Backyard Bunnies

I can’t think of a single person that would not be able to find the temptation to cuddle a baby bunny in their presence. Unless you’re  extremely heartless! However, in the case of backyard bunnies, this temptation must be dealt with a tad differently.

Ontario Wildlife Removal Inc in the U.S. released a short video educating the public, as it is more evident that so many people seem to be unaware of what to do when finding baby rabbits in their gardens. Baby rabbits, known as kits, are very commonly native to Northern America, and the mating season lasts for a fair amount of time between March to September. More recently, Jared Houliston, head of the pest control service, explains in the video that they receive more and more calls about backyard bunnies asking what the best action is.

So what would you do if you found cute little bunnies in your garden? Jared explains that it is extremely common for the public to be concerned and want to move the bunnies or interfere, which is the complete opposite of what you should do! He continues to state that in fact, unless the babies are obviously injured or hurt, it is best to not disturb them at all. The mother rabbit, even if not seen, visits the nest once/ twice a day, as to not draw attention. Rabbits are very tactile, burrowing shallow nests in open grassy areas near bushes/ trees, meaning that predators will not be a threat as they don’t usually venture out into open space. In actual fact, humans and pets are more of a threat to these cute little creatures, as the nest simply resembles a patch of dead grass. This can be dangerous as it is easier to accidentally mow over the nest or any animal like our pet pooches sniffing around!

What is the solution then? Simple. Cover the nest with fresh grass, be aware that the nest is there, and keep any domesticated animals away from the area. This is only for a short period of time, as the babies will grow quickly and be gone within a couple of weeks. And even if you’re reading this in an area where rabbits aren’t native.. at least you get to read about cute little bunnies!

For more information, check out the video here. YOU WON’T REGRET IT!

Canadian Man Attends To His Lawn During Tornado

Dorothy didn’t exactly keep her cool when the twister appeared and picked up her house sending it spinning to Munckinland did she? And Bill Paxton in the 1996 film ‘Twister’  certainly didn’t just sit at home and wait for the storm to pass. Well maybe they should have taken some tips from one man in Alberta, Canada!

Theunis Wessels seemed to startle his wife and family quite a bit last week when he decided that mowing his lawn was much more important than stepping inside swiftly to take cover. Mrs Wessels decided to capture the moment a swirling tornado noticeably became visible behind her husband as he continued to attend to his garden.

Theunis Wessels casually mowing the lawn (Picture: Cecilia Wessels)

Tornadoes are formed quite easily, beginning with warm moisture at the surface and cold air above.. setting the foundation for a typical thunderstorm. Research meteorologist Harold Brooks compares this phenomenon to a hot-air balloon as the warm air starts to rise.

National Geographic state that on average, tornadoes are known to kill 60 people per year in the U.S., as violent columns of air throw flying debris, destroying the surrounding area. The column of air extends between the earth’s surface and a cloud, lasting between 10-30 minutes depending on the size. Maybe Dorothy had a reason for being scared, as it turns out that the most powerful of twisters can actually have a width of around 2 miles, and have winds speeds of around 300 miles per hour!

Scientists still ponder on what exactly causes tornadoes, however have come to the conclusion that the first kilometre must have strong changes in winds along with increased humidity for there to be a formation.

I don’t know about you, but all this talk of chaos, as well as watching the Wizard of Oz, definitely tells me that I wouldn’t have been as calm as Theunis over here! Luckily he was right not to panic this time, as you’ll be pleased to know there were no injuries in the town, phew!

Earth After Humans

‘Save the planet!’ We are constantly reminded of this, but do we really listen? Well maybe we should!  Mind Warehouse created a time-lapse video with predicted stages of what would happen to our world and it’s inhabiters, starting with a few hours after we disappear to 300 million years later.

So lets begin! The theory predicts that after several hours, the lights around the world would begin to go out, as power stations run on fossil fuel and WE are the ones to control them. This continues 48 hours later with nuclear power plants switching to safety mode due to the drastic decrease in energy consumption, and power cuts in regions that aren’t supplied by hydroelectric power stations.

3 days later, this is where things become more chaotic! The tubes and metros will supposedly become flooded as humans won’t be powering the pumps protecting them. After 10 days, domestic animals locked indoors and livestock will start to die out from starvation and dehydration. Survival of the fittest will set in with larger dog breeds forming packs, and hunting the smaller breeds.. say bye-bye to the chihuahua’s and tea-cup terriers!

A month after human extinction, circumstances deteriorate even more, with explosions occurring from evaporated cooling water in power stations. Radioactivity eventually kills the rest of the animals, but don’t underestimate her! Because this is where planet earth begins to fight back and recover.

One year later, strange stars will fall to earth, as humans over the years placed thousands of objects into earth’s orbit, along with the highest satellites a few more years later. 25 years later, earth begins to flourish without us, as squares and sidewalks turn into areas of vegetation, cities like Dubai and Las Vegas will be covered in sand, and overall the air will be much cleaner without the toxicity of human inhabitants.

Hundreds of years later, man-made constructions will continue to erode and collapse, with nature taking over as vast swamps reappear, and bird and animal species returning to their homes which were unfairly taken from them! Marine animals like whales will blossom as, without the threat of humans, will be able to use the ocean to its full capacity and reproduce. It is even predicted that around 300 million years later, there will be a new rational species.

So it looks like earth is very sturdy, and can easily get rid of any trace of us humans, along with the trash we left behind! The video certainly reminds us that it is not earth that needs us, but humans that constantly rely on her! A reminder that we should look after our world. Never underestimate the power of nature!

Click here to check out the video!

Swarm Of Bees Hit Rush Hour At Greenwich Market

The most memorable elements of summer for us humans are hot days, pub gardens, the occasional beach days, and in particular, bees! Known for their appearance during beautiful seasons, we tend to over exaggerate our screeches of “ooo’s” and “ahh’s” without realising the harmlessness of these very intelligent creatures.

Pollinating pretty flowers, creating useful products for us including honey and wax, and particularly their colonisation abilities, bees are social insects who do not usually bother us during their day-to-day activities. Even though the advice to everyone is ‘don’t panic!’ and ‘stay still!’, there’s always someone screaming and waving vigorously in fear.

So it was a surprise to the people on Greenwich Church Street close to Greenwich Market when a swarm of bees had traffic at a standstill for roughly an hour. The bees swarmed above a traffic light as footage showed Londoners ducking and diving attempting to avoid the cloud. This incident seemed to even excite the public, with one shop owner videoing the events, describing it as ‘absolutely crazy’ and reporting an ‘un- derlying humming sound’ around the area.

Being one of the hardest working insects on the planet, bees can fly up to 9 miles from the nest in search of food. The honeybee in particular, travels about 620 miles in her lifetime, and can be known to ‘work herself to death’ in a 3 week period. Unfortunately, statistics have shown that bee species are becoming increasingly endangered at an alarming rate, with the U.S. National Agricultural Statistics showing the honey bee population decline from 6 million hives in 1947 to now only 2.4 million in 2008. That works out as a 60 percent fall for our buzzing friends!

CCTV footage of thousands of bees swarming London at rush hour (Picture: metro.co.uk)

The swarming of bees usually happens when the queen bee leaves the original hive as a new colony is formed. A large group of worker bees follow the queen, with about 60% of the original hive travelling with her. This ‘primary swarm’ can include up to tens of thousands of bees!

On the day of the events, professional bee keepers from Brockley Bees came to the rescue, bringing along with them a mobile hive in order to entice the swarm and calm the bees. Mr Clarkson from Brockley Bees told the Metro, “We explained to the public that during a swarm, bees are extremely docile and calm, and there is a very rare chance of being stung.” Mr Clarkson and his colleagues stayed until 8.30pm moving the swarm, calming not only the bees but the people of Greenwich. Safe to say this event was a buzz!