First rhino calf born in new Indian home

Manas National Park is an incredible nature reserve in Assam, north east India. Nestling amongst the foothills of the Himalaya mountains the park is home to many rare and endangered species.

Like the golden langur…

And the pygmy hog.

The park also includes a reserve for tigers and elephants.

In 2007 it became one of the sites for our Indian Rhino Vision 2020. Indian Rhino Vision 2020 is a long term project managed by WWF and the government of India (alongside other partners).

We are aiming to increase the rhino population in the area to 3,000 by the end of 2020. Rhino’s are being moved from large populations in India to the Manas park to help achieve this.

In September 2012 the first rhino calf was born in the park. The mother of the calf had been transferred to the park in January 2012.

The birth of her first calf shows that she is settling well providing hope for the success of the project.

Sumatran Tiger

• Favourite food

• Large mammals like wild pigs, tapir and deer are favourites but they will also eat smaller mammals such as rabbits or snakes.

• Home

• This sub-species of tiger can only be found in the wild in the tropical forests of the Indonesian island of Sumatra.

Scott’s Antarctic expeditions

The Antarctic is the polar region which surrounds the Earth’s South Pole.

It’s a very cold place which covers about 10% of the world’s surface.

More than 99% of the Antarctic landmass is permanently covered in ice. Sea ice surrounding the continent grows in the winter to 20 million square kilometres, which is nearly twice the area of Europe!

Until fairly recently (only 100 years ago) we knew very little about this icy world.

Captain Scott was an officer in the British Navy who had a taste for adventure.

He led two expeditions to Antarctica to find out more about the continent.

He hoped that his expedition would be the first to reach the South Pole. But when they arrived, they found a Norwegian group had reached the pole five weeks earlier.

During the long journey back from the South Pole in March 1912, Scott’s South Pole party were trapped by terrible snowstorms and all eventually died.

Although it ended tragically, Scott’s expedition made lots of important discoveries about the Antarctic environment and the animals that live there.

His son Sir Peter Scott was determined to build on his father’s work by finding out more about wildlife across the world and working to protect it.

To achieve this he helped to set up WWF. He even designed our famous panda logo!

Krill

• Favourite food

• Krill feed on tiny single-celled plants called phytoplankton.

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• Home

• Krill can be found in oceans around the world.

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Coral Triangle Day

The Coral Triangle is a huge underwater area that spreads across southeast Asia and the Pacific.

This area is very rich in coral with vast reefs spreading across the ocean floor.

These beautiful coral reefs provide perfect places to live and breed for thousands of species.

Six different species of turtle live here.

And so do dolphins…

and lots of fish.

But this area, which is home to so many animals, is under threat.

Humans have been fishing in the area for thousands of years but the industrial fishing techniques which are now used mean we are taking too many fish from the seas and damage reefs.

The area is also being damaged by climate change and tourism which does not respect the natural wonders found in the area.

To help protect this unique area WWF are working with partners to reduce these threats. We have also set up Coral Triangle Day, an event which will help to educate people on the threats facing the Coral Triangle and teach them how to keep it safe.

The first Coral Triangle Day took place this year and was a great success! It was celebrated in 7 countries around the Coral Triangle.

Bluefin Tuna

• Favourite food

• Tuna will eat most things but their diet mainly consists of smaller fish, squid, crustaceans and eels. They can dive up to 1,000 metres to find food!

• Home

• Bluefin tuna live in the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. However, they travel long distances for food.

Bluefin Tuna

• Current population

• Bluefin tuna are classed as endangered. Populations have declined by 85% of their original size since being fished on an industrial scale.

• Biggest threat

• Overfishing. Bluefin tuna is some of the most expensive fish in the world which means that people continue to overfish it.

• That’s a fact!

• Atlantic bluefin tuna can dive down to depths of 1,000 metres!