| Thursday 26th June 2008 |
Lesley Wright |
In response to demand, we are going to set up a kids site called Dara's Den, aimed at children. I hope to have this going in the next month or so - watch for announcements!
Meanwhile, Dara is in the news again!
Close but no cigar (26/06/08)
Captive hairy-nosed otter finds a new home in Cambodian zoo (25/06/08)
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| Wednesday 18th June 2008 |
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Furget-Me-Not in the news
World's Only Captive Hairy-nosed Otter Gets New Home (18/06/08)
Hairy-nosed otter gets new home, but a wife? (18/06/08) |
| Tuesday 17th June 2008 |
Annette Olsson, Phnom Tamau |
Dara was released into his new pen today, and seems to be very happy!
Read more ... |
| Friday 6th June 2008 |
Annette Olsson, Tonle Sap |
| Annette visited Dara's new pen today. Read more ... |
| Wednesday 4th June 2008 |
Annette Olsson, Tonle Sap |
We are in the process of building the new enclosure. It should be ready in a week or two. I will go on Friday and see how it is progressing-and take some photos. When we release Dara into his new enclosure we will get a couple of monks to bless him and his new home. People do this when they move house here in Cambodia.
We are at the end of the field work season as the rain has started, so will not have much to do on that front. As soon as we have finished the education material we will go to the local communities and begin the sessions with the schools and communities as a whole. One of our team members have just finished a story which is to go into the education booklet for children. |
| Sunday 1st June 2008 |
IOSF |
| The Furget-Me-Not campaign of the IOSF is mentioned in the Spring 2008 issue of the River Otter Journal, from the River Otter Alliance |
| Saturday 31st May 2008 |
IOSF |
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Furget-Me-Not in the news:
Help for rare hairy-nosed otter (BBC News, 29/05/08)
Scottish charity steps in to help rare otter (The Scotsman, 31/05/08)
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| Saturday 17th April 2008 |
Carol Bennetto |
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Dara's Day at the Guildhall in Salisbury raised £400 pounds! There was lots of interest, and Vision News did a video report. The new Mayor of Salisbury, Councillor Mrs Iris Evans, presented the prizes for the raffle and colouring competitions.
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| Join us for Dara's Day at Salisbury! |
Carol Bennetto |
We will be holding a sale and fundraising day on Saturday 17th April at the Guildhall in Salisbury Market Place. Come along, have fun, and help Hairy-Nosed Otters. Open 10 till 4. There will be stalls, crafts, competitions and activities for the whole family.
See This is Wiltshire |
| Monday 21st April 2008 |
Annette Olsson, Tonle Sap |
| We are in the process of getting a quote for Dara's new enclosure at Phnom Tamau. Hopefully we will begin to build very soon. We are just about to go and check our camera traps at Tonle Sap. Hopefully more photos of otters...we are doing all we can in finding out exactly where the otters are found. Now we are heading towards the rainy season and the otters may move around and use different areas. Also trying to get more information from spraint about what they are eating. Just about to hire some local 'community researchers' who can help us collect data - this is great as they will be out there all the time, and will be able to get lots more information. We are still working on education material for schools and villages, but will not be able to go and do the awareness until May or June. Now it is fishing season and the schools have closed so that the kids can help their families with the fishing... |
| Thursday 10th April 2008 |
Knowsley Safari Park |
 Following a fantastic two-week fundraising effort at Knowsley Safari Park. Denise Chorley, Ellie and the team raised a magnificent £2832.93 for Furget-Me-Not. Thanks a lot from all of us especially Dara! |
| Friday 7th March 2008 |
Annette Olsson, Tonle Sap |
We are planning education sessions for primary school children at Tonle Sap, and developing the material. There will be a game or two (an otter puzzle), a poster, a booklet and some otter masks (based on the one in the IOSFbook). We will soon meet with the teachers to plan for the event. We are also developing training material for the rangers (which will be slightly more serious and boring). We are also hiring some community researchers (Conservation International funded) to help with the otter research.
I have some of my staff on a training course this week (with an expert from our HQ), where they will learn about how to work with local communities-very useful for the Tonle Sap work!!
We are still working on trying to update the status of the otters on the national Red List. We are also out setting camera traps for otters at different sites (trying to find hairy-nosed at other locations) which is taking a lot of time and effort. |
| Thursday 21st February 2008 |
IOSF |
| We have just recieved a grant of £15,000 towards the Furget-Me-Not appeal from the Rufford Maurice Laing Foundation. This is great news! Now we can begin allocating funding to the different activities. Details of expenditure will be presented on this website. |
| Wednesday 20th February 2008 |
India |
| Two wildlife traders arrested in Hyderabad by "Forest Cell", the new Indian Wildlife Crime Control Bureau. Gajakosh and Chowdhary have been arrested in connection with the recovery of tiger, leopard and common otter pelts from Gajakosh’s residence at Hubli in Dharwad district and Haliyal in Uttara Kannada district. In December, Forest Cell sleuths had recovered skins of one tiger, 23 leopards and 43 common otters. |
| Sunday 20th January 2008 |
India |
| Wild
Life Crime Control Bureau Swings into Action |
| Saturday 15th December 2007 |
Cambodia |
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Cambodia plans hunting safaris for VIP tourists |
| Friday 14th December 2007 |
IOSF |
Just to emphasise the urgency... see this link: http://www.indiaprwire.com/pressrelease/other/200712136181.htm
43 otter skins in one shipment. |
| Friday 7th December 2007 |
Annette Olsson, Tonle Sap |
The first pictures of Dara, the world's only captive Hairy-Nosed Otter, have arrived.
In the Quarantine Pen
Coming to the Keeper |
| Friday 7th December 2007 |
IOSF |
| Wildlife Extra have done a good feature on Furget-Me-Not |
| Friday 30th November 2007 |
IOSF |
| The IOSF has issued a Press Release on the situation of otters in Cambodia |
| Thursday 29th November |
Annette Olsson, Tonle Sap |
| A young hairy-nosed otter has been confiscated and is being housed at an excellent Cambodian Zoo. This is the only one in captivity in the world. He needs sponsorship to cover construction of a new, suitable enclosure. He is currently in quarantine. |
| Saturday 24th November 2007 |
Annette Olsson, Tonle Sap |
| My team has just come back from a trip to the Tonle Sap to set camera traps and found 10 skins of smooth-coated and 6 skins of hairy-nosed otter at four different village houses - scary - we need to get started there as soon as possible. |
| Saturday 24th November 2007 |
Carol Bennetto |
| Carol and Lesley gave a talk on Furget-Me-Not to the BIAZA ACE Conference at Marwell Zoo, which raised a lot of interest. |
| Friday 24th November 2007 |
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| The presentation developed for Furget-Me-Not recieved the endorsement of the IUCN/SSC Otter Specialist Group (Jim Conroy, Chairman, pers. comm.) |
| Late October - mid November 2007 |
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| Various meetings and emails to firm up what we want to do, creating a presentation and web site, with Annette in Cambodia developing a proposal for what is needed on the ground to try to stop the massive otter losses. |
| Monday 15th October 2007 |
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| On the final day of the Xth International Otter Colloquium in Hwacheon, South Korea, Annette Olson, Carol Bennetto, Paul and Grace Yoxon and Lesley Wright met informally, and discussed the situation with otter hunting in south east Asia, especially in Cambodia. Out of this meeting, Furget-Me-Not was born. |
