It’s time for your weekly dose of good news. Tuesday blues, begone!
Comedy Wildlife Awards 2023
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The winners of this year’s Comedy Wildlife Awards have just been announced, and some of the standout snaps include a kangaroo playing air guitar, an otter doing ballet and a bird disguised as a snowball. Each year, ten per cent of the competition’s revenue is donated to a conservation organisation, and this year’s lucky recipient is Whitley Fund for Nature, which recognises and supports conservationists in the Global South.
Beneath the Surface
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Jason deCaires Taylor is a British sculptor who has installed works all over the world, however in order to see most of them, you’ll have to snorkel or dive! His latest project, Coral Carnival, can be found in Grenada where he created his very first underwater sculpture park in 2006. It features lifesize sculptures that are based on members of the local community during the island’s annual Spicemas event. In addition to providing an intriguing display for snorkelers and divers, the sculptures actually encourage coral growth and can provide new homes for marine life.
Green Flight
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The world’s first 100% sustainable transatlantic flight took off from London Heathrow to New York’s JFK airport this morning with Virgin Atlantic. The journey has been made possible with the use of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), which are made up of various sources including cooking oils and crops, and will reduce a flight’s fuel CO2 emissions by 70 per cent. While there’s currently a limited supply of SAF available to use, the flight will prove that air travel can be made more sustainable and hopefully start the ball rolling for a greener future!
Rare Rhino
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A 23-year-old female Sumatran rhino at the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary in Way Kambas National Park in Indonesia has just given birth to her third calf—a female—which is brilliant news for the critically endangered species. There are only around 30 adults currently in the wild, but the new arrival will bring the sanctuary’s population alone up to nine!
Whale Hello Again
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There’s more happy whale news this week, as researchers and filmmakers have found that blue whales are once again mating in the Indian Ocean, after they were almost wiped out by whaling ships. The discovery was made using sound traps that were left in the ocean for a year; these picked up sounds of singing, which the whales tend to do during mating season. The footage captured has actually been made into an IMAX film called Blue Whales: Return of the Giants 3D, if you wanted to find out more about these incredible creatures.
And Finally…
John Lewis who? A homemade Christmas advert for a pub in Northern Ireland has gone viral and even received praise from the department store itself! Tissues at the ready…
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