THE BIODIVERSITY BOYS - PART 1

The Biodiversity Boys are made up of Elliot Newton, Jethro Rayner and myself, Rory Harding. We come together every few months to discuss current topics on air relating to the environment and conservation, both locally to Kingston, London, as well as further afield. These discussions are also interspersed with music from our own eclectic taste.

Our first show featured Elliot on Kingston's wildlife and opportunities within the borough to get involved in volunteering as well as the Kingston Biodiversity Action Network. Jethro, a furniture maker and designer, discusses ethical design, and shares ideas on living sustainably. I then finished up with information from abroad where we talked facts about rhino conservation and the challenges faced by those working to protect them in the field.

You can listen again here

Click here to find out more about the Kingston Biodiversity Action Network

And here to follow us on facebook

RADIO

The Biodiversity Boys are back! Our occasional radio show, featured on Kingston Green Radio will return for its second show this March 2015. Our previous show is available as a podcast and I will upload this soon.

RANGERS ON THE FRONT LINE

What does the poaching crisis look like?

As the poaching crisis in South Africa deepens, hunters are looking further afield for their prey. Namibia has a history of protecting its rhino, spearheaded by Save the Rhino Trust, an NGO with over a decade of experience studying the rare desert adapted black rhino that is found here. In May 2014 I spent four weeks with trackers and was able to document the ongoing battle against the poachers. Sadly and increasingly the rhinos and their protectors are not always winning.

Plant of the desert: Welwischier, a specialist of the Namib desert this plant can survive the harshest conditions and typifies the environment these rhino have adapted to.

Black rhino: This photo was taken under high winds, this rhino has so far survived, partly protected by its barren and inaccesible home range.

Rhino carcass: A carcass of a poached rhino, now several weeks old and showing signs of scavengers such as Lion and Hyena.

Rhino skull: At each ranger station a gory array of skulls and bones showing the characteristic cut marks from a poached victim can often be found.

Rhino rangers: Rangers for Save the Rhino Trust - Namibia, keep watch on a daily basis, tracking and collecting data on up to 200 individual rhinos.

Head removal: A cow and her calf were butchered and horns removed in early May, here a ranger team remove the decaying head for analysis.

FILM

I hope to learn some basic video editing and will grace the pages below with these as and when this happens. I'll keep you posted.

PHOTOGRAPHY

I will be posting a series of photo journalism articles featuring no doubt rhinos, as well as other subjects of interest and wildlife.

RHINO THEMED THINGS

As I have emphatically stated earlier, I am running the London Marathon in April 2015. I will be running for charity, Save the Rhino no less, and therefore also fundraising. As part of this campaign to my generous potential donors, I am planning to create a range of things / designs, that I hope will catch some of your more wayward imaginations and help you realise you simply, MUST HAVE ONE.

Yes, clearly all you are missing in life is a small felt rhino, a set of rhino themed thank you cards (actually exceptionally useful at this time of year) or a rhino mobile* for the latest suitably plump offspring that the poor old stork has struggled in with.

All items sold will contribute to my fundraising target of £1,500 and will be available to purchase using paypal and advertised here. So keep checking to see what I come up with!

Cheers,

R

MARATHON CHALLENGE - PART 1

I am embarking on a challenge, one that, I imagine, will leave me half dead, somewhere in Greenwich Park, a heap of blood, sweat and grey foam. Yep, you guessed it! I am intending to run the London Marathon in April 2015. hence the Blood and sweat. Oh and the grey foam, that will be accounted for by the rhino costume I will be wearing for the duration of said marathon. In fact, it's not so much a case of 'I am intending' but a case of I am now bloody committed to this heinous ordeal. In the process I will also hopefully be raising copious amounts for the coffers of Save the Rhino International, which will in tern be used for the salvation of a species (or five if we want to get pedantic*).

So the training has started in earnest you say, you must be onto your 15 miler by now. Well I can tell you straight up. I have a long way to go. To quote myself, 'I am not a natural athlete', and have yet to discover the endorphin induced euphoria apparently experienced by the keener sports people of this earth. For instance today, written neatly in my diary, I am meant to be running 10 miles. So far, including writing this, I have expertly avoided carrying out my own instruction, and I fear that these short winter days mean it will soon be dark and thus too dangerous to go out onto the mean country roads, even with seventeen neon running accessories.

However, despite my best efforts to avoid it, and my very persuasive arguments re darkness, cold and other. Christmas is over, the new year is drawing in and I must rise to this particular agony. Along with my running, I will also need to fundraise. It turns out running a marathon doesn't come cheap and doing it for charity even less so. So far, as with my training, so good. I have raised £40.. oh hang on, thats £40 of £1,500 pledge. So again I have my work cut out for me. So if you would like to help me on my way then please read on! Do keep up to date with these ramblings, as I will be coming up with several imaginative ways to help persuade you all to part with your cash (in the name of charity of course!) In the meantime for those who need less persuasion, why not get it over and done with and donate now using the link below.

Click here to donate to Rory's Marathon Challenge

For now, in the name of all things rhino

'Goodbye and thanks for all the fish!' **



*There being five species of rhino throughout the world all of which are endangered and all of whom Save the Rhino strives to protect.
** As written by Save the Rhino's founder patron Douglas Adams (in reference to Dolphins but works just as as well for rhinos, don't you think).