an ingested mouthful of sea water returns to its ocean home. Like us, whales would become dehydrated if they drank salt water, so they expel it and acquire the nutrients and liquid they need from the nearly two tons of crustaceans they consume a day.

crustaceans, called cyamids. These ‘whale lice’ give right whales the distinctive white patterns which researchers use to identify individuals.

Southern right whales are slightly smaller than their northern counterparts. Otherwise, all three species are almost identical.

Like other baleen whales, right whales do not appear to travel in stable groups or pods, but their low frequency vocalisations, ranging from ‘moans’ to ‘gunshots’, enable them to communicate with each other over tens, or perhaps hundreds of miles. It is their ‘up-call’ though, that seems to be their contact greeting, perhaps their version of saying hello.

Unlike most other baleen whales right whales court each other all year round.

Although they give birth only once a year, they form Socially Active Groups, or SAGS, which may serve a generally social purpose, or may just be good practice for the winter which is when successful conception can occur.

Between feeding and SAGS, right whales may ‘log’, or rest at the surface, or expend some energy by tipping themselves upside down vertically and waving their flukes or fins in the air, slapping them on the surface of the water, or breaching. Even after more than 30 years of research, scientists still have no idea why whales breach, though it undoubtedly serves a purpose which may be different for each breach. Perhaps the sound it creates in the water enables the whales to communicate, or the force removes barnacles, or maybe it simply feels good. Whatever the reason, it must be of enough importance to burn the

DIET As well as copepods, right whales can also feed on krill and pteropods. The copepods are a group of small crustaceans that are 2 to 4mm (0.08 to 0.16in) in length with an oblong body, two antennae and a single red ‘eye spot’. They swarm in thick red patches which form oily slicks at the water’s surface. It is these dense masses of copepods that right whales search for in order to gain enough weight to sustain them through a winter cleanse.

Whether they blunder into patches of plankton by searching areas they have found to be plentiful in the past, or listen for the calls of these microscopic critters is little known, but whatever the case, right whales are adept at finding their food and gathering it through their baleen plates. Made of keratin, each plate is like a 3m (10ft) hairy fingernail that juts down from the upper jaw. An assemblage of parallel baleen plates acts as a giant strainer, which traps the tiny food sources on the return

BEHAVIOUR

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© BARRETT&AMP/MACKAY, HIROYA MINAKUCHI, FLIP NICKLIN/FLPA, SUPERSTOCK

behemoths from the land. Each April, when right whales go to Cape Cod Bay to mow through patches of tiny zooplankton called copepods, those brave enough to stand on the beaches of Provincetown and weather the spring gales may see the distinctive V-shaped spouts, smooth black backs, and massive flukes (tails) of right whales breaking the water’s surface. The very lucky watcher may see a whale breach, throwing its massive body through the air, to crash down seconds later, creating white water reaching more than 10m (30ft) high.

Historically, North Pacific right whales lived across the entire North Pacific, but commercial and illegal whaling operations decimated the species to the point that less than 100 are thought to survive. Little is known of current distribution, but consistent sightings (between April and September) in the Bering Sea led to a portion of this area being designated as Critical Habitat for the species in 2006.

Southern right whales are found between 18ºS to 55ºS, migrating between feeding grounds in the colder Antarctic waters, where they spend the austral summers, and warmer breeding grounds closer to the equator in austral winter months. Important calving and mating grounds are close to shore off the coasts of Australia, South Africa, South America (particularly Argentina) and some oceanic islands. Multiple stocks of southern right whales are thought to exist and this species has shown considerable recovery since the days of commercial whaling. The IUCN lists the Southern right whale in the category of ‘Least Concern’ (2008).

Clockwise from here: a Southern right whale glides just below the surface in Argentinean waters; the characteristic v-shaped water spout; a Southern right mother and calf near Cape Agulhas in South Africa; North Atlantic right whales put on a show

Clockwise from far left: great whites can detect one drop of blood in 100 litres of water; a dramatic breach; a tuna bites the dust; cage diving off Guadalupe Island

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WILD TRAVEL 49

WHERE TO WATCH

RIGHT WHALES

IN THE WILD

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NORTH ATLANTIC RIGHT WHALES

During March and April it is possible to see North Atlantic right whales from the shores of the Cape Cod National Sea Shore in Massachusetts, including Herring Cove and Race Point beaches, with whale watching tours departing from Provincetown. This is the closest port to the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary (SBNMS), a federally protected marine habitat off the northern tip of Cape Cod. From December to March the whales can found along the Florida coast, between St Augustine and Cape Canaveral. The best places to see the whales from the shore include St Augustine pier, Flagler Beach pier, Sunglow pier, and Main Street pier in Daytona Beach. February seems to be the best month for whale sightings there.

2 NORTH PACIFIC RIGHT WHALES These are the rarest and consequently the most difficult of the three right whale species to see.

Before commercial whalers heavily exploited right whales in the North Pacific, concentrations were found in the Gulf of Alaska, eastern Aleutian Islands, south central Bering Sea, Sea of Okhotsk, and Sea of Japan. However, there have been very few recent sightings of this species in the central North Pacific.

As a result of their dwindling numbers, even the most dedicated whale watcher is highly unlikely to spot a North Pacific right whale from either land or sea, but if you happen to be in the area, the Aleutian Islands in Alaska probably offer the best chance. Recent sightings in British Columbia, Canada, have also surprised experts.

IT’S UNLIKELY EARLY WHALERS KNEW THERE WERE THREE DISTINCT SPECIES OF RIGHT WHALE. SADLY ALL THREE SUFFERED A SIMILAR FATE 50 WILD TRAVEL

FIELD GUIDE TO RIGHT WHALES 3 SOUTHERN RIGHT WHALES The Head of Bight (some 330km west of Ceduna) in South Australia is one of three major gathering regions for Southern right whales with up to half of the Australian population (around 10 per cent of the global population) using the area.

Each year between 25 and 55 calves are born here and the Great Australian Bight Marine Park is one of the best places in the world to see this species of right whale. They can be easily spotted from the cliff tops or at the South Australian Whale Watch Centre.

Other whale watching hotspots include the Western Cape of South Africa, particularly around Hermanus in July, as the whales make their way along the ‘whale route’ between Cape Town and Durban from June to November. Also the Valdés Peninsula in the Chubut Province of Argentina, with some of the best whale watching opportunities at Golfo San José and Golfo Nuevo.

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Clockwise from top left: It’s behind you!

Eager whale watchers are outflanked by a right whale surfacing unexpectedly; the home territories of the North Atlantic (1), North Pacific (2) and Southern (3) right whales; watching you watching me, a whale’s eye view; a Southern right whale grazes on plankton close to the surface; the white encrustations on the whales’ heads aid individual identification

WILD TRAVEL 51

FIELD GUIDE TO RIGHT WHALES

WIN A WHALE ADOPTION!

Here: a Southern right whale dives thrillingly close to a whale-viewing boat from the Valdés Peninsula in Argentina

WDC is offering one Wild Travel reader the chance to win a year’s whale adoption

REPRODUCTION Female right whales reproduce as early as the age of 10, but usually in their teens. Following a 12-month pregnancy, the first-time mother gives birth to a 4.5m (15ft) long calf. She will then spend most of the next year feeding her calf around 227 litres (60 gallons) of milk each day. She teaches the calf where to find food and how to socialise before her one-year old is ready to experience the world on his or her own. During this period, new mothers can lose up to a third of their body weight due to the amount of additional energy they expend.

After giving birth, right whales usually wait a year or two before reproducing again. The female right whale is promiscuous and this fulfils an important evolutionary purpose. She will mate with multiple males, but it is only the best of the sperm that will fertilise her egg, ensuring that she brings the strongest possible offspring into the world.

THREATS As copepods migrate vertically from the depths each night, right whales slowly graze at or near the surface, putting them directly in the path of shipping. Even during the day, right whales feed, frolic and rest near the surface in busy coastal areas, making collisions one of their greatest threats. It is likely that they don’t hear a vessel until it’s too late. With engines placed at the stern and the hull largely blocking the

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sound, the bow of a ship slips quietly into an area 300m (1,000ft) before the noise arrives.

Lines of fishing gear produce no warning to these whales, either. Living within 30 miles of shore means sharing your home with thousands of miles of rope that create a labyrinth around which you must navigate.

Bumping into a line may not be serious, but when one becomes snagged on baleen, or wrapped around a fin, it can send the whale into a frenzied panic of rolling, which further entangles the line around its body. As the rope pulls it cuts into the whales’ skin, creating wounds and infections that can kill the individual within six months.

RESPONSIBLE VIEWING In the US, right whales must be viewed at a safe distance. WDC biologists were influential in developing a 450m (500 yard) exclusion zone, keeping boaters away from whales to give them the best chance to survive. Not only does this reduce the risk of an accidental strike, but also ensures that the dense patches of plankton on which they feed are not disturbed, enabling right whales to graze safely through their fields of copepods.

Thanks to their efforts, there is hope for the more endangered North Atlantic right whales.

In the past several years a small but notable increase in the population has been documented. The threats they face continue to be human induced, but while human activities may be a threat, human action can be a saving grace. From recycling to conserving energy, each additional activity protects the whales’ ocean habitat, giving them a fighting chance for survival. And a decision to turn off a light we don’t need is something we can all do. WT

Question: What is the world’s largest whale species?

Email your answer to Archant@johnsondellow.com with ‘Wild Travel whale competition’ in the subject line by 19 February 2014.

T&Cs: Closing date 19 February 2014. Only one entry allowed per person.

Not open to employees (and relatives) of Archant or associated companies. The winner will be drawn at random from correct entries received. No cash alternative given.

ABOUT WDC Whale and Dolphin Conservation (formerly WDCS) is the leading global charity dedicated to the conservation and protection of whales and dolphins. It defends these remarkable creatures against the many threats they face, through campaigning, lobbying, advising governments, taking part in conservation projects, field research and rescue. Its vision is a world where every whale and dolphin is safe and free.

For more information go to whales.org

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© HIROYA MINAKUCHI/FLPA

massive number of calories it takes the whales to propel their huge bodies out of the water.

For a species that needs to take in such a tonnage of nutrients to pack on the pounds to see them through the winter months, burning calories must be done sparingly.

Whales and dolphins are highly intelligent, social and mysterious, but they face many dangers: from hunting, pollution, fishing nets, and collisions with boats. Many are also held in captivity and forced to perform tricks to entertain visitors in marine parks around the world.

WDC’s adoption programme helps to fund the charity’s work protecting whales and dolphins around the world, supporting essential research to understand the animals and their habitat, and provide vital equipment such as binoculars, cameras and acoustic monitoring devices.

You can win a year’s whale adoption package by answering the question below. The winner will receive a pack welcoming them to WDC which includes a personalised certificate featuring your adopted whale, information about whales and how your support is protecting them. You will also receive a WDC cotton ‘bag for life’ and car sticker, plus WDC’s quarterly supporter magazine.

Here: the battle-scarred horns of a black rhino; a family of elephants make their way down a forest path

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© HOLGER EHLERS, ARIADNE VAN ZANDBERGEN/ALAMY

Back to the

REPORT: AFRICAN PARKS

FUTURE Twenty years ago the Majete region of Malawi was a barren wilderness, its native animal populations decimated by poaching.

Now, as Sue Watt found, the area is once again home to elephants, lions and rhinos, thanks to the latest pioneering conservation effort

by African Parks

“D

ecide which tree you’re going to climb – quickly.”

Dorian whispered his instructions with a palpable sense of urgency, and with good reason. Climbing trees is apparently the only way to escape a charging rhino.

About 20m ahead, Shamwari snorted deeply and angrily: her alarm call, warning us to keep our distance. We’d spent five hours since dawn following the tracks of black rhinos, trawling across sandy river beds and grassy slopes, and we’d finally found one obscured by dense thicket, shading itself from the morning sun.

According to Dorian Tilbury and his tracking team, Shamwari is a relatively placid rhino, but with her 18-month-old calf beside her, this was no time to move closer for a clearer view. Another aggressive snort

convinced us we would do better to retreat than to rush up a tree: my fleeting glimpse of her among the tangled mess of branches and bushes would have to suffice. Despite its brevity, my encounter with this increasingly rare animal, being poached to the edge of extinction, felt a true privilege.

That rhinos are here at all in Majete Wildlife Reserve is thanks to the efforts of African Parks, a not-for-profit South African conservation organisation that has been restoring wildlife to this beautiful corner of southern Malawi for the past 10 years. In one of Africa’s poorest countries, decades of poaching and poor policing have taken their toll, leaving Majete an empty, plundered wasteland. By 1992 not a single elephant remained. Now, around 260 roam around the 700 sq km landscape, many having been relocated from other Malawian or South

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BUSINESS PLANS Where African Parks differs from other organisations is in its ethos of adopting a business approach to conservation, working in partnerships with local governments and crucially taking over full management control of its parks. As Dorian, the Field Operations Manager for Majete told me: “We aim to take depleted protected areas, rehabilitate them, restock them and get them moving again, to make them ecologically, socially and financially sustainable. We get a 25-year tenure, then hand them back to their government and say, “There you go, be merry.”

Despite its successes, it’s a controversial approach with some critics believing parks should remain under local management.

African Parks’ bold ambitions would be impossible to achieve without the cooperation of local communities that surround and sometimes share the regions with the animals the organisation is striving to protect. Most of these people live in abject poverty and need to be persuaded that their wildlife neighbours are more valuable to them alive than dead.

In Majete, Anthony Chikwemba, African Parks’ Community Extension Officer explained the importance of involving the 85 villages

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Most people live in poverty and have to be persuaded the wildlife is worth more to them alive around the reserve. “We want communities to take a leading role in conserving the natural resources inside and outside the reserve. If we sideline them, there are going to be problems.

“Majete has more than 130,000 people surrounding it. That’s a big group for a small reserve. It’s quite a challenge.”

Through protecting the wildlife, those communities receive tangible benefits, including new classrooms and teachers’ accommodation, clinics and bore holes.

Around 200 staff are employed at the reserve itself, and training and micro-finance are provided for new income-generating opportunities such as bee-keeping, chicken rearing, making pottery and furniture, and hosting visitors on village visits. In education, African Parks has awarded over 600 scholarships to orphans attending secondary schools. Children are learning about conservation through wildlife clubs and visits to the reserve, spreading the message to both older and younger generations.

As the wildlife returns, so do the visitors. In Majete, a new community campsite, a tented lodge called Thawale, a heritage centre and an education centre all help to bring in employment and income. Robin Pope Safaris,

©WILL WHITFORD. SUE WATT

African parks. In all, some 2,500 animals have been brought here, costing some US$3 million, and today Majete is once again a thriving Big Five reserve, home to 6,000 animals, including lions, leopards, elephant, buffalo, and those elusive rhinos.

Majete is African Parks’ flagship project, one of seven Parks the organisation is restoring in six countries, spreading 4.1 million hectares across the continent. The company was established in 2000. Its founders were conservationists and leading businessmen seeking a new way of restoring Africa’s poorest wildlife regions. They included South African National Parks’ former Chief Executive Mavuso Msimang, its Director of Conservation Dr Anthony Hall-Martin, and Commercial Director Peter Fearnhead. They were soon joined by a charismatic Dutch billionaire and philanthropist, the late Paul Fentener van Vlissingen, who shared their passion for conservation and provided much initial funding.

Today, African Parks receives donations from individuals, governments and NGOs ranging from the European Union and the World Bank to philanthropic organisations such as the Walton Family Foundation. Majete was its first project, acquired in 2003. By 2020 the organisation aims to be protecting 15 vulnerable parks in need of restoration, making it the largest conservation organisation on the continent.

REPORT: AFRICAN PARKS Clockwise from below: Mr Moyo from African Parks, guide Dorian Tilbury and the writer, Sue Watt, track rhino; mischievous young gorilla, Pan, eyes up the visitors; a hippo surfaces in one of the park’s lakes

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with a unique biodiversity, much of Congo’s vast rainforest remains undiscovered and African Parks is busy researching using camera traps, counts, and monitoring of key species. It works closely with leading primatologist Dr Magda Bermeja, who has habituated two gorilla groups for tourist visits. Whilst it’s early days for African Parks’ involvement with Odzala (they took on the Park in 2010), a luxury ecotourism company, Wilderness, has already opened two upmarket camps for gorilla tracking and rainforest safaris.

VITAL FUNDS FROM TOURISM Indeed, tourism plays a huge part in African Parks’ strategy. It’s the main source of revenue for financial sustainability once wildlife has been restored, and each project has accommodation facilities for visitors. In Zambia, African Parks is protecting the precious natural resources of both the Bangweulu Wetlands, where rare shoebills nest in its swamps, and the remote Liuwa Plain which attracts the second largest wildebeest migration in Africa. Liuwa is the next Majete: after 10 years of relentless conservation efforts, wildlife is increasing and plans are afoot to build a luxury lodge, the first in the region. Bangweulu’s tourist offerings range from a community campsite to a tented camp with en-suite facilities.

Back in Malawi, African Parks has been

asked by the government to take on the management of Nkhotakota NP, home to the beautiful Tongole lodge, and Liwonde NP where Robin Pope Safaris is building a luxury tented camp, the country’s first.

Meanwhile, in Majete, vulnerable species are thriving. Since my visit, Shamwari has had another calf and Shire, a relocated lion, has two cubs. For the first time in decades, the patter of tiny lion paws can be heard – perfectly normal in many of Africa’s wild areas but here those cubs are very special. WT Sue Watt travelled to Majete National Park, Malawi, and Akagera National Park, Rwanda with Cox & Kings.

Tel: 0845 527 8150; www.coxandkings.co.uk For further information on African Parks visit www.african-parks.org

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© WILL WHITFORD, SUE WATT

pachyderm populations. They do this against a backdrop of terror and violence, even murder. In DRC, the rebel militia group called the Lord’s Resistance Army is particularly active, kidnapping women and children and attacking rangers. In Chad, six scouts were brutally murdered by poachers last year during morning prayers.

Law enforcement is key to the success of African Parks’ projects. In neighbouring Congo, poaching and corruption are the main causes of the dramatic decline in the number of forest elephants at Odzala-Kokoua National Park. The problem may seem insurmountable, but a major law enforcement coup for African Parks’ team recently resulted in the conviction of a leading arms dealer and poaching ringleader and his associated corrupt officials, bringing hope for the future.

Research and conservation are central to African Parks’ activities in Odzala. It’s home to a whopping 16 primate species, including 20,000 critically endangered Western Lowland gorillas whose survival is threatened by disease, habitat loss, the bush-meat trade and political unrest.

Primates aren’t the only residents in this 13,600 sq km Park – some 430 bird species, 100 species of mammals including vulnerable forest elephants, and thousands of plant varieties live here, too.

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RESTING MONARCHS Adult monarch butterflies live for only around a month, therefore there is no one butterfly that ever makes the entire circular migration. Instead it takes three generations of spring-born butterflies to complete the northern leg of the migration from Mexico back to the US-Canada border. The fourth generation is a ‘supergeneration’, which lives eight to 10 times longer than normal. It’s these butterflies which, each autumn, leave the Great Lakes area and fly south to Mexico.

IN MONARCH BUTTERFLIES

BY STUART BUTLER

A

s the cold claws of autumn and winter first start to grasp the northern United States and southern Canada millions upon millions of monarch butterflies begin a remarkable migration. It sees the floppy winged insects fluttering south for 2,000km to central Mexico where they overwinter in the dense oyamel fir forests that cover the high mountain slopes. Come spring and the butterflies, over the course of two or three generations, return north again to breed. It’s one of the world’s most complex migrations, and it’s one that is under serious and immediate threat.

For years I had wanted to witness this phenomenon, but the trigger I needed to make my own migration to Mexico came in early 2013 after I read how some scientists believe that the butterflies’ odyssey may soon cease altogether, with devastating effects not only on the insects but also the Mexican communities that rely on the tourism the migration generates. Monarch caterpillers exist on an exclusive diet of milkweed, which imbues them with a poison that deters birds from eating them. US farmers are increasingly using herbicides to eliminate milkweed, thus depriving the monarchs of their only food source.

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STUART BUTLER is a journalist and photographer specialising in wildlife and conservation issues, traditional lifestyles and travel. As well as writing for a wide array of international publications he is also the author of many Lonely Planet guidebooks. His work can be seen on www.stuartbutler journalist.com

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GALLERY MONARCH BUTTERFLIES

MONARCH TREE One of the most extraordinary, and as yet unexplained, phenomena of the migration is that each and every year the butterflies choose to hibernate in exactly the same trees.

Seeing as how several generations have passed since the monarchs were last in Mexico, scientists remain unsure how the butterflies know which trees to use.

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ORANGE SKIES The Mexican authorities have established the Reserva Mariposa Monarca to protect the butterflies and their forests. There are three reserve areas open to the public: El Rosario, which is the most popular and therefore disturbed (but is the one at which many of my photos were taken), Sierra Chincua, which is the easiest to visit and Cerro Pel贸n, the most pristine of the reserve areas and the one where this picture was taken.

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GALLERY MONARCH BUTTERFLIES

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GALLERY MONARCH BUTTERFLIES BUTTERFLY TOURISM The migrating butterflies leave the northern USA and southern Canada in around early October finally arriving in the mountains of central Mexico in mid to late November.

Numbers peak between mid-December and the end of February. By mid-March the butterflies are starting to return northwards to the US and Canada. In the height of butterfly season hundreds of tourists visit the reserves, which generates large sums of money for local communities.

DECLINING NUMBERS Although monarchs aren’t a threatened species, the future of the migration is in serious doubt. In recent years the number of migrating butterflies arriving in Mexico has fallen dramatically.

In 2012 it was estimated that ‘only’ around 60 million butterflies over-wintered in Mexico. Although the 2013-14 migration was only just getting under way at the time of writing, numbers are already massively down on the previous year with just 3 million butterflies present by the end of November 2013.

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WING PATTERNS

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I came to the reserves armed with a variety of different lighting units as I wanted to be able to highlight individual butterflies.

However, anyone else planning on a similar approach should be aware that any kind of flash photography is prohibited without special permission (which I was able to obtain). For this up close photo I used a 60mm macro lens and slightly backlit the butterfly using an off camera ring flash.

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GALLERY MONARCH BUTTERFLIES CHANGING LANDSCAPES In the past the forested mountain slopes on which the butterflies over-winter suffered heavily from logging.

Today the forests are protected and local people have turned from logging to conservation and butterfly related tourism. However, the financial future of people living around the reserve remains far from secure.

Habitat destruction and pesticide usage in the USA is having a massively detrimental effect on the migration and may even destroy it in the near future.

RESTING BUTTERFLIES The mountains on which the butterflies are found have an elevation of around 3,000m and can get very cold. During the colder parts of the day the butterflies, huddled together in huge groups on tree trunks and on the ground, remain fairly inactive. As the day heats up they take to the air and the sky fills with orange fluttering wings.

Most of the pictures here were taken on cold mornings when it’s easier to photograph individual butterflies.

BUTTERFLY FORESTS The forests of the El Rosario sanctuary, where this picture was taken, have suffered from serious de-forestation issues in the past. The money generated by tourism, as well as an increasing environmental awareness, has turned the situation around. Today locals, with help from international conservation charities, have established tree nurseries and re-forestation schemes. So long as the butterflies and tourists keep coming, the future of these forests looks positive.

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IN BOX

Send us your wildlife pictures and recommendations, thoughts on the magazine or stories of your own wildlife encounters. The author of our favourite letter, picture and story will receive a brilliant wildlife book

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Your photos A selection of photos from our flickr site. To upload your own or view and comment on those already there visit www.flickr.com/groups/wild_travel

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Reader gallery 1 This vivid image of a turquoise shield bug (Edessa rufomarginata) was captured by Paul Davis in Mexico Reader gallery 2 Chris Roughley captured four ringed plovers hiding among a flock of dunlins on the rocks of Hengistbury Head near Bournemouth Reader gallery 3 Who’s watching who? Rob Dalton makes the most of a zebra pausing to watch his party from the side of the road on the way to the Mara Reader gallery 4 Mane attraction. Alice Latham was mesmerised by a majestic, battle-scarred lion in the Masai Mara, Kenya Reader gallery 5 A one-horned rhinoceros is clearly enjoying its wallow in a shallow pool. This image was taken by Sandesh Shrestha Reader gallery 6 A shimmering golden salmon making its way upstream on the Tyne at Hexham, by Robert Nelson

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Your letters

I was thrilled to see your article on Ethiopian wolves by professional wildlife photographer Will BurrardLucas and Rebecca Jackrel (In focus: Ethiopian wolves, January 2014).

I first saw their superb wolf photos last year and was sufficiently motivated to book on a group tour to Ethiopia. It included a visit to the Sanetti Plateau where I hoped to take my own wolf shots.

In November I was on the plateau but, unlike what you see in the photos you published, the weather at 4,000m was awful and a blanket of mist reduced visibility to a few yards. It was bitterly cold and snow flurries occasionally swept across the

terrain. The weather was hardly ideal for wolf or human to be out in the rarefied atmosphere.

Our group saw little as we travelled along the muddy and flooded road. Spirits were low but, as this was our one chance to see the rarest canid in the world, we persevered.

An hour before sunset the mist lifted, the cloud broke and the sun’s rays streamed down. Within minutes, a wolf loped across the road. With spirits soaring, and heart rate rapidly rising, we photographed it as it explored and scent-marked its territory.

The stunning creature ignored us and then set off purposefully across the undulating plateau, where we tracked it through binoculars and scopes. To our amazement it paused, started to howl, and within a few

It seems from your correspondence that lots of butterflies are making their way inside this winter. For more advice on how to help them visit www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/ butterflies-hibernating-indoors.html We have just followed the advice on your site and re-housed a butterfly that has been fluttering around our school hall this week. We think the Christmas carols woke him up! He is now asleep in our caretaker’s shed.

Jonathan Bussy, headteacher at Radyr Primary School, Cardiff A beautiful butterfly appeared in our living room last night. Having read your website I will put it in the fridge and transport it to the shed after half an hour. Many thanks for the advice.

Julie Neale via email Just found one flying around our bedroom.

Have put it in the shed in a shoe box with a hole big enough to get out of and some sugar water.

Hopefully it will survive the winter.

Roxane Moulton-Bark via email

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minutes we were watching the entire pack of eight come together after their solitary hunting, with much greeting and playful socialising.

It was undoubtedly the highlight of our tour. The experience demonstrated how the quality photos that you publish can inspire readers into booking potentially

exciting wildlife holidays and can also lead them into taking photos of which they can be justifiably proud.

Jon Isaacs, Southampton Editor writes: Have we inspired you to take a trip? Let us know how it went and whether it met with your expectations at editorial@wildtravelmag.com

Past issues I bought a copy of your November magazine, the one with the chimpanzee on the front and coverage on conservation holidays. I lent it to a friend who promptly gave it away! To prevent this happening again, I have now subscribed, so I will receive future magazines from April, but is there any way I can get a copy of the December and January editions?

Many thanks in advance for your help. I love what I’ve seen of your magazine so far, so thank you for putting it together!

Jackie Cole via email Editor writes: So glad you are enjoying the magazine, Jackie.

Any readers who would like to get past issues of Wild Travel should contact our subscription team on 0844 8488874.

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© SHUTTERSTOCK, CARE FOR THE WILD

Letter of the month

Wonderful wolves

DESTINATION ALASKA Your essential guide to discovering the wildlife and wildernesses of Alaska

74 Alaska overview

Jim DuFresne offers his guide to help you plan a wildlife-watching trip across Alaska, where you can find pristine wildernesses just a short drive from the cities

87 Ones to watch

Our guide to the 10 most spectacular species to look out for across Alaska’s national parks and wildife refuges

92 Trip report: Denali National Park

Š DAVID TIPLING

Will Gray enjoys encounters with black and grizzly bears during a trip to Denali National Park and Kachemak Bay State Park via bus, boot, sea kayak and floatplane

CARIBOU

74 WILD TRAVEL

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DESTINATION ALASKA

REGIONAL GUIDE

Largely devoid of people beyond its major cities, Alaska affords the chance to escape the crowds and appreciate nature in splendid isolation. Jim DuFresne has compiled this guide to help you plan a top wildlife-watching trip across its vast expanses

A bull caribou grazes peacefully on the Alaskan tundra

© ALAMY

D

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espite its grandeur, spectacular scenery and legendary gold rush history, few aspects of Alaska are as appealing to visitors as encounters with its wildlife.

With almost three-quarters of its population concentrated in just three cities, Alaska is largely uninhabited and boasts one of greatest concentrations of wildlife remaining on Earth. It’s one of the few places left in the United States where entire ecosystems are still intact and ancient migratory routes remain uninterrupted.

Some species that are threatened or endangered elsewhere thrive in the 49th state.

Alaska has more than 98 per cent of the US population of brown bears, or a healthy 30,000 that roam almost every corner of the state. More caribou (900,000) live in Alaska than people (731,449) and an astounding 400 species of birds have been sighted in a place that was once labeled a ‘frozen wasteland’. In the Copper River Delta more than 20 million shorebirds and waterfowl migrate through every spring, much to the delight of an army of birders who arrive annually to witness the event.

The numbers are impressive, but so is the size of Alaska. It is 1,717,854 sq km, and so Alaska’s wildlife is spread over an area the size of a small continent. Many species, particularly large land mammals, need that vast territory to survive the harsh climate and the short growing season of their food supply.

Any prospective visitor needs to plan their trip carefully – Alaska is not cheap – and be prepared to spend hours travelling, whether by car, boat or bush plane, as well as packing the longest lens and most powerful spotting scope.

But you will encounter wildlife. Even from the side of the road, most visitors see more animals during a trip to Alaska than a lifetime elsewhere.

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Essential Alaska WHO: JIM DUFRESNE, ALASKA LONELY PLANET GUIDEBOOK AUTHOR WHERE: GLACIER BAY NATIONAL PARK In the early morning mist of Muir Inlet in Glacier Bay National Park, I stopped paddling my kayak when I sighted the blow of a humpback whale a mile north of me. The whale could have gone in any direction, but moving towards me was a line of air bubbles and a smooth patch in the surface of the water. I picked up my camera.

Suddenly my viewfinder went black; the whale had surfaced 7m to my left. My heart was pounding, and I fumbled momentarily with the shutter-release button. Then I watched the photo of a lifetime pass me by: the whale’s enormous fluke high in the air, shaking in a rainbow of mist and water, giving one last powerful thrust to send the animal to the depths of the bay. It was a good 15 minutes before I picked up my paddle again.

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THE PANHANDLE This lush, green and wet region of Alaska is a 500-mile coastal strip that extends from north of Prince Rupert to the Gulf of Alaska. Only 140 miles at its widest point, the Panhandle is a slender piece of land, a very rainy rainforest, filled with glaciers, mountains and a thousand islands known as the Alexander Archipelago.

Winding through the middle of the region is the Inside Passage waterway, the lifeline for the isolated communities, as most of the terrain is too rugged to build roads.

Most visitors travel the Panhandle onboard Alaska Marine Highway ferries or cruise ships, sailing past rugged snowcapped mountains that form sheer-sided fjords rivalling anything seen in Norway. Even from the decks of these vessels, with some cruise ships resembling floating resorts, passengers still spot humpback whales, porpoises, orcas and bald eagles.

Depart the large vessels and you’ll see even more. Almost 90 per cent of the region is preserved as the Tongass National Forest, the largest such forest in the United States at 6.8 million hectares. Within the national forest are numerous wildlife viewing opportunities including excellent bear watching that can be

arranged as day trips. From Juneau, Alaska’s beautiful capital, you can book a floatplane to Pack Creek on Admiralty Island National Monument and spend an afternoon in an observation tower watching brown bears feast on spawning salmon.

You can do the same at Anan Creek from the community of Wrangell or rent a kayak in Ketchikan and paddle to Naha River National Recreation Trail to watch bears fishing a pool of salmon at the base of a waterfall.

The Panhandle, however, is best known for its

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DESTINATION ALASKA

Left: Three Sisters Overlook in Tongass National Forest. Below left: an iceberg being calved at Glacier Bay National Park.

Clockwise from right: the rainforest at Tongass; cruising in Glacier Bay; a humpback whale breaches; seal lions basking in the bay

REGIONAL GUIDE

© BLAINE HARRINGTON, BRIAN ADAMS, HIROYA MINAKUCHI/FLPA

marine wildlife, particularly humpback whales, with Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve serving as a Mecca for whalewatchers, something they have to see at least once in their life. Eleven tidewater glaciers that spill out of the mountains and fill the sea with icebergs of all shapes, sizes and shades of blue have made this 13,520 sq km park an icy wilderness renowned worldwide.

Located 64km west of Juneau, Glacier Bay’s main attraction are trips into its inner bay on tour boats or cruise ships to witness tidewater glacier calving into the sea icebergs the size of small houses, and 40-ton humpback whales exploding up in a series of acrobatic leaps called ‘breaching’. The sight of a pod of orcas slicing through the waves or harbor seals tending their pups on the pack ice is the highlight of the cruise for most passengers.

WHEN TO GO: Being a temperate rainforest, the Panhandle is pleasant in May and a daily drizzle by mid-September. Humpback whales begin to appear in June, arriving from Hawaii where they winter, and they are a common sight in Glacier Bay by July. July and August are the prime salmon spawning months, thus the best time for bear viewing.

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WILD TRAVEL 77

Year-Round Adventure in Alaska’s Arctic!

Arctic Circle Aurora Adventures

Polar Bear Expeditions

NORTHERN ALASKA TOUR COMPANY

www.northernalaska.com Sharing Alaska’s Arctic With The World

DESTINATION ALASKA

REGIONAL GUIDE

Clockwise from far left: Mount Benson and the Resurrection River which lie between the Kenai Fjords National Park and Chugach National Forest; a Dall sheep with impressive horns; a Stellar sea lion calling in Prince William Sound, which is on the east side of the Kenai Peninsula

© ALAMY, DONALD M JONES/FLPA, JASON CANNON

SOUTH-EASTERN ALASKA Anchorage may be Alaska’s largest city with 41 per cent of the state’s population but it is hemmed in on one side by the sea – Cook Inlet and Turnagain Arm – and on the other by mountains and Chugach State Park, the third largest state park in the US at 200,326 hectares. In Anchorage, moose can be encountered wandering in neighbourhoods, bears are spotted in local parks. Ship Creek, which splits the downtown area, is filled with spawning salmon in the summer.

From downtown Anchorage it’s a 15-minute drive to trails that lead into the wilderness of Chugach State Park, including Williwaw Lakes Trail, a popular choice for those who want to encounter and photograph Dall sheep. Just outside of Anchorage along Seward Highway wildlife enthusiasts stop at the boardwalk-laced Potter Marsh, a 920-hectare slice of the Anchorage Coastal Wildlife Refuge that is a migratory stopover to more than 220 species of birds. At Windy Point there’s the only place in the world where Dall sheep can be seen from a road at sea level, and at Beluga Point you can scan Turnagain Arm for pods

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of white beluga whales chasing salmon.

Once Seward Highway climbs over 274m high Turnagain Pass, you enter Anchorage’s outdoor playground, the Kenai Peninsula.

This region, the size of Belgium but small by Alaskan standards, is like the Panhandle; a mixture of rugged mountains, glaciers, steep fjords and lush forests. The variety of the terrain makes Kenai Peninsula a superb recreational area.

The 2.2 million hectare Chugach National Forest covers a good portion of the peninsula

Essential Alaska WHO: JIM STRATTON, REGIONAL DIRECTOR/ NP CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION WHERE: KENAI FJORDS NATIONAL PARK Five minutes after leaving Seward we saw our first sea otter. I was aboard one of several daily boats that explore the Kenai Fjords National Park.

Some tours include NP Service rangers providing information to go with your photos of otters, whales, orcas, sea lions, harbor seals and, with good eyesight, mountain goats on cliffs above Resurrection Bay. For birders, the boat takes you through the Chiswell Islands of the Maritime National Wildlife Refuge where puffins, murres, cormorants and kittiwakes nest on isolated islands.

And did I mention glaciers?

Both the Holgate and Aialik glaciers provide a spectacular backdrop to one of Alaska’s best one-day wildlife viewing adventures. www.npca.org

WILD TRAVEL 79

DESTINATION ALASKA

REGIONAL GUIDE

SEEKING REFUGE and is dotted with trails and observation areas like the Tern Lake Day Use Area. Tern Lake is an important migration stop for Arctic terns, and viewing platforms here allow birders to sight the birds along with common loons, pintails and bald eagles. Beavers and brown bears can be seen from the picnic area.

You can rent canoes in Sterling and paddle and portage the chain of lakes in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. The wilderness adventures last two or three days and feature freshly caught trout for dinner and numerous encounters with moose. From Seward, wildlife cruises depart south for Kenai Fjords National Park for a day of whale watching, ranging from humpbacks and orcas to even gray whales, along with close encounters with Steller sea lions, sea otters and a handful of active tidewater glaciers.

WHEN TO GO: Anchorage and the Kenai Peninsula are a compromise in weather, drier than the Panhandle, warmer than the Bush and cooler and wetter than the Interior. Peak tourist season is July and August but Homer’s Kachemak Bay and Cordova’s Copper River Delta Shorebird Festivals both take place in the second week of May.

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Clockwise from above: tourists watch two active orcas in Johnstone Strait; a tufted puffin from St George island; a guided climb of Exit Glacier in the Kenai Fjords National Parks

Established by the US Fish and Wildlife Service to protect fish, wildlife, plants and their habitat, the National Wildlife Refuge System began in 1903 when US President Theodore Roosevelt designated Florida’s Pelican Island as the country’s first wildlife refuge. Since then it has grown to include more than 560 refuges, 38 wetland districts and other protected areas across the US, with 16 of these spread across Alaska alone.

Collectively these encompass 150 million acres of land and water and provide habitat for more than 700 species of birds, 220 species of mammals, 250 species of reptiles and amphibians and more than 1,000 species of fish. Today, national wildlife refuges welcome more than 47 million visitors every year, with at least one national wildlife refuge in every US state and territory and at least one located within an hour’s drive from a major metropolitan centre.

In 1997 the National Wildlife Refuge

System Improvement Act set out the fundamental conservation mission of the refuge system, which includes protecting urban encroachment and habitat fragmentation, preventing the degradation of water quality and combating climate change.

It also outlined the wildlifedependent activities that can be conducted on refuges, such as hunting and fishing; wildlife observation and photography and environmental education. www.fws.gov/refuges

© FLIP NICKLIN/FLPA, BRIAN ADAMS, ALAMY

The National Wildlife Refuge System explained

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WHO: WENDY KLEMPERER, SCULPTOR AND 2013 ARTIST IN RESIDENCE AT DENALI NP WHERE: DENALI NATIONAL PARK My favourite wildlife sighting happened the last day of my residency. Rushing to leave the park to be on time for my art workshop with local children, I was vexed as a park bus slowed to a stop in front of me. After two weeks of obsessive viewing, I actually hoped they had not spotted anything as park rules require no passing. Fretting, I scanned the vast landscape, my now practised eye expecting moose, caribou, perhaps a bear. A black form floated across the tundra. With a jolt I realised it was a wolf which I’d been told I was unlikely to see. The national park’s population had dwindled to 49.

I was thrilled to witness the creature whose ghostly prints traced the riverbed by my cabin. www.wendyklemperer.com

82 WILD TRAVEL

THE GREAT INTERIOR The heartland of Alaska is a broad lowland forged by three great rivers – the Yukon, Tanana and the Kuskokwim. It is enclosed to the north by the Brooks Range, to south by the Alaska Range and is crowned by Mount McKinley, the highest peak in North America at 6,194 meters.

The most distinct feature of Alaska’s interior are its roads. Three major highways – the George Parks, Glenn and Richardson – cut across the interior, providing access to numerous roadside recreational areas, campgrounds, trails and Alaska’s most noted natural attraction: Denali National Park and Preserve.

The 2.4 million hectare park is best known as the home to Mount McKinley, but to the 400,000 visitors who arrive annually the massive mountain shares centrer stage with the Denali’s amazing wildlife. Both the mountain splendour of the Alaska Range and the park’s wild residents are made accessible by its only road, a 148km ribbon of gravel that winds from lowland taiga to alpine tundra, passing half a dozen river catchments along the way.

Private vehicles are banned beyond the first 24km. Instead, visitors board a system of shuttle buses that bump along but offer a superb vantage

point for watching and photographing wildlife… wildlife that has long since become accustomed to bus windows filled with bazooka lenses and spotting scopes.

The round-trip ride from the park entrance to its final stop at Wonder Lake makes for a long, 10 hour day on a bus, but this is gladly endured by most visitors for the variety of wildlife that might be encountered along the way. The truly blessed will see what is referred to as the Denali Grand Slam. In one day they will sight the five major mammals of the park: caribou, moose, Dall sheep, brown bears and wolves, and if the splendour of Mount McKinley pops out as well, that’s just icing on the cake.

It’s possible to depart the bus for a day’s hike in the middle of the park, eventually returning to the park road and flagging the first bus you see for a ride back.

The roads of Alaska’s interior also double as avenues to wildlife, especially when driven slowly at dusk or dawn. None is better in this respect than the 135 mile Denali Highway stretching from Cantwell to Paxson. Once the main access to Denali National Park, today the Highway is for the adventurous: a rough, gravel road that passes

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© ALAN MAJCHROWICZ, MARC MUENCH, ALASKA STOCK, ACCENT ALASKA.COM/ALAMY

Essential Alaska

DESTINATION ALASKA

REGIONAL GUIDE

Far left: two bull caribou lock horns in Denali National Park. Clockwise from left: a wild Denali wolf; a bull moose at Wonder Lake; the towering Mount McKinley that stands at 6,194m (20,321ft)

through no towns. Accommodation is limited to a handful of roadhouses and Bureau of Land Management campgrounds but the road borders the spectacular Alaska Range and the trickle of traffic on it means there are good opportunities to spot brown bears, moose and caribou even if you never venture away from the ribbon of tarmac.

WHEN TO GO: From mid-June through to mid-August the Interior offers warm temperatures and 20 hour days without much of the rain and cloudy weather encountered in the Panhandle or Southcentral Alaska. But it’s important to remember that winter lingers on here into May, autumn comes early, and by the second week of September Denali National Park is closed.

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DESTINATION ALASKA

REGIONAL GUIDE

Left: brown bears in the Brooks River in Katmai National Park. Here: a bull moose stops at a tundra pond at sunrise

© ALASKA STOCK, ACCENT ALASKA.COM/ALAMY

Essential Alaska WHO: CHRIS SMITH WHERE: HALLO BAY, KATMAI NATIONAL PARK I have been lucky enough to see brown bears a few times, but the bear-viewing at Hallo Bay was a truly unique experience. The Bay is situated in Katmai National Park and it can only be reached by light aircraft.

Our small group set out on foot with just a flare for protection.

After walking along the shingle beach we sat to wait on a convenient log. A short time later a couple of brown bears emerged from the undergrowth and began charging through the river. Frantic splashing ended with one of the bears catching an enormous salmon. It enjoyed its meal then started to move towards us and continued to walk within feet of the log that we were now kneeling behind. This experience of seeing bears up close at eye-level is something I will never forget. www.wildlifeworldwide.com

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THE BUSH This is the largest slice of Alaska, clumping together Arctic Alaska north of the Brooks Range, Western Alaska on the Bering Sea, the Alaska Peninsula and the Aleutian Islands.

What these regions have in common is that they are separated from the rest of the state by mountains, rivers and vast road-less distances.

They are remote, very expensive to reach and offer meager tourist facilities at best. Welcome to the bush, where the wildlife opportunities can be mind boggling.

The most popular destination is Katmai National Park on Alaska Peninsula. In 1912, the park was the site of the most powerful volcanic eruption in the 20th century, which left behind the famous Valley of 10,000 Smokes. Today the fumaroles no long hiss and what Katmai is really known for is bears. Despite being located 200 miles from Anchorage, visitors fly in, even for a day if they can, to watch 800lb brown browns snagging salmon in midair just 20m from their viewing platform.

The 1.6 million hectare park is home to the world’s largest population of protected brown bears, more than 2,000, but the primary spot to watch them is where most visitors arrive on a

float plane: Brooks Falls. In July the Brooks River is so jammed with sockeye salmon that the fish pool up at the base of the falls, waiting patiently to make a dramatic 2m leap to continue their spawning run.

Some 40 to 60 bears will congregate along the river at that time, with several on the edge of the falls catching their dinner with open jaws. It’s an amazing sight and a popular one, the limited concessionaire lodging and campground at Brooks Falls needs to be booked months in advance.

Other wildlife in the Bush is even more remote. The Pribilofs are a five-island archipelago marooned in the Bering Sea, 300 miles from Alaska’s mainland and 750 miles from Anchorage. They’re desolate, foggy and windswept, but overrun with wildlife. The Pribilofs’ charcoal-coloured beaches host a mad scene each summer, as a million fur seals which have spent the year at sea between California and Japan, swim ashore to breed and raise their young. The barking throng is the largest gathering of sea mammals in the world.

Meanwhile, the islands’ dizzying ocean-cliffs become home to extensive bird rookeries. More

WILD TRAVEL 85

DESTINATION ALASKA

REGIONAL GUIDE Clockwise from left: a red-faced cormorant, which is common along the rocky coast of the Gulf of Alaska; wildflowers on St Paul Island; sockeye salmon in Katmai National Park; least auklets in flight on St Paul Island

MINERAL MINEFIELD than 2.5 million seabirds, ranging from common murres and crested auklets to tufted puffins and cormorants nest here, making the Pribilofs the largest seabird colony in the northern hemisphere.

WHEN TO GO: In an area as extensive as the Bush, the climate can be as wide ranging. Summer can vary from a dry and chilly 4ºC in the nightless Arctic tundra, to the wet and fog of the considerably warmer Bering Sea coast. The bear viewing in Katmai National Park is best from late June through to July and again in early September when bruins return to feast on dying salmon. But, throughout most of the Bush, August is the preferred month for travellers.

86 WILD TRAVEL

Due to Alaska’s huge tracts of pristine wilderness, its environmental issues are not regional concerns but national debates. Such is the case with the proposed Pebble Mine in the Bristol Bay region of Southwest Alaska, one of the most contentious environmental issues of the past decade. Pebble is the largest known undeveloped copper ore deposit in the world, capable of producing copper and gold estimated to be worth $500 billion. But the minerals would be extracted from near the headwaters of Bristol Bay from a man-made two mile wide open pit on the edge of the world’s largest run of wild salmon.

Much of the controversy centres on the plan to store 10 billion tons of waste rock and discharge chemicals permanently into two artificial lakes behind massive earthen dams at the mine site. All this has galvanized an unlikely alliance of environmentalists, commercial fishers and Alaskan natives.

Proponents, including many Alaskans,

say the project will create well-paid employment – an estimated 2,000 in temporary construction jobs and 1,000 in permanent ones during the 60-year life of the mine. This, in a poverty stricken region desperate for work.

Opponents argue that the potential for mining effluents to seep out of open pit and storage lakes is simply too great a risk in this relatively undeveloped area of the state.

All five Eastern Pacific species of salmon spawn in Bristol Bay’s freshwater tributaries and its commercial fisheries include the world’s largest sockeye salmon fishery.

Alaska natives are also fighting the proposed mine. Subsistence harvesting of salmon is a crucial part of rural life for Bristol Bay residents, most of whom live downstream of the proposed Pebble site.

Also among those protesting is actor Robert Redford, trustee for the Natural Resources Defense Council (www.nrdc.org), who in 2013 called on President Barack Obama to block the proposed mine.

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© ACCENT ALASKA.COM, KEVIN SCHAFER/ALAMY, CHRIS MCLENNAN

The fight over salmon and copper at Pebble Mine has prompted a national debate

DESTINATION ALASKA

ONES TO WATCH

ONES TO WATCH

MOUNTAIN GOAT

BROWN BEAR

Oreamnos americanus

Ursus arctos At one time, brown and grizzly bears were listed as separate species, but now both are classified as Ursus arctos. The difference isn’t genetics but size. Browns live along the coast with abundant salmon runs and reach weights exceeding 363kg. The famed Kodiak brown can tip the scales at 680kg. Grizzlies are browns found inland. Normally a male weighs from 227 to 318kg, and females half as much.

Katmai National Park and Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge are the best known places to see large brown bears, while Denali National Park and McNeil River State Game Sanctuary and the Fish Creek Wildlife Observation Site are also good destinations for bear watchers.

Spotting Tip: Brown bears range from almost black to blond. An easy way to identify one is by the prominent shoulder hump, behind the neck when the bear’s on all fours.

© MATTIAS BREITER/FLPA, ALASKA STOCK/ALAMY

MOOSE

Alces alces Moose are the largest of the deer family and the Alaska race (Alces alces gigas) is the largest of all. They are long-legged but shortbodied, with a rack of antlers up to 178cm wide and a drooping nose. They look uncoordinated until you watch their graceful run. A newborn weighs 16kg but full-grown bulls are up to 726kg. In Alaska there

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Introducing the 10 most spectacular species to look out for during a visit to the wilds of Alaska

are estimated to be up to 160,000. They’re the state’s most important game animal with up to 8,000 shot annually. They range from the Stikine River in the southeast to the Colville River on the North Slope.

They are often sighted by highways, including Seward Highway at Potter Marsh where you can see them foraging in the wetland in May and June. A good place

Mountain goats are the only North American species in the world’s widespread group of goat antelopes and are characterised by a fondness for rugged alpine terrain that allows them to avoid predators. In fact, more mountain goats are killed by snow slides than are by wolves or bears.

In Alaska, mountain goats are found through the Panhandle, further north and west in the coastal mountains of Cook Inlet and the Chugach and Wrangell Mountains. Good locations to see them include Glacier Bay National Park and Wrangell-St Elias National Park. Public scopes in Juneau’s Marine Park and the Southeast Alaska Discovery Center in Ketchikan allow visitors to look for goats.

Spotting Tip: Although mountain goats are often confused with Dall sheep, they’re easily identified by the longer hair, short black horns and deep chest. They’re quite docile and their gait, even when approached too closely, is a deliberate pace.

for big moose is the Kenai Peninsula.

Spotting Tip: Moose often travel 20 to 40 miles to forage for their main diet of birch, willow, alder and aspen saplings. But in the spring and summer, they can be found in lakes, ponds and muskegs, where those huge noses will be below the water grabbing aquatic plants and weeds.

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HUMPBACK WHALE Magaptera novaengliae The three most common whales seen in coastal waters of Alaska are the 15m long humpback, with its domed dorsal fin and long flippers; the smaller bowhead whale; and the gray whale.

The humpback is by far the most frequently encountered whale by visitors on cruise ships and the state ferries, as they often lift their flukes (tails) out of the water to begin a dive or blow every few seconds

DALL SHEEP Ovis dalli dalli Dall sheep are more numerous and widespread than mountain goats – they number close to 80,000 – and live principally in the Alaska, Wrangell, Chugach, and Kenai mountain ranges.

Rams are easy to recognize thanks to their massive curling horns. The horns are like claws, hooves and fingernails, growing from the skin. As the rams mature, the curl increases, reaching a three-quarters curl in five years and a full curl in eight years.

Often Dall sheep are seen in Denali National Park when the park shuttle bus crosses Polychrome Pass on its way to Wonder Lake. But not far from Anchorage Dall sheep can also be spotted in Chugach

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when resting near the surface. Biologists estimate 1,000 humpbacks migrate to Southeast Alaska and more than 100 head to Prince William Sound.

At one time Glacier Bay National Park was the place synonymous with whale watching, but today tour boats head out of almost every Southeast port loaded with whalewatching passengers. You can also join such wildlife trips in Kenai Fjords National Park near Seward, and day cruises out of Whittier into Prince William Sound and in Kodiak.

State Park and at Windy Corner, a natural mineral lick at Mile 106 on the Seward Highway. Arrive in late May and early June and stumbling newborns will be holding up traffic for miles on the two-lane highway.

Spotting Tip: Dall sheep prefer rocky, open, alpine tundra regions. In spring and autumn, however, they tend to move to lower slopes where the grazing is better. The best time to spot rams and see them clash is right before the rut (their mating period), which begins in November.

Spotting Tip: The most affordable whale-watching tour in Alaska is a $50 (£30) Juneau-to-Pelican ticket on the Alaska Marine Highway. This stateoperated ferry system sails from the capital city to the boardwalk fishing port twice a month during the summer. It is a route that includes Icy Strait and Point Adolphus, which are playgrounds for humpback whales and where passengers will frequently witness up to a dozen of the animals from the vessel.

DESTINATION ALASKA

ONES TO WATCH CARIBOU Rangifer tarandus Although almost a million caribou live in Alaska’s 32 herds, these animals are quite difficult to view as they travel from the Interior north to the Arctic Sea. Often called the ‘nomads of the north’, some caribou have been known to migrate 4,827km a year between their calving grounds, rutting areas and winter home.

Visitors who encounter caribou usually do so in Denali National Park, but one of the greatest wildlife

events left in the world is the migration of the Western Arctic herd of caribou, the largest such herd in North America, with almost 500,000 animals.

The herd uses the North Slope for its calving area, and in late August many of the animals begin to cross the Noatak River on their journey southward. During that time, the few visitors lucky enough to be on the river in the Gates of the Arctic National Park can be rewarded with the opportunity to see up to 20,000 caribou crossing the

tundra toward the Brooks Range.

The caribou are crucial to the Inupiat and other Alaskan Natives, who hunt more than 30,000 a year to support their subsistence lifestyle.

Spotting Tip: Occasionally you can see caribou from the road in Denali National Park, but if the day is warm and still, get off the shuttle bus and hike above the tree line where caribou can often be found seeking relief from insects.

© FLIP NICKLIN, MICHAEL QUINTON, JOHN SCHWIEDER, DONALD M JONES/FLPA

HARBOR SEAL Phoca vitulina Six species of seal exist in Alaska, but most visitors will encounter just the harbor seal, the only one whose range includes the Southeast, Prince William Sound and the rest of the Gulf of Alaska. The average weight of a male is 90km, achieved through a diet of herring, flounder, salmon, squid and small crabs. Although travel on land or ice is labourious and slow for these animals, they’re renowned divers.

Biologists have recorded dives of 20 minutes or longer with seals reaching depths of 90m or deeper.

Harbor seals use a variety of haul out sites for breeding, including ice floes in Alaska. This makes glaciated areas excellent places to see them during the summer. Such areas include Glacier Bay National Park, Kenai Fjords National Park, Hubbard Glacier in Wrangell-St Elias National Park, and LeConte Glacier in the Stikine-LeConte Wilderness.

Spotting Tip: Many visitors see harbor seals in Glacier Bay National Park, an expensive ride from Juneau if you’re not travelling on a cruise ship. For a much more affordable outing from the capital city to see seals, join a day cruise to Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness.

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DESTINATION ALASKA

ONES TO WATCH POLAR BEARS

Haliaeetus leucocephalus More than 400 species of birds have been recorded in Alaska but the one most visitors want to see is the bald eagle, with its wingspan that often reaches 2.5m.

Elsewhere in the US the bald eagle is endangered, but in Alaska it thrives and the state is home to an estimated 40,000. It can be sighted almost daily in most of the Southeast, and is a

common sight in Prince William Sound and other coastal areas of Alaska.

In Unalaska in the Aleutian Islands, bald eagles are spotted on lamp posts, perched on mail boxes and the roofs of homes, pecking at bits of fish in nets hung out to dry.

The bird is also known for a spectacle that exceeds even the salmon runs. From November to January more than 4,000 eagles migrate to the Chilkat River near

Haines to feed on salmon.

It’s a remarkable sight: bare trees supporting 80 or more eagles, with up to four or five to a branch.

Spotting Tip: Even during the summer, nesting eagles are easily seen from the Haines Highway in the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve. Best views are between Mile 10 and Mile 22 where there are spotting scopes and platforms overlooking Chilkat River.

JEFF MONDRAGON/ALAMY

Spotting Tip: If you want to see a polar bear you really need to go to some of the more remote areas of Alaska. Apart from Barrow, a visit to Barter Island between August and October could give you a chance of a sighting as this is where many polar bears congregate to wait for the pack ice to form.

BALD EAGLES

SALMON

Oncorhynchus Salmon runs are where thousands of fish swim upstream to spawn. From late July to midSeptember, many coastal streams are choked with salmon, and the runs rank among Alaska’s most amazing yet common sights. There are so many fish they have to wait their turn to swim through narrow gaps of shallow water.

Five kinds of salmon populate Alaskan waters: sockeye (Oncorhynchus nerka), king or chinook (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), pink or humpy (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha), coho or silver (Oncorhynchus kisutch), and chum (Oncorhynchus keta). The largest of these is the king. A record 44kg one was caught in Kenai River.

Spotting Tip: In the heart of Anchorage, Ship Creek supports runs of king, coho and pink salmon. From a viewing platform you can watch both the fish and locals trying to catch one for dinner. In downtown Ketchikan, you can watch seals chasing salmon up Ketchikan Creek.

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© FLIP NICKLIN/FLPA, ACCENT ALASKA.COM,

Ursus maritimus Due their large size and white colour, no species captures the imagination and interest of visitors to Alaska the like polar bear. A male normally weighs between 272 and 544kg but occasionally it tops 635kg. The polar bear’s adaptations to a life on the sea ice include its white, water-repellent coat, dense underfur, specialised teeth for a carnivorous diet of primarily seals, and hair that almost completely covers the bottoms of its feet.

Unfortunately polar bears are not easy to encounter. They occur only in the northern hemisphere and almost always in association with Arctic sea ice.

Occasionally visitors to Barrow will see them on tours to Point Barrow, a narrow spit 12 miles northeast of the city, that’s the northernmost extremity of the US.

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Here: a black bear hunting in salmon spawning season

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DESTINATION ALASKA

TRIP REPORT DENALI NATIONAL PARK

At the very least, a trip to Alaska has to include a glimpse of its most famous predator, but William Gray got far more than he dared hope for when he went in search of bears at Denali National Park in the Alaska Range

THE

BEAR necessities T

he anglers seemed oblivious to the black bear. He was only a few metres from where they stood in a small metal skiff, casting for silver salmon. Ambling to the water’s edge, he paused, sniffed in their general direction, then plunged into the lake.

As a fishing exercise, the bear failed completely. He didn’t even manage to catch the attention of the anglers. They must have been seasoned Alaskan outdoor types, I decided – the kind of people who viewed belly-flopping bears as being all part of a day’s fishing.

Crouching in another small, open boat a short distance away, I had watched the whole ursine episode with baited breath. I

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couldn’t believe our luck at sighting a bear, let alone witnessing such brash behaviour. It was the latest in a series of bear encounters – all involving water – that had begun two weeks earlier at the start of my Alaskan wildlife adventure.

GRIZZLIES IN DENALI “Shout if you see a bear, and I’ll tell you what kind of rock you’re looking at.” Pete, our driver-guide, shot us a wry smile as he clambered aboard the Denali National Park shuttle bus. Half-hearted laughter rippled through 20 rows of seats as he started the engine. We pulled out of the car park next to the Alaska Railroad station and trundled towards the start of the 137km Denali Park road – the only vehicle route probing six million acres

(24,585 sq km) of protected wilderness.

Denali National Park is a subtle wildlife destination. Its ‘big five’ status conjures images of East African style plains liberally scattered with herds of grazing mammals, with predators prowling the fringes. But Pete had a reality check for us.

“Denali isn’t the Serengeti,” he told us.

“It’s a subarctic environment with small, slow-growing vegetation. It takes a lot of acres to feed one good-sized vegetarian.”

We wouldn’t see great columns of caribou streaming along river valleys, mingling with moose and trailed by wolves and grizzlies then. Those ‘big ticks’ were certainly about, he explained, but we had to remember that a certain amount of luck was going to be required for our six-hour journey into the park to cross

WILD TRAVEL 93

Wonder Lake is renowned for its reflections of the glacier-covered Alaska Range, which boasts North America’s highest peak – the magnificent Mount McKinley

paths with wildlife. No off-road pursuit of big game is allowed in Denali.

Tarmac gave way to gravel at Savage River where we spotted a lone caribou bull, half-hidden in a willow thicket. There was a brief staccato burst of camera fire before we moved on towards Primrose Ridge and Sable Pass, our bus weaving through the rucked-up splendour of Denali. The rust-red cliffs of Polychrome Mountain rose to our right, while to the south, fanning out through the foothills of the Alaska Range, braided rivers sparkled in the August sunshine like silver dreadlocks.

During one of our stops, Pete told us that the three white specks on a ridge high above the Toklat River were Dall sheep. And at the Eielson Visitor Centre – tucked into a mountainside with terraces overlooking the Muldrow Glacier and Alaska Range – the slopes were riddled with burrows of ground squirrels. Every now and then, one would pop upright, vying for attention with the scenery.

It would take more than a squirrel, though, to divert my gaze from 6,194m (20,320ft) Mt McKinley, ghosting in and out of view through the clouds. Even a grizzly bear might struggle to upstage The High One. A grizzly swimming in a lake, chasing a duck, on the other hand, would be an irresistible head-turner.

Five hours into our journey, we were about

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to descend to Wonder Lake, renowned for its reflections of the Alaska Range, when Pete brought the bus to a lurching halt. A young grizzly was cavorting in a kettle pond next to the road, rolling on its back, diving underwater and making half-hearted attempts to catch a lone duck. The bird seemed to be teasing the bear, swimming towards the floundering fur-ball just close enough to elicit a chase, before easily paddling out of range. After a few minutes, the bear got bored of the wild duck chase, climbed out of the pond, shook itself vigorously and sloped off across the tundra, its blond hair wet and spiky.

HIKING THE BACKCOUNTRY For day visitors to Denali, it’s a long time on one of the official buses, travelling in and out along the park road. Also, apart from the occasional stop where you can stretch your legs and perhaps explore one of the short trails at the Eielson Visitor Centre, a day trip doesn’t give you enough time to experience the park’s true sense of wilderness. For that you need to hike into the backcountry.

Self-sufficient and bear-wise campers can set off into the wilds, trekking between trailheads along the park road. Or, for those who crave a little more comfort, the old

DESTINATION ALASKA

TRIP REPORT DENALI NATIONAL PARK

THE HIGH ONE

Indigenous people gave this wildlife-rich park its name

E

© PREVIOUS PAGE: WORLDFOTO/ALAMY. HERE: WILLIAM GRAY

Clockwise from top left: Mt McKinley, reflected in the clear waters of an Alaskan lake; a caribou bull; hiking in Denali National Park; a grizzly bear facing a challenging duck

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gold-mining community of Kantishna makes a superb base for a couple of nights. Located at the road’s end, it’s home to Denali Backcountry Lodge, a tight huddle of cedar cabins along Moose Creek.

The following morning, despite the ominous presence of head nets in my room, I signed up for a hike to the summit of Mt Busia. The previous day on the bus, I had marvelled at the fireweed and other plantlife growing by the roadside, and I wanted a closer look.

Before setting off, our guide Kathryn briefed us on how we should behave in the event of a bear encounter. “Don’t run. Form a group, talk loudly and make yourself look bigger by flapping your coat.” She went on to explain that moose – especially with young – were also potentially dangerous. “They’ll warn you if they’re not happy by showing the whites of their eyes.”

As it turned out, the only critters requiring evasive action during our three-hour yomp up Mt Busia were mosquitoes. Head nets drawn tight, we walked briskly through alder scrub on the far side of the river, before scaling the broad-backed mountain. When a slight breeze began to dislodge the winged menace, Kathryn took the opportunity to reveal the small wonders of the tundra. She showed us the nodding white plumes of grass of

stablished in 1917 as Mount McKinley National Park, Denali takes its name from the Athabascan word for ‘The High One’.

North America’s highest peak (6,194m) lords over this 24,585 sq km wilderness. The glaciers and valleys of the Alaska Range sweep down to vast tracts of lake-studded tundra and a tentative stubble of boreal forest.

Winter hits hard in Denali and its wildlife either stays put and copes, or heads south to warmer climes. Year-round residents such as caribou, Dall sheep, moose, wolf, ptarmigan and gyrfalcon simply tough it out, while others, like the grizzly bear, hibernate. When spring arrives, there’s a flurry of activity as groggy bears emerge from their dens and millions of migratory birds (including golden eagles from as far afield as Mexico) arrive to breed. Wild flowers bloom from early June to late July. It can be light for 20 hours a day at this time, and wildlife is at its most active – including mosquitoes. By early August, the irritating insect has disappeared from all but the wettest areas.

Autumn colours begin to flush the tundra, birds have migration on their minds once more and bears start to gorge on berries. Grizzly bears have a very mixed diet in Denali, eating everything from caribou calves and carrion to roots, blueberries and salmon.

As bull moose gather harems for the mating season, the first glimmers of the Northern Lights may start to be seen. If snow falls in September, it usually stays until spring.

WILD TRAVEL 95

Parnassus, the purple blooms of poisonous monkshood and the dainty nodding heads of harebells. We picked blueberries and lingonberries, the tart fruits almost fizzing in our mouths. You can also eat wild celery, Kathryn told us, while in the old days gold miners brewed a cough remedy from coltsfoot.

Heads down on our botanising ramble, there was something almost celestial about cresting the summit of Mt Busia and looking up to see Mt McKinley towering above the snowy ramparts of the Alaska Range just 30 miles to the south, its ice-fluted peak etched against a cerulean sky.

Apparently, only around a third of visitors see the mountain free of clouds, but our luck lasted into the next day as we drove out of Denali, retracing our route to the national park entrance. From one of the passes we spotted two grizzlies briefly, far out on a gravel riverbed: tiny brown dots against a mighty backdrop of peaks running east and west of Mt McKinley. It was my final view of the big mountain… but not of bears.

BEACH BEAR A few days later, having travelled back to Anchorage by train, I continued south to the coastal community of Homer. It’s a popular weekend retreat for Alaskans, particularly those who like to fish for halibut in the deep waters of Kachemak Bay. Part of the town is strung along a 7km spit dangling enticingly towards Kachemak Bay State Park, a roadless wilderness near the tip of the Kenai Peninsula.

Bears were not foremost in my mind when a water taxi dropped me off at a small timber lodge overlooking a shingle cove on Kachemak’s crinkle-cut coast. I had booked a sea kayaking trip but, with a few hours to spare, I decided to take a walk in the woods.

It took less than a dozen paces for the old-growth forest to draw a green veil behind me, and not long after I began to notice fresh signs of bears. The scant trail was regularly marked with piles of dung, and studded with

96 WILD TRAVEL

“Bears were not foremost in my mind when a water taxi dropped me off at a shingle cove on Kachemak’s crinkle-cut coast”

DESTINATION ALASKA

TRIP REPORT DENALI NATIONAL PARK

© WILLIAM GRAY, ALASKA STOCK/ALAMY

Above: mist swirling around Kachemak Bay. Above right: a black bear emerging from under the trees. Clockwise from here: bald eagles on lookout; guide Kathryn instructing the Mt Busia hikers on picking blueberries; the floatplane.

Far left: fireweed.

undigested berries and pine needles. I found an almost perfect paw print in a muddy patch beside a stream, while several splintered old logs looked like they’d been used for vigorous pedicures. I stopped often, chasing around the shadows of the forest, double-taking every hunched tree stump and shaggy mane of lichen, checking for bears. My occasional loud hand clapping to warn of my presence shattered the brooding silence. At overgrown sections I was even moved to song.

After two hours, the trail ended at a deserted beach and I scrambled along the rocky shoreline. It was reassuring hearing the rhythmic swish of waves and being able to see more than a few metres in front. Less than an hour later, having met up with my guide and launched our sea kayaks, we paddled back along the same stretch of coast. A black bear was sitting on the beach at the very spot I’d emerged from the forest. It glanced up as we drifted past, then turned its attention to the strandline and a possible seafood lunch.

Sea kayaking is a hugely rewarding way to watch wildlife. It’s not only quiet and unobtrusive, but puts you on intimate, eye-level terms with species that are often difficult to track. During the same outing, we sidled up to sleeping sea otters and trailed a family of river otters – a mother and two

nearly full-grown cubs – along the shore. As far as bears were concerned, however, my most memorable encounter was yet to come.

“You’re possibly in the coolest floatplane in Alaska – there’s nothing faster.” Curtis said as he fired up the Cessna Caravan’s single-prop engine. He filled our headphones with Eric Clapton’s opening riff to Layla, then taxied onto one of the waterways at Lake Hood – the world’s busiest floatplane base. Moments later, we were climbing above Cook Inlet, gazing down at Anchorage, its tower blocks like quartz crystals at the water’s edge.

WHITE WHALES “There are four million lakes in Alaska that I can land this thing on,” Curtis grinned across at me as we tracked southwest towards Lake Clark National Park. The land to our right was indeed pockmarked with ponds and scribbled with meandering streams.

Without warning, Curtis tipped the Cessna onto a wingtip and I found myself staring down at the silty waters of Cook Inlet 400ft below. Something white caught my eye – as if the waves had parted to reveal a sliver of bone. Then suddenly the sea was dimpled with white flecks as a pod of 50 or more beluga whales simultaneously surfaced.

Thirty minutes later, we touched down on

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DESTINATION ALASKA

TRIP REPORT DENALI NATIONAL PARK Left: beluga whales surface in Cook Inlet. Here: a black bear mother taking her cubs on a fishing expedition

Otter Lake where Redoubt Bay Lodge nuzzled into forest like a well-hidden bird’s nest. Trading floatplane for a small, open motorboat, we nosed around the lakeshore, scouring the green tangle of ferns and trees. At first glance, it seemed impenetrable. It was only when our guide pointed out the faint animal trail, right at the water’s edge, that we began to get lucky.

Our first black bear was snuffling through reeds near the mouth of Weasel Creek. Soon after, we spotted a mother with two five-month-old cubs.

Walking single file, the trio was heading towards Wolverine Cove where salmon gather before squirming their way up a rocky creek bed to spawn. So transfixed were we by the bear family that we didn’t notice the lone male approaching from the other direction. And nor, it seemed, did the mother of the cubs.

There was barely 10m between the two when she suddenly sensed him and gave a low warning grumble. The male blundered onwards and the grumble became a furious growl as she launched into a full-blown charge. Her cubs scattered up a tree, their braying cries rising above the sound of thrashing vegetation as two adult bears collided.

We glimpsed the mother again, rounding up her cubs and leading them briskly away over a ridge.

The male returned and sat at the edge of Wolverine Creek, looking rather perplexed. I wondered what might happen next. Surely, we’d had more than our fair share of ‘bear luck’ that afternoon? It was then that the bear stood up and wandered over to a group of anglers who were fishing for silver salmon from a nearby boat. WT • William Gray, zoologist, award-winning writer and photographer (www.william-gray.co.uk) is the author of Wildlife Travel (from Footprint)

98 WILD TRAVEL

TRIP ADVISER >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> COST RATING SAMPLE PACKAGE TOUR: Tailor made Alaska specialist, Discover the World can create any itinerary. Departing May to August, the sevennight Alaska by Rail, Road & Sea costs from £1,218 per person (based on twin share), including: accommodation; rail travel; bus tour of Denali National Park; five days’ car hire; and ferry from Valdez to Whittier. Return flights to Anchorage with Icelandair start from £680 per person.

A two-night stay at the Denali Backcountry Lodge costs from £615 per person and includes transfers, all meals, and activities. Two nights at the Bay Avenue B&B in Homer costs from £134 per person.

Bear Viewing at Redoubt Bay costs £463 per person, June to August, including floatplane, a three-hour Big River Lakes cruise and lunch.

GETTING THERE: Icelandair (www.icelandair.com) has direct flights from Keflavik to Anchorage (6.5 hours) with connecting flights from London (3 hours). Alaska Airlines (www.alaskaair.com) flies from Seattle to Anchorage (3.5 hours). Cruise ships and ferries ply the Alaska Marine Highway (www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs), while destinations on the Alaska Railroad (www.alaskarailroad.com) include Anchorage, Denali, Fairbanks and Seward.

VISA REQUIREMENTS FROM THE UK: International travellers visiting the US under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) must apply for authorisation.

Online application at esta.cbp.dhs.gov.

TIPS & WARNINGS: Denali’s bus ride provides a better chance of seeing wildlife than hiking, as you have a higher vantage point.

If you plan to explore bear country on foot, make some noise! Bears don’t like surprises, so alert them by clapping, shouting or singing. Don’t hike after dark. Don’t run or climb trees; you can’t outrun a bear and black bears and some grizzlies are good climbers. In the event of a mock charge, stand your ground, wave your arms and shout until the bear stops, then slowly back away. In the very rare event of an attack, drop to the ground, face down, hands behind your neck, still and silent.

If camping, use bear-proof containers for storing food and avoid cooking anything that can make your clothing smell.

WHEN TO GO: High season is June to August when daytime temperatures range from 15-27° C. In May and September prices are lower. Although Denali National Park is open all year, the bus service only operates mid-May to mid-September. Further info: Alaska Tourist Board at www.travelalaska.com

TOUR OPERATOR

■ DISCOVER THE WORLD, Tel: 01737 214 291; www.discover-the-world.co.uk

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© WILLIAM GRAY, ALL CANADA PHOTOS/ALAMY

BEAR BRAWL

THEKNOWLEDGE The wildlife travel survival guide

HOW TO

SKILLS

How to...

BOOKS

APPS

WEB

PHOTO WORKSHOP

KIT REVIEWS

Q&A

BECOME A BEEKEEPER Beekeeping is a fascinating and rewarding hobby, says Gill Maclean from the British Beekeeper Association. Here are her tips for getting started

A

ll you need to keep bees is to be reasonably fit (there is some lifting involved), have somewhere suitable to keep them and know the ‘basics’ which will help you understand what happens inside a colony and how to deal with problems.

How do I start?

The early months of the year are a good time to take the first steps to becoming a beekeeper. Lots of local beekeeper associations (BKAs) across the country will be running courses aimed at beginners. These usually start with theory, before moving to the practical aspects of beekeeping when the weather picks up later in the spring and there is a chance to work outside with bees.

Many BKAs have regular demonstrations during the active season (generally April to September) and many run ‘taster’

sessions to give you a chance to see if beekeeping is for you – you might surprised at your reaction when a hive containing a colony of honey bees, which may number as many 60,000 individuals, is first opened up!

You will be able to find details of your nearest association by checking with the BBKA for England, SBA for Scotland, WBKA for Wales, and the Institute of Northern Ireland Beekeepers or UBKA for Northern Ireland.

How much time does it take to look after bees and how much room will I need?

Beekeeping is seasonal but the amount of time needed varies.

During the summer, as a beginner, you should expect to spend an hour a week per colony, less as you get more experienced. Swarming and its control is the main issue during the summer and there are times when colonies must be inspected – it is no good putting off inspections until tomorrow otherwise your swarm could cause a nuisance to someone else and a loss of honey to you.

Lots of gardens have room for a couple of hives providing they are sited sensibly, but don’t risk problems with your family or neighbours. They may not share

A ROUGH GUIDE TO COSTS

your enthusiasm! If your garden isn’t big enough it may be possible to find a site in a friend’s garden or perhaps on an allotment. Get an experienced beekeeper to advise you if your chosen place is alright.

Other ways for you to support our honey bees If you decide beekeeping is not for you but you still want to help this vital pollinator, why not become an armchair beekeeper and Adopt a Beehive or become a Friend of the Honey Bee – two fund raising schemes run by the BBKA to support research.

Protective clothing: Beesuit with veil, gloves and wellington boots, around £50.00 – £100.00 Hive: On average a flat pack, self-assembly hive with super complete with floor, roof, queen excluder, frames and wax foundation, around £200 – £250 Bees: A nucleus of bees, ie a small start-up colony, may cost £150 – £200 but your local association may be able to let you have a swarm.

Smoker and hive tool: £30 – £35 Honey extracting equipment can usually be borrowed.

Beekeeping books – once you get started you are likely to become addicted so will buy as many as you can afford!

NB: It’s a good idea to get some training before spending any money!

For more information about becoming a beekeeper or supporting honey bees in other ways see www.bbka.org.uk.

Already beekeeping? Please write and share your experiences by emailing editorial@wildtravelmag.com

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WILD TRAVEL 101

THEKNOWLEDGE SKILLS Insider’s guide to...

MAKING YOUR OWN MAMMAL TUNNEL A mammal tunnel is a great way to find out what lives in your garden, says Amy Lewis from The Wildlife Trusts

Y

our garden is a haven for tiny, scurrying animals, from voles to weasels, mice to hedgehogs. You may not see them, but they will be hiding away in rockeries, hedges, borders and compost heaps. A footprint trap in the form of this mammal tunnel will help record their nocturnal activities.

To make: ■ Cut the top and bottom off two or three long, squaresided juice cartons so that they slide together to create a tube.

Wax-coated cartons are ideal to help keep the inside dry.

■ Line the bottom of the tunnel with white paper and stick in place with Sellotape.

Make sure you have a plastic lid

that will fit inside your tunnel.

■ Cut a thin sponge to size and place inside the lid.

■ Soak with food colouring and place in the centre of the tunnel.

Whichever way animals go in the tunnel they will leave footprints.

■ To entice them place a portion of bait in a milk bottle lid in the centre of the sponge. Experiment with different offerings such as dog or cat food, peanut butter, seeds or mealworms to attract a variety of dining guests.

Site your tunnel along a wall, fence or hedge where small mammals are likely to travel.

■ Cover with branches to hold in place and leaves to make a

YOU WILL NEED:

✓2 or 3 square-sided juice cartons ✓Scissors ✓Butter or magazine tub lid, small enough to fit inside the carton ✓Milk bottle top ✓Thin cleaning sponge ✓Food colouring ✓White paper ✓Sellotape ✓Bait – dog or cat food, peanut butter, mealworms, seeds, etc ✓Branches, small stones and leaves dark, inviting shelter.

■ Leave overnight and check for prints in the morning.

■ For larger mammals and birds, try filling an old baking tray or clean cat litter tray with damp sand and level the surface with a ruler. Place a bowl of bait in the centre and leave near a bird table or other feeder.

COPING WITH HEAT

Mary Kedward, MD of The Travel Clinic Ltd in Cambridge and Ipswich, offers her travel tips for avoiding heat exhaustion

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WILDLIFE APPS FOR CHILDREN EXPLORE THE ANIMAL KINGDOM This app has an extensive collection of more than 100 animal pictures and sounds that will keep your kids both entertained and give them a fun learning experience. Designed for very young children, who can navigate through the animals using arrows or simply by sliding the pictures across.

£1.22, iPad, iPhone and iPod touch www.mathieubrassard.com

BIRD GUIDE FOR KIDS Children can take a virtual tour and get to know, see and hear dozens of birds species from across Europe in this interactive atlas. Every bird has a beautiful photograph and a description read by a professional lector, full of entertaining facts and trivia.

Free for 1st 10 birds, iPhone, iPad www. birdguideforkids.com

LEARN ABOUT ANIMALS

Travel health:

It takes between 10 and 14 days to become properly acclimatised to tropical temperatures, but not many of us have the luxury of having holidays longer than this.

The most important thing to coping with unaccustomed heat is to keep fluid levels as high as possible. More salt may be added to meals as one way of increasing salt levels (unless you have a problem with high blood pressure). If you are taking medication for blood pressure, or heart, liver or kidney problems, it is important to discuss the matter with your health care professional before travelling.

You may find you don’t pass urine as frequently as normal, if urine becomes dark and possibly smells a little, it is a definite sign you need to drink more. It is important to wear light clothing and hats and use a high factor sunscreen.

The symptoms of heat exhaustion are dizziness, headaches, extreme fatigue and thirst. People may stagger when walking and may have muscle cramps due to salt loss. It may be more difficult to diagnose in children.

The treatment for heat exhaustion is taking in fluids

FOUR OF THE BEST…

From common ducks to exotic wombats, children will be able to learn about more than 150 different animals from across the globe. Includes quizzes and large images.

£0.61, iPad, iPhone, iPod touch www.levitatellc.com/animals/ index.html

SAFARI ANIMALS such as diluted Bovril or vegemite, and most tropical countries have their own treatments such as lime juice and salt. Cool sponging or showering can be very helpful.

A medical emergency is heatstroke when the cooling mechanism in the body has failed. This shows itself in irrational and confused behaviour or hyperactivity. It should be treated by intravenous fluids from a doctor, which help replace the electrolytes or salts and sugars lost from the body when you sweat.

Designed for children under four years of age, this app lets them interact with all types of safari animals of Africa and learn how they look and sound – from lion to hippo, monkey to elephant. Once children are accustomed to the sounds and traits of the animals, they can test their knowledge by taking part in the quiz.

Free, Android www.itchyfingerz.com

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THEKNOWLEDGE BOOKS 5 minutes with...

DAVID YARROW

In Encounter, award-winning photographer David Yarrow shares more than 90 beautiful monochrome images of wildlife and people in remote parts of the world (Clearview, £60) Tell me about your book Encounter is the result of three years of finely researched trips to parts of the world that have largely escaped public exposure. My objective was to produce a book of images that would be strong enough to hold the attention of a content-spoilt audience.

Why black and white?

The monochromatic treatment of an image can help it to rise aesthetically above much of the documentary and mainstream imagery sourced from the more remote corners of our planet. The viewer is forced to focus on the subjects and the emotion behind a photograph.

It provides images with a sense of timelessness – the majority of the images in Encounter could have been taken a century or two ago.

Which are your favourites?

The elephant images taken with a remote in October 2012.

Elephants are big animals and their enormity tends to be poorly conveyed by a camera from a four-wheel drive – but to lie on the ground to capture a ground-up angle is highly irresponsible.

The solution is remotes, but these had to be placed in the ground and personally checked with the lead elephant still 120 yards away.

It all happened within 10 heart-pounding seconds.

How did your interest in photography start?

My mother is a sculptor and encouraged us to observe the world around us, putting a camera in our hands at every

Harrap’s wild flowers Simon Harrap (Bloomsbury, £16.99) A clear concise field guide to 934 species of wild flowers, shrubs and trees found across Britain and Ireland that is must for any botanist; beginner, enthusiastic amateur or expert.

There are over 2,000 coloured photographs, 918 detailed maps, a glossary of terms and all the details you need to carry out a confident identification.

opportunity.

I was an average sportsman but an avid sports fan and it was the hours spent as a spectator that drove my passion to capture great moments.

What’s next?

I’m currently on my first assignment of the year in Jigokudani National Park (Japan) photographing the macaques – the world’s most northerly dwelling monkeys.

WORLDWILDART

www.able-travel.com

Will Nicholls (Wagtail Press, £25) Will Nicholls provides a window into the life of one of Britain’s favourite mammals, the elusive and endearing red squirrel. Inside are beautiful colour images that reveal many of their characteristics, from its inquisitive nature to its acrobatic skills high in the trees.

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Judith Anger, Immo Fiebrig and Martin Schnyder (Permanent Publications, £14.95) If you want to grow fruit and vegetables but are a city dweller with nothing more than a balcony, windowsill or just a wall, this is the book for you. It includes sections on flats and balconies, vertical gardening and urban case studies from all over the world.

Alfred Russel Wallace Ted Benton (Siri Scientific Press, £26.50) Although in his own time Wallace was recognised as co-discoverer of evolution along with Darwin, history has since distorted the facts and cast Darwin as the sole hero.

This book illustrates Wallace’s significant contribution to biology and charts his progress to explorer and scientist.

Four of the best wildlife art and photography exhibitions to visit this year WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR www.nhm.ac.uk

THE NATIONAL EXHIBITION OF WILDLIFE ART www.newa-uk.com

On the trail of Red Squirrels

Edible cities

This prestigious northern art exhibition hosts work from both professional and amateur wildlife artists from all over the world. A donation from the exhibition is made each year to wildlife causes. It runs 18 July-3 August at the Gordale Garden Centre, South Wirral.

This acclaimed exhibition premieres at London’s Natural History Museum on 23 March and tours more than 60 cities in the UK and across the world.

On display are jawdropping images of wildlife from some of the best photographers around.

DAVID SHEPHERD WILDLIFE ARTIST OF THE YEAR A selection of fabulous wildlife art including work by the shortlisted candidates from the 2014 Wildlife Artist of the Year competition and from

three generations of the Shepherd family, including David, goes on display 2-7 June at the Mall Galleries in London. There is also the chance to buy art.

SOCIETY OF WILDLIFE ARTISTS ANNUAL EXHIBITION www.swla.co.uk This annual exhibition runs 30 October-9 November at the Mall Galleries in London. It features a mix of paintings, sculpture and printmaking inspired by the natural world, created by some of the country’s best wildlife artists.

Throughout the exhibition there’ll be a SWLA member on hand to talk to.

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THEKNOWLEDGE KIT 1

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HOT TO TROT

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If you can’t stand the heat here is our choice of kit that will help keep you cool and hydrated in desert conditions

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RECOMMENDS

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1 Safety first If help is likely to be a long way away, a first aid kit is important to carry. This Lifesystems Traveller First Aid Kit has been specifically developed to help treat common issues you might face during your trip. £23.99, www.lifesystems.co.uk 2 Feet first Your choice of footware in hot conditions is important. These lightweight, comfortable 5.11 Tactical Advance Boots come with an antibacterial and moisture-wicking lining that will keep your feet comfortable and dry, whatever the conditions. £110, www.raymears.com/Bushcraft_ Products 3 Wicker wear Designed for hot climates, the Katmai Shirt from Paramo is a lightweight, long-sleeved shirt, whether it’s humid or dry heat. It gives protection from the sun and wind while providing active cooling. Pesky biting insects are deterred by the dense fabric weave. £60, www.paramo.co.uk 4 Stay hydrated For all-day hydration carry this 23 litre backpack from Camelbak. As well as holding all your gear there is a 3 litre reservoir and drinking tube, which allows you to sup water little and often on the go. £124, www.camelbak.com 5 Staying cool Made from rapid evaporation fabric, these Maui II Cargo Trousers from Paramo are lightweight, cool, quick drying, and will survive all you throw at them, and protect you from the sun. Perfect for the desert! £60, www.paramo.co.uk

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6 Safe drinking Forget water purifying tablets and the iodine-flavoured water that inevitably comes with them, instead opt for the SteriPEN. This uses UV light to destroy 99.9 per cent of bacteria, viruses, and protozoa.

From £42, www.SteriPEN.com 7 Find your way Getting lost in the desert is one scenario you want to avoid. This Silva Expedition 15TDCL Compass comes highly recommended by survival expert Ray Mears and includes a sighting mirror with hole for the most accurate bearings, and a built-in magnifying lens and luminous markings to make low-light navigation easier. £59, www.raymears.com/Bushcraft_ Products 8 Eye, eye Protect your eyes from the glare of the hot sun and its harmful UV rays with these elegant and stylish Acetate Sunglasses from Swarovski. £250, www.swarovski.com 9 Layer up The days may be hot but the nights can be cold in the desert so make sure you are prepared with a lightweight fleece. This Women’s 100 Glacier ¼ Zip fleece from North Face provides warmth without weight. £40, www.thenorthface.co.uk 10 Keep your hat on This classic legionnaire’s style desert cap from NosiLife will keep off sun and mozzies.

It has a moisture-control lining and side vents to help keep your head cool, and a drop-down panel to stop a sunburnt neck. £19.99, www.safariquip.co.uk

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Here: by shooting from ground level I managed to included some foreground grass to add depth to the image of this puffin. The rain adds to the atmosphere.

Below: my aim here was to capture an image that evoked a feeling of calm, the soft light helped to bring out detail in the sanderlings’ plumage.

Right: the distinctive shape of a curlew makes it a perfect candidate for a silhouette.

Below right: capturing a wider shot showing the subjects, in this case a flock of curlews, in their environment is an effective way of telling a story through your images.

Part fourteen

COASTAL BIRDS Britain’s coastal nature reserves offer the opportunity to observe sea birds at close quarters and an ideal opportunity to perfect wildlife photography skills, writes Ben Hall

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subject, the more you will learn about its behaviour. Being able to predict a bird’s movements is paramount and will help you to be in the right place at the right time.

Keep a low profile Birds that inhabit the coastline also offer rewarding targets. In areas where there is an abundance of food, waders can be seen whizzing up and down the shoreline, hunting for tasty morsels in the sand. It is important when approaching any wild bird to keep your profile as low as possible. Look for rocks or other objects that you can use as cover, and approach slowly, keeping a close eye on your subject at all times to check for any sign of unease. If the bird looks like it may take flight, stop and wait for it to resume its business before attempting to get any closer. Adopting the low level approach will

not only help you to get close enough to the birds, but will also enable you to blur the sand in the foreground, adding a degree of depth and intimacy.

Selecting a wide aperture should further help to separate the subject from its surroundings. A beanbag comes into its own in this type of environment, giving you a stable support but offering much needed freedom of movement, which is vital when tracking small, fast-moving subjects. When

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© BEN HALL

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he coast is home to a plethora of wildlife, including a rich diversity of bird species, making this type of habitat perfect for honing your photography skills. There are a number of wetland nature reserves located up and down Britain’s coastline, many of which have permanent hides and feeding areas. These are great places to start and often hold a variety of bird species within reach of even the most modest lens. Another big advantage of a managed nature reserve is the wealth of information on hand. Speaking to a warden or other members of staff should glean you first hand knowledge of both the location and the birds that can be found there. Despite there being a reliable source of information and subject matter, you should still be prepared to visit a number of times. The more time you spend observing your

THEKNOWLEDGE PHOTO WORKSHOP SEASON’S HIGHLIGHTS – FEBRUARY The sanderling is a winter visitor. These tiny waders are fascinating birds and fun to watch and photograph. Your best chance of venturing close enough is when they are busy sprinting up and down the shoreline. Shoot from ground level and track the birds as they move using the predictive focus mode.

Try to spot patterns in the movements. Firing a burst of frames at a time should increase your chances of capturing the

perfect moment.

The curlew is the largest of Europe’s waders. They are a particularly photogenic bird with a long, curved bill. Their outline is instantly recognisable making them a perfect candidate for silhouettes. Although these birds nest on moors in the summer, by July they are making their way to the coast where numbers peak in February.

They can be seen on the shoreline, feeding on worms and shrimps, often

working with waders that are constantly on the move, I use the predictive focus setting which allows me to track my subject and keep it in focus at all times. I also keep my shooting mode on the high-speed drive setting which allows me to fire several shots in rapid succession. This pays dividends when capturing behaviour.

When working on the shore or the marsh, it also pays to keep a very close eye on the tide. It may be possible to find a suitable shooting position and wait for the tide to bring the birds closer to you. This is always my preferred way of working as it keeps the birds at complete ease at all times. Often, especially during the winter months, waders congregate in dense flocks, either to roost or to feed. Now is the chance to be creative.

Experiment with slow shutter speeds to

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in groups. For a silhouette to work successfully, you will need to shoot at dawn or dusk when the sun is low. Shoot into the light for the most effective results but be careful to expose correctly. Check your histogram to make sure you capture as much possible detail, especially in the highlights. By taking a light reading from a bright area of sky and using this as your base exposure, you should find it easy to keep highlight detail intact.

capture movement and look for abstract patterns that occur when hundreds of birds are packed tightly together. Huge flocks wheeling around in the sky can resemble interesting shapes and patterns making the possibilities endless.

Your choice of settings When attempting to capture movement, switch to shutter priority and experiment with shutter speeds between 1/15th and 1/60th second. Your results will vary wildly depending on the speed of your subject.

There are no rules to follow, the key is to experiment with as many variations as possible as each image will be different.

Ultimately, it is up to you as the artist to determine the correct settings.

Another big advantage of shooting in wild

and open environments is the incredible quality of light that occurs around the hours of dawn and dusk. When shooting out to sea, there are no trees or other objects to block out the light, so on mornings and evenings when cloud cover is low, the sky often becomes a mosaic of colour. This offers the perfect backdrop. Care must be taken over exposure in these situations, however, especially as the light changes and birds move position.

Check your histogram regularly to ensure you are not losing important detail. If the highlights start to burn out, use your exposure compensation to dial in a minus reading. The degree of compensation will depend entirely on the situation, so after each adjustment check the histogram to determine if the amount is sufficient.

Learning to adjust exposure in-camera is vital in achieving the highest quality images.

Shooting into the light can produce evocative pictures but only attempt this when the sun is very low in the sky. Contrast levels should be kept to a minimum and you will be relying upon the warmth of the light to create the atmosphere.

Stormy light can create particularly dramatic results, whilst a beautiful sunset will result in a feeling of tranquillity. When shooting in adverse weather, though, be sure to protect your camera and lens. I use a waterproof sleeve that guards against both rain and sand.

There are several accessible sea bird colonies in Britain where the birds allow a very close approach. In these situations, I often use a wide-angle lens to give the images a sense of place. Use the landscape to show a subject in context and tell a story.

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THEKNOWLEDGE TRAVEL CLINIC

Q&A

Ask the experts Our team of experts tackle your questions on animal cruelty abroad, frog spawn and studying ecology on a part-time basis

I am a third-year vet student and I would like to get some practical experience working with wild animals abroad. How do I go about it?

Q

Q

I would like to travel and learn more about organic farming and conservation, but I have a very limited budget. Can you help?

World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) does exactly as the name suggests: it provides opportunities to experience farming and sustainable living as a way of life in more than 100 countries around the world.

The concept is simple. A farmer offers food and accommodation in return for the visitor (or WWOOFers as they have become known) helping out for four to six hours ar day, five days a week. Visits can be as short as two or three days, or as long as six months; most commonly they tend to last for

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Q

Next month I am heading to Africa for my first safari holiday. I’m looking to buy a pair of binoculars but I’m confused by the choice available.

What should I look for?

There really is a myriad of choice out there but the first thing to consider is magnification, with the most useful for safaris being somewhere between about 8x and 10x. Obviously a higher magnification will bring you closer to the elephants, but a slightly lower one will give you a wider field of view. This makes it easier to find the animals quickly in the eyepieces, and makes the image steadier and brighter so you can see detail better.

The classic way to describe a pair of binoculars is through the objective diameter. The front ends of the binoculars, or the parts furthest from your face, are called the objective lenses, and the objective diameter is the size of these lenses. For safaris I recommend an objective diameter of about 30 to 32mm.

Together, these measurements are expressed as 8x30, 8x32 or 10x32. A really good pair of any of these sizes will provide you with an exceptional image and will be bright enough for almost all

Don’t forget to upload your wildlife images and videos to our Facebook page as we would love to see them!

situations. They will also be small enough to fit comfortably in your hand luggage.

Larger binoculars provide more light in dim conditions, but there’s little difference in daylight and they’ll always be heavier.

I have met way too many people in Africa who have saved for the trip of a lifetime and have either forgotten about binoculars or have “made do” with a cheap pair. With binoculars you definitely get what you pay for.

My pick: Swarovski Optik CL Companion 8x30 in sand colour DALE FORBES is head of marketing product at Swarovski Optik www. swarovskioptik.com

between one and two weeks.

WWOOFing has become a popular way to eke out budgets when travelling as the farm link provides a cultural and educational exchange unlikely to be replicated if the same person were to stay in a hostel or other budget accommodation.

Interested volunteers need to be 18 plus and able to pay their own travel costs. The only other charge involved is a subscription fee to WWOOF in the country (or countries) you want to visit – usually around £30.

AMANDA PEARSON is an Administrator for World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms www. wwoofinternational.org

There are lots of opportunities to get hands-on experience with wild animals all over the world. Many volunteer placements, both short and long-term, are available.

There are also wildlife research programmes, where you often get to live and work in the natural habitat of the animal being researched.

Southern Africa and South America have the most options, with many wildlife sanctuaries looking for volunteers with any level of experience. Duties could include

looking after orphaned and newly rescued animals, feeding and providing animal enrichment, and working on building or maintenance projects. Potentially, any skill you have will be utilised by the sanctuary.

Go with an open mind and a willingness to help wherever needed.

The UK charity, Worldwide Veterinary Service (WVS), organises many volunteer projects around the world to support existing charities and NGOs. In 2013 vet students supported a larger veterinary team to carry out health checks on more than 100 chimps in a sanctuary in Zambia. This was a rare opportunity to learn and work with this amazing species, and support the sanctuary.

JAMES FLORENCE is the Managing Director of Worldwide Veterinary Service www.wvs.org.uk

Got a wildlife or travel question you want our team to answer? Email editorial@wildtravelmag.com

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Nearly 400,000 years since the huge Irish elk (megaloceros giganteus) with its unwieldy antlers roamed Europe and Asia, its disappearance remains an intriguing mystery he Irish Elk (Megaloceros giganteus) is misnamed, for it is neither exclusively Irish nor is it an elk. It is in fact a giant extinct deer that stood over 2m tall at its shoulder. It roamed Eurasia more than 7,700 years ago.

Weighing up to 700kg, it was a deer of immense stature – one of the largest ever to have lived. The male’s antlers spanned 4m and were so vast that it must have been just as impressive viewed sideways as head on.

The Irish elk was part of the deer family cervidae, which includes elk, moose, reindeer, muntjac, red and white-tailed deers, and is thought to have descended from M. antecedens 400,000 years ago.

Quite why the Irish elk went extinct remains a mystery. It was believed that the old adage ‘handsome is what handsome does’ ran true, and that the antlers became so unwieldy the deer could not live normally and so the species died off.

However this theory was disproved by American paleontologist and evolutionary biologist Stephen Jay Gould in his 1974 essay, which showed their

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antlers were in appropriate correlation to their massive bodies.

Other cases for extinction include hunting by early humans, habitat loss, and the changing climate that took place at the end of the Pleistocene Era, which lead to a shortened growing season. This would have impacted on the deer’s available diet and resulted in the halving of the female reproduction output. This also heavily affected males, as large amounts of minerals were needed to produce those massive antlers. When the vegetation was forced to adapt it is thought that the male elk was no longer able to get sufficient nutrients.

This last theory is supported by the fact that many of the Irish elk fossils found in Ireland’s peat bogs were males that suffered from malnutrition.

Four pairs of antlers now grace the Great Hall at Longleat House in Wiltshire after the 4th Marquess of Bath brought them back from a visit to Carickmacross in Ireland (then part of Longleat estate) in 1865. There are also skeletons on display WT at the National Museum of Ireland in Dublin.

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