Author: Tim

As with virtually all river dolphin species, the Indus river dolphin was seriously endangered, with the total population dropping to just 150 individuals in 1974. It has bounced back to 2000 in the current time.

However, scientists have engaged fishermen as citizen scientists. Spending so much of their life on the river, they encounter the dolphins far more regularly, and as such are able to record where they encounter them. The relationship is bittersweet to be sure, as fishermen and river dolphins are competing for the same resource. Should the river dolphin continue to recover, will there be enough fish left for the fishermen?

Conservationists have been paying the fishermen to take them back to the source of the sighting, thereby helping with the high cost of fuel. While they do compete, it is quite clear that should the dolphins be lost, it is likely that the fish population will suffer (as they have elsewhere). The biggest threat to both communities is the loss of the fish, as a result of lowering water quality. It and its closest relative, the Ganges river dolphin (found in India) split from other cetaceans 24-34million years ago, when they lived in a prehistoric sea.

What is sad, is that it was only recognized as a separate species in 2021, making it one of just 6 freshwater dolphin species.

It is harder to support this species, as both it looks relatively drab (unlike the pink Amazon dolphin) , and does not leap from the water, which does not help it to be as attractive to tourist visitors, never-the-less, there is still a thriving ecotourism industry around this species.

Originally lost in the wild around the start of this millenium, as a result of illegal pet trade, and habitat degradation in Brazil, in 2022, 20 of these birds were released back into the wild. Referred to as “the most successful reintroduction of any parrot I have ever seen” by a leading parrot conservationist.

Unfortunately, the cooperation agreement between the Brazilian government and the German breeding center that holds most of the currently living Spix maccaws, could cause serious problems.

Initially, the idea was for the German breeding centre to supply 20 of these birds each year, so that, within 20 years, 400 birds would have been released, and combined with offspring, we might have reached 700-800, which is the number thought to be required for a species to thrive long-term.

What will happen now? Will we be left with just the 20 already released? Will these two groups make up, and sort things out? Might the 20 breed so well, that they can recover on their own (unlikely)?

A new study has found that around 244 million tonnes of carbon, is stored in the top 10cm of mud on the ocean floors around the UK. This is vast, and by looking after this mud, we are likely to benefit the amount it can store very positively. What is more crazy, is that this mud sequesters another 13 million tonnes each year. The total carbon emissions of the UK is around 406 million tonnes a year, meaning that our sea mud is absorbing more than 3% of the carbon emissions we release. All of the UK trees, are only thought to absorb around 18 million tonnes per year, suggesting that with some work mud may sequester more carbon than trees (and is certainly not far behind. On land soil also sequesters vast amounts of carbon, which is thought to currently store over 4 billion tonnes of carbon, just in the UK.

Finding ways for all of these natural processes to work better (perhaps undoing damage we have done to these things, could greatly increase the carbon caught.

Trawlers which are dragged along the bottom, as well as other disruption of these habitats, allow the carbon out. However, what is clear, is that, while we desperately need the worlds rainforests to stay standing, there are places in our own country, which also store huge amounts of carbon.

How have you cut your emissions in recent years.

There is a significant number of different species of Langur. I hope in the future, to be able to see many of these species for myself in the wild, for the time-being, this website will increase information where I can.

If all people who travel the world, would spend just one of the days in their trip seeing the local wildlife, the finances to support all these species would likely be there already.

Some of my most exciting moments, have been when I have encountered an animal. Very often, these encounters have not happened where they should have. I have encountered bears and wolves amongst others, outside reserves.

These have often been the most exciting moments on those trips. Should more people search them out, and pay a small price for those encounters, there would be few places on earth where animals would be killed. Should each farmer with wildlife on his land, take a small amount of money each week from those coming to see the wildlife, it would be well worth the hassle to work around it, for the primary use of the land (the growing of crops, or raising of livestock).

Even in countries like the UK, there is wildlife to see. From incredible encounters with badgers and foxes, to following hares across the Welsh hills, or watching whales and dolphins from the UK coast. Very often, in the places where people are hardest up, there is wildlife around the people. Our aim, here, is to create a marketplace for the buying and selling of these encounters, be it access to where the wildlife is, a place to stay or a ride (car boat or something else).

We’re aiming to put put some videos, in the hope to bring word, but please spread word, we are finally at a point where everything needed is in place. Our primary focus, is to link those who live alongside wildlife with those who want to see it, join us, list your wildlife (it only takes a few minutes). We’re also eager to tell peoples story. This is primarily aimed at those listed, but we are interested about all news about the natural world, and are eager to publish stories from all over the place. Do join us – you do not need to write in English (or indeed speak English). The website is equipped with translators, so provided you write clearly in your own language, it should make sense in any

I have been away for the last few weeks. After a week in the UK, we headed to holland, and while the first part of our trip was largely for the children, we then headed into Eastern Holland for a wilder part.

Here, the wolf returned after a 150 year absence.

We spent our time in the region around the Veluwe national park. This is one of the few wild areas of the Netherlands, and of the known 9 packs of wolves, 7 are found within the Veluwe.

While there, I visited a free hide a number of times, and although I did not see the wolves, it was still a fantastic place to visit (seeing red deer, roe deer and wild boar). He has a fascinating tiktok channel, one of the videos which I include to the right. He is a regular at the hide, and has seen wolves around 50 times (so by no means every time).

There is a slight issue with the situation in this area. The Veluwe covers around 420 square miles, (do not be confused by the Veluwe Hoge national park – odd that it is allowed the name as it is a private venture).

This is where private ventures in conservation have issues.

The Veluwe Hoge national park has a very well put together page, and is far easier to find than the actual national park. However, it is there to make money. As such, they are quite against wolves.

Note: this video is currently not playing properly. Click the full screen and it will redirect you to the tiktok page in question

One of the wildest places in the UK is the forest of dean. This is not particularly wild, but work is ongoing in rewilding (though obviously, as yet the reintroduction of any predators is a long-distance aim). The initial rewilding of boar is thought to have occurred as an unofficial reintroduction in 1999 (this is not the first wild living wild boar in the UK in recent times, with a large group escaping after the 89 hurricane). Other species being introduced include beavers and pine martens.

We try to head there for at least a weekend, each year. This was that. We joined other friends, in the forest. Mostly, it was a family weekend away – in a wild place and looking out for wildlife but with small children its not quite the same.

Never-the-less, on Saturday, we went for an evening drive. We did indeed find a wild boar- unfortunately it was a fleeting sighting, with the wild boar disappearing back into the forest, too fast, even for the other person in the car to get to see it.

Still, I consider it a mix of luck, alongside my (I hope) reasonable skills in finding wildlife, and my local knowledge. For any who have seen it, I have put together a video of the wild beavers in Devon, and have been looking for some video footage of the boar in the forest of dean. I think I may well make do with a group of images that we have from a previous encounter.

Still, this weekend encapsulates our aims with “in the shadow of mankind” a weekend in a wild place. Few of our activities were around wildlife, but all our money went to businesses that were around the wild boar. With some progress, they will recognize the benefit they get from living near wild boar. I have been putting off making a video on boar until I had boar video, but may well put together something without it – if that happens, I will link on this website.

If you live near wildlife, or work in any capacity around wildlife (running places to stay, wildlife guide etc) do list your services on the page listed under “list your wild”. This will produce your page, and we will then upload it in a number of places on the website

Lobbyists have been hard at work on this since the beginning. Having now reached a point where denial is an untenable position, delay is the attempt underway.

Surely 30 years is enough delay?

The Lobbyists have definitely earnt their salary, but their cause is not right.

Below is a list of the top 6 fossil fuel companies, alongside a ranking of A to E saying how good or bad they are in terms of living up to the Paris climate accords (or indeed campaigning against.