FATE OF JUMBO

Jumbo drew millions of visitors to the London Zoo during the Victoria age. He was a favourite of the Queen’s children.

As much as adored and loved he had a lonely and sad existence.

It is assumed that he was born around 1860 on the border of today’s Ethiopia and Sudan. His name comes from Swahili “jumbe” meaning chief. His mother was killed and he was captured and sold.

An Italian animal dealer bought and sold him to the London Zoo.

His keeper was Matthew Scott, a loner who loved animals started up a deep friendship.

Jumbo was full of diseases when he arrived in London and Scott nursed him back. Scott had no knowledge of feeding and treating elephants and in a round-about-way added suffering with Jumbo’s diet and also gave him whiskey.

Jumbo as quiet he was during the day became violent during the night smashing up several times the timber-cage. Scientists discovered that a bad toothache could have cause him to get into a rage. As everybody knows toothache really worsen during the night.

His monotonous diet of sticky buns as a reward from the children he gave a rides and hay. After his death they found damage to his teeth and an infection. In his stomach they found 300 coins and a police whistle which the elephant picked up and swallowed but it couldn’t have done him any good.

The rides also must have taken their toll on his joints, judging from photos with dozens of people on his back.

It was a great shock when London Zoo sold Jumbo to an American Circus and 100,000 children wrote to Queen Victoria to stop it.

In 1882 the circus Barnum & Bailey paid £2000 for Jumbo and London Zoo had no hesitation to sell and ship him to America. His keeper went with him.

Ringmaster PT Barnum called it “The Greatest Show on Earth” and 20 million people came to see Jumbo. Barnum claimed he was the biggest African elephant.

Jumbo died very young at the age of 24. They can live 70 years in the wild.

He was exercising at a rail yard in St Tomas, Ontario, Canada, when a train hit him. It was reported that his keeper wept uncontrollably as his best friend died. They had to ward off souvenir hunters.

Barnum stated that Jumbo run head first into the train to save his friend, Scott, and a smaller elephant Tom Thumb.

However, it is now discovered that the skeleton shows no fracture on his head. Old photos show scars on his back and it is thought that Jumbo could not run fast enough to get off the truck.

Even in death he was still exploited; Barnum had him stuffed to put him on show.

Although being already a huge animal but according to the expert he was not fully grown at his age of 24.

He was so famous he inspired a Hollywood movie.

NO ANIMAL RIGHTS AFTER BREXIT Update 31 Jan., 2018

are Remainers trying to change people's mind? Ever since people voted for Brexit the Government throwing, none stop, hints of problems and disadvantages at the public. Well, they were lying before the vote lets see if we are not better off after Brexit. If nothing else, it saves a huge amount of money. 

Update 31 Jan., 2018 -- to put it bluntly, will it make any difference.

UK has been the 2nd biggest ivory dealer despite the ban - the 'Elite' carries on fox hunting despite the ban - Tories keep extending Badger cull despite no evidence they spread TB and cows could be injected with anti-TB serum -

Michael Gove, Environmental Secr., let slip that after Brexit there will be no animal rights. In other word, the Tory Government will not campaign for animal rights during Brexit negotiation.

The reality is that animals can be hunted and that is the real underhanded Tories’ plan.

Already Cameron tried very hard to bring back hunting legally; it has been banned since the last Labour Government. Although banned but the Tories are still hunting. There does not seem any law existing no matter what and there is no prosecution. On the contrary, anti-hunt demonstrators get attacked and no court case held against the attacker.

Surely, it is not the only one after the hounds attacked them. You can see it died in agony.

The Tories are going even so far to state the most ludicrous remark that animals do not feel any pains or anxiety. It is the worst statement anyone can put out. Hopefully, they don’t kid themselves that the public will swallow it.

The English People are and were always known for great lovers of animals. The so-called and I mean so-called Gentry set themselves apart preferring hunting and killing animals.

People are already up in arms for many wrong doings by the Government and now May trying hard to stop the ban for hunting and killing foxes. It will add to the revolt which is already brewing. Is she really so arrogant thinking she can do anything and people will accept it?

A further shock came from America; Trump announcing a cancellation of the import ban of elephant and lion’s trophy. The reason behind it is that his two sons love hunting and shooting wild animals which proves their despicable characters.

May was hinting a few weeks ago that she would like to lift the ban. Despite the ban UK suppose the second largest exporter of ivory. Something to be proud of as well as the second biggest weapon exporter after the USA.

To summoned it up. If USA and UK lift the ban there will be a mass killing and elephants, lions and other animals will be extinct.

Their ruthlessness will hurt the scientist and conservationists who painstakingly worked for decades to increase the number of elephants and lions which were already facing extinction.

Now, it had been reported that due to high prices of animal’s part elephant are being shot every 28 minutes. Lions don’t fare any better but there has been no data known.

Ivory has a higher price than gold, lions’ claws and other parts of animals are highly demanded by Chinese medicine. China tries to stop it and educate the people that the parts have no impact on ill persons, to help preservation.

This is the sad situation of USA stopping and UK trying to stop the ban.    

TRUMP STOPS BAN ON IMPORT ELEPHANTS AND LIONS TROPHIES

This is a shocking and devastation news that Trump would stop the ban on elephants’ and lions’ trophy. It is not known whether the Congress already agreed to stop the ban. Hopefully they turn Trump down.

Of course, May will follow suit; she already passed a remark weeks ago.

This will put all the hard work of conservationist as wasted. As it is every 28 minutes is an elephant killed which is already feared and seen as danger of extinction. Now, with the ban lifted, it will be nothing but mass killing.

The African countries were putting up a fight for decades to save the animals from extinction because of the Black Market. These animals were already marked on the danger list but with all their 
efforts they increased the numbers.

The poachers latest dirty trick was to put poison in the waterholes avoiding having to shoot them and alert the game's warden.

The only reason, as I see it, is Trump’s two sons already enjoying shooting elephants and lions. They want to bring their trophies home, make money on it, and avoid prosecution.

It does not show any principles to be a President of the USA.

The same goes for May who itches to cancel the ban. Despite the ban UK is the second largest exporter of ivory in the world. That’s all the Tories good for hunting and boozing.

They forget that people voted them in for standing up for them and doing right for them which is in doubt for a long time. They forget that the same people can also vote them out and, at the moment, it is only a matter of time.

The same goes for fox hunting. Despite of a ban the ‘Elite’ still does and will not be prosecuted. May also fights to get the ban lifted but so far MPs seem to show some principles and refuse to agree.

They all seem to be so arrogant to ignore the law.

AFRICAN AND ASIATIC ASSES

AFRICAN WILD ASS

There are two species of ass. The African ass and Asiatic ass. The Nubian and Somali African Asses live in an area between Sudan and Somaliland.

INDIAN WILD ASS

The Asiatic asses are larger and more horse-like in appearances.

AFRICAN ASS ONAGER

They are subspecies like the Syrian wild ass. The Onager from Persia and India, the Kulan from Transcapia and Mongolia, and the Kiang from Tibet and Sikkim.

AFRICAN ASS KIANG

African wild asses live in sparsely covered rocky desert sf Northern Ethiopia and Sudan. They are the ancestor of the domestic donkey and the smallest form of equip with narrowest. hooves

They are all dun-coloured and have different heights between 120cm to 127cm

They have long ear, narrow hooves and short upright manes. The tails have a only a tuft of hairs at the end. On the inside of their front legs is a horny wart or chestnut. Horses have a similar chestnut on both of their front and back legs.

Asses are shorter and less graceful then horses and zebras. They bray instead of neighing and their social structure is different

Asses do not live in a permanent group. The most adult males live alone in large territories and mark it with their dung. They demand exclusive mating rights with any female which wanders into their territory. After mating the female may stay with its offspring for a few months but if the food is getting scarce the mare and its family will go somewhere else. Young stallion without a territory will form a bachelor group

Apart from the mating season asses live on their own or in temporary groups all depending on food supply. In dry areas with widely scattered vegetation and of low-quality, males forage in pairs or on their own while females live with their foals.

In wetter areas with plentiful of vegetation, asses live in larger groups. It also gives them more protection against predators. Some groups organise themselves by one or two keeping a watch, while the others feeding, roll on the ground, or sleep.

LLAMAS GUANACOS VICUNAS ALPACAS

GUANACO

The four species of cameloid live on the high plateaux and grasslands of South America. They have no humps and look like lanky, long-necked sheep.

ALPACA

The guanaco and vicuna are wild but llama and alpaca domesticated. Smaller than camels they have slender legs and their diet is grass. They are adapted to high altitude and the rugged Andes.

The toe pad of the cameloids are not as wide as the camels and there is no web between them. They can be moved separately and make it more sure-footed in the rough terrain.

Like camels, cameloids are resilient to draught conditions. They also produce small amount of urine and very dry dropping. They eat thorny and dry vegetation and chew the cud.

Cameloids breed when the rich summer flush of plants is plentiful.

They have tusk-like canines in both jaws, like camels, but upper incisor is hooked and sharp and used in fights.

The animals have adapted to the high Andes where there is less oxygen to breath. Cameloids have a very high level of oxygen-carrying red blood cells. Vicula has 14million per cubic millimetre of blood in comparison to human’s 5 million.

VICUNA

Vicuna, 50kg, is tawny coloured with a long woolly coat. It grazes on arid alpine grasslands between 3700 and 4500m and therefore needs to drink.

Inca kings worn fine robes made from soft, golden fleece from wild vicuna. Recently, they had been slaughtered for their wool and by 1965 only 6000 remained.  Their numbers are now increasing.

GUANACO

Guanaco is larger, weighs 100kg and more widely spread.

Guanaco and vicuna have a dominant male ruling over several females and their offspring. During breeding season, they become aggressive and fight vicious battles.

The llama and alpaca were very important to the economy of the Incas. It is thought that they were bred from wild guanacos. For 4000 years cameloids had been domesticated in the Andes. They are still kept for milk, meat, wool and leather. Their droppings are used for fuel.

Llamas are used and excellent pack animals to transport goods over rough mountain paths.  Only castrated males are being used. Females and a few males are for breeding purposes.

CAMELS

CAMEL DROMEDARY

The family of Camelidae contains six species of artiodactyls.  The most familiar are the two species of humped camel; the other four species are South American Llamas and their relatives known as cameloids.

The biggest camelids and the tallest artiodactyls of the Old World’s camels are the Dromedary and Bactrian camel.

The dromedary are the Arabian camels, has one hump on its back and has a height of 2.4m at the shoulder. It is long legged, long-necked has beige or fawn colour and live in North Africa, the Middle East and south-west Asia.

They have been domesticated before 1000 BC. They still are used as transport; for their milk; meat and wool.

The Tuareg, Sahara normads, used to drove huge caravans of camels across the desert carrying ivory, cold, salt and slaves.

Today’s Tuareg rely on their camels when moving camps and transporting water and depend on camel milk for food.

Today are no truly wild dromedaries – most are kept in a semi-wild state or live as feral flocks. The big herds in Australia have been imported and run free in the outback. India has about 1,2 million but well over half of the world’s 12.5 million dromedaries live in Africa.

Most Africa dromedaries are left to roam and forage on their own but depend on humans for water.

CAMEL BACTRIAN

The Bactrian camel is smaller, shaggier and stockier and has two humps. It is a native of Central Asia and has been domesticated for centuries. Only a few wild animals can be found in the deserts of Mongolia and western China.

The domesticated Bactrian is a dark brown to beige, stocky, robust beast with two large humps and beefy legs to carry loads. The wild bactrian camel is long legged and svelte animals with small, pert lumps.

Both species have horny callosities on their chest and leg joints to protect them from the scorching ground when they sit down.

They are only about 1,000 bactrian left in th wild and live in protected areas as the Gobi Desert in Mongolia, Desert of Lop and Takla Makan Desert in China.

In the mating season a bull claims severalf females and fights off any rival. Afterwards he leaves them.

Camels are specially equipped for the desert. The two toes on each foot are joined by a web of skin with a tough pad beneath. When it steps on the sand it splays out preventing the animal from sinking in.

Their blood cells are unique. It carries elliptical red cells instead of by-concave disc-shaped ones. It prevents the blood thickening at hot temperature.

Their hump is not a water storage tank, as widely known, but a fatty reserve for times of food shortage .In dry areas, camels can survive for weeks without a drink. If dew-covered vegetation or succulents are available they do not need to drink at all.

The camel has various water-saving features. The think coat prevents water losses. It can allow its body temperature rise as much as 8C in the heat of the day and cool in the chill of the night. It only starts sweating at 40C and over.

The kidney also function differently. They absorb most of the water taken in and its urine is concentrated and contains very little water. Its dropping is dry.

In the desert’s heat they will lose some water but the camel suffers after losing 40 per cent of their body weight in water.

When there is water the camel drinks buckets of water in a very short time, 100 litres in a few minutes. This gulping down fluid in such a short time would be dangerous for any other animals.

SAVE SHERWOOD FOREST ENGLAND FROM FRACKING

Its Only Days away when the company starts fracking. 

I think, and most of the people would agree with me, to allow a company to search for oil and gas under the Sherwood Forest the Government must be off balance.

There are 500 year old oaks in there and the chemical put into the ground and explosion bound to kill them. 

Even to think about it to have a nothing but profiteering company trying to drill under a thousand-year-old forest which had been care for decades is absolute lunacy.

It is also famous for the Robin Hood legend.

Is this Tory Government really swallowing the story it will not be harmed by underground explosion and chemical pumped into its ground water? Or do they not care but just look at the profit they can get?

Is that all that matters to them – money? As if they are not already swimming in it.

Please Please sign the petition 38 Degrees put up to fight for the

preservation of the Sherwood Forest

http://bit.ly/2iNbmIS

Protect Sherwood Forest

To Forestry Commission Why is this important?

Sherwood forest, home to ancient trees, rare wildlife is in danger. A huge energy company, INEOS, is trying to get permission to explore underneath it for gas. Britain’s most famous woodland could soon be filled with lorries, heavy machinery and explosions.

A government agency, called the Forestry Commission, can decide whether to let the energy company into the forest. They manage all the forests in the UK and are supposed to protect them. They know the risks of letting INEOS into Sherwood - but are probably coming under pressure to let the deal go ahead.

The deal could be signed any day now. A huge public outcry could give the Forestry Commission the push they need to stand up to INEOS and protect our ancient forest.

Can you sign the petition to protect Sherwood Forest before it’s too late?