Page 111 - BBC Wildlife Volume 36 #12

OURWILD WORLD
and be satisfied that our slightly
wild garden will provide?
Steve and Carolyn Davis,
via email
Claire Boothby from the British
Trust for Ornithology replies:
Feeders can provide a useful
resource for birds, especially in
winter, but there are risks. Along
with good hygiene measures,
stopping for a while when you see
sick birds may help prevent the
spread of disease. To find out more
and report sick birds, go to:
gardenwildlifehealth.org.
Close encounter
I recently went on holiday to
Abruzzo National Park, Italy,
in search of the Critically
Endangered Marsican brown
bear. I got a lot more than I
bargained for when, early one
morning, this bear came within
50m of me. Luckily, I had
my camera ready! I was with
volunteers from Salviamo l’Orso
(Save the Bear) who do some
great work in the national park,
and surrounding areas,
to protect the bears. A
lot of the volunteers
were, in fact, from
the UK. I feel few
people are aware
of this unique
subspecies of
brown bear, which
is having a tough
time at the moment.
Conor Rowlands,
Conor spots
via email
a rare bear.
Picture editor Tom Gilks
replies: That certainly was a
lucky sighting! This species was
the subject of the winning photo
by Marco Colombo in the Urban
Wildlife category of Wildlife
Photographer of the Year 2018,
which featured in our November
issue. I’m hopeful that this will
help raise the profile of this
special and enigmatic species.
QUIZ ANSWERS (see p89)
TheWildWords are: 1B, 2A, 3B, 4C, 5C, 6A
COMPETITION WINNERS
All Among the Barley giveaway: C Derry, M Jowett, L Barratt, noise shattered the tranquillity, and the lounged by the pool 100m away.
H Todd (win a signed copy and print) J Emery, E Flockhart, F Lee, monkeys ran in panic to the sanctuary of
S Hirst,A Barnes, R Turner (win a signed copy); The Beetle
Collector’s Handbook giveaway: C Waters (wins a copy, plus a the nearby trees. Initially, I was perplexed, JOHN BOYLE is a nature enthusiast
copy of Beetle Boy and a print) B Evans,J Cook, K Donaghey,
M Matthews, B Goodyear (win a copy)
December 2018
TALES FROM THE BUSH
Anelectrifyingencounter
with Sri Lanka’s simians
Have a wild
tale to tell? If so,
please email a brief
When John Boyle went looking for wildlife in Sri Lanka, synopsis to
he encountered one primate that was in for a shock. jo.price@
immediate.co.uk
Female grey langurs
usually give birth to
a single infant. Here,
the mother stands over John Boyle
her stricken youngster.
ne of my ‘terms S Suddenly,a back, convulsing wildly, and
and conditions’ it dawned on me that it
when booking loudnoise had been electrocuted on
Oa family beach shatteredthe the power lines.
holiday to Sri Lanka was The youngster’s mother
that we added a three-day tranquillity– nervously returned to her
excursion to Yala National themonkeys stricken infant, torn between
Park. This short break from self-preservation and her
the sunbeds allowed me ran in panic. T maternal instincts. As the
to photograph some of the shocked langur rolled on the
island’s wildlife. Based at a ground, she heeded the alarm
hotel adjacent to Yala, we enjoyed fantastic calls of her troop and retreated to the trees.
safaris – highlights being an unexpected I watched helplessly, unable to intervene
appearance by a sloth bear, the chance to in this tragic incident. But, to my surprise,
watch elephants bathing, and a sighting the feisty young primate pulled itself to its
of a leopard resting in the fork of a tree. feet and headed towards the nearby rocks,
The hotel grounds also hosted a wealth while swaying from side to side like a dizzy
of wild animals, including a troop of child stepping off a fairground waltzer.
grey langurs. So, I set my sights on Steadying itself, it leapt towards the nearest
photographing the monkeys as they came boulder – but slid agonisingly back to earth.
to drink from a small waterhole. There On its third attempt, the youngster clung
were around 20 in the group, including on, scrambling to safety amongst the rocks.
youngsters that entertained themselves Now the troop returned to the boulders, the
by climbing on rocks and power pylons. mother cradling her traumatised offspring.
I snapped away as the langurs cautiously I saw amazing wildlife on safari but
took turns to stoop and quench their thirst nothing as dramatic as one monkey’s fight
while sentinels kept watch. Suddenly, a loud for survival, while my wife and daughter
and looked around for the source of the and amateur wildlife photographer
chaos. I spotted a young monkey on its based in Su olk.
BBC Wildlife 111