A clubnight on Thursday 4th September. The event starts at 19:00.
Ever wondered what’s it’s like to look after a 200 year old giant tortoise? Join us for an unforgettable evening as vet Jonathan Hollins regales us with stories of his life looking after animals in the remote British Overseas Territories of the South Atlantic: The Falklands, Ascension, Tristan da Cunha and St Helena.
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Islands. Life on the edge of existence, walled in by the ocean, crucibles of humankind where nature still holds the reins. I’m fascinated by them and had the privilege to work as a vet for many years on four of the British South Atlantic Islands: the Falklands, Ascension, Tristan da Cunha and St Helena. Richly diverse, far-flung remnants of Empire. Each has its own utterly unique story to tell, moulded by history, topography, peoples and climate.
The Falklands: a grand archipelago down in the chilly waters near the Antarctic convergence, with rich fisheries, abundant wildlife, and more sheep than the eye can muster.
Ascension: an equatorial military base once nicknamed ‘The Cinder’ because of its brutish volcanic landscapes, home to colourful land crabs, and nesting sea turtles, but with a lush central peak, the first example of terraforming.
Tristan: the remotest island settlement in the world, a crofting-type community of some 250 hardy souls perched on the brim of a recently active volcano, their livelihoods dependent on harvesting the abundant crayfish that swarm in the kelp forests.
And tropical St Helena: the former darling of the East India Company, once the most impregnably fortified place in the world and crammed with built heritage, dramatic scenery and endemic species. Not to forget the oldest known living land animal in the world, Jono the Giant Tortoise, who is approaching his third century.
My talk will be a colourful picture fest of land and sea to convey these stories, laced with anecdotes about my great love, the animals. To me, they represent the best of us: innocent and honest, they never lie, they never deceive.
I aim to entertain and uplift, to whizz you through these remote communities and provide the ultimate in armchair travelling so… fit that safety harness and buckle up!
For tickets please visit the Wilderness Lectures website: https://www.wildernesslectures.com/
Entry requirements: no age restrictions
——
Islands. Life on the edge of existence, walled in by the ocean, crucibles of humankind where nature still holds the reins. I’m fascinated by them and had the privilege to work as a vet for many years on four of the British South Atlantic Islands: the Falklands, Ascension, Tristan da Cunha and St Helena. Richly diverse, far-flung remnants of Empire. Each has its own utterly unique story to tell, moulded by history, topography, peoples and climate.
The Falklands: a grand archipelago down in the chilly waters near the Antarctic convergence, with rich fisheries, abundant wildlife, and more sheep than the eye can muster.
Ascension: an equatorial military base once nicknamed ‘The Cinder’ because of its brutish volcanic landscapes, home to colourful land crabs, and nesting sea turtles, but with a lush central peak, the first example of terraforming.
Tristan: the remotest island settlement in the world, a crofting-type community of some 250 hardy souls perched on the brim of a recently active volcano, their livelihoods dependent on harvesting the abundant crayfish that swarm in the kelp forests.
And tropical St Helena: the former darling of the East India Company, once the most impregnably fortified place in the world and crammed with built heritage, dramatic scenery and endemic species. Not to forget the oldest known living land animal in the world, Jono the Giant Tortoise, who is approaching his third century.
My talk will be a colourful picture fest of land and sea to convey these stories, laced with anecdotes about my great love, the animals. To me, they represent the best of us: innocent and honest, they never lie, they never deceive.
I aim to entertain and uplift, to whizz you through these remote communities and provide the ultimate in armchair travelling so… fit that safety harness and buckle up!
For tickets please visit the Wilderness Lectures website: https://www.wildernesslectures.com/
Entry requirements: no age restrictions
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