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Last Sunday’s episode of the BBC wildlife series “Dynasties,” narrated by Sir David Attenborough, might have shattered some illusions about the life of the so-called “King of the Beasts.” Here were Lions that, rather than lording it effortlessly over all the inhabitants of Kenya’s Masai Mara, were portrayed as surprisingly vulnerable. We watched the dramatic moment that a youthful male Lion was surrounded by a pack of 20 Spotted Hyaenas and were captivated as Charm the Lioness protected her very young cubs from a herd of angry African Buffalo intent on trampling them to death.
We will once again be spending the day at Titchfield Haven National Nature Reserve, near Fareham in Hampshire, on Friday 25th January 2019. Several of our staff and leaders, including Paul Stanbury (Europe, southern Africa & cruises), Rajan Jolly (Indian subcontinent), Tom Mabbett (Brazil, Caribbean, Borneo & western Europe) and Kerrie Porteous (Europe, Madagascar, Mongolia and east & west Africa) will be on hand to answer any holiday questions you may have and to escort a walk around the nature reserve at 1.00pm (entrance fee not included).
It seems that everybody is talking about the episode of the new David Attenborough series “Dynasties” that aired on Sunday night, featuring a colony of Emperor Penguins. Much conversation has been stirred by the film-makers admitting that they dug a path to help some trapped mothers and chicks escape from a deadly ravine into which they had fallen, breaking the media protocol of not interfering. Other memorable moments included Aurora Australis over the colony at Atka Bay, Antarctica; the great huddle of males enduring a fearsome gale; and the sinister kidnapping of a chick by a frustrated female. And who could not agonise with the mother penguin abandoning her own chick in the same ravine mentioned above, the latter tumbling down to certain death like a soft toy falling down the stairs?
It has been another world-class year for wildlife encounters on the Lyme Bay marine safaris. There have been five trips this year, sailing out of Brixham on the Spot-On catamaran with skipper Ross Parham – himself a knowledgeable and eagle-eyed marine wildlife observer. With around nine hours at sea on each trip and cruising at 8-10 knots, there has been plenty of time to cover large parts of Lyme Bay over the summer months.