So last night I found myself in the middle of a busy week, in London, in the Royal Institution of Great Britain, listening to 3 minute slots of excellent science. This was because I had received an invitation to the FameLab National Finals. This was something totally new to me despite the fact it has been running since 2005. What started as a fun event at the Cheltenham Science festival has gone global with 20 odd countries holding their own versions and requiring an international final to be held at the festival in June this year. The basic premise is for the contestants to talk on a science topic of their choice for 3 minutes. It should be informative, accurate and entertaining and the 10 finalists had all been through regional heats so had honed their talents prior to this evening. The field was varied and strong with topics such as quantum tunnelling, hydrogen fuelled transport and epigenetics. My particular favourites were a fantastic piece about how the measle virus can utilised to treat cancer and the eventual winner's talk on why carrots are orange (based on how electrons are trapped in a box, that is the beta-carotene molecule…. you kinda had to be there).
Science seems to be crawling back out of the lab and back out into popular culture again. It seems to go in waves with people declaring that science is the saviour of the planet one day and a freakish out-of-control monster the next. In reality there are so many exciting breakthroughs that we never get to hear about. It's sad that this amazing celebration of science communication could only be viewed online last night when the equivalent event in Turkey had 20 million viewers. The speakers are funny, bright and inspiring and I'd urge you to have a rummage through the FameLab site and even consider attending the festival as the programme has just been published and looks astounding. Unfortunately I am going to be in Africa so won't make it this year but will have to make room in my crazy schedule in 2013!
To visit FameLab CLICK HERE
To see the Festival Site CLICK HERE

For those of you who have been watching Safari Vet School on ITV1 on Friday nights, you'll have met Will Fowlds. Will is a giant in stature and nature. He appears to have the most amazing job flying around darting lions, elephants and antelopes but the last few weeks has tested him beyond anything he's had to deal with before. Being called out to two rhino who have survived poachers hacking the whole front of their faces off to take their horns. Three rhinos had been darted using veterinary drugs overnight and the poachers had brutally removed the bone, skin and horn with either machetes or axes and then left them for dead. One had in fact died from it's injuries but 'Themba', a male, and 'Thandi' the female were still alive when discovered the next morning. So began a gruelling, heartrending week of trying to cope with two mutilated huge animals. Decisions had to made whether to euthanise them straight away or give them a chance. Will and the park team decided to bravely see if they could be saved.

The body's capacity to heal is phenomenal and I see a cat versus car case almost weekly in general practice but seeing these big beautiful creatures so maliciously traumatised makes me feel ill. Trying to piece them back together without the ability to handle them as we do our patients is so difficult. Will and the rest of the team are doing everything they can and are these are just two of over a hundred animals poached this year alone in South Africa. We are back in crises again with this species that only a couple of decades ago was at the brink of extinction.

The images and video of these poor animals is sickening to watch but we need people to be shocked, shamed and angered into action. Without a real global effort we are going to lose this species one horrific act at a time.

To follow the rhino's story please visit Kariega Park's Facebook page HERE.

This is an area of the world that I have visited many times as they have an unbelievable array of habitats and species. Like the rest of the world, these habitats are under threat and there are many amazing projects working tirelessly to conserve them and their target species as possible. To celebrate this spectacular region and update you on the work that's been done there, Chester Zoo is holding a day of talks, films and discussions at the Zoo. I am hosting the event but the rest of the speakers are a great bunch. See the flyer for more information.

This year I will be finally getting out to the Painted Dog Conservation (PDC) project in Zimbabwe. I have been a patron of this project for a number of years now as it is everything a good conservation project should be. My trip will involve some veterinary work alongside the local vets to try and set up a clinic to care for injured wildlife and also to see the excellent work the charity does with education camps for local children.
Painted dogs are such charismatic creatures with a truly fascinating social system. They have been wiped out across a huge area of their original range and it’s vital we work as hard as we can to preserve the remaining populations.
I will also be representing another of the charities I am a patron of called Wildlife Vets International (WVI), who have secured some rabies vaccine to help protect wildlife and local people from this disease that is commonly found in domesticated dogs. Rabies is a horrendous disease for both animals and people and vaccination programs like these have saved huge numbers of lives.

If you want to read the latest news from PDC then visit my PDC Page.

If you want to know more about both WVI and PDC then see my SUPPORT page.

As promised to @dickiedumdum this Blog will discuss what I know about becoming a wildlife presenter. Err, not a great deal I’m afraid. I was very lucky and kind of walked in the back door. Right place, right time type of thing.

I am typical of a lot of factual presenters (science, history, etc), in that I have a profession that links me to the subject material. I just happened to be the right Uni and year to feature in a docu-soap called ‘Vets School’ and ‘Vets in Practice’ that got me noticed. Lots of professional people appear on TV for all sorts of reasons, interviewed as experts, asked for opinions, and if they fare well then they’re asked again and then when a program maker is looking for a presenter they may get the nod. Lots of academics find themselves in a presenting role this way. It has the benefit of ‘having a proper job’. This has helped me keep grounded and given me the security of an income when TV work that I want to do gets a little thin on the ground.

So if you have a qualification or area of expertise then use it. News and current affairs are always looking for opinions. Don’t have to be extreme but do have to be interesting. BLOG, tweet, write - whatever. Contact your local radio station with interesting stories. Write articles or letters to specialist magazines. Phone Jeremy Vine and tell him to wind his neck in. This gives you a chance to build a profile and gain experience of ‘broadcast’. If you’re good, you may be asked again. If you’re not, work better at being ‘good’ (attend a presenter workshop at Wildscreen in the Autumn in Bristol).

I have no idea if this will work. For most it won’t, but enjoy the process. I still love doing late night interviews for Five Live when they have some conservation / veterinary story. It pays very little (or sometimes not at all) but it’s nice to be able to give an opinion on a subject that you care about passionately.

A lot of the current stable of wildlife presenters took the behind the lens approach. Martin Hughes-Games, Kate Humble, Chris Packham, Steve Backshall, Simon King all started TV behind the lens as researchers, cameramen, producers etc. Not all of them wanted to present from the start but when they did they were in the ideal place to give it a crack. Understanding how programmes are made, how to tell a story, how to write pieces to camera. These are the skills presenters need, and working in TV, even behind the lens is a great way to get them and also get access to the decision makers when they are looking for new talent. Getting a job in TV is not straightforward I know but, nobody said it was gonna be easy.

Key thing to remember is that TV doesn’t matter. it’s easy to think that the Idiot Lantern is the Daddy but there are many ways to communicate to the masses - radio, internet, out your bedroom window. Just enjoy the experience.

A couple of weeks ago I finally made the trip ‘South of the River’(Thames that is) to visit the Horniman Museum & Gardens. They asked me to be a patron a few years ago and so began 2 years of guilt of not having visited. To be fair, I’m not in London that often and when I am it’s in and out in no time.
However, this weekend I put aside the time to fulfil my patronising duties (not sure that’s the right term - I hope not). Train links to South London are so much better (only 5 minutes walk from Forest Hill station on the Overground) so despite my inability to read a map on my smarter-than-me phone I managed to arrive at the impressive entrance for my afternoon visit. Knowing that they only had an afternoon to get across the enormous amount of activities that go on here I was whisked around the garden redevelopment that will open next year extending their wildlife themes and a new state-of-the-art animal walk. I got very excited at the rabbit enclosure that can help spread the word about appropriate housing for this misunderstood creatures.
Another area of interest for me was the aquariums. Jamie (above) talked me through some of the research they have ongoing with corals diseases that may have huge impacts on global management of reefs. Museums are not dusty, decaying spaces, they are bustling, busy hives of activity allowing visitors and researchers to fill their brains with lovely science (my interpretation, obviously). I didn’t get a chance to see round the world renowned musical instrument collection or the equally well thought of anthropology collection so there’s so much more to explore. Can’t wait for my next visit.

To visit the Horniman Website click HERE.

A couple of weeks ago I visited the National Animal Welfare Trust’s rescue centre in Watford. It’s been a number of years since I have been to a dog rescue centre such as this and it was heart-breaking. But it was also inspirational as the dedication shown by the team working there to do the very best by the dogs in their care was amazing.
The number of stray and abandoned dogs in the UK is at an eleven year high with over 120,000 dogs abandoned this year. With so many losing their homes rescue centres are all at full capacity and some dogs are being euthanased by local authorities who just have no room to keep them.
As ambassador to the annual Pedigree Adoption Drive I have been very busy this week launching the drive over radio, TV and printed press and the common question asked is: Why are numbers so high?
Many people are putting it down to the recession and I am sure that it is playing a role with people losing their jobs or homes. Also many people’s circumstances change so they suddenly have to spend long hours at work leaving dogs home alone. However, one problem that I think is having a huge effect is the rise in so-called ‘status dogs’. Breeds such as staffies and staffy crosses that people take on purely for the machismo of owning a ‘muscle’ breed of dog. Staffordshire Bull Terriers are usually the most delightful family pets but if not properly trained or socialised can soon become a handful and find themselves pushed out of the home. With people not getting these animals neutered we are also inundated with litters of pups with few people willing to take them on because of their poor reputation. Watford alone has a waiting list of over 50 staffy-type dogs waiting for a space in their rescue centre and struggle to find appropriate homes for them as many require additional behavioural work to allow them to fit into a new home environment.
I would urge you all to spread the word about this problem and if you are considering taking on a new dog or know someone else who is - please think seriously about taking on a rescue. Not only will you rescue the dog you take home but you will also free a kennel space for another dog, effectively rescuing two dogs. Always visit a reputable rescue centre (preferably a member of the Association of Dog and Cat Homes ADCH) who will make sure your new pooch has been microchipped, neutered, vaccinated, flea’d and wormed and will also give you behavioural back-up while he or she settles in.



Pixie (pictured above) was just declared ready for adoption the day I arrived. She had been picked up off the streets and brought to the centre. It was obvious she had some problems with her back legs as she was quite unsteady on them. It turned out she had dislocating kneecaps, a condition she was born with. This may have been why she was put out on the street which is dreadful. Thankfully the centre was able to surgically correct her kneecap problems and she is now ready to re-home.
She’s a gorgeous friendly young dog that will hopefully spend the next 14-16 years as someone’s best friend.

Please visit www.pedigreeadoptiondrive.com to see how you can help dogs like Pixie.

Filming is hectic, relentless and time consuming. It’s great, don’t get me wrong but it has few moments in which to stop and smell the flowers. Schedules and budgets are tight as these are trying times for most industries and competition between channels and from the internet adds to the squeeze. Three weeks can spin by in a blur and before I know it I am injecting cats and dogs in Whitchurch instead of crashing through the thicket in South Africa chasing Eland.
When I first started in TV I didn’t look around enough and a lot of stunning backdrops just whooshed on by. Now I make sure I grab a few moments in the hurly burly of it all and just stop, even for just a few seconds, and appreciate just where I am. Often its first thing in the morning walking to breakfast or last thing, standing beneath unbelievable nighttime skies that I never get to see at home. Take a few deep breaths and take it all in.
The photo above was taken at dawn as the mist was rising and the dew lay thickly on everything. Nice.

This little clip I shot on location of “Animal Kingdom” before I knew what the title of the show was. The hyena camera stuff turned out quite nice and there are lots of other cool sequences in the show. I had a great time working with a new team from ITV and met lots of cool guys who work at the park in Erindi.

Check out the camp “Hello” at the beginning!




TO VIEW THIS CLIP ON YOUTUBE CLICK HERE

Like a massive muppet, I left the house today with all my fancy camera kit to record the day’s events, only to find the camera’s card was still sat on my desk at home. Never mind, had a great day out at the Wolseley Centre helping out Staffordhire Wildlife Trust, recording it on my phone. Then I went onto Cannock Chase to pedal round the MTB trail where I saw a couple of Jays foraging and had a close encounter with a small herd of Red Deer hinds - very nice. In return for my assistance with the publicity for the Wildlife Trusts new boardwalk project they promised to help me find an adder as I have never seen one before. Jim Stewart from the Forestry Commission was just the man. Even though it’s a little late for adder spotting he managed to show me two females - well, he saw the first and I saw half of the second! They are so camouflaged that it’s only when they move that you get to see where they are. Next March I shall get out to this hotspot to get some photos of the flashy males. I did get to see a sizeable grass snake in one of the horse manure compost heaps that the commission place in the chase to encourage them to breed. Goes to show they really work.
Anyway I am a fully paid up member of Staffordshire Wildlife Trust now and will hopefully be getting out on a few more days such as this.

CLICK HERE TO GO TO STAFFORDSHIRE WILDLIFE TRUST HOMEPAGE


TO VIEW THIS PAGE ON YOUTUBE CLICK HERE