Hello and welcome to my latest wildlife publication. There
is only one way this piece can really focus, the extraordinary achievements of
the great Sir David Attenborough. The great man recently celebrated his 90th
birthday and incredibly shows no signs of calling time on an incredible career
and thank goodness for that ! He has inspired many generations of people all around
the globe to protect the planet and the incredible species with whom we share
it. I have chosen to provide some of my favourite Attenborough moments whether
they on screen or his iconic narrating. I’m sure you will enjoy them as much as
I have and continue too.
There are also some fantastic findings coming recently
emerging from the Chernobyl exclusion zone as well some thirty years after the
disaster which you can read about below, demonstrating the true hardiness of
the natural world. As always I hope you enjoy the blog.
The Capercaillie .
The Life of Birds is one of the earliest series I can remember presented by Sir David and this particular clip is always one that immediately comes to mind.
Everyone loves a sloth! .
I think everyone has a soft spot for the endearing nature of sloths. This clip can only serve to reinforce that affection.
Wolves hunting - Life of Mammals.
This is classic Sir David, there really is not much more to add.
What a wonderful world.
These images will never fail to amaze and of course the narrating once more is just fantastic even when covering song lyrics. There will never be another person who comes close to achieving what this legend has.
Wildlife unaffected by Chernobyl disaster.
A recent study by The University of Georgia led by James
Beasley and assisted by Sarah Webster is the first remote camera scent station
to be conducted inside the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone thirty years after the
radiation outbreak. The findings supported previous research however its
importance has been emphasised for its ability to provide visual proof of abundant
wildlife in the area which is comprised of the ordering lands of Belarus and
Ukraine.
Over a five week time frame, ninety four sites were surveyed
using thirty cameras. Each camera was positioned on a tree or a similar object
for a week long period and an enticing fatty acid scent placed nearby. The
locations of the stations were approximately two miles apart to minimise the
risk of animals visiting multiple stations in a twenty four hour period. Locations
were chosen to make sure habitat variation and diverse ranges of radiation
levels were accounted for in the surveying process.
The survey recorded all species visiting the stations and
the regularity of which they did so. The study particular focused on carnivores
however as Webster explains. “Carnivores are often in higher trophic levels of
ecosystem food webs, so they are susceptible to bioaccumulation of contaminants".
In total the cameras recorded 14 mammal species the most
frequent of which were; the wild boar, red fox, grey wolf and raccoon dog. These
species all visited stations situated either inside or near to the highest
level of radiation zones. As a result of these findings the study concluded
areas with high levels of radiation do not impact on species populations,
instead they vary in abundance depending on the location of natural resources.
That is all for this occasion , as usual thank you for reading I really hope you enjoyed it,
George.
