Thinking of Sakura Hanami

Spring had sprung in all its glory. But, I never knew what to expect as the glorious sunny days were interspersed with biting winds and driving rains. And still the flowers opened and blossomed against the deep blue skies or clinging  to the branch as the winds ripped the petals. Britain was truly in bloom as evidenced by these magnificent cherry blossoms. It was a sight to behold especially when in full riotous bloom. These colourful display were at their absolute peak thanks to the combination of sunny days and cold nights. Clouds of these fluffy ornamental cherry blossoms were everywhere. Trees that were dull and uninteresting for eleven months of the year, suddenly became alive and what a sight. During my lunch break, you can always find me under these trees oohing and aahing, at these spectacular blooms.

 

Can words describe the fragrance of the very breath of Spring

~Neltje Blanchan~

 

The perfect time to view these blossoms was when the buds had fully opened into flowers and before the leaves of the cherry wood started to develop. This was a very short time only and the university grounds appeared most spectacularly engulfed with the sea of white or pink, lacy blossoms. Eventually the brown leaves began to dominate the vista and the blossoms fell from the branches, a rain of petals fluttering down to carpet the ground. Due to their very short flowering time, the blossoms were often seen as a metaphor for life itself, luminous and beautiful, yet fleeting and ephemeral.

 

There is no glory in a star or blossom till looked upon by a loving eye. There is no fragrance in April breezes till breathed with joy as they wander by.

~Wm. C. Bryant~

 

Sakura was the Japanese name for flowering cherry trees and their blossoms while Hanami literally meant ‘blossom viewing’. In Japan, it was a national celebration. The custom of Hanami was originally limited to the elite and nobility but soon spread to the samurai society and then blossomed to include all levels of society. During the peak of the blooming season, families gathered in large numbers spending time together picnicking, drinking sake and soaking in the cycle of nature. There was a legend that each spring a fairy maiden hovered low in the warm sky, wakening the sleeping cherry trees with her delicate breath. A fallen cherry blossom symbolized a fallen samurai who had sacrificed his life for the emperor. That was why during World War 2, they were painted on the side of Kamikaze warplanes!!!

 

Could I die under a cherry blossom tree in full bloom on a full-moon night of spring?

~Saigyo, Japanese monk~

 

It was a miracle that I managed to tear myself away from these stunning blooms which were outside my window. I’d to  participate in an e-forum and concentrate on a webinar. First was a 2 day Rare book cataloguing e-forum organised by CIG. Although the library don’t have a rare book collection, I think it would be useful as a cataloguer to know what was going on. It seemed that knowing a variety of languages especially Latin was an important criteria plus a knowledge of historical bibliography. A good understanding of standards, provenance, bindings and palaeography were useful for a better understanding of the collection.

Then it was a SUNCAT webinar. SUNCAT was the Serials Union Catalogue for the UK research community containing bibliographic, holdings and ToCs information for serials (both print and electronic) held in 100 libraries across the country. It was a freely available tool designed to help researchers, students, librarians and other interested party to locate serials held in these libraries. I queried why non-standard subject headings were accepted into the catalogue. The reason given was that many libraries do not use the standard subject headings as many local subject headings weren’t covered under LCSH or MeSH as they were not appropriate or granular enough. I think I need to check these local headings….

Finally, I was in London with JG to attend a Digital Preservation Workshop. I was glad when this came up because it was on my ‘to do’ list for my annual appraisal. What a perfect timing. I can now ticked it off my list. I met JG in London and we took the tube to the Barbican Centre. From here, we tried to dodge the road-works that suddenly sprung out of nowhere. After finding the place, we quickly refreshed ourselves, had coffee (in my case hot water because no herbal tea was supplied) and joined the rest of the participants. We were the only librarian among the archivists, historians, record managers and curators. We spent the day sitting through a series of presentations, case studies and exercises where we learnt how to apply the techniques of assessment, risk management and planning to help secure our digital collections.

After all these e-forum, webinar and workshop, I needed to get out and clear my head. I was very excited when I found out from Twitter that a hoopoe was seen in Slimbridge WWT, most probably lost on migration. But due to work commitments and Babe’s health, we couldn’t just put everything down and sped off. So we waited for the weekend and off course, by that time it was just a memory. But there were still plenty of things for us to see and photograph. It was a lovely sunny day on the drive down through fields of rapeseeds in their stunning yellow colours that chequered the countryside.

We were quite surprised to see the reserve deserted. Where was everyone? We headed straight to  Rushy Hide and was greeted by a family of Greylags with 4 very fluffy, adorable goslings. Greylags were considered sacred by the Romans after reportedly saving Rome in 390BC. When the Gauls tried to climb in, the geese warned the Romans with their loud vocal calls about the attempted invasion. After this, Caesar believed that they were sacred and ordered that they were not to be eaten in Pre-Roman Britain. There were also dozens of Shelducks and an Egyptian goose having a siesta under the warm April afternoon. A lone Black-tailed Godwit was feeding along the mudbanks while the Black headed gulls were having a little squabble among themselves.

We went to the next hide and there were more Shelducks upending about in the lake, feeding on submerged plants and animals. A dozen or so Black-tailed Godwits were looking majestic with their long legs, long bills and russet summer plumage. They were wading alongside the Shelducks and probing vigorously often with the head completely submerged.  A pair of Common Cranes were standing guard by the reed-beds. Last year, Monty and Chris had 2 chicks but unfortunately they were predated. Fingers-crossed, they will be nesting soon and praying hard that they’ll successfully produce a chick or two.

We continued on and made a pit stop by the tunnel to see if the voles were about. I think they must have abandoned the burrows because it looked dry and covered with leaves. At Willow Hide, a bald Robin was feeding under the bird-feeder together with a few rats. He looked like a very mini vulture with a red breast. I think it might had mites and causing it to loose feathers. He looked healthy and hopefully will recover. Colourful Goldfinches were busy singing in high pitched rapid twitters on the Willow tree. There were plenty of butterflies such as Brimstone, Orange tip, White and Peacocks but they weren’t stopping for photographs.

“Do you realise, Goldfinch

what a flash finch you are, with your little tail-feathers”

~Osip Mandelstam~

At Robbie Garnet hide, there were more Shelducks, Black-tailed Godwits and Common Cranes. The later were trumpeting from time to time. The tack piece was empty. The waders must either be feeding on the estuary or sitting on eggs. We continued to Holden Towers where we saw Avocets nesting on an island in the middle of the wetlands. There were seven nests occupied with two broods on the scrape. Colony size and density were determined by the availability of suitable nest sites, distance to water and risk of predation. The nests which were built by both parents were shallow scrapes on bare mud and composed of short pieces of stems, roots and leaves of marsh vegetation. A pair of Crane was tracking another single crane which happened to be in their territory. I was hoping for some action but the intruder just backed off.

We made a pit stop at Wader shore and the usual culprits were having a little snooze that we left these sleeping beauties alone. We then headed straight to the South Lake where a  lecustic Greylags caught our attention. Leucism was a very unusual condition whereby the pigmentation cells failed to develop properly. This resulted in unusual white patches or turning completely white. There were hundreds of Black Headed gulls making themselves heard. According to the board, there were 120  Black tailed Godwits and I think there were more. Sociable birds, they were feeding in large flocks, busy probing the mudbanks with their bills for invertebrate-preys. A guided tour was going on and we lingered for a while to listen. Nothing that we’d never heard before.

Babe wanted to check Hogarth Hide and on the way there, we spotted Moorhens sitting on eggs in very well-hidden nesting sites. At the hide, we watched a trio of Avocets flying in and started feeding very close to where we were sitting. They came closer and closer that we could see the distinctively-patterned black and white with their long up-curved beaks. All were busily feeding, constantly sweeping their partly –opened bills in the shallow pools. In the deep waters, they swam readily and buoyantly, constantly upending like ducks. A lone Common Crane was also feeding and he also came very close to the hide.

We spent about an hour here taking photographs of the Avocets and Common Crane. We only left after they’d flown off. Then we checked out the rest of the reserve to see if there were any new captive species added. We also saw a Mute Swan sitting on a huge mound of vegetation of reeds and rushes, and had a lining of down. Nests were built by the females, while the male supplied the materials. We checked the roofs of the visitor centre for swallows but it looked empty. They must be busy feeding to fatten up before they start laying eggs. Then it was time to head home.

Back home, I was busy in the kitchen to bake a Malay dessert known as Seri Muka or literally translated as Bright Face :-). It is steamed glutinous rice in coconut milk with a pandan custard topping. We were invited to a garden party and I wanted to bring it with me. Everytime, I am invited to someone’s house, I never turned up empty handed. But unfortunately, Babe wasn’t feeling too good and I texted to say we can’t make it which was a shame. Any way, we enjoyed the dessert very much.

 

For Bottom Layer:

300 g glutinuos rice (soak for 30 minutes in water)
200 ml thin coconut milk (100ml coconut milk plus 100 ml water)
2 screwpine (pandan) leaves (optional)
1 teaspoon salt

For Top Layer:

200 ml thick coconut milk or coconut cream
2 large eggs plus 2 egg yolks
170 g sugar
100 ml pandan/screwpine juice (from 8-10 pandan leaves)
5 tablespoon all-purpose flour + 2 Tablespoon cornstarch

Mixed all the ingredients for the bottom layer and steam on high heat for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile prepare the top layer. Mix the eggs, coconut milk, sugar, pandan juice and flour. Stir until smooth. Cook over boiling water (using double boil method) until the mixture thickens slightly but still runny enough to pour.

After 20 minutes, take out the glutinuous rice mixture, stir and flatten it with spoon or hands. Make sure it is compact. Use a sieve to pour the egg mixture on to the rice mixture.

Steam on medium heat for 30 minutes. Leave to cool before cutting into diamond-shaped or rectangle-shaped pieces.

After a good rest, we checked out our favourite playground to see what the natives were up to. And we weren’t alone. The place was swarming with kids but thankfully they were contained by the dipping pond and the den-making sites. The reserve looked very green as the ferns and bracken began to unfurl, the hedgerows greening up and wildflowers gracing the verges. Mother Nature does her best. The bank along Goose pool was covered with primroses that were coming up with their dainty pale yellow flowers with orange centres. These vigorous plants seemed to be multiplying every year, adding stunning colours to the landscape. In the language of flowers, primroses symbolised early youth, fears, a sense of being forsaken,  inconstancy, innocence and lovers’ doubts.

“Oh fairest flower, no sooner blown but blasted, Soft silken primrose fading timelessly”

~John Milton~

We continued on and was greeted by the Chiffchaffs with their monotonous and irregular repetition of two notes ‘chiff-chaff-chif-chif-chaf’ and the Cetti Warbler’s very distinctive explosive loud and abrupt calls. They sounded so close but it was just impossible to see them because of the dense undergrowth. At Baldwin Hide, we opened the shutter towards the island very slowly because there was a Canada Goose nesting right underneath the window. The male was standing guard nearby and gave us the evil eye. They’d nested here before and later abandoned the nest. Fingers-crossed, they’ll be successful this time.

We continued towards East Marsh hide stopping by the bank where rare mining bees were nesting. Branches of wood were put over the site to stop people from climbing the bank and destroying the nest. We kept on saying that we were going to put a sign up but I think the branches does deter people. From the hide, we  saw a few Coots, Greylags and Canada Geese sitting on eggs on the island. Redshanks with their orange-red legs were flying in and out alerting us with their tew-hoo-hoo alarm calls. A pair of Oyster catcher was also on the island probing the mudbanks with their long, orange red bills for mollusks and other crustaceans.

Suddenly on Wigeon bank which was opposite us, a pair of Muntjac appeared. Whoop…whoop. The female preferred to feed in the thick undergrowth but the male was out in the open. Males have short antlers, which can re-grow, but they tended to fight for their territory with their tusks (downward-pointing canine teeth). We held our breaths and watched it getting closer and closer to the water edge for a drink. It was quite close that we could see the bump on each side of the head.

Also known as the barking deer or Mastreani deer, they were first introduced from China to Woburn Park in Bedfordshire in 1900 and escapees had since established wild populations.  It was said that you’re more likely to hear its dog-like bark than see it in the wild. They uttered loud barks over prolonged periods and equally loud distress calls. But I’d never heard it before. Standing at just 20 inches tall uniform reddy-brown colour coat, they were expert at hiding way in brambles, rushes and long grass. Slowly, we watched it slipped away through the reed beds.

Then we headed to the very quiet Carlton hide. The algae had covered the pool again. We were about to leave when a Kestrel flew in and started hovering very close to the hide. It headed into the wind and kept stationary with great precision by flying at exactly the speed of the wind. It held its wings forward, which tipped the bird up so that it was flying partly upwards and its body and spread tail caught more of the wind both to lift and to hold back. It did swopped to the ground but flew up empty handed. After several tries, it flew to the nearby tree and started surveying the area. What an attractive bird with a copper-brown back and bluish head and tail, the later tipped white and black.

In a great western wind we climbed the hill
And saw the clouds run up, ride high and sink;
And there were shadows running at our feet
Till it seemed the very earth could not be still,
Nor could our hearts be still, nor could we think
Our hearts could ever be still, our thought less fleet
Than the dizzy clouds, less than the flying wind.

 

Eastward the valley and the dark steep hill
And other hills and valleys lost behind
In mist and light. The hedges were not yet bare
Though the wind picked at them as he went by.

The woods were fire, a fire that dense or clear
Burned steady, but could not burn up the shadows
Rooted where the trees' roots entangled lie,
In darkness; or a flame burned solitary
In the middle of the highest of brown meadows,
Burned solitary and unconsuming where
A red tree stooped to its black shadow and
The kestrel's shadow hunted the kestrel up the hill.

We climbed, and as we stood (where yet we stand
And of the visioned sun and shadow still drink)
Happiness like a shadow chased our thought
That tossed on free wings up and down the world;
Till by that wild swift-darting shadow caught
Our free spirits their free pinions furled.
Then as the kestrel began once more the heavens to climb
A new-winged spirit rose clear above the hills of time.

The  Kestrel by John Freeman

Finally, a quick stop at Ted Jury Hide. The steps had been repaired but the smell of the wood varnish was still very strong that we’d to open all the windows. A Little Grebe or Dabchick was in the pool just below the hide. A small dumpy grebe with a fluffy rear end. It had its summer colours of bright chestnut throat and cheeks with a pale gape patch at the base of the bill. It was busy diving, hunting small fishes and other aquatic invertebrates. When it spotted us, it quickly dived in and surfaced some distance away, under the reeds.

I went outside when I heard a loud, clear fluting song and immediately spotted the singer. It was very handsome Blackcap. The song was a beautiful warbling and whistling, starting quietly with low warblings and becoming richer and louder until it abruptly rose to a clear whistling which ended with a set phrase, either rising or falling. I felt as if I needed to give him a standing ovation :-). Later in the season, the preliminary warblings were shortened and the last songs which were heard around the end of July were only final whistling. The calls were pebble clashing tak-tak. The females arrived later and were attracted to the territory of a male by his persistent singing. By the sound of it, this male won’t stay single for long.

Then we slowly made our way to the car. Babe stopped at East Marsh hide while I lingered under the hawthorn trees. A song was being sung and I was curious to identify the singer. Unfortunately, he was high up the canopy and my sight was hampered by the leaves and branches. But I persisted because I noticed it was creeping from branches to branches. I think it was a Willow warbler, probably the most numerous bird in the country during summer. The song was unhurried and lilting, with a short sequence of clear notes descending in pitch and fading away but reviving for a second descent. I was so lucky to have photograph this bird.

We also made another trip to Draycote Waters, which now seemed to be our 2nd favourite playground. It was buzzing both on the waters and land. The fishing season was in full swing as we saw at least a dozen boats moored near the embankment. We enjoyed watching the fishermen struggling to reel in their catch. Some were successful including this guy. Check out the fish. That will be dinner for tonight. There were a few sailing and yachting practices going on. We’d to move quickly or else we would be eaten alive by clouds of flies and midgets.

We were hoping to see and photographs Wheatear, a summer visitor and a passage migrant that wintered in Central Africa. As they were ground-dwelling bird, we scanned the piles of rocks and soil that were dug up by the rabbits, but we didn’t spot any. We were then distracted by colourful Goldfinches that were flying on to the pavement and looked like they were hanging on to the  wall. We looked carefully and found that they were hunting for spiders, ants and larva. Aah… they must have chicks. Adult Goldfinches feed on various tree seeds such as alder and birch and on thistles, teasel and dandelion seeds but chicks were fed by regurgitation. We sat there listening to their pleasant ramblings and tinkling.

A flock of birds suddenly flew from the grassy embankments. We carefully walked down and sat among the grass trying to lend in which wasn’t difficult because we were in camouflaged clothing. We sat and waited patiently and guess what, Pied wagtails, Linnets  and Yellow wagtails. Whoop… whoop. The Yellow wagtails were extremely stunning birds, and when they arrived in spring was a joy to see. They  had bright yellow head, with crown and ear coverts. There was an eye stripe which was yellow, while the chin and throat was bright yellow which extended down and under the belly.

We watched them collect insects from the ground when walking and sometimes by more rapid pursuits and even short fly-catching flights. Unfortunately, the flights were just too quick to photograph. Sharp ‘pseep’ high calls greeted us as they wandered around us hunting for food. They nested near sources of water where insects for food were abundant. Unfortunately, their reliance on insects had made them vulnerable to the intensification of British farming, especially the improvement and reduction of pasture.

Intensive farming too had resulted in the decline of the Linnet, a very active finch. The males were in full breeding plumage with red foreheads and breasts. The females lacked the red but were streaked and dark brown above. They had an undulating flight and were busy twittering as they flew. They were feeding on the ground, their food mainly consisting of seeds from most arable weeds. Linnets were named after their favourite food which were seeds. Linseed was the seed of flax, giving the bird its common name, while the Latin name ‘cannabina’ referred to hemp.

I heard a linnet courting
His lady in the spring:
His mates were idly sporting,
Nor stayed to hear him sing
His song of love.--
I fear my speech distorting
His tender love.

‘I heard a linnet courting’ by Robert Bridges

We went home as soon as we felt the first rain-drop. We planned to check out the rugby match between Wasps and Exeter Chiefs at the Ricoh Arena. But, we’d to cancel it because Babe was exhausted. What a shame because the tickets were free and it was too late to give it to someone else. I never liked taking freebies and not using them. 'C’est la vie. But, it wasn’t a wasted day. I mowed the front lawn which needed doing weekly. Sunshine and showers had made things coming out in a rush including weeds. Aargh…. I also made banana muffins and Anzac cookies for Anzac day, not to celebrate the day but to remember.

• 1 cup plain flour
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup coconut
• 125 g butter
• 2 tbs golden syrup
• 1 tbs water
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• Sift the flour into a bowl. Add the sugar, rolled oats and coconut.
• Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the golden syrup and water.
• Stir the bicarbonate of soda into the liquid mixture.
• Add the liquid to the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.
• Place walnut-sized balls of mixture on a greased tray and bake at 175C for 15-20 minutes.
• Biscuits will harden when cool.

25th April marked the hundreth anniversary of the start of the British-led army invasion of Gallipoli on Turkey’s Dardanellr Peninsula, which resulted in over 200,000 thousand dead and wounded in an 8 month period. Gallipoli was a military disaster. Yet, a century on, politicians seek to glorify the First World War, calling the huge loss of life at Gallipoli ‘a price worth paying’. Many of these were major casualties for the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC). Yet, the Australian government spent $300 million commemorating the WW1 centenary, and used it to promote militarism and national myths. Veterans’ group had condemned the ‘national circus’ that Anzac day had become.

Why do we kill people who are killing people to show that killing people is wrong?

~Holly Near~

The UK government spent £60 million on its own national circus and this was in times of the so-called austerity There were a number of events in London, Portsmouth and Turkey. There was no mention of Churchill’s role as prime mover of the Gallipoli catastrophe, which led to his dismissal from the government. Rather than celebrating the rewriting of history to promote new wars being waged on this 100th anniversary, it was important to remember what really happened at Gallipoli.

War should be made a crime, and those who instigate it should be punished as criminals

~Charles Evans Hughes~.

I also managed to take the first photograph of a hedgehog for 2015. They’d been coming regularly every night at 9 pm since end of March but it was too cold to leave the patio doors open in order to see them. I put the mashed dog food sprinkled liberally with dried mealworms and left them by the steps leading to the garden. It was lovely to see them again and fingers-crossed more will turn up when the news spread. It saddened me to read about the decline of these animal. As Philip Larkin wrote in “The Mower”, a poem he composed after he killed a hedgehog while cutting grass, it seemed that humans had ‘mauled’ their ‘unobtrusive world’. We must realised that their decline was all the more significant since like butterflies, they were known to be an ‘indicator species’, whose fate mirrored what was happening to the natural world as a whole. It was sad and scary that a fifth of Britons had never seen these prickly creatures. I’m glad that 33,000 households had joined a Hedgehog Street campaign to welcome them in their gardens. A start had been made, as Larkin ended his poem, ‘there is still time’’.

So much is happening in garden and countryside that I run this way and that trying to hold everything at once: the wall flowers, the tulips, the lilac and the apple blossom. I should like to stay the pace of Time here at this point and to linger over the last of April, but all around life rises like  tide and I am carried forward into the exciting anticipation of pleasures to come.

~Patience Strong~

Walking in the Wild Yorkshire Wildlife Park

Babe and I ended the Easter weekend with another outing and this time, we checked out the Yorkshire Wildlife Park. I took Friday off to avoid the weekend crowds. Oh … was I wrong. It was still the school break here and the car-park was rammed full that we’d to park at the end of the overspill. We’d to walk along very dusty paths on one of the hottest day of the week. What a start eh. I wished they had provided a bus service to ferry the visitors  to the entrance.  We were nearing the complex when we were greeted by a mighty roar from inside of the compound. What a welcome. Just wow …

Yorkshire Wildlife Park was the UK’s no. 1 award winning 70-acre walkthrough wildlife adventure based at Branton, Doncaster in South Yorkshire.  It was formerly the Brockholes Farm Visitor Centre before the site was purchased by the former keepers of the Woburn Safari Park and a business partner. It was said to be  a dynamic conservation centre helping to save habitats and wildlife, with the help of communities at home and around the world. It worked together with other wildlife parks and zoos across Europe to maintain animals that were endangered in the wild through captive breeding and enrichment of the animals lives.

We walked through the 600 square metre safari village which featured outlets selling the usual token souvenirs, crafts, artworks and decorations. While queuing to pay the £16 each entrance fee, we spotted a dozen or two swallows flying across the beautiful blue Yorkshire skies. As soon as we got through the gates, we were greeted by the Meerkat and Mongoose mansion. The compound were surrounded by 1 metre high of clayish wall with alternate glass screen for the little ones to watch the antics of these adorable mammals. That meant parents don’t have to carry them for them to see across the wall and also prevent them from climbing. I think it was a brilliant idea. 

The cheeky mob of Meerkats and yellow mongoose were running all over the place, digging away and standing on their two feet checking out their admirers. Family group kept each other within sound and sight distance while foraging. One will always be standing on its hind legs or perched in the highest point, scanning for predators. This lookout was known as the ‘sentry’ and if any danger was spotted, it barked or whistled loudly so that everyone could dash to the nearest burrow safely.

Armed with a map, we decided to walk on the left-hand side passing the £1.2m giant play barn that was built in 2013. Beside it was the Baboon reserve which housed a troop of Guinea baboons from the Edinburgh zoo  These were 17 ‘outcast’ baboons that were moved from the zoo after ‘falling out’ with 60 others who shared their enclosure. Guinea baboons have a strict social hierarchy and normally live in groups of up to 40 individuals. They spent most of their time on the ground foraging, playing and grooming each other, running about, climbing and destroying the plants.

These Guinea baboons were the smallest of the 5 baboon sub-species and were IUCN listed. There were a few very young babies being carried around by their mothers. Their antics delighted the children especially when the mothers while searching for fleas, turned their babies upside down and checking the bottoms. The Alpha male Romulus was really impressive, strutting around showing everyone who was the boss.

The Big Baboon is found upon
The plains of Cariboo:
He goes about with nothing on
(A shocking thing to do).

 

But if he dressed up respectably
And let his whiskers grow,
How like this Big Baboon would be
To Mister So-and-so!

~Hilaire Belloc~

The next enclosure was the one I was looking forward to see, the African Painted dogs, the most endangered carnivore in Africa . But unfortunately they were fast asleep in their cave. What do you expect on such a hot afternoon??? We carried on and visited them later. We walked through the woodland trail where I spotted Chaffinches carrying nesting materials and Robins singing from the branches. We came across the first walk-through area which was the Lemur wood. We didn’t enter because it was packed and again, we continued on walking past the birds of prey enclosure where a few birds were kept. We didn’t linger since all of them we’d seen before.

Opposite the birds enclosure we came across a pair of the cutest pair of pigs we’d ever seen. They were the Red River hogs, a wild member of the pig family living in the Guinean and Congolian forests of Africa.  We got closer to them as they snuffled their way around the deciduous woodland where they were based.  They had striking red rufous, with black legs, a tufted white stripe along the spine and fantastic ear tufts including a strangely beautiful face. There were white face markings around the eyes and on the cheeks and jaws and bore long, white whiskers.

Also known as the bush pig, they were the smallest pigs and used their large muzzle to snuffle about in the soil in search of roots and tubers. It was amazing to watch them stripped the bark of a sapling. This behaviour often caused much damage to agricultural plantings, resulting in being hunted by farmers. The snouts were very powerful too, lifting logs and digging holes with great ease. They possessed a striking, mellifluous vocalization pattern that was said to resemble the opening of the bassoon solo in Stravinski’s Rite of Spring but unfortunately we weren’t there long enough to hear it.

Then straight to the piece de resistance, Project Polar Reserve which was set up in 2014 with its first polar bear. It was a 500kg male called Viktor, a 16 year old from the Rhenen Zoo in Mexico. He was recently accompanied with Pixel, a 2 year old from a zoo near Eindhoven. These were the only polar bears in an English zoo. When we were there we found out that Viktor was in his rest pen recovering from an injury. He was fast asleep and was massive, even lying down. Imagine when he stood on his back legs, he was over 3 metres tall!!! It was a shame not to see him up and about but we wished him well.

But Pixel didn’t let us down. He was about a third of the size of Victor and was doing his best to entertain his admirers. We enjoyed watching him rolling about and playing, reminiscent of an overgrown Labrador. After bounding around the huge enclosure, he went up the rocks and fell asleep. It was quite surreal to see a polar bear sleeping in the sun. Nearby, there was major works in-progress. The Park were in talks about rescuing another polar bear called Yupi from another Mexican zoo.  Polar bears were increasingly threatened in their native habitat because sea ice was disappearing. The Park was applauded for providing home for bears retired from breeding programmes (Viktor had 15 offsprings) and those rescued from bad conditions such as hot climates.

Call me Polar Bear, but beauty, fierceness,
courage, and my surroundings have brought
out the poet in the flesh walkers.

To Russians, I am simply White Bear;
to Danes, Ice Bear; for many, Sea Bear.
Among the Inuit, I am Nanuk,
the animal worthy of great respect,
or The Ever-wandering One.

Norsemen, who wear imagination like a garment,
hail me Sailor of the Icebergs, White Sea Deer,
Whale’s Curse, Seal’s Dread. Their poets say
I have the strength of twelve men
and the wits of eleven.

Siberia’s Ket people esteem all bears.
To them I am Grandfather.

The Lapp people point to me and say,
God’s Dog or Old Man in the Fur Coat.
So intelligent, those Lapps.

Remember all my names—or none.
I am the specter on disappearing sea ice,
losing hold.

J. Patrick Lewis ‘Polar bear’

Then, a long dusty walk passing the wetlands on to our left where we spotted Shelducks bobbing in the river and Mute Swans cruising about. Nearby, I noticed a mammal sitting in the shade which I’d never seen before and it was a Sitatunga or Marshbuck, a swamp-dwelling antelope. They were Africa’s only true aquatic antelope and were distinguished by their long, splayed hooves. A solitary animal, he was well camouflaged and shaded in the thickly vegetated, muddy swamps and marshes. The crowd walking past didn’t even notice him.

On another part of the enclosure, there was a small group of females with young. Pairs associated for short periods of time to mate. After being nursed for up to 6 months, the fawn were weaned and encouraged to forage on their own. Foraging took place in both dry lands and swamps. They merged at night from swamplands to graze on dry land but we were lucky to see them feeding when we went around the second time. The name Sitatunga was from an archaic Bantu language of Rhodesia.

We gave the South American viva a miss because, again, it was packed, We headed straight to a herd of Bactrian camels which included the latest addition, a baby Baby named Hadra (meaning adorned with beauty) and her mum, Elizabeth. This adorable wee lass was having problems with the electric fence because she kept on touching it and got electric shock. To train and stopped her from getting hurt, a stripey red and white tape was strung next to the fence to keep her safe. Their enclosure was huge and the camels were free to roam where ever they like and if they had enough, they trotted back to their shelters.

These Bactrian camels were well equipped with two humps, both of which stored large amounts of fat to see them through lean times as they originated from the harsh Gobi desert. When well-fed, the humps were plump and erect. We also a pair fighting by trying to pin each other with their furry necks and trying to push the opponent down. It was a show of dominance and strength. The match ended when one of them decided he had enough and trotted off.

The Camel's hump is an ugly lump
Which well you may see at the Zoo;
But uglier yet is the hump we get
From having too little to do.

Kiddies and grown-ups too-oo-oo,
If we haven't enough to do-oo-oo,
We get the hump-
Cameelious hump-
The hump that is black and blue!

~The Camel hump by Rudyard Kipling~

And then we entered the Land of the Tigers which was created next  to the wetlands and contained 2 pools and a waterfall. We viewed the tigers from a 150 metre raised walkway, overlooking the enclosure. We spotted a pair snoozing soundly under the shady trees quite a distance away. Previously known as Siberian tigers, the Amur tiger was renamed in the 1990’s when the last tigers disappeared from Siberia. Now they were only found in isolated populations around the Amur river valley in the far east of Russia and on China’s north east border.  Only 450 were left due to habitat loss and poaching, particularly to meet the demands of the traditional Chinese medicine market which was insanely ridiculous.

There were 3 Siberian tigers including a tigress named Tschuna which was loaned from Dudley Zoo. We just found out that she had given birth to triplets on the 29th March. They were still under quarantine. The father was Vladimir which came  from the Highland Wildlife Park near Inverness. There was also another female, Sayan. In the wild tigers were solitary with a male’s territory encompassing 3 or 4 females’ territories so it was quite natural to keep 2 females and a male in the large, natural enclosures with mature trees, pools and hiding places. And I guess these played a role in the successful breeding programme.

Tyger Tyger, burning bright,

In the forests of the night;

What immortal hand or eye,

Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

In what distant deeps or skies.

Burnt the fire of thine eyes?

On what wings dare he aspire?

What the hand, dare seize the fire?

The Tiger by William Blake~

Further on was the £350K giraffe enclosure which was opened in October 2012. There were 4 male giraffes, the tallest mammals on earth, and they came from 3 different locations, Palle was from Copenhagen, Jambo an endangered Rothschild’s from Woburn Safari Park and Jasper with Behansin from West Midlands Safari Park. The animals were chosen by visitors as the next animal they wanted to see added to the Park. Visitors could have an eye-to-eye viewing from the neighbouring 8m high platform.

But since the platform was packed, we watched them from the ground level VIP feeding station in the outside sand yard. And off course, all we could see were their beautiful slim legs :-). These giraffes delighted the audience by scratching their long necks against the tree branches and pulling the leaves into their mouth using their striking blue tongue. The park staff also attached willow trees to high points in the enclosure to mimic feeding conditions in the wild and it was amazing to see them elongating their necks to reach to the leaves. Giraffes spent about 60% of their day eating up to 35kg of leaf matter each.

Opposite was Leopard Heights which was built in March 2012. The open-topped 6000 square metre enclosure was for viewing the leopards from an 8 metre viewing tower or from ground level through a 10 metre long glass. This enclosure with its giant climbing frame for these athletic cats, was claimed to be the largest leopard enclosure in the world. We’d limited views because the leopard happened to be lounging at the furthest end, well camouflaged among the tall grasses. Visitors could only view the animals from only 2 sides in order to reduce any possible negative impact from visitors on them. We sat below the tower to have our lunch surrounded by the hustle bustle.

There were 3 brothers, Dimitri, Denzil and Drake, which arrived from France as part of the European Breeding programme that aimed to save these endangered species. I am sure they were happy here as the whole area was designed to encourage their natural behaviour. Leopards preferred to go up high, where they felt safe and could see what was below them. This whole enclosure was not netted or enclosed like most zoos. 

Round the corner was the African Plains, a large paddock displaying African grazing animals such as Chapman’s zebras, Ankole-Watusi cattle, ostriches, Lechwe and Common Eland. Unfortunately, all the animals preferred to be grazing in the middle of the plains. The distinctive horns of the Ankole-Watusi cattle caught my attention. They were named after the Watusi tribe of Africa and were a domesticated species. They were the show-stoppers of the bovine kingdom and often referred to as ‘cattle of the kings’. Living in the savannas and open grasslands, their diet consisted of grass and leaves.

The cow-like Common Eland were the second largest antelope in the world with large spiralled horns. They were also the slowest, reaching speeds of just 25 mph. To make up for this lack of pace, they’d the endurance to maintain a trot indefinitely and could jump great heights from a standstill. That would be amazing to watch. They were non-territorial mammal often formed large herds of 100 or more in the wild. It used loud barks, visual and postural movements including the flehmen response to communicate and warn others of danger.

Chapman zebras were distinguished by stripes on the lower halves of their legs, which break up into many irregular spots. A common behaviour found in all zebra species was to stand in pairs looking over each other’s shoulders or head to tail which allowed both to watch for predators. They wore their stripes with style as it was hard to tell where one animal ends and another one began especially when they stood together.

A pair of Ostriches were busy following their keeper at the other end of the Plains. Contrary to popular belief, ostriches don’t bury their heads in the sand. This old saying originated that when they spotted danger, they lie low and pressed their necks to the ground to become less visible. Their plumage blended well with sandy soil and, from a distance, gave the appearance that they had buried their heads in the sand. When they run, they used their plumed wings as rudders to help them change directions quickly.

As we walked around the plains, a magnificent-looking and fleet-footed antelope, the Lechwe, was having a drink in the boggy part. A native to Africa, they lived exclusively in marshy areas where they waded knee-deep into water in order to feed on aquatic plants which might be a problem here. They have unique, elongated hooves and their legs were covered in a water-repelling substance, making it easier for them to move through deep water. In the wild, they grazed in large herds of several hundreds and here in the enclosure they were always together.

After the African Plains, we enjoyed an on foot safari in safety along the 800 metres pathway into the 10 acre Lion Country. This huge non-drive through lion enclosure held 3 separate prides of 13 African lions all rescued from appalling conditions in the run down Oradea Zoological Gardens in Romania. They’d spent their lives in cramped conditions on hard, bare concrete with very little shelter in temperatures which ranged from –20C to 36C. Their new enclosure had been built in three sections so the 3 pride families do not mix and were nicknamed ‘The pride of Yorkshire’.

Out of the 12, there were only 10 left. 2 died of natural causes while the latest was put to sleep after he was being injured during a fight with other lions in March 2014. These lions were slowly rehabilitated into their new home under veterinary care and careful husbandry by the staff but they were also fiercely territorial. When we were there 2 females in the first pride were having a siesta. They slowly woke up with a huge yawn and started having a rough tumble with each other. They looked very playful but I wouldn’t want to be in the enclosure with them.

In the second pride, the handsome male was parading up and down its enclosure, marking his territory. There were 2 males and I think they must be related. I find it amusing the regal look they gave to the visitors. Even in an enclosure, they still behaved like they were the king of the jungle. At the third pride, all the lions were fast asleep. Who can blame them. Once or twice, they looked up, gave a mighty yawn before rolling back and falling asleep, again. It was lovely to see these magnificent beasts enjoying their remaining days in comparative luxury.

In the jungle, a lion's roar,
Loud rumbling from it's core.
Magnificent mane of golden brown,
He is a king but wears no crown.

Predator and enemy they have two,
Human hunters, Hyenas too.
The lion and his lioness pride,
If you cross them, run, don't hide.

The roar of a Lion,
The rolling sound of thunder,
The chase of a Lion,
His prey runs asunder.
The Lion's roar is his symbol,

Of Strength, Of Leadership, Of pride,
The raw Roar sound is tribal,
His pride, so true, abide.

Philo Yan ‘Lion’s Roar’

Then we turned back and popped over to the Bennett’s wallabies walkabout enclosure. Also known as the red-necked wallaby, they were very friendly and came up to us for fuss and food. A pity feeding them wasn’t allowed. If they felt that they’d too much attention, they hopped back behind the rope area. I was excited to see a little Joey sticking his head out to see what the fuss was about. Oh… cute overload. There were a few Joeys about and I watched in awe as they climbed back into their mother’s pouch. They went head first and then flipped upside down to fit the rest in. Amazing

I find it incredible that the mother can have several babies in the pouch at the same time, at different stages of development. She may have a pinkie (baby) and a tiny Joey both getting milk for different gestational age. She might also have a bigger Joey who was starting to eat other food but was only coming in to drink, or hopping back inside in case of danger. Oooh… Mother Nature was truly amazing. As we walked along the path. these wallabies were hopping about in front of us. We imagined as if we were in Tasmania :-)

We’d completed the circuit and walked back to the animals that we missed. Lemur woods was a walk-through enclosure housing groups of endangered and endearing Madagascan Brown, Ring-tailed and Black-and-white ruffed lemurs. Ropes and nets ran between the trees to keep these adorable primates, that looked something like a cat crossed with a squirrel and a dog (?), active. We felt very privileged to be walking among them because Lemurs were considered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (UCN) to be the world’s most endangered animals. Lemurs were named after the Lemures, the spirits and ghosts of Roman mythology.

The first group we encountered were the Brown lemur family, who were having their own get-together. They were busy feeding on the fruits, young leaves and flowers that were scattered on the ground. One thing I noticed was that they’d orange-red eyes. We saw a juvenile clinging tightly to his mother’s back while its mother was busy feeding. It was difficult to determine the sexes because they were the one of the Lemur species in which males and females were almost identical in size and colour.

Above us, the most terrestrial of all the Lemurs, the Ring-tailed Lemurs were having their own get together high up on the trees.  They demonstrated that they were the masters of the trees  as they jumped between trees and ambling along the branches. They were very vocal too as constant vocalization among members kept them together. A series of black and white rings around the tail were their trademark. These very long tails helped them to have the power needed for those very long jumps from tree to tree. I was hoping for them to come down because when Ring-tailed troops travel throughout their home range, they kept their tails raised in the air, like flags, to keep the group members together. Not today, they were having too much fun chasing each other up the trees.

The last group we encountered were the Black-and-white ruffed lemurs, fast asleep without a care in the world. Renowned sun-worshippers, they loved nothing more than an afternoon sunbathing and lounging about. These critically endangered lemur species were one of the most iconic species with their distinctive black and white patterns. A large white ‘ruff’ of fur around their neck gave them their name. We waited for them to wake up, but they were having none of it. We reluctantly left as more and more people poured in.

We made another quick trip to the Project Polar Reserve to see if any of the bears were awake. Viktor could be seen putting his head up but not for long and fell asleep again. Pixel was still fast asleep at the same place we saw before. We nipped over to the Marmosets enclosure and found them having a whale time, foraging, running along the ropes, climbing trees, chasing after each other and causing mischief. Common Marmosets were one of the smallest species of monkey. Their name came from the French word ‘marmouset’ meaning ‘dwarf’ or ‘little’.

The pygmy

marmoset is all

chittering, chattering,

clicking call,

he laps at sap,

he leaps the trees,

quick and slick

and small as leaves,

~Liz Brownlee~

We stopped at the Land of the Tigers where a ranger was just finishing her talk. We’d also missed their feeding time and found it a bit strange that the animals were fed at the further end of the enclosure where it was quite difficult to see. As usual, there was a push for donations to help with the conservation. We then walked past ‘Meet the animals area’ where a Macaw was at the centre of attention. It flew off to a nearby tree and refused to fly back to its handler when called. Its antics delighted the crowds. We didn’t stay to watch what happened next because I wanted to see the Painted dogs.

It was too far for Babe to walk so he went back to the Lion Country again. The Painted dogs had woken up and were in a different part of the enclosure.  They were also called Cape hunting dog or African wild dog and typically roamed the open plains and sparse woodlands of sub-Saharan Africa. Their Latin name meant ‘painted dog’ referring to the irregular, mottled coat which featured patches of red, black, brown, white and yellow fur. Each had its own unique coat pattern and all had big, rounded ears. They were now faced with shrinking room to roam in their African homes.

I spotted them behind the tall wired-fence, feeding and patrolling their enclosure. These dogs, were sisters called Ayandi, Nandi and Thabo, and were from Knowsley Safari Park. Their enclosure were huge and had a variety of habitats for them to explore which also included a house to sleep in with caves to shelter and dens to dig. A suitable male will be introduced soon as part of a European wide conservation breeding programme. The studbook keeper selected the females and males that were compatible at a genetic level and it was up to the staff to make sure that their first meeting goes well and they get on. Good luck with that :-)

I joined the long queue for ice-cream before meeting Babe at the Lion Country. After finishing our ice-cream, we called it a day. Then it was purchasing the obligatory fridge-magnet from the Safari village before a long slow walk back to the car-park. As we exited the compound, we heard a loud roar from one of the Lions bidding us ‘au revoir’. We were quite impressed with the park as it had something the world’s greatest zoo couldn’t match and that was space plus natural looking enclosures without the thick bars. The later was very important for photographers. The design of the park also meant that despite heavy crowds, we were able to walk around feely and there was no queuing to see the animals. 

There were several signs throughout the viewing area including information on the species, its conservation status and projects that the Yorkshire Wildlife supports. Keeper presentations and talks at each section, enclosure and paddock provided the visitors with information on the various animals and about the conservation of the animal in the wild. These included information on deforestation and climate change as well as what the visitors could do to help save these animals, plus fundraising after each presentation. We will definitely return especially to see Victor and also the 3 Amur cubs. It was interesting to know that all the newborns in 2015 will have names starting with H.