One Man by Himself

‘One man by himself is nothing.

Two people who belong together make a world’

~Han Margolius~

A week later on our English wedding anniversary, we checked out Cotswold Wildlife Park. It was 18.1C when we got into the car and was very bright and sunny throughout the whole trip. The drive was smooth on the first half of the journey as we enjoyed the enchanted pastoral landscapes of gently undulating grassy hills of the Oxfordshire countryside. But as soon as we were nearing Moreton-in-Marsh it was stop and start until Burford. It was the height of summer and the Cotswold and its surrounding areas were throbbing with tourists. I hoped to check out all these towns when it was quieter which meant early winter:-)

Then a long queue as soon as we reached the entrance of the park. Fortunately, we managed to park quite close and there was a mad rush to use the facilities. First, we’d to say hello to these herd of even-toed ungulate two-humps Bactrian camels which came quite close to check us out. Bella, the steam train drove past us and we waved to the passengers who waved back enthusiastically. We have taken a ride on this before and have no intention of doing it again.

Then to the piece de resistance. The family of Southern White Rhinoceros, the largest of the Rhinos species, which its star attraction, an 11th day old baby, named John. White rhinos born in captivity were extremely rare, with only 14 of the animals being born in European zoos in the past year and two of the births were from the Cotswold Wildlife Park. There must be something in the water:-) This newest addition was the 6th member to join the ‘crash’ at the zoo. The Park was believed to have the only collection in the world where there was just a ha-ha between visitors and the rhinos. Ha-ha’s were recessed landscaped design that created a vertical barrier while preserving views. In this case, we can see the Rhinos but deterred  them from venturing out. But honestly, if they want to, they could.

John was Nancy’s 2nd calf, born on Tuesday 18th August at 8 pm and named after the Park’s founder, John Heyworth. He remained under the watchful eye of his mother, suckling from her for a year. We could see the intensely strong bond and the calf remained with his mother for 2 years, benefitting from her protection. In the wild, females guarded their offspring aggressively and were intimidating adversaries if challenged. You can see the way she shielded John when he got too close to the hundreds of cameras pointing at him.

He was such a show-off, ambling about with his parents, vowing the besotted visitors. Every time, he ran around the paddock, our hearts melted. We noticed that he tended to move in front of his mother and immediately responded to her behaviour. In two months time, he will be taught to feed on the young, juicy grasses around the paddock. He will be weaned when he is one and stayed with her for around three years.

Cotswold Wildlife Park had been successful with its breeding programme. On 1st July 2013, first time parents Monty and Nancy, delighted staff and visitors when they produced the first calf in the park’s history, a female named Astrid. Nancy (named after David Cameron’s daughter) and Ruby (named after comedian, Ruby Wax, a close friend of the owner), another breeding female, arrived from Mafunyane Game Farm in South Africa in 2009 to join Monty as part of the programme.

To add to the celebrations, Ruby gave birth to a male calf named Ian at 12.30 pm on Friday 27th March on the same day the Park celebrated its 45th anniversary. What an incredible milestone. The calf had been named in memory of the highly respected South African conservationist, Ian Player, who spearheaded efforts to rescue the Southern Africa White Rhino from extinction. The Park’s original pair, called Lebombo and Somtuli, arrived from Umfolozi in 1972 as a direct result of Ian’s rhino conservation initiatives with South Africa’s Natal Parks Board. It was lovely to see his memory continuing on in the Park’s Rhino family.

Rhino bought, rhino sold
with promise of cure
to the wealthy and old.

Rhino hunted,
rhino displayed
for trophies on walls,
for tour operators to be paid.

Poisoned, tagged,
stripped of horn
Under surveillance and guard
from the moment they’re born.

To trade, to hunt,
to farm, to breed
Oh the shame of it all
humanity’s greed.

Ranger vs poacher,
politican vs NGO-
fighting in the bush,
fighting the status quo.

 

Drones and poison,
armies, shoot-to-kill;
Is this enough
to fight a government with no political will?

 

~Status quo of the Rhino by Tisha Wardlow~

Beside the paddock was an enclosure with the Aldabra Giant Tortoises. These were the second largest species of tortoise after the Galapagos tortoise. Visitors who purchased the ‘Animal encounters’ experience were given the chance to learn more about the Keeper’s work and gained a little hands-on experience and helped to feed them. It was quite expensive at £50 not including the admission price. We enjoyed watching these waiting for their turn to have their necks rubbed. It must be heaven…The necks were extremely long to help them eat from tree branches that were up to a metre from the ground.

‘Giant tortoises compete in neck-stretching competition to establish rank

~qi.com~

 

Then we went back to the car because Babe was carrying too much stuff and needed to leave his heavy coat in the car. From here, we followed another route and stopped to check what the crowd was looking at. A Meerkat was on lookout duty and was checking the skies for predators. But what caught our attention was when we spotted these prickly African crested porcupines snuggling in their homes. We’d not seen them before and was chuffed when one looked up to say hello.

We checked out the clouded leopard enclosure but the beast in question was fast asleep on its high platform. We left him in peace and also forgo the giraffes because it was just too crowded. The train whisked past us again and we gave the passengers the obligatory wave. There must be an air-show somewhere because from time to time some exotic looking planes would zoomed above us. But it didn’t seemed to disturb these Chapman Zebras which used to share the paddock with the Rhinos. They were now where the Ostriches used to be. Now where were these majestic birds.kept?

We walked through the waterfowl area and had a good laugh when we saw these common terrapins all jostling on the branch for a spot of sunbathing. I gave up counting but there were at least 20 of these chelonians sunning themselves. At the further end of the pond. different varieties of ducks were enjoying a swim in the water. We’d seen all of these before but it was still lovely to see them again. Visitors were trying to avoid the sweeping tail of the Peacocks as they decided to join the walk-about. 

We were delighted to see the Canadian Timber Wolves frolicking near the raised walk-away. The last time we were here they were fast asleep but today they were out in the sunshine. They were the largest sub species of wolf, living and hunting in packs. Despite the name ‘grey wolf’ the Timber Wolf’s coat actually range from white, brown, black to grey and was a double coat of fur. As they were social animals, we heard them communicating with each other by howling, barking, growling and whining. We saw a pair looking amorous and headed into the shaded woodland. We waited in anticipation but nothing happened :-(

Near the wolves enclosure, we were fortunate to have seen the first ever East African Crowned Crane chicks hatched in captivity. Their parents, Johnny and Mrs J were doing a great job looking after their chicks. Each parent was looking after a chick and we watched them hunting for food for the chicks. They stamped the ground with their feet so that the insects were flushed out and the chicks came running to feed on them. Apart from insects, their diet also consisted of seed, grasses, grains, frogs, worms, small fishes and eggs of water animals.

We continued on walking past the smelly Visayan Warty pigs, various bird aviaries, capybaras but unfortunately empty Anteater enclosure. Where had they been moved to? We stopped to wish Lolita her first birthday. First time parents Gomez and Kali had given birth to the adorable female Brazillian tapir last year, the first baby since 2006. She was so cute sniffing us with her proboscis. She’d outgrown her spots and stripes, an adaptation in camouflaging in the wild. The skin looked remarkably thick but was quite soft when stroked.

The petting shed and Children’s Farmyard was buzzing with little people getting close with the domesticated breeds. They were happily posing and stroking the rabbits, guinea pigs, pygmy goats and sheep. One very pregnant pygmy goat trotted over to us for a ear-rub but went off to search for other willing victims when we didn’t feed her. Traitor!!! I sat in front of this Wickerman of Oxford 3 years ago and I couldn’t resist posing with it again. This sculpture was used to raise funds and awareness for Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centre at the Churchill Hospital.

We sat on a bench opposite the Red Pandas which were fast asleep on the tree, partially hidden by the branches. We’d a little picnic in the spacious grounds which don’t seemed crowded at all on the busy Saturday afternoon in sunny August. Since the ‘fire coloured cat’, from their scientific name, refused to wake up, we continued our adventure and headed straight to Madagascar, a walk-through exhibit. The Slender-tailed Lemurs were causing havoc as they mingled with the visitors.

We didn’t stay long because it was getting crowded as more people entered. Outside, we headed straight to the Oriental small-clawed otters. The smallest of the world’s 18 otter species, we watched them using their forepaws feeling for food such as molluscs and crustaceans in the rocks, vegetation and mud. They looked adorable with their stiff whiskers or vibrissae around their noses and mouths. They moved everywhere together in a pack.

‘It’ll be all right, my fine fellow,’ said the Otter. ‘I’m coming along with you, and I know every path blindfold; and if there’s a head that needs to be punched, you can confidently rely upon me to punch it.’

~Kenneth Grahame, ‘The Wind in the Willows’~

 

Opposite the otters were the Black-tailed Prairie dogs which were enjoying munching through their lunch in the open on top of their burrows. These burrows were used for breeding, rearing young and hiding from predators. They were maintained from generation to generation, and served as stabilizers on the physical and social aspects of the colony. Generally tan in colour with lighter-coloured bellies, the Prairie dogs derived their names from the black tips on their tails. From time to time, a territorial call or ‘jump-yip’ display could be heard and seen. This was when they stretched the length of their bodies vertically and threw their forefeet in the air while making the alarm calls.

The last port of call in the walled compound were the Humboldt Penguins which were having fun with a stick. One of them threw it in the water and then they swam after it. Using their strong wings as flippers, they seemed to ‘fly’ underwater, just below the surface. Ducking and diving into the pool, they were cooling off after waddling around in the sunshine. These social animals lived in large colonies of closely spaced burrows. Suddenly an adorable chick popped out from one of the burrows and everybody went aah… It still had the fluffy grey plumage which was white underneath which allowed them to keep a constant temperature.

‘I think penguins are the most human of all birds, which is why people love them. They’re cute, they stand upright and they look like they’re wearing tuxedos.’

~Shia LaBeouf~

 

Before we left, we made a pit stop to see the last falconry display for the day. We made our way to the manicured lawns of the 19th century gothic Bradwell Grove mansion. We walked past a Kestrel, Red Kite and Barn owl on their perch waiting patiently for their turn. We stood by the edge of the lawn watching a Peregrine demonstrating her hunting skills. At first, she refused to budge from her perch on a nearby tree. After several calls from the trainer, she flew down and whizzed just a few inches above our heads. What a performer.

Then it was time to head home with thousands more photographs for Babe to edit and more wonderful memories for us to keep. Another year to create precious memories together. Another year to discover new things to enjoy about each other. Another year to strengthen a marriage that defines forever. Happy anniversary, Babe.

“It’s so great to find that one special person that you want to annoy for the rest of your life”

~Rita Rudner~

I Know I am but Summer to your Heart

“I know I am but summer to your heart,
And not the full four seasons of the year;
And you must welcome from another part
Such noble moods as are not mine, my dear.
No gracious weight of golden fruits to sell
Have I, nor any wise and wintry thing;
And I have loved you all too long and well
To carry still the high sweet breast of spring.
Wherefore I say: O love, as summer goes,
I must be gone, steal forth with silent drums,
That you may hail anew the bird and rose
When I come back to you, as summer comes.
Else will you seek, at some not distant time,
Even your summer in another clime.”

~Edna St. Vincent Millay (1922)~

Ramadan came knocking on the hottest month of the year. What a test of faith for all the Muslims in the UK. The 9th month of the Islamic calendar, it was regarded as one of the most holy months as it was during Ramadan that the Qur’an was first revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) by the angel Gabriel. Ramadan was the month for an unparalleled, month-long opportunity for personal and spiritual growth and the fasting was a deeply private act of worship. Of the five pillars of Islam, it was the most personal expression of self-surrender to Allah. A Muslim could be observed performing the other 4 pillars (saying the Shahadah, paying the zakat, praying 5 times a day, performing the Hajj) but, in addition to himself, only Allah knows if he was fasting.

"(It was) the month of Ramadan in which was revealed the Qur’aan, a guidance for mankind and clear proofs for the guidance and the criterion (between right and wrong). So whoever of you sights (the crescent on the first night of) the month (of Ramadan i.e. is present at his home), he must observe Sawm (fasts) that month…"
~ [al-Baqarah 2:185]

As usual, I won’t be taking any breaks and have a short lunch break so that I could leave at 5 pm. I joined the rest of the university’s Muslim community to perform the Zuhur prayers. At my desk, I put on my ear-phones and listened to the readings of the Koran on-line. I’m hoping to finish the 142 juz by the end of Ramadan. I started with my first faux pas for Ramadan. I thought that it started on Tuesday and was fasting. But when I went to the mosque, they informed me that it was on Wednesday. Oops… the next thing was CC and I went to the library’s cafe and bought lamb burgers with salad and chips. We then had a picnic under the trees. What a start huh :-)

But that wasn’t all. My manager was very persistent about the whole department going for a Mexican meal at the Humanities Cafe. Since I told everyone that Ramadan was around the corner, Monday was also the only day that all my colleagues were in. The cafe was promoting a  Mexican menu and we agreed to check it out. The list was mind-blowing and I ended with a spicy mixed bean chilli in a tortilla bowl topped with salad, nachos and gooey sour cream. All washed down with orange juice. Sorry … no tequilas as we’d to be back at work. While we were busy tucking in and dodging the begging Moorhen chicks, my manager dropped a bomb-shell. He was leaving us at the end of September to be a Departmental head in a very prestigious university. …Silence…tumble weeds rolling !!! He wanted to tell us first before he told everyone else. Man… we weren’t expected that. I knew he was going to move on but to hear it was hard. We wished him the very best and he left us in a good place. Fingers and toes double-crossed. 

My colleagues and I also welcomed another work experience student into the department. She was RAB and off all places was from Malaysia. She’d lived in the UK for about 10 years now and her father was working in WMG. I was supposed to give her a taste of what we do in Data Services but unfortunately we ran out of time. Anyway, we’d a lovely long chat and we made arrangements to meet her parents next week because her father will be graduating. That would be wonderful.

I had another library tour with the pre-sessional students after lunch. I took a group of about 10 students and showed them the different study areas in the library. I couldn’t take them to the 3rd floor because we a major renovation work going on. In fact, the floor was sealed off and if you want to go to Research Exchange and the 3rd floor extension study areas, you have to go to the 2nd floor extension and then take the lift. As usual, the mobile shelving was a hit and the self-service machine had a bit of a snag when it didn’t recognise some of the students cards. A good opportunity to take them to the I.T Unit and problem solved. I’d a wonderful time with the very eager students and I hoped they enjoyed their time in Warwick University.The working week ended with the Summer Staff Open Day. My colleagues dragged their feet to the Teaching Grid and I was the last one up as I won’t be joining them for refreshments. The morning began with an update by the librarian and division heads. It was followed by another update on the Library’s Competency Framework Project which will take over the Annual Review next year. The awaited presentation on the 2013 Pulse Survey outcomes were well-received and debated. During tea break, I gathered a few mini blueberry muffins and kept them in a container for breaking fast. I went back to my office and didn’t turn up for the ‘Work/Life balance’ workshop. And I wasn’t alone. I went up again during lunch to collect my brown bag which contained tuna sandwiches, vegetarian wraps, a cream cake and 2 pears. This was kept in the refrigerator for my dinner. No cooking tonight :-).

On Saturday, we made our 2nd. trip to Cotswold Animal Park. The first time we went, there were still pockets of snow along the road and on the hill-sides. But not today. It was 30C in the car and again we were dressed in white with lashes of sun-cream and a hat. We have to as the Met Office had issued a level 3 heat-wave warning which is where there was a 90% chance of the mercury hitting 30C-plus which could be dangerous for the very old and young. Babe didn’t put the roof down through out the journey and we’d all the windows down.

We arrived at about 1 o’clock and wasn’t surprised at all to see the car-park full. Everyone was out and about taking advantage of the hot summer days and lazy afternoons with a bit of sight-seeing thrown in. It was just too precious to stay cooped up in the house. And we were delighted to see at the entrance a pack of llamas, a reindeer and a herd of herd of Scimitar Horned Oryx, a species now extinct in the wild. We couldn’t wait to get out of the car to check them. Unfortunately it was too hot for the Oryx to be wandering about and they just chilled out under the shade.

The first thing on our list was to take the train ride, which we didn’t managed last time. We walked along a path and spotted the Aldabra giant tortoise, resting under the shrubs. What a lovely surprise to spot the second largest species of tortoise after the Galapagos Tortoise. When we reached the station, we joined the hundreds who were waiting for the next ride. The Narrow-gauge Railway which cost £1 per person took the visitors for a 10 minute ride around the Park which was a bit too short, we thought. When we got off the train, we came across the Wolverine enclosure which again we’d missed on the first visit. We walked on a raised footpath through a very dense dark forest and screwed our eyes, trying to adjust in the darkness. We looked up and down the trees, bur we couldn’t see anything at all. They must be having a siesta in their den somewhere. We continued on and came across some amazing birds. But, I was distracted by the Goldcrests pinging around the conifers. Unfortunately, too high up and too dark to photograph. This is an adorable Red-Crusted Turaco.

Then we checked out the spectacular interactive Madagascar Lemur exhibit. Visitors were asked to leave their bottled drinks outside the entrance because the animals were prone to snatch them away. This walkthrough exhibit allowed visitors to get a real insight into the lives of these fascinating creatures.We found out that  two Red-bellied Lemurs, one Collared Lemur, and two Ring-tailed Lemurs, all primates endemic to the Island of Madagascar, were recently born here. The babies were on show to visitors and we saw them roaming freely in the the home they shared with eighteen other Lemurs, including the striking Sifaka (also known as the ‘Ghost Lemur’), several native Madagascan birds and a turtle.This exhibit had been instrumental in raising funds for the Lemur conservation projects since its opening in 2008.

We also braved ourselves in the very hot and humid Tropical House. It reminded me of the deep tropical forests in Malaysia with the sounds of shrieking colourful birds, running waters and tropical plants, palms and entwining vines. I was hoping to see the sloths but they were AWOL today. I nearly jumped out of my skin when I spotted a huge fruit bat hanging upside down from one of the branches. Now, that I’d never seen before even in my home country. But that doesn’t made us dash outside. I think to regulate the temperatures, the water sprinkler came on automatically. We quickly ran outside before we got soaked and our cameras destroyed. Boy … that was fun.

We’d a quick walkabout around the walled garden area . We’d seen all these animals before but it was still lovely to see them again.  The mewing cries of th extremely manually dextrous Oriental small-clawed otter caught our attention. The smallest of the world’s 18 otter species, they were enjoying a swim in the pool. We joined the visitors crowding around the Mongoose enclosure being captivated by the antics of the adorable baby.  We were entertained by the Slender-Tailed Meerkats who were busy digging and foraging while one was on duty. Check out the the dark circles around the eyes. These protect them from the bright sun, a bit like sunglasses! More Humbolt Penguins were ‘flying’ underwater, trying to cool down.

We checked out the Invertebrate House and the Reptile House but it was too dark to get good photographs and the inhabitants were kept behind glass walls. We walked straight to the Red Panda enclosure. The island in the middle of the enclosure was so overgrown that we’d a hard time to find them. But we didn’t have to wait long because this adorable cutie was plodding around the ditch, just where we were standing, providing us with very good photographic opportunities.

We continued on and walked past the Ostrich enclosure. I’d did a double take when I spotted this ostrich looking after the eggs in a single communal nest, scraped in the ground by the male. Check out the size of the eggs. They were gigantic. We watched it tenderly turning the eggs. For such a huge bird, I didn’t expect such tenderness. These eggs were incubated by the females by day and by the males at night. The colouration of the two sexes was Mother Nature’s way in escaping detection of the nest, as the drab female blends in with the sand, while the black male was nearly undetectable in the night. The incubation period was 35 to 45 days. It would be amazing to see the hatchlings.

Then we were off to see the piece de resistance. In the early hours, a White Rhino calf was born, a first in the Park's forty-three year history. That meant it was less than 2 weeks old when we saw it. The as-yet-unnamed baby was born to first time parents, Nancy and Monty, on 1st July 2013.  The baby remained very close to its mother and both were in good health. Awwwwww…cute overload. They were in the large paddock they shared with a herd of Chapman’s Zebras overlooking the Manor House.

By this time, it was a sweltering 30C. Babe moved the car under a tree to cool it down. We planned to stay a bit longer but it was just too hot. There was haze in the air and we decided to call it a day. We still had a long drive home. 

There are lions and roaring tigers,
and enormous camels and things,
There are biffalo-buffalo-bisons,
and a great big bear with wings.

There's a sort of a tiny potamus,
and a tiny nosserus too -
But I gave buns to the elephant
when I went down to the Zoo!

There are badgers and bidgers and bodgers,
and a Super-in-tendent's House,
There are masses of goats, and a Polar,
and different kinds of mouse,

And I think there's a sort of a something
which is called a wallaboo -
But I gave buns to the elephant
when I went down to the Zoo!

If you try to talk to the bison,
he never quite understands;
You can't shake hands with a mingo -
he doesn't like shaking hands.

And lions and roaring tigers
hate saying, "How do you do?" -
But I give buns to the elephant
when I go down to the Zoo!

~A. A. Milne ‘At the Zoo’~

On Sunday, we tried to cool down by walking through our favourite playground. Mon Dieu… it was a sweltering hot British summer. The Britons griped whatever happened. A month ago, they were soggily bemoaning grey skies, blaming the Gulf Stream flowing too low. Now it was sweaty time and they were still unhappy. Didn’t you know? It was still the fault of the Gulf Stream :-0. They longed for a proper summer but when it arrived, they haven’t got a clue what to do!!! “Carpe diem” was our motto. We were attired in loose cotton with lashes of sun-cream, always with sun-glasses and hats and plenty of water before we ventured out. We walked under the trees towards the Steely Hide hoping to catch a glimpse of the Kingfisher. And he turned up. This very handsome bird skimmed across the surface of the lake and perched on the overhanging branch. All you could hear was our cameras rattling away. This brilliantly azure bird didn’t disappoint us and did a few poses. Thank you. After hundreds of shots, it flew off and disappeared down the river. It was time for us to head home too.

In the garden, the plant that I’m soo looking forward to is the artichoke. I’d never eaten one before and it was a plant very alien to me. This was the 2nd year this perennial thistle had graced our garden. During its first year, the buds were left alone to fully bloom into a lovely purple flower and became a decorative piece in the garden. This year all 4 plants grew tall and leafy again  with young plants waiting to be divided and transplanted somewhere else.

After the main thistle-like head  known as the ‘king head’ had reached its full size, right before the bracts or petals began to open, I cut the stem an inch below the base of the flower bud. I checked You-tube to learn how to cook this aphrodisiac plant. I immersed it in warm salt water to get rid of any insects, Then simmer in water upside down until cooked. I plucked the leaves, dipped them in salad cream, and tugged the stem end through my teeth to suck off the tender meat. Then there was the hidden treasure, the tender heart. After all this, I think I might just leave the buds alone. Let it flower because the bees love them.

“Life is like eating artichokes, you have got to go through so much to get so little”

~Thomas Aloysius Dorgan~