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After yesterday’s news that scientists are concerned not enough is being done for particular conservation…it seems they are going to extreme lengths for one species! Experts in India have developed a technique to monitor tigers that’s almost as good as using cameras : tiger poo and paw mapping.
Tigers are nocturnal so are especially difficult to track but by using this new technique, population numbers can be monitored quicker and so help us understand if/how conservation programmes are working.
Photo : Alamy

While it’s cold and grey and you’re thinking of where to go on holiday, Nick Stringer, award winning director and producer of numerous wildlife documentaries, has picked out the best places to go to spot wildlife.
From exotic locations such as Borneo to catch a glimpse of rare orangutans and gibbons to closer to home places such as the South Downs for red kites and buzzards. Top of my list is the incredible super-volcano, Yellowstone to see the grizzly bears…and the Kalahari desert for mischievous meerkats. Until then, I’ll have to make do with catching them at London Zoo!
Photos by Suzie Pipes ©

A rare pink hippo has been found in the Masai Mara in Kenya. The young hippo was seen nestling behind its mother. Despite its appearance, it’s not albino but leucitic as it has some pigmented spots and dark eyes. As they are more visible to predators they do not often survive in the wild, but as adult male hippos can grow to over 3000kg, if this youngster can survive childhood it has a fairly good chance of a normal life.
Photo : Burrard-Lucas/Barcroft

A BBC film crew have captured images of tigers in the Himalayas for the first time. This could prove vital in the fight for their survival as proof that these magnificent animals can actually survive so high up. Tigers are thought to usually be jungle-dwellers so this evidence could help instigate conservation efforts in this area. It’s estimated that at the current rates, these tigers will be extinct in 15 years. The documentary is on tomorrow night on BBC One.
Photo copyright PA

A new rare cross between zebra and donkey has been born in a reserve in the US. With her stripey legs she’s been given the rather apt name; Pippi Longstocking!
The two species are closely related, both being in the horse family, but genetically they are very different. Donkeys have 62 chromosomes whereas zebras have between 32 and 46, so hybrids like Pippi tend to have a number somewhere in the middle.

The ZSL have the incredible first sightings of the rare and endangered Slender Loris in Sri Lanka. Nocturnal and small (only an 8 inch body – about the same size as a chipmunk), they’ve managed to avoid detection for over 65 years. Mainly insectivores they particularly like acacia ants whose bite is toxic enough to numb an entire human arm!

Rather sweet story about a tortoise sanctuary going to all lengths to bring little Timmy out of his shell. Bullied by the other tortoises, Timmy is now inseparable from Tanya, a plastic model of a tortoise.
The sanctuary look after hundreds of abandoned, illegally imported or unwanted tortoises.