AffairBoard » Animals

The Tattersalls Exhibit in Newmarket

Tina — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 19:09:00 +0000

An exhibit began in Newmarket on April 7 and will run through November 1, 2009. This is an exhibit which outlines the history of Thoroughbred horses in this horse-racing capital of the United Kingdom. The Tattersalls is the location to be for those wanting to purchase one of these incredible animals. It is not only the leading, but the largest of auction houses throughout all of Europe.

Those traveling to the region for the purposes of attending the auctions, often choose to stay in a Newmarket hotel, where the history of the sport and of the incredible beasts is found in the paintings on the walls, and in the stories told in the pubs and the lounges of said hotels.

The exhibit will high light some of the old film footage of historical races, as well as paintings and photographs that account the time line of some of the most famous races throughout time. Located in the city of Newmarket, is the Welfare Council on Racing. This is one of the largest charities of its kind, which provides support and assistance to all those involved in the sport, from the current to the retired employees–the groomers, the jockeys, who may have been injured throughout their years by accidents on the courses, or who suffer illnesses and the affects of old age or situations of misfortune.

This organization has supported those involved in the horse racing industry for many years, and a major focus of the exhibit is to illustrate this fact, and to give due credit for the help they have provided over the years. The miles of green hillsides and tracks, combined with the sounds of the pounding hooves of the majestic animals, are aspects of the city that one will notice upon a first visit, and are aspects which stay with those who grew up in the region.

The Tattersalls Exhibit in Newmarket is a post from: AffairBoard

Drag Racing in the American Imagination

Outdoor Activities in Singapore

Tina — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 18:47:21 +0000

The island of Singapore may be small, but the outdoor activities are limitless. Just three of the many sites that combine nature, galleries, and even a Singapore restaurant or two are the Sentosa Nature Discovery, the Singapore Zoo, and Night Safari. Located on the island of Sentosa, the Nature Discovery is just one of five outdoor centers that focus on the natural world and all of its splendors. It was opened in 1982 and has been a popular tourist attraction ever since. This is a hand on park of discovery, with indoor exhibitions which are interactive, fun, and educational. The outside of the park is filled with plants and habitats, birds, mammals and insects that are native to the region. Originally the building was constructed as a train station, but was revamped and redesigned to house the gallery. Surrounding the park are nine other attractions that are fun for the entire family. And the nature tours do not stop there.

The Singapore Zoo is located in the rain forest on a wildlife reserve, and it is also the location that wounded animals and birds are taken to for rehabilitation and care. The environment created by the open air concept creates inspiration, and a different way to experience the natural world. More than twenty five hundred specimens from three hundred and fifteen different species of birds, animals and insects are housed at the Zoo. Sixteen percent of which are on the endangered species list. The Zoo became a world leader in 2006 when they included a veterinary research and health-care center. Their reputation exceeds excellence in terms of programs for the breeding of animals as well as their attention to conservation and protection of the environment and the wildlife populations.

Night Safari is the first park of its kind, not only on the island of Singapore, but throughout the world. As with the Zoo, the Night Safari is set in a wildlife reserve and is also a wildlife rescue location. More than one thousand animals are housed in the park, thirty percent of them on the endangered species list, and the aspect that makes this park special is that they are all nocturnal species. Many tourists and residents of Singapore venture to the park in the night time hours, where they can find gourmet cuisine in the restaurants and on the safari boats. There are walking tours throughout the park as well as tram tours. One of the restaurants is on such a tram, wherein while one dines they are taken through eight different geographical and environmental zones. Any one of these three locations offer the wonders of the natural world, and are great fun for the whole family.

Outdoor Activities in Singapore is a post from: AffairBoard

Thrushes in Manhattan

Tina — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 16:06:07 +0000

I felt a bit moody in the middle of May in Manhattan. In the pre-dawn light where our small birder group gathered, the thickets were becoming less dim and a feeling of anticipation was beginning to fill the air around us. I was in a bird-a-thon, a fundraiser where I had to do more than just identify as many birds as I could, but I was voted the one in charge of our group which meant I had to listen and find the more stellar variety of species.

I planned for this fundraiser for over a year, making reservations at a Luxury Manhattan Hotel, doing research of Central Park so I’d know every nook and nanny, and studying all posted birder sightings in the park. No wonder, I was picked to lead this particular group, no one else bothered to do as much work as I did. Well, I am somewhat of a birder freak as my husband likes to call me. I just think I’m obsessive. Nothing wrong with that as far as I’m concerned.

I could already hear plenty of bird calls from where we already were, indicating there was a good migration during the night before. We entered the woods and began seeing birds right away. Tons of them. The ground was literally covered with Thrushes . We hit the bird jackpot. There were even plenty of warblers, a few orioles about, sparrows naturally, but it was the sheer amount of Thrushes which left us speechless. Or more like wowed.

We were still finding great birds when it was time for us to leave at 9am, and as we were heading out that’s when the real magic began. The birds began to sing. It was the Wood Thrush’s tuning up, then a Veery piped in and then a Hermit and a Swainson. Goosebumps appeared on my arms when I finally heard the Gray-cheeked Thrush. Unbelievable, was that a Bicknell Thrush was right next to it singing it’s like heart out. We didn’t want it to end, but we all managed to leave the park and head back to the fundraiser to see if we recorded enough birds which will help bring in the money necessary to keep a community center open for one more year.

Thrushes in Manhattan is a post from: AffairBoard

Resourceful Birds of Thailand

Tina — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 18:02:51 +0000

I came to Thailand on business first, but secondly, to do some birding. I stayed in one of the Hotels in Thailand for my business, which lasted a week, but then booked a birding tour which only lasted 2 days and one night, I wish I had more time, but at least for those 2 days, it was well worth it.

The birds of Thailand are numerous and are known to be very colorful, also quite resourceful. I noticed a lot of the bird life in Thailand adapts itself well to the ever encroaching presence of man and all the other animals. The birds are taking advantage of the different food sources sometimes inadvertently provided by the tourist, like me. In fact, this reminds me of one of my experiences I had with a Pond Heron who was a regular fisherman at my pond back home and how he adapted to the loss of his natural habitat by making due with what fish I had in my pond.

A good example of what I refer to as adapting is while on my birding tour I got to see the Cattle Egret working alongside cows in a field on a local farm. The bird was in breeding plumage and it was so amusing to watch it wait for the cows to disturb some juicy bits, like insects and frogs. At the same farm the were some Common Mynah birds hunting around the gutters and eaves of the farm house. These birds work as a team and seek to flush out small geckos to eat. I watched one adept enough to steal fruit which was placed on an eating area outside when the farm owner turned his back to retrieve something on the ground. The Myna was so quick to gulp down that piece of fruit and fly off right as the farmer turned back around. The farmer not knowing he was missing some fruit from his plate. That made my whole trip worth while. The birds of Thailand, being resourceful, definitely helped me pass a relaxing 2 days with their antics.

Resourceful Birds of Thailand is a post from: AffairBoard

Endemics of Cape Town

Tina — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 19:09:37 +0000

I came to South Africa because it ranks as one of the top birding destinations in the world. Now that I’ve arrived and have had a chance to explore, I found that statement to be true. I booked a birding expedition with a tour group and got to stay in one of the Five Star Cape Town Hotels which was included in the tour package. South Africa offers an unbeatable combination of variety of birds and a well developed transportation systems.

I came to experience both the great variety of typically African birds, endemics (birds found only in Africa) and migrants. On my tour, I met birders from all around the world. They enjoy as much as I do the excellent birding, whether they are with an organised commercial birding tour, like the one we’re on, or just touring by themselves which is easily enough done because of the 850 or so species that have been recorded in South Africa, about 85 percent are resident or annual visitors. About 50 of those are endemic or near-endemic to South Africa and can only be seen in the country.

I found that it’s the endemics to be to most sought after sitings for birders visiting this country. Many are found in the grasslands, so that’s where our tour took us first. But, it was our next stop, The Western Cape region with which I fell in love, it not only had great birding, but I was treated to great wine, whales, jaw dropping scenery and a fantastic spotting of a Great White shark! I know that’s not a bird, but what a spectacular specimen. Well, apart from our pelagic, our tour included fynbos sitings like the orange-breasted sunbird, the protea seedeater and the Cape siskin. I found the Cape rock-jumpers located on the craggy mountainsides to be the most delightful. All in all, my birding expedition was phenomenal, I was pleasantly over-whelmed with the amount of birds I got to watch. Pleasantly surprised and pleasantly satisfied.

Endemics of Cape Town is a post from: AffairBoard

Thailand’s Elephants

Tina — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 18:21:20 +0000

When it comes to 5-star hotels, Thailand has a splendid array of excellent choices for accommodation. The hotels have tremendously sumptuous amenities, and cater to guests of all ages. There is a fantastic sense of hospitality here that runs deep through the generations, and it’s apparent in the lodgings, where the comfort and rejuvenation of the guests are the number one priority. With a magnificent sense of design, and a graciousness that could only exist in Thailand, our hotels will be an experience to remember.

Thailand is an extremely interesting country, not only for its history and its mix of cultures and traditions, but also for its myths and legends. Some of the most fascinating legends here concern Thailand’s elephants, which have great religious significance in both Buddhist and Hindu spiritual systems, but also as a physical presence. Thailand ‘s citizens and visitors here understand how important they are. For some, especially in cities close to elephant populations, they are sometimes considered a nuisance. There are only a few thousand elephants here, and many of them are domesticated, having been used in construction and timber industries. Their owners, looking for money to help make a living, and also to pay for their diet of grass, which is an expectedly large amount, will bring them into the cities to do tricks for tourists. There are programs at work to put microchips in Thailand’s elephants, to track how often they enter the cities, and fine their owners if it is excessive.

There are elephant activists, of course, and there are many who stand up for the rights of elephants, because it is a national symbol of Thailand. When pandas were born at Chiang Mai zoo in Bangkok recently, there was shift in popularity from the elephant to the panda in the national imagination. This was so marked, that some of the keepers at Ayutthaya’s Elephant Kraal, a conservatory for elephants, decided to paint five of their elephants with black and white watercolor paint, so they would look like enormous pandas. It was a rather brilliant publicity stunt to turn the public’s attention back to these animals, and to raise awareness of their position in the culture, as well as their tenuous position in the world.

Thailand’s Elephants is a post from: AffairBoard

Dolphin Bay

Tina — Fri, 29 May 2009 15:31:40 +0000

It is great for tourists in Dubai to know that their hotel accommodations can also be progressive marine conservation centers. The Dubai beach resort Atlantis, The Palm is a new city landmark that is beautiful in its architectural design and many accommodating aspects. The Aquaventure theme park in its complex includes in its features the Dolphin Bay marine conservatory. The 4.5 hectare preservation and education center is devoted to the rescue and well being of bottlenose dolphins. It is supervised by a core of Marine Mammal Specialists and allows visitors to interact with these amazing Indo-Pacific dolphins.

Guests can get up close and personal in the shallow water interaction facility. Here they are allowed to play ball with, hug, and feed these intelligent creatures. This feature is available to guests of all ages and is as educational as it is fun and exciting. The program is 90 minutes and restricts the dolphin human ratio to 10 people per dolphin. It begins with a 30 minute water orientation before the actual dolphin interaction will occur. After this once in a lifetime experience, the guests are treated to a non-alcoholic beverage before moving on to the education center.

There is a also a deep water interaction program available at the preserve. Here guests can experience an unparalleled adventure into the depths of the private lagoon. The 90 minute program allows participants to swim side by side with the dolphins and interact with them from the dolphins’ perspective. It also includes a 30 minute orientation period and restricts its participants to individuals who are at least 12 years old and are able to swim. There are six people per pod and the program will take them into the depths of the lagoon along side one of the dolphins. One of the most fascinating features of this program is its signature belly ride, which is an incredible thrill for dolphin human encounters.

Dolphin Bay is a post from: AffairBoard