Wildlife & Wilderness will soon be bringing a range of European wildlife holidays to the website as a recognised tourism partner of PAN Parks. PAN Parks is a Europe-wide organisation committed to saving the best wilderness areas of the continent. It is doing this through a sustainable tourism programme. As we fully support this initiative are introducing a range of wildlife trips in some of these specific areas soon. In the meantime if you wish to learn more click here.

PanParks is a European NGO that was founded by the WWF to protect the remaining wilderness areas of Europe. Many of these core areas are to be found in national parks from northern Finland to Portugal, Italy and Eastern Europe. They protect important large mammal species such as bear, wolf and lynx as well as much other flora and fauna and it is likely that you will be hearing much more about them in the coming year.

Wildlife & Wilderness director, Dr. Steve Banner, was invited out to the Central Balkans National Park in Bulgaria recently to help formulate the sustainable tourism model which will help provide much needed funds to help protect these important areas. The successful consultancy was carried out with other international tour operators and incoming agents who work in those countries currently with panparks protected areas.

In the coming months we will be introducing some exciting new programmes and each time you travel to one of these areas you can be sure that you are helping to protect the area you are visiting for future generations. For further information on panparks visit http://www.panparks.org/ or contact Steve at Wildlife & Wilderness.

Recent news is that some of the beavers released in Scotland have built their first lodge. Perhaps nothing special until you consider that the last beavers in the UK were present up until around 400 years ago. The current lodge, which cannot be visited by the public, demonstrates that they have settled in to their new environment and are ready to overwinter. If you wish to see beavers in the wild then it is possible in several countries to which we operate. Of course Canada springs to mind but closer populations can be seen on wildlife holidays in Finland, particularly in the northeast where bear, wolverine and elk also feature. Our Poland holidays also reveal good populations around the Bieszccady Mountains where bison, bear, wolf and lynx are also inhabitants and the Biebrza wetlands which is a great area for viewing elk, the king of the marshes.

As the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2009 is announced with an Iberian Wolf jumping a gate into a field under moonlight in search of food, we have clients in Poland tracking wolves in the Bieszczady Mountains. This area is often very productive for those interested in finding Europe’s elusive carnivore. Recent snows in the mountains of Poland have meant that wolf tracking early in the season has been quite rewarding  this week. From a village base where wolves were last sighted 4 days ago daily tracking takes place with our professional guide and the knowledge of local researchers and forest workers. Bear trails and bison are also readily seen at this time of the year too. So if you want the excitement of tracking these magnificent large mammals consider taking a holiday in Poland with us soon.

Shortly we hope to launch Arctic safari holidays for general wildlife enthusiasts. However, professional wildlife phototgrapher, Andy Rouse, has just completed the first of 3 trips this summer with Wildlife & Wilderness leading small groups in search of polar bears and other Arctic wildlife around Spitsbergen and the Svalbard archipelago in the high Arctic. On board a small ice-strengthened vessel that can reach locations no other ship can get to ensured the group got some spectacular wildlife encounters both with polar bears, walrus and other wildlife. None of more usual larger ships offer this type of initmate experience but unfortunately all of Andy’s trips for this summer are fully booked, not suprising given that these are probably the best Arctic safari holidays you can find. Some of his initial stunning images can be seen at www.andyrouse.co.uk/blog.

Steve writes “Having been back from Australia for a week or so now it is possible to reflect on a superb trip and on some tremendouos wildlife encounters in northern Australia.” Besides the phenomenal birdlife in the Top End of Northern Territories we also encounted 5m long crocodiles, dingoes, possums and plenty of agile wallabies. Little corellas regularly came to camp in good numbers and over in Queensland we encountered many thousands of egrets coming to roost on the Daintree River of an evening. The rainforest experience here is quiet unlike anywhere else and is special for being so primeaval.

However, the highlight of the trip was the incredible encounters snorkelling with whale sharks on the beautiful Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia. The myriad of fish here is magnificent and we also snorkelled with manta rays, sharks and encountered dugongs and turtles. For April through to July when the whale sharks are on Ningaloo Reef it is a world class destination for a wildlife holiday and tourism here is helping the research on these mystical leviathans of the oceans.
This has been an excellent grounding for launching our Australia holidays and we are busy designing some very interesting trips to Australia which we hope to launch soon and which will be completely unique.

100sqkm of wetlands and over 1 million magpie geese. The honking is incredible as you go amongst them in the early mornings and it must be one of the great experiences of an Australian safari holiday. Here in the Northern Territories of Australia this is the land of big skies, woolly butt and paperbark trees, where the wallabies are calm and the saltie crocs almost invisible in the waters. Other bird life is impressive here too from blue-winged kookaburras, red-tailed cockatoos to the brolgas and white-bellied sea eagles. Birdwatching in Australia could become addictive, indeed we spent a good while with sacred kingfishers and  bar-breasted honeyeaters feeding young at a nest of entwined gum leaves hanging over snow-flake lilies in the flooded woodlands. Considering outback holidays in Australia? Then ensure you continue to read as we explore the great diversity of this continent nation and be sure to talk with us on our return!

Steve has just heard that the numbers of whale sharks swimming on Ningaloo Reef this year are some of the highest on record so he is about to head off to find out what the excitement is about! Australia is often forgotten as a safari destination but the diversity of both habitats and of the wildlife should encourage any nature enthusiast to visit. And with an increasing number of wilderness camps it is now easier to experience. At this time of the year, May-June, it is the best time to be in the north in places like Kakadu which is Australia’s largest National Park, the rainforests of Queensland and of course on the pristine reef of Ningaloo in Western Australia where besides whale sharks and myriads of fish, dugong and manta rays can be seen. Other posts from Australia are likely to be forthcoming at the Waterhole here over the next few weeks and you can discuss a wildlife holiday or a safari through Australia with Steve on his return.

The name Masai Mara is synonomous with the great African savannah and a wealth of wildlife. Featured in the Big Cat Diaries and a major draw for many tourists on safari holidays the Mara remains one of Africa’s best destinations for wildlife holidays . However, detailed research reported this month and supported by the WWF has indicated a marked decline in 7 ungulate prey species over the a 15 year period up until 2003. For example giraffe species have shown a decline in monthly counts since 1989 by up to 95%, with warthogs suffering a reduction of 80%, hartebeest 76% and impalas 67%, topi and waterbuck were also in decline. These dramatic declines had previously been reported in wildebeest, zebra and gazelles which make up the majority of the great Serengeti-Mara migration. Concommitant with the decline in prey species there has been a noted reduction in lion cheetah numbers. The reason behind this is the equally dramatic rise in Masai settlements close to the Mara ecosystem. The once pastoralist and nomadic Masai have settled in rapidly increasing numbers and effectively disrupted the flow of wildlife through the region. Having recognised this efforts are underway to ensure that the pastoralist lifestyle can contine on the borders of the Masai Mara. Hopefully based on this fundamental research and the implementation of initiatives the wildlife of the Mara can recover to ensure an ever-lasting legacy and enable future generations to enjoy the experience of Kenya safari holidays.

Zlotys! Yes, despite the value of the British pound against the Euro and the US Dollar it is remarkably strong against the Polish Zloty which consequently means that our wildlife holidays in Poland are of great value at present. With Spring and Summer coming this is an excellent time to discover Poland. Over 80% of European bird species have been recorded here and from April many return to the Polish landscape to breed after their winter migration. But bird watching in Poland is not the only reason to visit. During the early summer there is a tremendous diversity of butterflies and dragonflies; whilst for those interested in flora a stunning array of orchids will be in bloom. You can also discover little known mammalian species, not found in the UK, such as the rare garden dormouse and spotted sousliks, a ground squirrel of the steppe grasslands. Larger mammals you may see on our wildlife holidays in Poland include wolf, bear, bison, elk, otters and beavers. Ideally, your trip should usually last from 1 to 2 weeks and it will be accompanied by our superb professional guides.