Aroma Pets

Discover historic artworks honouring our canine companions

The National Horse Racing Museum’s latest exhibition tells the compelling tales of more than 30 historic dogs, from an elegant greyhound to a heroic German shepherd, through a selection of paintings, sculptures, photography and literature.

Opening on 28 July, ‘The Good Companions: the Many Roles of our Canine Friends’ will feature works that span three centuries. The earliest are Thomas Gainsborough’s A Gentleman with a Dog in a Wood, from about 1746, and William Hogarth’s wonderful self-portrait with his pug, painted in the same year, while the most recent is Elisabeth Frink’s charming cast-bronze sculpture of a terrier from 1992, titled Childhood.

Curated by Katherine Field, the exhibition will follow three distinct themes: dogs as companions, dogs as heroes and sporting dogs. The former will proudly display Alfred Munnings’ Pekingese pooch, named Black Knight, who was something of a celebrity in his time – Munnings’ wife Violet took him everywhere she went, to racing events, to grand receptions and even to the Prime Minister’s country residence, Chequers. In this section will also be Edward

VII’s wire-haired fox terrier, Caesar, who is poignantly photographed following the King’s funeral procession in 1910.

Of the heroic hounds, we will proudly see those who helped save human lives during times of conflict – such as Jet, the German shepherd who rummaged through rubble looking for people during the Blitz, and Rip, a search terrier-cross for Poplar Aid Raid Precautions.

The latter theme will feature the sprightly spaniels of Francis Hayman’s Thomas Nuthall and his Friend Hambleton Custance (circa 1748) and George Stubbs’ A Spaniel (1776), where the canine in question is depicted with is nose sniffing the ground.

Also on display are a series of hunting scenes in Robert Bevan’s 1898 lithographs, and a mezzotint by William Ward of two energetic water dogs carrying a stick together from around 1800.

The works collated for ‘The Good Companions’ reflect the enduring bond between humans and their dogs – as members of the family, as sporting partners and as man’s best friend.

‘The Good Companions: the Many Roles of our Canine Friends’ runs from 31 July to 1 November at the National Horse Racing Museum, Newmarket, Suffolk, CB8.

Reference: Town and Country Brooke Theis 6 hrs ago: 20thJuly 2020

Young gorilla trapped in poacher's snare saved by park rangers

Park rangers have saved a young gorilla after it became tangled in a poacher's snare.

Theodore, a three-year-old gorilla, was found caught in an illegal trap in Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Rangers were forced to sedate his mother and distract his silverback father while treating the youngster.

Emmanuel De Merode, director of Virunga National Park, said the rangers worked quickly and had to make sure his parents didn't attack them during the operation.

"There was a lot of commotion, the silverback wasn't happy but they were able to move fast and effectively enough to apply antibiotics and treat the baby gorilla," he said.

He said there had been a spike in the poachers trying to steal animals since the start of the coronavirus outbreak in March.

"There has been an increase in the number of people going into the forest to lay those snares," he said.

The 3,000 sq mile park, which is a UNESCO world heritage site, has forests, glaciers and volcanoes and contains more species of birds, reptiles, and mammals than any other protected area in the world.

It is also home to more than half of the world's endangered mountain gorilla population.

The park was closed to tourists in March to help stop the spread of COVID-19 to the local community, and to protect the animals.

But the number of rangers working in the area has dropped as people have been forced to shield from the virus.

"Signs of an increase in poaching are extremely worrying," said Mr De Merode.

"We took the decision to suspend tourism activities to protect both the mountain gorilla population and the local communities from the threat of the transmission of the disease, but the coronavirus is leading to a shortage of resources that puts the gorillas at the mercy of poachers and increasingly threatens the livelihoods of local people."

A bear that is standing in the grass: The youngster had a trap embedded into his left hand, which had been placed by poachers© Reuters The youngster had a trap embedded into his left hand, which had been placed by poachers

More than 700 rangers protect the park normally, according to its website. It is not known how many have been working there during the pandemic.

The country, much like the rest of the world, has faced problems with a collapse in tourism, fewer job opportunities and higher food prices amid the outbreak, meaning people living around the park have had to hunt for bush meat to survive.

The capital Kinshasa has reported 8,403 cases of the virus, according to Johns Hopkins University.

a bear lying on top of a grass covered field: Theodore was later reunited with his family after receiving treatment© Reuters Theodore was later reunited with his family after receiving treatment

A total of 194 people have died in the city after contracting the virus. Around 11 million people live there.

Reference: Sky News: Isobel Frodsham, news reporter 1 day ago: 20th July 2020

 COVID-19: Pawpaw and goat test positive for virus - President Magufuli

President John Magufuli of Tanzania has stated that a pawpaw, a goat and a quail tested positive for coronavirus in the country.

He said this was after he secretly had a variety of animals, fruits and vehicle oil tested at the national laboratory.

The president said this on Sunday, May 3, while questioning Tanzania's coronavirus cases, Daily Monitor reports.

Briefly.co.za gathers that President Magufuli has called on the authorities to investigate "sabotage" at the national laboratory.

According to President Magufuli, people who tested positive for the virus may not be sick. He cast doubt on the credibility of laboratory equipment and technicians.

He said in Swahili: "The equipment or people may be compromised and sometimes it can be sabotage..."

Reacting to the fruit and animals that tested positive for coronavirus, President Magufuli said: "That means there is possibility for technical errors or these imported reagents have issues.

Probably, the technicians are also bought to mislead."

In other news, a group of Nigerian Catholic priests have developed a supposed cure for the deadly COVID-19 pandemic, a drug called Pax CVD Plus.

The disclosure was made in a statement released and signed by Father Anselm Adodo OSB on Wednesday, April 29, on the official page of the Pax Herbal Clinic and Research Laboratories.

He said the constituents of the drug are antiviral and immunomodulatory agents which help to stimulate antibodies.

Father Anselm said that plant-based drugs are seemingly the best approach for coronavirus because these drugs are easily produced, stored and distributed and can be handled by medical and non-medical personnel as they pose a low contamination risk.

He said the constituents of the drug are antiviral and immunomodulatory agents which help to stimulate antibodies.

The cleric said: “The Pax CVD PLUS contains herbs and active phytoconstituents with documented scientific evidence based on clinical reports of their efficacy and safety.”

According to Father Anselm, the research is a joint effort of experts from University of Lagos and University of Benin, a tertiary health institution—Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Edo state and experts sent by Prof Tunde Salako and Prof Catherine Adeyeye.

Professor Salako is the head of the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Research and Development, while Professor Adeyeye is the director-general of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control.

Reference: Briefly Team 2020-05-04 

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UK ports free-for-all could spell doom for grey seals

The looming cranes of the Humber’s four ports are surrounded by wildlife, from bitterns and marsh harriers to grey seals, lounging on the mudflats and hunting for fish in the estuary waters. Despite the steady flow of cargo ships in and out of the ports, wildlife has thrived – testament to the success of decades of environment policies, according to green groups.

Yet those groups are now increasingly alarmed that the government’s plans to turn ports like those in the Humber into free ports will have a “disastrous” effect on the seals and other wildlife across the UK.

Ministers are considering excluding free ports from rules protecting birds and wildlife habitats – protections which George Eustice, the environment secretary, has previously attacked as being “spirit-crushing” and pledged to scrap.

Andrew Dodd, head of casework for the RSPB, said: “Removing those protections would be disastrous for the wildlife in those areas and a massive backward step in the way the UK looks after its most important wildlife places.

It would undo a lot of the positive work that the ports sector has done with major environmental organisations over the last 20 years.”

The free ports policy promotes deregulation and poses a serious and unnecessary threat to environmental protections

Hatti Owens, lawyer
Birds and habitats regulations derive from two EU directives which Eustice said during the referendum campaign “would go” in the event of Brexit. They are among rules that Boris Johnson has derided as “newt-counting delays” which hold up his Project Speed ambitions to “build, build, build”.

The regulations enabled the creation of hundreds of special areas of conservation and special protection areas, which green groups say have delivered essential protections for Britain’s green spaces and wildlife such as the Humber estuary with its population of grey seals.

a close up of an animal: A mother grey seal with a pup. Green groups fear such scenes will disappear in the UK if protections are removed.© Photograph: Danny Lawson/PA A mother grey seal with a pup. Green groups fear such scenes will disappear in the UK if protections are removed.

Tomorrow, Eustice will deliver a speech hosted by the Green Alliance when he is expected to outline how the government will reform planning.

Environmental deregulation was a key proposal made in a Port Zones UK document submitted to the panel last year, before the government opened a formal consultation on what rules should govern free ports.

“Port Zones UK would like to … review the impact of the birds and habitats regulations,” the document said, adding the group’s other aim was to “ensure that environmental conservation area designations are excluded from seaport limits and boundaries to ensure that permitted development rights are not overridden by these designations.”

The RSPB is concerned that deregulation might enable a return to practices in the 1970s and 80s. Lappel Bank, a mudflat on the Medway river that was home to 1,700 birds from threatened species including the ringed plover, was concreted over to allow Medway Port Authority to create a cargo park for car exports.

Green campaigners believe that the Dibden Bay site of special scientific interest might be developed if Southampton becomes a free port.

Richard Benwell, chief executive of Wildlife and Countryside Link, said: “An outdated approach of deregulation and concrete would only pave the road to greater economic and environmental risk.”

The environment needs more investment, he said. “That means more newt-counting, bird-counting, bug-counting and habitat-mapping, not less. New data-driven approaches must work alongside strong planning laws. They cannot replace them.”

ClientEarth UK environment lawyer Hatti Owens said: “As it stands, the free ports policy promotes deregulation and poses a serious and unnecessary threat to environmental protections.”

She said the free ports advisory panel had urged that “streamlining” planning regulations should be a priority, “shorthand for a bonfire of environmental protections and completely at odds with the government’s commitments to a green economic recovery. George Eustice recently committed to the UK being a ‘global leader’ in protecting the environment for future generations. If the government is to keep this promise, environmental standards must not be sacrificed for a quick buck.”

Mark Simmonds, BPA’s head of policy, said he understood “the vigilance and even suspicion of environmental groups but we are not looking to rip up environmental regulation”.

He said the BPA’s proposals had developed since the Port Zones UK document was published. “The birds and habitats regs were not explicitly mentioned in our response to the free ports consultation last week.

“Our industry has a good record on the environment, from providing and maintaining flood defences and preventing coastal erosion to the management of protected sites within harbour boundaries.

“What we would like to see in the free ports package is terrestrial planning rules that match those enjoyed by others, such as airports.”

He said there were “eight or nine” different types of marine protection, and in 2018 only one proposal out of 118 was approved under the birds and habitats regulations.

More relaxed planning regulations are a key attraction for advocates of free ports, a proposal Rishi Sunak made before he became chancellor. Earlier this month he announced the creation of 10 free port zones which would allow tariff-free import and export.

So far, 21 seaport and airport operators have shown an interest in becoming free ports, and many of them are represented by members of Port Zones UK, an umbrella group led by the British Ports Association.

BPA chairman, Richard Ballantyne, sits on a government advisory panel on free ports whose members also include Nusrat Ghani, the maritime minister, two rightwing thinktanks and a Conservative mayor, but has no environmental representatives.

Reference: The Guardian : James Tapper 8 hrs ago 18th July 2020