The treasure in our trees
Where have all the trees gone? Most children have barely seen a tamarind tree, let alone climbed one.
About a year ago, I interviewed a number of people asking them to recollect their childhood memories of play. One talked of a wonderful catching game that they played that involved climbing trees. Another reminisced about how he never used to enter through the gate of his friend's house but preferred to clamber over the wall by using an overhanging tree.
To quote Richard Mabey, a renowned British writer and broadcaster, best known for his work exploring the relationship between nature and culture — 'To be without trees would, in the most literal way, to be without our roots.'
And the roots of our traditional games are in
our trees – truly the treasure in the trees.
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NDTV
13 hours ago
- NDTV
Hong Kong Scientist Puts Up Nest Boxes To Save Endangered Cockatoos
China: Above the teeming shopping streets of Hong Kong's Causeway Bay district, a fight to save one of the world's most endangered species is unfolding high in the branches of a decades-old cotton tree. Nestled among its sprawling boughs is a nest box designed for the yellow-crested cockatoo, of which only 1,200 to 2,000 remain in the world. Although the birds are native to East Timor and Indonesia, one-tenth of those left are found in Hong Kong -- one of the "largest cohesive remaining wild populations" globally, according to Astrid Andersson, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Hong Kong. Their future now hangs in the balance, due to habitat loss and, some suspect, a black market for the rare birds. The cockatoos' numbers have stagnated, with far fewer juveniles than when Andersson began monitoring almost 10 years ago. The birds don't make their own nests but depend on natural cavities in trees -- about 80 percent of which have vanished in recent years, because of typhoon damage and government pruning. The nest boxes set up by Andersson are an attempt to rectify this, designed to resemble the hollows sought out by the birds. She plans to place about 50 around the city. "Without the nest boxes, I believe that the cockatoos will have fewer and fewer opportunities to increase or replace individuals that die in their population," she said. The boxes will also allow observation of their reproductive behaviour, which has never been comprehensively studied. Human-wildlife coexistence The cockatoos' existence in Hong Kong has been "a very positive story about human-wildlife coexistence", said Andersson. The population in Hong Kong is an introduced one, with one urban legend recounting they originated from an aviary set free by the British governor of Hong Kong before surrendering to the Japanese in 1941. There is no evidence to support that story, however -- the modern flock's ancestors are in fact believed to be escaped pets. Hong Kong's urban parks, full of mature trees bearing fruit, nuts and other food, became a "sanctuary" for them, Andersson said. The cockatoos are now part of the city's fabric, their loud squawks echoing through the sky at nightfall. Perched on streetlights, they sit calmly observing the humming traffic along city flyovers. Many people don't realise they are looking at an endangered species in their neighbourhood. "We genuinely thought they were just like an average parakeet," resident Erfan, who lives near a flyover, told AFP. Yellow-crested cockatoos are often mistaken for sulphur-crested cockatoos, commonly found in Australia rummaging through bins. The two are genetically distinct though, and the Australian species is not endangered. Black market? Merchants at Hong Kong's bird market certainly know the difference. When AFP visited, sulphur-crested cockatoos were openly displayed, while yellow-crested ones were only shown upon request. A one-year-old bird was being sold for a whopping HK$56,000 ($7,000), while a two-month-old chick could sell for HK$14,000. It has been illegal since 2005 to trade wild-caught yellow-crested cockatoos. Selling ones bred in captivity is allowed, but the breeders must have valid licences under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). There are no such registered breeders in Hong Kong. Sharon Kwok Pong, founder of Hong Kong Parrot Rescue, believes there may be a "black market". "There have been people that find out where these birds are, they raid them," she told AFP. Captive-bred cockatoos should have a ring on their leg and documentation proving their origin, but these can be falsified. "I think we need a crackdown," Kwok said. "If you want to protect a species, so unique in this environment, I think a lot of things need to fall into place." 'A backup population' Andersson has developed a forensic test that analyses a cockatoo's diet to determine whether it was recently taken from the wild. She hopes this will help enforce the ban on illegal sales. In their native habitats, poaching, rapid habitat loss and climate change have devastated the cockatoos' numbers. The financial hub's birds may one day be able to help revive them. "Hong Kong's population could have genetic lineages that are now gone," she said. It could function "as a backup population for the wild Indonesian counterparts".
Time of India
16 hours ago
- Time of India
Royal Navy gets its first Hindu chaplain
The UK's Royal Navy has appointed Bhanu Attri as its first-ever Hindu chaplain. (PTI Photo) LONDON: A pandit raised in India has become the Royal Navy's first ever Hindu chaplain. Bhanu Attri (39), who grew up in Himachal Pradesh but now lives in Essex, formally passed out of Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth last week and is also the Royal Navy's first non-Christian chaplain. He was one of two chaplains and 148 new Royal Navy officers to pass out. Chaplains offer religious, pastoral, welfare and moral support to any member of the naval service, regardless of faith, who need it either at a base, or on ships and submarines. Attri, a Hindu priest with decades of experience running a Hindu temple in London, will also offer Hindu prayer ceremonies for Hindus. There are around 40 Hindu personnel serving full-time in the Royal Navy, plus another 30 in the Maritime Reserves. In the UK military, as a whole, there are more than 1,550 Hindus serving full-time, mostly in the army. Whilst most cadets underwent 29 weeks of training, he underwent a slightly different 13-week course: six weeks of officer instruction, which included learning about the Royal Navy's worldwide role, its present-day mission, and how to survive a sinking ship; four weeks at sea, and three weeks focused on the role of a military chaplain. Bhanu will now join the chaplaincy at HMS Drake, serving the thousands of personnel working in and around Devonport Naval Base, ashore and at sea. 'Passing out from Britannia Royal Naval College to become the first ever Hindu chaplain in the fleet is a profound honour,' Attri said. 'The chance to represent individuals from other diverse religions brings meaningful representation for the Hindu community and reflects the Navy's commitment to diversity, inclusion, and spiritual care for all. My family feels immense pride.' Anil Bhanot, Hindu adviser to the ministry of defence (MoD), said: 'In 2023 the Royal Navy created a position for a Hindu chaplain and I endorsed Pandit Bhanu Prakash Attri for best fitting the criteria. He has qualifications from India equivalent to a Sanskrit scriptural postgraduate degree.' Bhanot said he wanted to encourage more Hindu youth to join the British armed forces. 'Although our spiritual Bhoomi is India, our Karma-Bhoomi is the UK and MoD represents our protective arm,' he said.
Economic Times
21 hours ago
- Economic Times
UK's Royal Navy appoints Himachal Pradesh cadet as first-ever Hindu chaplain
The UK's Royal Navy has appointed its first-ever Hindu chaplain, the first non-Christian to be appointed for the official role of offering spiritual support to fellow naval officers based on the tenets of Hinduism. Bhanu Attri, originally from Himachal Pradesh, took over his new role last week after undergoing a somewhat different course from other Navy cadets. He went through six weeks of officer instruction, including sea survival with four weeks at sea aboard the warship HMS Iron Duke, and three weeks focused on the role of a military chaplain."To become the first-ever Hindu chaplain in the fleet is a profound honour," said Attri."As a Hindu brought up in India, the chance to represent individuals from other diverse religions brings meaningful representation for the Hindu community and reflects the Navy's commitment to diversity, inclusion, and spiritual care for all," said the 39-year-old. "My family feels immense pride, a pride grounded in generations of faith, service, and resilience," he Hindu Council UK (HCUK) welcomed the move after proposing Attri as fitting the criteria for the role: personal fitness both physical and mental, principled in faith and philosophy, reflective and pastoral; professional eligibility of education equivalent to Hindu scriptural degree level and post accreditation experience in leadership capacity, with a sound sense of spirituality and interfaith relations; and general outlook for integration into the British culture and having good English communicative skills."The training can be arduous, which requires medical fitness standards, ready for duty 24/7 at short notice," said HCUK's Anil Bhanot, Hindu Advisor to the UK's Ministry of Defence (MoD)."MoD careers are sometimes neglected by our Hindu youth and we will try and do more community meetings at temples to raise awareness. British Hindus have settled here from all corners of the world, and although our spiritual bhoomi (land) is India, our karmabhoomi is the United Kingdom and MoD represents our protective arm," he was among 148 new officers among the so-called "leaders of tomorrow", including warfare specialists, engineers, overseas and all cadets who joined from civilian life who completed their "Initial Officer Training" last up to 29 weeks of demanding instruction at Britannia Royal Naval College (BRNC) in Dartmouth, south-west England, they transformed from civilian to sailor and formally passed out at a BRNC ceremony in front of friends, family and senior naval officers."We live in a perilous world and as a service we must respond to the challenges to our nation's security, also with confidence - and that means we need people like you that can offer leadership of the highest quality," said Andrew Burns, Vice-Admiral and the Royal Navy's senior operational commander who was the guest of honour at the ceremony."There is no greater commitment than to serve your country, and to lead others to do the same," he training is designed to teach the basics of serving in the military, such as drill and uniform, through the fundamentals of leadership, seafaring, naval history and addition to extensive time in the classroom and on the parade ground, cadets head out on to Dartmoor to learn and develop leadership and teamwork skills, spend time at sea aboard an operational warship, and conduct training on specialist Vahana boats on the River Dart and in the English Channel. "Commissioning into the Royal Navy is a moment none of us forget, and it has been a privilege to follow these officers through their training. What awaits is a life of duty and frontline service," said Captain Andy Bray, Captain Britannia Royal Naval College. PTI
