Cheers to a Positive 2016 Nevertheless

Antarctic at Home in London

A couple of weeks ago,  a friend of a friend, after having had a quick peep into my now petty bare flat with a broken boiler for the third winter,  said, “I wouldn’t want to have my dog living here. How can you live like this?”

Now that the temperature has dropped another 10 degrees celsius to nearly zero, I can feel the chill to the bone.  The little electric heaters get lost in this big open warehouse space with high ceilings. 

I am grateful to all of my friends who have given me and/or offered me shelters in these challenging years.  At least, with my cats gone, I don’t have to worry about them shuddering in the cold on the electric blanket. 

And if this cold doesn’t kill me, what else will?!

Indeed, I might have become a penguin.

"UNF*CKWITHABLE"

Four years in a challenging state of life with so many uncertainties and so many stones thrown at me constantly have honed me into someone who is almost:

27.9k 39 136 119 Fractal Enlightenment Home Artwork Culture Videos Fractals Life Spirituality Sustainability Seven Signs You May Be Unfuckwithable a unfuck1“When you are truly genuine, there will invariably be people who do not accept you. And in that case, you must be your own badass self, without apology.” ~ Katie Goodman

Read more at: http://fractalenlightenment.com/37227/life/seven-signs-you-may-be-unfuckwithable | FractalEnlightenment.com

“When you are truly genuine, there will invariably be people who do not accept you. And in that case, you must be your own badass self, without apology.” ~ Katie Goodman What does it mean to be unfuckwithable? It means being, becoming, and overcoming the pinnacle of yourself, in the moment, despite self-doubt or the doubt of others.

Read more at: Fractal Englightment

“When you are truly genuine, there will invariably be people who do not accept you. And in that case, you must be your own badass self, without apology.” ~ Katie Goodman What does it mean to be unfuckwithable? It means being, becoming, and overcoming the pinnacle of yourself, in the moment, despite self-doubt or the doubt of others.

Read more at: http://fractalenlightenment.com/37227/life/seven-signs-you-may-be-unfuckwithable | FractalEnlightenment.com

What does it mean to be unfuckwithable? It means being, becoming, and overcoming the pinnacle of yourself, in the moment, despite self-doubt or the doubt of others.

Read more at: http://fractalenlightenment.com/37227/life/seven-signs-you-may-be-unfuckwithable | FractalEnlightenment.com

What does it mean to be unfuckwithable? It means being, becoming, and overcoming the pinnacle of yourself, in the moment, despite self-doubt or the doubt of others.

Read more at: http://fractalenlightenment.com/37227/life/seven-signs-you-may-be-unfuckwithable | FractalEnlightenment.com

“When you are truly genuine, there will invariably be people who do not accept you. And in that case, you must be your own badass self, without apology.” ~ Katie Goodman

Read more at: http://fractalenlightenment.com/37227/life/seven-signs-you-may-be-unfuckwithable | FractalEnlightenment.comhttp://fractalenlightenment.com/37227/life/seven-signs-you-may-be-unfuckwithable

WILD10 Global Gathering presentation: Rewilding Tigers

I was honoured to be invited to speak at the 10th Wild Congress about rewilding tigers and to be reported by the congress as one of the "Unsung Heroes" (http://wild10.org/blog/unsung-heroes-li-quan):

At the 10th World Wilderness Congress we discovered hundreds of young activists who were working quietly behind the scenes to make the WILD vision a reality. We felt that these people’s activities should be recognised. In keeping with the knowledge that young people are the future, we asked our team of young trainee journalists in the press office to go out and interview them.

Thanks to the World Bank, which acts as global sponsor, there are more than twelve countries involved in the conservation of tigers nowadays. However, when Li Quan started to work for this beautiful animal, she was almost on her own.

It was thirteen years ago when she started the Save China’s Tiger project. As she explains: “All tiger are in danger, but theSouth Chinatiger is particularly threatened, it is critically in danger.” By 2001 some organisations even considered this animal an extinct species, but Li Quan thought: “I’m not going to accept this”. She wanted to helpChinaand she decided to do something about it.

This young woman is proud to be one of the first people to use the word that is much bandied about at WILD10: rewilding. Nowadays this is a commonly accepted term when talking about conservation with many scientists working for it, but back when Li Quan started her project, nobody believed this could be possible.

She had big plans for South China tigers and decided to take these animals from Chinese zoos to South Africa, where there was the infrastructure for ex situ breeding. New offspring are raised there and, when they are mature enough, they are brought back to China; not back to zoos but to the wilderness. A second generation of South China tiger has already been released and so far more than eleven tigers have started to procreate in the wild.

“Thirteen years ago the tiger population was going down and down, now it has been proved that there was a point in what I did”, says Li Quan. “Thanks to this, we are recovering tigers, we are rewilding China”. She feels very committed to the 10^th World Wilderness Congress, since its founder, Dr Ian Player, has supported her since the early beginnings of the Save China’s Tiger project. “Now we have Rewilding Europe and other projects, so this is not controversial, but 13 years ago it was”, she explains.

Li Quan does not care about PhDs or renowned prizes, she just cares about tigers and other threatened species. “I don’t have a PhD in Biology, but it doesn’t matter, because anyone can protect and ‘make the world a wilder place’. Without wilderness, we can’t do anything and I hope my story helps inspire other people, especially young people.”

Regarding this, she claims there is no magical formula. “We just have to talk more to children. It’s all about talking. If we have more messages, more people will get involved”. WILD10 seems to be a perfect forum to start spreading these messages.

Interview conducted by Elisa Hernández Sánchez – born and raised in Salamanca, Spain, Elisa is a translation and interpretation graduate, has a Masters in Secondary Education, and a Degree in Art History. On top of all this, she is interested in sustainable communication and cultural dissemination.

China Tiger Revival (Dire, Desperate, Harrowing...)

Dire, Desperate, Harrowing, Heart-Breaking...

 But Perhaps Not Inevitable. 

We Want to Hear YOUR Views.

Out of Africa-Chinese Government Announces Chinese Tigers to Go Home

Global Times* | Huang Jingjing 
Published on August 17, 2014 19:28

A controversial African "rewilding" project, engineered to save the South China wild tiger from certain extinction, may finally be about to bare its teeth. Three tigers, sent to the African wilderness, are finally expected to return home after a decade, along with their 15 surviving offspring.

"As early as the end of this year," Fu Wenyuan, director of the Meihuashan South China Tiger Breeding and Research Center in Longyan, Fujian Province, told the Guangzhou Daily about the tigers' planned timetable.

It was about 10 years ago that China's State Forestry Administration (SFA) agreed to a proposal to raise cubs in South Africa's Laohu ("Tiger") Valley Reserve, where it was hoped that wild tigers could not only be protected but "rewilded" - reared for release back into their natural habitat.

To continue reading the article please go to: http://backup.globaltimes.cn/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Print.aspx?tabid=99&tabmoduleid=94&articleId=876668&moduleId=405&PortalID=0

COMMENT:
I am lost for words reading this article. When I initiated the effort to save the Chinese tigers in 1999, little did I expect the tremendous challenges along the way. I lost complete access to these tigers that I took from China, re-rewilded and bred since August 2012. I so look forward to seeing them again when they return to China. They are like the children I have never had. I pray for their safe return to their homeland, where their ancestors have lived for two million years.

*The Global Times is a Chinese daily in both English and Chinese under the auspices of the Chinese government People's Daily newspaper, focusing on international issues.

HRH The Prince of Wales Speech

For the Fundraising Dinner  Sponsored by Sir David Tang and co-hosted by Sir Stephen Fry at the China Tang in the Dorchester Hotel 

Oct 1^st 2013

I am very sorry not to be able to join you in personl this evening, but I just wanted to say that I am full of admiration for Sir David Tang’s efforts to help protect China’s remaining, and much threatened, tiger population.

Along with so many others, I have been deeply concerned b the evermore alarming threats posed to the world’s unique biological diversity through large scale poaching, the illegal wildlife trade, the increasing loss of natural habitats and, on top of all this, climate change. There are few more acute and poignant manifestations of our impact on the natural world than the loss in large numbers 0 and, perish the thought – the potential extinctionin our lifetimes of a number of the world’s most inconic, charismatic and beautiful species, among which the tigers of South China – as with the rhinos and elephants of Asia and Africa –have a particular place in our imaginations and our hearts. And yet, as a result of the now catastrophic demand by consumers-chiefly in Eat Asia- for elephant ivory, rhino horn and tiger parts, we are faced with the very real possibility of the disappearance of these species from the wild.

It seems to me that all humanity is diminished if we lose these remarkable species, and indeed that humanity is less than humanity without the rest of creation. I find it inconceivable that our children and grandchildren could live in a world bereft of these animals and these species.

It is to me, therefore, a source of hope that Sir David, Stephen and all of you have gathered together this eveing to learn more and to raise vital funds not only for critically important conservation efforts, but also, I can only pray, for raising awareness amongst consumers of the terrible damage being done to the natural world through the illegal wildlife trade. These efforts can play a hugely important role, too, in encouraging a change in the attitudes of peoples and societities. But I fear we have so little time left in which to do this which is why your support and generosity are of such crucial importance.

For more info: www.ChinaTigerRevival.org.uk

Samburu Elephants, Dr. Hamilton and 327

Equator


Samburu Worrior Dance


Oria & Samburu worriors


Reticulated Giraffes


Impalas Locking horns


Li with Iain


Li with Iain


Li with David and Sam


Marshall Eagle with its Dik Dik kill


Elephants Love


Elephants


Between Friends


Samburu Women


Samburus


Samburu Village


Samburu Woman Milking Goat


Dik Dik


Masai Village


Wilderbeest Crossing Mara River


Flying in Helicopter Over Masai Mara


Aug 13, 2010

It is now the wilderbeest migration season. Millions of them cross the Mara river between Serengeti and Masai Mara and it is a great spectacle. Despite my keen interests to see this, I was always reluctant to go to the Mara as it gets crowded with so many tourists. But on this occasion of filming the elephant story, I decided to also film the migration as background to the story. So on Aug 13th, we got on a helicopter heading to Masai Mara.

Our helicopter pilot Phil Mathews had a gun shot on his right arm and his tibia was broken and now held together by some mechanism for bone regeneration. He was having family lunch on Easter Sunday this year, when five armed gunmen broken in his house. He and his son defended his family and Phil was shot. Sadly no criminals were caught.

On the one and half hour flight to Masai Mara from Nairobi we passed the Great Rift Valley. Despite the number of masai settlements dotted along the way, there is still large empty space left. This looked quite different as I recall seeing a lot of people on my way along the Great Rift Valley to a wildlife reserve when I came to Kenya in 1998.

The migration lasts from about July to October every year. It was now in full swing and many wilderbeest have crossed the Mara river from the serengeti to the Mara side by now. I had seen many blue widerbeests in my life, in fact we have quite a lot of them at Laohu Valley, but nowhere in the world could one see as high a concentration of them as here. Sam who manned our main camera was non-stop filming. However the most exciting part got to be the wilderbeest crossing of the Mara river.

Phil did not promise me much and I now understood why. Often the wilderbeest would stand by the river and refuse to take the plunge. But guess it was my lucky day despite being unlucky with the cold weather in Nairobi, since we did chance upon a wildferbeest crossing! It was breathtaking, as hundreds if not thousands of them dropped into the river to make it across to the other side for greener pastures.

A good day ended with bad news though. A little after 6pm, I got a phone call from Vivienne from South Africa, informing me that 327 is not eating or drinking. Our usual big cat vet - Joseph from Kimberly could not be reached so vet Gavin who is an hour away and who specializes in horse rushed over. 327 was in really poor condition. Why on earth such difficult situations occur always on a Friday (as with Hope's sudden deterioration of conditions before he died) is incomprehensible to me. I discussed Gavin's suggestions of sending 327 to Pretoria's state clinic for thorough examination with Petri. It would be a very complicated operation, as 327 would have to be anaesthetised and then put on a drip for the 6/7 hour trip, if no plane can be found (won't be a surprise give such short notice). We decided that the best option is try to reach Vet Joseph.

It was with such uncertainty and worries that I retired to bed..

Aug 15, 2010

I had little sleep the night before, communicating with petri and team on the best option for 327. Our team was on night watch and the situation appeared to be stable.

It took about 7 hours to reach Samburu, passing green pastures and busy townships equally, as well as the equator. Along the way I was on phone with Petri and team in South Africa to keep on top of status report regarding 327. Vet Joseph managed to arrive yesterday afternoon and took blood sample etc..I was anxious about the results, but fortunately I had to concentrate on the trip, and the amazing game of Samburu took my mind off 327's worries in between.

Samburu National Park is in the middle of the area Samburu people live. They are related to the Masai people and are semi nomadic. Samburu Park has some special game such as the Geremuk, Grant's Gazelle etc. Upon entering the reserve, we immediately saw many Kirk's Dik-dik, and the funny looking long-necked Gerenuk that eat tree leaves like the giraffe. We also had a glimpse of the beautiful Beisa Oryx.

Results came from Vet Joseph late morning today. It was not good news. 327 got chronicle kidney problems and if not treated, his life span won't be long. The vet did not recommend to send 327 to anywhere due to the anticipated danger stress could cause from the transfer and an unknown environment. Fortunately 327 reacted well to anaesthetics (but Joseph is also such a good and cautious vet too!) so he proposed to come back and give 327 drips on a schedule. It is a long trip from Kimberly for Joseph but that is the safest option for 327 really.

We have to do everything we can to prolong his life, though I fear it may not be too long due to the fact that his twin brother didn't even survive to 1 year. Further, my cat Didi also died from inherited kidney problems, despite careful treatment and monitoring for several years.

The rest of the day was so interesting. We met with Oria Douglas-Hamilton and heard her family's remarkable adventure from France/Italy to the depth of africa in 1929, finishing up settling in Kenya..She built her famous luxury Elephant Watch Camp which was flooded badly in March this year, but resurrected in June -they had collected all the household stuff flushed away by the flood from all over the reserve , cleaned them up and re-decorated the lodge in record time.

We met her Samburu warriors working at her lodge- Bernard the head ranger was a delight..After high school, he went to study wildlife management and guiding and he told us many things about the Samburu people. It was interesting that his parents, being Samburu herders, sent all their six children to school. That is pretty far-sighted given that many tribal people are still illiterate despite the government's free education program.

The afternoon trip to a Samburu village was the highlight of the day. Despite being offered to be carried across the Ewaso Nyiro river by a worrior, I opted to walk across myself. But my "heroism" ended up with me looking like wet ducks, since the river level reached up my rolled up jeans. We met the delightful Samburu who showed his prized possessions of goats proudly and had his young wife demonstrate how to squeeze goat milk.

The day ended with the Samburu warriors doing a magical warrior dance by the bonfire!


Aug 18, 2010

We went out with research assistant Chris Leadismo during his monitoring in the afternoon of 16th. We saw several groups of elephants -including those we had seen in the BBC documentary, such as the American Indians and the Royals (all named by Iain's team). It is nice to see familiar "faces".

We were quite lucky to see a bull elephant mating a 9 year old female in the Royal group. I suspected that this would be counted as rape, as a 9 year old is not yet mature. I will be certainly asking Dr. Douglas-Hamilton about it. The mother of the 9 year-old female had been quite agitated knowing the bulls' intention and tried to lead her family away. But the Bull caught up and managed to mount her, even though the two sisters of the 9-year old tried to protect their little sister.

On the way back was an unexpected sighting of a leopard, lying languidly on top of a big rock at the foot of a hill just after the sun had set!

But the highlight of the day was news from Petri, that 327 ate much of springbuck!! This was such good news as 327 could regain the weight he lost and build up his body again.

We spent yesterday and today with Dr. Hamilton's Researcher David and Dr. Hamilton himself. Iain and his wife Oria had a fascinating life. He is a wildlife scientist from an old noble Scottish family. Oria was born in Kenya of a French artist mother and Italian military officer. Iain has been conducting research to save the African elephant for 48 years. Oria and Iain's team have done such amazing work that I so hope I can bring it to the Chinese audience through the tv program we have been filming for.

Meanwhile, Vet Joseph has been back to Laohu a couple of more times to treat 327 who showed remarkable rebound through food intake. Coupled with continuous vet care for the foreseeable future, we do have to feed him everyday now so he can take medicine, instead of every few days as in the wild conditions. But we are read to do anything to help 327.

We saw so much wildlife, many of them for the first time, as many game are different from South Africa. We got so much amazing footage of wildlife as well, some very rare to see. Dr. Douglas-Hamilton and his team were able to take us right inside the elephant family groups that we were able to see the interactions of the family members. This is one of the most interesting trips I did and I know I am coming back here again.

Aug 21, 2010

Sam drove us back to Nairobi safely despite the poor condition of the road and sometimes very dangerous traffic. We bid good bye to Iain, Oria and their very helpful staff and looked forward to seeing them again soon, in China.

(Photos to follow in early September)

Massaging (Nieji) the Tiger

I was a baby then but somehow the scene of me receiving the Kneading Massage sticks to my mind. Kneading massage does a lot of good to human babies - it releases tension, increases blood circulation and helps digestion.

When my cats in London had belly problems, I tried it on them-and they seemed to react positively.

When Junior got back from the vet last night, I thought I would try this kneading massage on him too, apart from treatment to loosen his blockage. He calmed down and seemed to fall asleep. I can't be sure it helped but I do know that more and more veterinary practices in the UK now apply the more gentle herbal therapy to cats and dogs wherever applicable., particularly for a small animal, anaesthesia could also mean the animal never waking up from the induced sleep.

We took junior to the vet again to X-ray and to my great relief, the blockage was mostly gone. Junior became feisty again too -crying his heart out and pattering his paws. I was most grateful to him for this show of protesting being stretched out on the X-ray bed! It means he is returning to his normal self...