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Half Baked Lobster Saved From Pot

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 16:34:17 GMT

A bizarre-looking lobster which looks like it’s already been half-cooked has been hauled up in the pots of a Welsh fisherman. The mutant crustacean is three-quarters orange and a quarter blue. It’s so unusual that the fisherman who caught it has donated it to the Blue Reef Aquarium in Bristol.

The lobster, who has been nicknamed Ska in honour of his two-tone colouration, has gone on display in a special tank at the new aquarium in Bristol’s Harbourside.

Blue Reef Aquarium’s displays supervisor Becs Smith said: “We got a call from a fisherman to say that he had caught a bizarre-looking lobster in his pots.

“We get quite a few calls like this and didn’t think too much of it until we saw the photographs of Ska. I’ve certainly never seen anything quite like him before and neither have any of my colleagues.

“The colours are remarkable; particularly compared to a normal lobster which is usually a dark blue all over,” she added.

It’s thought that Ska’s half-baked appearance is probably due to a freak accident. Lobster shells are thought to grow symmetrically so it could be that one side of the crustacean was lacking the normal blue pigment and instead had a lot of orange. There is also a chance the bizarre colouration could disappear the next time Ska moults his shell.

Lobsters are among the planet’s oldest inhabitants with fossil remains found dating back more than 100 million years. They are also extremely long-lived with some individuals reaching ages in excess of 60 years. A lobster’s claws grow much faster than the rest of its body. In one giant specimen the claws were twice the weight of the rest of the animal. As with most members of the crustacean family, lobsters are also able to re-grow lost limbs and even re-generate missing eyes.

Grub's Up at Tropical Butterfly House

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 16:34:17 GMT

Encounter the exotic and experience a wild family day out in South Yorkshire at Sheffield’s Tropical Butterfly House, Wildlife and Falconry Centre.

Get close to free-flying butterflies and birds, as well as friendly, free-roaming farm animals. Meet the residents of Meerkat Mansion, handle exotic snakes, see magnificent birds of prey and feed marmoset monkeys, lorikeets and many more amazing creatures.

Daily during summer holidays (24^th July-29^th August 2010, 10:00-17:30)...

Find out what's on the menu for our residents and follow the Grub's Up Trail for a chance to win a half day Keeper Experience for two. This event is run in support of the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA) European Carnivore Campaign.

Open Air Folk Concert at Bristol Zoo Gardens

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 16:34:17 GMT

An open-air folk concert will be held in the grounds of Bristol Zoo this summer. Folk singer and fiddle player, Eliza Cathy, and her band, will be playing at the Zoo on Saturday, September 4.

Building on previous years’ success, Bristol Zoo has once more teamed up with leading concert hall, St George’s Bristol, to present this special event for music lovers.

Eliza, who has this month released an album with her mother, Norma Waterson, will be supported at the Zoo by special guests, Hodmadoddery. Holdmadoddery are an unforgettable busking duo with distinctive vocal harmonies and an eclectic range of traditional English, Scots and Irish songs.

To book tickets phone 0845 40 24 001 or book online at www.bristolzoo.org.uk or via St Georges Bristol www.stgeorgesbristol.co.uk .

Tickets in advance cost £12 (adults); £6 (child) and £30 (family), or on the night: £16 (adults), £8 (child) and £40 (family). Discounts apply for members, concessions and groups of 10 or more.

Visitors are encouraged to take rugs as there is limited seating. Refreshments and snacks will be available. Gates open at 6.30pm, Hodmadoddery will be on at 7.30pm, followed by Eliza Cathy & band at 8.30pm.

Exeter's Heritage Open Days 2010

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 16:34:17 GMT

From Thursday 9th to Sunday 12th September, some of Exeter’s most fascinating buildings will open their doors to the public free of charge for Heritage Open Days. An annual event, Heritage Open Days has grown in popularity, and now more buildings than ever before in Exeter will be opening, providing guided tours or demonstrations.

Many of these sites are not usually open to the public or otherwise charge an entry fee, so it is a unique opportunity to explore these sometimes hidden, often curious, and always interesting places. The event in Exeter is co-ordinated by the City Council’s Tourism Unit and nationally by English Heritage.

Properties opening their doors to the public free of charge this year include St Nicholas Priory, the Barnfield Theatre, Cricklepit Mill and Exeter’s Underground Passages.

There will be special guided tours put on by Exeter’s Civic Society, Topsham guides and Exeter’s Red Coat Guides.

This year’s event is hoped to be the biggest ever, with 40 different properties or events taking place. New events for this year include tours of the Exeter Chief’s Rugby club, Princesshay and Danes Castle Fire Station.

New Lioness Arrives at Bristol Zoo Gardens

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 16:34:17 GMT

A lioness called Shiva is settling in to her new home at Bristol Zoo Gardens. The five-year-old Asiatic lion has arrived at the Zoo from Besançon Zoo in France and is getting to know her new surroundings.

She has been introduced to Bristol Zoo’s ‘mane’ attraction - her new mate, Kamal - and the pair already appear to be getting along well. Staff at Bristol Zoo hope the arrival of Shiva will soon be followed by the patter of tiny paws.

Bristol Zoo’s Senior Curator of Animals, John Partridge, said it was an exciting time for the Zoo: “Asiatic lions are critically endangered, so it is great news to have a new lioness and we are hoping for cubs in the not-too-distant future,” he said.

“Shiva has not had cubs before and is very important to the European breeding programme. The prospect of cubs is fantastic for Bristol Zoo as well as for the breeding programme as a whole.”

Asiatic lions are critically endangered and are part of an internationally co-ordinated conservation breeding programme, managed by Twycross Zoo. There are only about 350 Asiatic Lions left in the wild and they can only be found in the Gir Forest Sanctuary in Northern India.

As there are so few Asiatic lions, it is necessary to manage the captive and wild populations if the species is to recover. It is important to ensure that all lions are pure bred and that pairs are not closely related to one another.

Despite sleeping for around 20 hours per day, Asiatic lions are social animals, living in units called prides. The Asiatic pride is much smaller than African lion prides, with an average of only two females compared to the African pride, which has an average of four to six.