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Very sad news today as the BBC have decided to no longer support the BBC Wildlife Fund. This incredible unique charity has helped fund 87 charities and countless wildlife since it was founded in 2007. The Wild Night In last year alone helped raise £1.2 million pounds which went towards saving a diverse range of wildlife not just in the UK but all over world…bats, great bustards, chimpanzees, Siamese crocodiles, Moray Firth dolphins, African elephants, gorillas, jaguars, dormice, orang-utans, Galapagos penguins, red squirrels, seahorses, sharks, tigers, water voles, slow worms, and many more.
The BBC has been forced to make cuts…but this charity doesn’t rely on the TV Licence fee, instead relying on corporate sponsorship to pay for the small team of passionate staff supported by enthusiastic volunteers (like me, who would give over my time all over again to help the charity!)
But you can still do something to save this charity from extinction…sign the petition to Chris Patten, the politician who might be able to overturn this decision.

When we asked Sir David Attenborough if he thought there was still life out there to be discovered I don’t think either of us expected so many to be found recently in just one area! The WWF have been working on the Frontier Report, which shows that over the last ten years an incredible 1,060 previously unknown species have been found on the island.
This brightly coloured bird is the wattled smoky honeyeater…others include a frog with fangs, a tree kangaroo and 2.5 metre long river shark. It’s thought the relatively low human population of the area has aided the vast variety of wildlife though now illegal logging is stripping the island’s forests.
Photo : WWF

With all the current issues about badgers in the UK at the moment, here’s some great news from the Secret World, an animal sanctuary for sick, injured or orphaned wildlife. In this video, you can meet some of their current inmates, some rather boisterous baby badgers being hand reared. These animals can grow up to 10kg and 1 metre long, and as the video shows, they aren’t too fussy about what they eat!

It’s not only the Chinese Year of the Rabbit…but tomorrow brings Rabbit Awareness Week!
So it’s sad news that a recent study has found these inquisitive little creatures are getting a rather bad deal. In Britain, they are the third most popular pet, after cats and dogs, yet the RSPCA and other animal welfare organisations estimate around 75% of the two million pet rabbits are badly treated. Many people were unsure about what their pet actually needs in terms of exercise, food and social interactions. Many pets languish outside in hutches that are too small for them with nothing to stimulate their intelligent and inquisitive minds. If you consider the longest jump recorded by a rabbit is 10ft, most cramped hutches are far too small for these animals.
Photo : Andrew Linscott/Alamy

The RSPCA are looking for more people to help with their Pet Retreat campaign. They receive hundreds of phone calls from people trying to escape domestic violence with the extra problem of how to look after their pets. Pet Retreat provides a temporary foster home for their pet, so they know they are safe and cared for while they sort their lives out. Then, when they’re ready, their pet is returned to them! But at the moment, there are only 80 foster families in the country. Find out more on their website and see if you could provide a lifeline for not just these pets but their owners too.

The Prince of Wales has called for help in saving our iconic tufty-eared red squirrels. The invasion of the grey squirrel means British reds are limited to certain areas across the country. The controversial new scheme involves creating ‘corridors’ of land so animals can move around more easily and trapping and killing grey squirrels.
These wily little creatures remind me of a popular advert a while ago…

Beautiful ad by the WWF in Mexico showing how we’re all connected; from life in the ocean to the African savannah, all life is linked to us and what we do. Find out more about their work and how you can help.
Thanks to tonystoyshop.com for passing this lovely piece on!

The Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust have given their keepers an iPhone to take photos of their animals…and this cheeky baby otter caught my eye. The parents have been feeding them mussels!
Gerald Durrell was a massive inspiration to me when I was a kid reading his ‘My Family and Other Animals’…but his influence and passion for wildlife goes much further. He began the Jersey Zoo in the 1950s and his army of conservationists continue his work across the world.
If you can’t make it to the zoo, all the keeper’s pictures are on Twitter or you can take a sneaky peek at some critters with their webcams!

The fantastic wildlife website, ARKive, are running a romantic campaign to help raise awareness of the world’s most endangered species. Join in on Twitter! There are thousands of weird and wonderful animals to choose from, plus the website has Valentines e-cards you can send to your loved one (like the beautiful European bee eater above caught mid-bee!)

Just a quick one as I’m off out to help the BBC Wildlife Fund, the official charity of this year’s Times Destinations Show at Earls Court. If you’re thinking of where to go on holiday this year, the show will have hundreds of ideas…and I’m told, a few animal visitors from across the globe to get you in the mood. The BBC Wildlife Fund is an incredible charity (nothing to do with the licence fee) set up to help animal conservation groups not only across the world but here in the UK too. My favourite is the the dormouse conservation currently going on in Kent!