Whatever the weather…..

Whatever the weather, there’s something to see at ZSL’s London Zoo.   In fact, they’ve put up a list of suggestions on their website to give you a few pointers.

If it’s pouring with rain, fear not…

Enter London’s Rainforest Life and come face to face with species such as sloths, tamanduas and Emperor tamarins.  Then go to the Night Zone to see what the nocturnal animals get up to after dark….

See Rainforest Life

Go to the Blackburn Pavillion where you’ll find many birds, some free flying…..

Learn more about life cycles, biodiversity and climate change in Butterfly Paradise – you’re surrounded by the hundreds of butterflies chosen to represent the 100,000 species existing on the planet

Then you could go to BUGS which stands for Biodiversity Underpinning Global Survival, a biodiversity and conservation exhibit.  It’s the main place where invertebrates (who have no backbone) are, and there’s the UK’s first ever walk-through spider exhibit, too!

The Reptile House goes back to 1926 and here you’ll find reptiles and amphibians, including snakes, lizards, frogs and crocodiles! 

Behind the Reptile House, you’ll find the home of Ganas, a Komodo Dragon.  Komodo Dragons have incredibly sharp teeth and toxic saliva that can fell a buffalo.  You wouldn’t want to mess with a Komodo Dragon.

The good news is that many of the outdoor exhibits have sheltered spaces where you can watch the animals out of the rain.  There’s the train station at Land of the Lions, two big viewing areas at Tiger Territory and the western lowland gorillas’ jungle gym at Gorilla Kingdom mean you can watch under cover.

The Lemur area has a big indoor area for people and lemurs, whilst you can see inside the indoor area for pygmy hippos Thug and Nicky.

You can always stop off for a hot drink and something to each in the Terrace restaurant – and then why not just take a peek at the penguins, even if it is still raining and just brave the weather?

So even if there’s a deluge, there’s plenty of things to see……   so why not head off to ZSL London Zoo to see them for yourself?  

Do you know of someone who loves seahorses and the sea?

If so, you could give them a membership to the Seahorse Trust or adopt a seahorse for them to help the Seahorse Trust. 

Based in Devon, this UK registered charity that was set up as 1999.  It was established as an umbrella organisation to preserve and conserve, especially the marine environment.  It works with many organisations worldwide, and Seahorses are the flagship species of the Trust.

Seahorses occupy the coastal areas - and sadly it is these areas which are greatly under threat, as they are vulnerable to human and natural interference.  Boating activities for instance can damage the sea grasses on which seahorses depend.   

There's just been a key decision for seahorses in Studland Bay where the UK government has thankfully overlooked the objections of boating people and made imposed anchoring restrictions on boast in the area;  the anchors can destroy the seagrass.  This ban will give the seahorses there a chance to recover.

You can join the Seahorse Trust for £30 a year.  You could also Adopt a Seahorse as a gift for just £5 a month. 

Find out more about joining the Seahorse Trust and adopting a seahorse here

So did you see Big Cats About the House on BBC2 on Thursday night? 

The series is running three programmes featuring big cat expert Giles Clark.   He is aiming to turn the Big Cat Sanctuary in Kent into a global centre of big cat expertise.

Last night we saw the utterly adorable black jaguar cub Maya (who you can adopt for £75) whom Giles is hand-rearing around the clock after she's been neglected by her mother.  

There are 50 big cats at the sanctuary, and as well as giving us an insight into the animals there, it focuses on big cat conservation and the issues affecting these majestic animals in the wild.

The great news is that you can give a gift membership to the Big Cat Sanctuary and help big cat conservation, welfare and breeding.   Members receive a quarterly newsletter, an exclusive pin badge and priority booking for events.

But surely the most important thing you receive is the knowledge you're helping big cats and making a difference towards their conservation.

Visit the Big Cat Sanctuary's website here. 

I've been glued to the television every Sunday night recently watching Sir David Attenborough's incredible series, Blue Planet II.

For me, it's television at its best.  The BBC's Natural History Unit is superb - with stunning photography and footage.  The patience and expertise of the crew is breathtaking. 

The last programme focused on Coasts and amost the places the programme visited, the Galapagos Islands was one of those featured.  The way the sea lions chased and herded the tuna inshore was something to be seen.  And the islands are beautiful.  

The programme's website has information about ways in which we can all get involved in helping our oceans.   

If you've got a loved one who is very interested in the Galapagos Islands, you could give them a Gift Membership to the Galapagos Conservation Trust.

It's the only UK registered charity to focus exclusively on the conservation and sustainability of the Galapagos Archipelago.  It was launched in 1995 and it's supported an array of projects in Galapagos.

The charity raises funds and awareness in the UK, and so can support conservation projects and therefore help with the overall management of this unique ecosystem.  You can find out more about its mission here.

You can support the work of the Trust by giving a Gift Membership.

Benefits of a gift membership are the same as for a regular membership and include a subscription to Galapagos Matters, invitations to events and an exclusive GCT pin badge.

Click here to visit the Galapagos Conservation Trust to find out more about Gift Memberships