Another Chance To See

Drew Nichol raises $30,000 for Mountain Gorillas

2008-06-25T13:20:00.002-04:00

Many many congratulations to Drew Nichol who's turned his interest and love for the Mountain Gorillas into a huge fundraising success. The Seattle Times reports on his latest walkathon which raised over $30,000 for the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project.

Details of his campaign are on his excellent Gorillas In Our Midst website.

Other than having to sit out one day to nurse a cold and severe shin splints, a Woodinville man who walked from Seattle to Portland to benefit Africa's mountain gorillas said the adventure was a great success.
[...]
Nichol, whom acquaintances sometimes call "the Crazy Gorilla Guy" because his office is filled with gorilla paraphernalia, has felt a growing connection to the animals since he saw the remake of "King Kong" in 2005.

He's finishing up a DVD to benefit the gorilla project and plans to visit Rwanda to see the gorillas for the first time this fall.

Gorilla Farts For A Good Cause

2008-05-10T16:46:00.001-04:00

Be thankful this blog is not smelly-vision enabled...

http://www.zsl.org/donations

Kakapo Encounter 2008 is coming

2008-05-05T19:00:00.002-04:00

Just a reminder that Kakapo Encounter 2008 will be running from 12th August to 23rd October (according to this Wildlife Extra page), although the official site still has it listed for September 8 - October 22, 2008.

Kakapo are nocturnal, so viewing is limited to once a day immediately after nightfall. A charter boat will take you from the wharf at Halfmoon Bay to Ulva Island. Each group will have a experienced guide not only to inform and educate, but ensure no harm or discomfort comes to Sirocco!

Sirocco will be living in a large natural enclosure, with a full time minder in attendance. As a bird that was hand-reared by humans, Sirocco is very sociable with people, and your opportunity to view will come when he comes to his minder to recieve his nightly feeding. The encounter will be very much on Sirocco's terms, but given his consistent fascination with people, we are hoping he will find the experience as enjoyable as you do.

Any profits go to Trust projects which include trail maintenance on Ulva Island (a predator-free bird sanctuary), and the reintroduction and care of endangered bird and plant species.

$720 for 720 Mountain Gorillas - Update

2008-04-23T12:21:00.000-04:00

Many thanks to Gwen who generously donated $50 to my Mountain Gorilla Fundraiser after seeing the incredible footage of Titus on the PBS special "The Gorilla King" this weekend.

To remind you, since there approximately 720 Mountain Gorillas left in the world, we're trying to raise $720, $1 for every single gorilla up there in the Virunga Mountains.

So please visit our Firstgiving donation page at "720 Dollars for 720 Mountain Gorillas", if you'd like to make a contribution. Proceeds will go to the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International, a charity of which Douglas Adams was a great supporter and patron.

Anyone can donate, from anywhere in the world, the site is secure, and you can contribute as much or as little as you can afford. $1 will do, as that's one Mountain Gorilla towards our target!

Here's our progress graph so far...

Sixth Douglas Adams Memorial Lecture - With Live Hitchhikers Performance

2008-03-06T20:09:00.004-05:00

REMINDER: The Sixth Douglas Adams Memorial Lecture will take place next week at the Royal Geographic Society in London, on Wednesday 12th March 2008.

The lecture will be presented by psychologist Steven Pinker, the Johnstone Family Professor in the Department of Psychology at Harvard University. His subject will be "The Stuff of Thought, Language as a Window into Human Nature".

The lecture will be followed by a very special LIVE 30th anniversary performance of material from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy radio scripts which will hopefully reunite many original cast members such as...

Simon Jones as Arthur Dent
Geoffrey McGivern as Ford Prefect
Mark Wing Davey as Zaphod Beeblebrox
Susan Sheridan as Trillian
Roger Gregg as Eddie
Stephen Moore as Marvin The Paranoid Android
With a Very Special Guest as the Voice Of The Book

Proceeds from the event will go towards Save The Rhino, including the auction of a rare handcrafted model of Vogon Commander Kwaltz from the Hitchhikers Guide movie.

Also raising money for Save The Rhino are the team of runners in training for the RAW Africa ultra-marathon this April. Apparently one of their members has been spotted roaming around Hyde Park, dressed in his Save The Rhino suit. Check out the video evidence...

Kakapo Encounter is BACK for 2008

2008-02-18T13:10:00.004-05:00

I'm delighted to find out that the Kakapo Encounter with Sirocco is back for 2008, with nightly departures running September 8-October 22 out to Ulva Island.

Wildlife Extra has more news on this event which is bound to sell out quickly, even at $90 a pop. People came from all over the world last time, including Mosher during his world travels.

The response was phenomenal: people travelled from all over the globe to view this extraordinary bird. Prime Minister Helen Clark herself spent some ‘face time’ with the lovable parrot Sirocco, and remarked that the Kakapo Encounter was a ‘world class’ operation. Due to the success of the event, Ulva Island Charitable Trust is excited to announce that Kakapo Encounter is back! This year the Trust is making an effort to get the word out early, as many overseas bird enthusiasts expressed disappointment they didn’t have enough notice to plan a trip to New Zealand last year.

New Zealand's "One News" still has an article and video describing the previous Kakapo Encounter.

Here's the location of Ulva Island using the Google Maps API. The full Google Maps and Google Earth versions links to this location are available below.

View Larger Map - Google Earth Version

Any profits go to Trust projects which include trail maintenance on Ulva Island (a predator-free bird sanctuary), and the reintroduction and care of endangered bird and plant species.

Rhino Poop auction a great success

2007-12-18T13:59:00.000-05:00

The International Rhino Foundation has been thanking everyone who bid on their wacky Rhino Poop auction on ebay.

We have just ended IRF’s Endangered Feces auction, ending with a total of 76 eBay bids, with a high bid of $1,075 for the white rhino specimen. We can’t wait to learn about the folks getting these special gifts.
[...]
The Endangered Feces auction was easily one of the wackier projects IRF has ever undertaken. But it captured people’s imaginations and generated interest in rhinos all over the world. Media coverage reached at least 3.5 million people. There are more than 200,000 references to “rhino poop” on Google, and our YouTube video had more than 500 viewings – and a several 5-star ratings!

Rhino poop for sale on ebay

2007-12-05T12:47:00.000-05:00

If you're looking for an unusual gift for that special someone, head over to ebay where the International Rhino Foundation are currently selling four piles of Rhino dung to raise money for the charity. Each specimen of rhino dung has been properly dried and sealed in an attractive container featuring the name of the rhino species that produced it. At time of writing, over $1000 has been bid, and the auctions still have four days to run.

Can you imagine the look on the face of the recipients when they unwrap their special gifts?

Any takers?

Mosher completes his 1000 mile hike. Well done Iain!

2007-10-06T12:13:00.000-04:00

Very many congratulations to Iain "Mosher" Purdie, who's now completed his 1000 Mile Charity Walk across Europe. Terrific effort Iain. And you're right, the thank you video from the Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation is touching indeed. Best of luck with your future endeavors.

4th Annual Denver Gorilla Run

2007-09-04T10:25:00.000-04:00

The 4th Annual Denver Gorilla Run takes place on Saturday, October 27, 2007 at 11am.

The Denver Gorilla Run is a charity fun run with a difference. Everyone who takes part wears a full gorilla costume - from fluffy head to furry toe - and helps raise funds for the Mountain Gorilla Conservation Fund, the international charity working to save the world's last remaining mountain gorillas and keeping Dian Fossey’s dream alive for the past 22 years.
[...]
Every participant in The Denver Gorilla Run will represent a group of real live gorillas in the wild. You will be assigned to either the Amahoro Group, Mubare Group, Sabinyo Group or the Rushegura Group - so with limited entries available you must register soon to secure your place.

Incidentally, the footer on their page (currently) says that there are approximately 723 Mountain Gorillas left alive today. This correlates with our current Mountain Gorilla fundraiser where we're trying to raise $720 for 720 Mountain Gorillas. As you can see from the Google Spreadsheet chart below we're off to a reasonable start, but we still have a long way to go to reach our target.

Sixth Douglas Adams Memorial Lecture

2007-08-23T23:59:00.000-04:00

The Sixth Douglas Adams Memorial Lecture will take place at the Royal Geographic Society in London, on Wednesday 12th March 2008.

The lecture will be presented by psychologist Steven Pinker, the Johnstone Family Professor in the Department of Psychology at Harvard University. His subject will be "The Stuff of Thought, Language as a Window into Human Nature". As always, proceeds will go to Save The Rhino.

International Mission to Investigate Gorilla Killings

2007-08-16T16:17:00.000-04:00

The Environmental News Service reported last week that an international group of UNESCO and IUCN experts would be on their way Saturday to investigate the recent mountain gorilla killings. I wish them the very best of luck. We need all the support we can find to save these beautiful endangered animals from extinction.

The execution-style shootings are considered a setback for gorilla preservation and for conservation of the World Heritage site, which was placed on the List of World Heritage in Danger in 1994.

Two suspects have been identified as being involved in the killings. One has been arrested and is assisting the authorities, but the other is still at large. Both were seen early on July 23 at the scene where the gorillas were shot, according to the International Gorilla Conservation Program, IGCP.

Thanks to everyone who has already donated to our new Mountain Gorilla fundraiser. We're well on our way to raising $720 for 720 Mountain Gorillas.

Would You Walk 1000 Miles? Mosher is...

2007-08-10T10:20:00.000-04:00

Very best of luck to ACTS supporter Mosher as he struggles through the first few days of his new 1000 mile hike for charity. The I Would Walk 1000 Miles blog has all the details on his amazing walk from Monaco back to St. James Park in Newcastle. He's already developed a nasty blister, so hopefully that won't slow him up too much.

Though how I managed it I don't know. I have a nasty burst blister on my right foot and my feet ache but I'm just glad I made it. Later today I hope to clamber over the mountains and into Italy by 8pm.

Mosher is raising money for the Blue Dragon Children's Foundation, a children's charity in Vietnam, so please help him out if you can.

3rd Birthday: Stephen Fry TV Series update and NEW Fundraiser !

2007-07-30T13:11:00.000-04:00

It's that time again, and as this site celebrates its 3rd birthday, I'm very happy to announce that long-time supporter Dave Haddock has sent us FANTASTIC news about the TV series of Last Chance To See featuring Stephen Fry and Mark Carwardine.

Dave went to a talk by Mark Carwardine last week in Rochester, where Mark announced that he would begin filming the TV series later this year (and into next) alongside Stephen Fry. They are going to re-visit all the places he went to with Douglas Adams, including where the animals are extinct. As the Yangtze River Dolphin is already "functionally extinct" they also plan to go and see the Ganges River Dolphin in India to highlight its plight. Most of the people that he met in 1989/90 are still working on the same projects, so it will be marvellous to catch up and see how things have progressed, for better or for worse.

As a result of this announcement, expect to see Ganges River Dolphin news postings on this site soon...

And now to our new fundraiser for 2007/2008. Since there approximately 720 Mountain Gorillas left in the world, I thought it would make a good target to try and raise $720, $1 for every single gorilla up there in the Virunga Mountains.

I have established a brand new Firstgiving donation page called "720 Dollars for 720 Mountain Gorillas", where we'll be raising funds for the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International. Douglas Adams was a great supporter and patron of the charity, so many thanks in advance for your anticipated generosity! Anyone can donate, from anywhere in the world, the site is secure, and you can contribute as much or as little as you can afford. $1 will do, as that's one Mountain Gorilla towards our target!

Also, if there's a website address you'd like to promote, please send me the URL and a short description, and I'll be happy to build a links list to promote your favoured site. We're a Google PR5 you know... Note: Nothing offensive please!!

Thanks again to Dave Haddock at ZZ9.

Save The Rhino Fundraiser - Final Week for donations

2007-07-18T10:02:00.000-04:00

We've entered the final week of our Save The Rhino fundraiser. Thanks again to everyone who has donated over the past year - over $500 is something we can all be very proud of. I look forward to starting a new fundraiser very soon, perhaps with a bit of a twist.

Honda F1: Jenson Button's 'Earth Car' will feature Another Chance To See pixel!

2007-03-13T12:05:00.000-04:00

Following last month's post about the Honda F1 'Earth Car' initiative, I made the pledge to replace at least three regular lightbulbs in my house to the more energy efficient kind. To make my donation I visited Honda F1's 'Earth Car' site at www.myearthdream.com.

The Formula 1 cars will roll out onto the Melbourne racetrack in just a few days time, and Honda F1 have replaced advertising and sponsor logos on their cars with a giant picture of the Earth to raise awareness for environmental issues. What's clever is that the livery on the Hondas will be comprised of millions of tiny "pixels" that, when viewed under magnification, will contain the names or organizations who pledged and donated to the MyEarthDream Trust - and now that includes a "www.anotherchancetosee.com" pixel.

Later in the F1 season, when all the available "pixels" have been filled, our own pixel will be appearing right in front of Jenson Button's nose... The links to the larger version on the website seem a little flaky, but you can search for "anotherchancetosee" in the FirstName column of their search page.

If you'd like to get in on the action, visit www.myearthdream.com to make a pledge towards a more environmentally friendly lifestyle, and a monetary donation of your choice. Your money will go into the MyEarthDream Trust from where it will be distributed between environmental charities and initiatives all over the world.

Northern White Rhinos: Lulu gives birth in Budapest

2007-01-24T12:38:00.000-05:00

A lot of baby news today it seems. Pass the cigars around....

MSNBC and other sites are reporting that Lulu, the Northern White Rhino in Budapest Zoo, has given birth to the a calf conceived by IVF. I'll be honest here, I didn't even know she was pregnant again. The first attempt resulted in failure, as we sadly reported back in August 2005.

But it would appear Lulu was successfully implanted again. It must have been very soon after the first calf died because she has been pregnant for another 16 months.

The world's first rhino conceived by artificial insemination has been born at Budapest Zoo, officials said in a statement on Wednesday.

The female baby rhino, born at 5:55 p.m. on Tuesday, weighed in at 128 lbs. "The little one seemed active and vital. An hour after being born it stood up on its own legs," the statement said.

The baby rhino has yet to be named, said zoo spokesman Zoltan Hanga, who added the zoo hoped to find a sponsor for her.

This is really terrific news.

And finally, many thanks to Mark Pritchard for his generous £50 donation to our Save The Rhino fundraiser at JustGiving. We're doing very well, and have now raised a total of £265.

Another Chance To See: A Blog Of Note

2007-01-08T12:07:00.000-05:00

Hurray! I was delighted to discover that Another Chance To See has been named as today's "Blog Of Note" by the Blogger team.

So, welcome to all our new visitors! I hope you enjoy learning a little bit about the endangered animals and birds that Douglas Adams wrote about in his marvellous book "Last Chance To See". Adams was best known for his "Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy" series of course, but "Last Chance To See" is just as much fun, and well worth reading.

As a quick summary of important developments since the book was published, there are 86 Kakapo Parrots left, the Baiji Dolphin was recently declared "Functionally Extinct", and the Northern White Rhino may be down to as few as 2 animals left in the wild.

We sponsored an endangered Mountain Gorilla called Urwibutso in 2005 (one of about 700 left), and we're currently raising funds for "Save The Rhino" through the JustGiving network. Douglas Adams was patron to the charity before his untimely death in 2001, so I'm very proud that we've managed to raise over £160 for them. We still have a long way to go in reaching our £500 target, so any spare Dollars, Pounds, Euros or Krugerrands will help us towards our goal.

** UPDATE 1/9 ** Thank you for all the lovely comments, and a great big thanks to Mark Neale for adding £50 to our "Save The Rhino" fundraiser this morning. Very much appreciated!

Sincerely,
Gareth

Fundraiser: Thanks to all our sponsors!

2006-12-28T16:37:00.000-05:00

Thanks to all our sponsors who've donated to our "Another Chance To See Fundraiser". With the help of two recent substantial donations from Kjartan Albertsson and Michael Werlitz we've now raised a total of £165 for Save The Rhino.

Just a few pounds or dollars will help towards some of the items shown here in Save The Rhino's list of needs. Anyone in the world can donate, because JustGiving's secure website will convert your credit card donation to GB pounds automatically. Thanks again to all our contributors so far. Happy New Year to you and rhinos everywhere!

The fundraiser will run until the middle of 2007 when we'll start again with another charity for one of the endangered animals from "Last Chance To See".

Save The Rhino - A Christmas Flab Saver?

2006-11-10T11:29:00.000-05:00

I received a very nice email from an official at Save The Rhino last week, thanking us for our efforts on the "Another Chance To See Fundraiser". We've raised £50 so far, and with Christmas just around the corner I thought it might be a good time to ask for a small donation towards the rhinos. Just one or two pounds will be helpful!

Look, do you really need another box of Christmas chocolates? Save the Rhino and your waistline at the same time! Put the chocolates back and apply the money to our fundraiser! If you look at some of these notices from the Save The Rhino website you'll see that every little bit helps...

Douglas Adams was a great supporter and patron of Save The Rhino so please help us towards our target with any amount you can spare. Just a couple of quid will help if we pool our resources. Anyone in the world can donate, because the JustGiving website will convert your credit card donation to GB pounds automatically. Thanks everyone, and merry Christmas rhinos everywhere!

LAST CHANCE TO BE - Jonathan Barratt heads for Ghana

2006-10-31T12:56:00.000-05:00

In July 2006, Jonathan Barratt gave up his UK life of car and big TV to go and work for Voluntary Service Overseas. He leaves for Ghana on 26th Nov 2006, and will be recording a journal of his experiences at "...the change you want to see..." (LastChanceToBe.com). Yes, Jon's favourite book is Last Chance To See by Douglas Adams.

He is running a fundraiser, and has already raised £230.00 for the VSO.

Very best of luck Jon! I'll be adding a permanent link to your site very soon, and I will be following your adventures with interest.

2ND BIRTHDAY FUNDRAISER - Save The Rhino

2006-07-30T14:33:00.000-04:00

As we celebrate the 2nd birthday of this site I have established an "Another Chance To See Fundraiser" page through the Justgiving/Firstgiving network. Please help us towards our target with any amount you can spare. Anyone can donate, from anywhere in the world, and you can contribute as much or as little as you can afford. This year, in memory of Douglas Adams, we will attempt to raise £500.00 for Save The Rhino International. Douglas Adams was a great supporter and patron of the charity. Many thanks in advance for your anticipated generosity!

MOUNTAIN GORILLAS - A Brother For Urwibutso!

2005-11-18T07:42:00.000-05:00

Marvellous update in the latest DFGFI Field News. Another Chance To See's adopted gorilla infant Urwibutso has a new brother!

Tuck, a 33-year-old female in Group Beetsme, gave birth on Oct. 8 to an, as yet, unnamed male infant.

This is especially important due to Tuck's family history. Born into a different group of gorillas known as Group 5, Tuck is part of a family that is called “Effies' clan,” so named by Dian Fossey, for Tuck's mother, Effie. This family group is the most productive of all gorilla groups in the the Virungas!

Although Tuck's life has been beset with tragedy (she has lost three infants during their first month of life and one son died at 15 years old), Tuck now has four living offspring, all of whom remain in the gorilla groups monitored by Karisoke (Umuco in Pablo's group and Vuba and Urwibutso in Beetsme's group).

Read the full story at the DFGFI Field News page.

For those who don't know, earlier this year I gathered some cash from Another Chance To See readers, and we adopted Urwibutso from the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund website. Here's his picture...

Once again, many thanks to all our sponsors!

ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY!

2005-07-30T00:20:00.000-04:00

Wow! Believe it or not, this site turns one year old today! In the past 12 months, I've posted nearly 340 news items about the endangered animals of Last Chance To See by Douglas Adams and Mark Carwardine. One way or another, Mountain Gorillas, Northern White Rhino, Kakapo Parrots, Baiji Dolphins, Komodo Dragons and all the others have been crossing my thoughts nearly every day. Some of the news was good, some bad, but all have helped to bring our understanding of these endangered animals up-to-date.

We've seen four new Kakapo chicks hatched and returned to Codfish Island, bringing the total number of Kakapos up to 87. There's been plenty of other baby news among which we've heard about a baby Aye-Aye lemur at London Zoo, and baby Mountain Gorillas.

Rather more tragically, we've heard that Mark Carwardine believes the Baiji Dolphin is extinct already, and the Northern White Rhino is also teetering on the very brink of extinction.

I'd like to thank everyone who has supported, linked to, or contributed to this site, especially our regulars like Dave Haddock and Harold. I'd also like to thank our gorilla sponsors, who helped raise the $50 to adopt Urwibutso, the three year old Mountain Gorilla from The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund.

Thank you everyone. And thanks Douglas!

MOUNTAIN GORILLAS - Our Adopted Gorilla

2005-06-29T08:10:00.000-04:00

Let me introduce you to Urwibutso, the three year old Mountain Gorilla that readers of Another Chance To See have jointly adopted as our official mascot!

Thank you again to all our sponsors, who kindly donated $5 each to raise the necessary $50 to adopt Urwibutso from the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International.

Urwibutso is the youngest of six brothers and sisters, and his mother is called Tuck. Tuck is a 32 year old female who has been a member of Beetsme's group since 1988. The group is one of three studied and protected by the DFGFI. Since Beetsme's death in 2001, the group has been led by the silverback Titus. Urwibutso lives with his mother and big brother Vuba, but enjoys following Titus around. Titus is most likely his father, and genetic testing may soon confirm this.

Urwibutso is quite independent, but a very sociable infant, and enjoys wrestling with other gorillas, many of them 250 pounds heavier than him. His best friend is Pato, who is now four and a half. After a hard day's play, Urwibutso still enjoys cuddling with his mother Tuck. Tuck is never ruffled by her son's boisterous nature.

Urwibutso is also especially curious about his human observers, and they have to keep bags, binoculars and notebooks away from him. His friendly nature makes him a favourite of the researchers.

"Urwibutso" means "memories" in Kinyarwanda, and the name was chosen by a military general in honour of two gorillas who died during Rwandan conflict near where the gorilla was born.

As the recent gorilla naming ceremony has shown, corporate adoption of gorillas is proving to be a great way to raise funds for the protection of the gorillas.

Rwanda's national parks authority raised $850 000 for gorilla conservation by putting 29 animals up for "corporate adoption".

"The prices (for adoption) range from $5 000 to $50 000," said the executive director of the Rwanda national parks and tourism office, Rica Rwigamba.

The 29 animals were named in the northern town of Ruhengeri in an official ceremony of the sort that is traditionally carried out for human babies in Rwanda. Among the names they were given were Happiness and Gift.