Ancient secrets uncovered

DAMIEN BROWN

March 10, 2010 06:18am

A STUNNING archaeological discovery at Brighton could change scientific understanding of human occupation.

The discovery of artefacts that could be among the oldest in the world has prompted the State Government to consider adding a multi-million-dollar bridge to its Brighton bypass plans.

In a new development set to rock the scientific world, the artefacts found in the path of the proposed bypass could be twice as old as previously thought.

The discovery of the remains, that preliminary estimates show could be at least 40,000 years old, would give the scientific world a unique glimpse of a previously unknown period of human occupation this far south on the planet.

The remains found in the contentious Jordan River valley section of the $176 million bypass have forced the Department of Infrastructure, Energy and Resources back to the drawing board this week.

Plans have been redrawn to include a 70m elevated bridge span over the site, costing an extra $10 million to $15 million.

With a University of Melbourne report expected to be finalised this week, principal archaeologist Rob Paton has estimated the findings of stone tools and evidence of everyday life could be anywhere up to 40,000 years old. The previous estimate was about 18,000.

It has been estimated that anywhere up to three million artefacts could be uncovered in the 600m by 60m riverbank area.

Continued

Fox returns stolen handbag

A West Sussex man has told how a fox stole his wife's handbag - before bringing it back to her a few minutes later. Jeremy Clark, 38, of Burgess Hill, near Brighton, was preparing to go to hospital with wife, Anna, 35, when the fox pounced. 

He told the local Brighton Argus newspaper: "We were in the car park and he looked at me for a few seconds before letting out this feeble yelp. "Next thing I knew he had my wife's handbag in his mouth and was running towards the bushes." 

Mr Clark says he screamed at the fox to drop the bag but the animal scuttled off out of sight. "Anna had everything in there: her phone, money, purse, keys and letters. I couldn't believe the fox had just taken it - it was mad. I thought that was it," he added. 

But a few minutes later the fox crept back into the car park, with his tail between his legs, and dropped the bag at Mrs Clark's feet before running off. Mr Clark added: "I have no idea why, we couldn't believe it. We see the fox around quite a bit. I think people feed it." 

http://web.orange.co.uk/article/quirkies/Fox_returns_stolen_handbag

Hunt for rare butterfly in Brighton

It is a mysterious brown creature which rarely ventures out of its natural habitat.

But nature lovers are being encouraged to help try to save a rare butterfly from dying out.

The elusive brown hairstreak has suffered a dramatic decline in numbers over the past decade but was last year spotted in Patcham.

Now Brighton and Hove City Council’s countryside rangers and butterfly experts are working together to try to turn the city into a haven for the insect.

Hunts have been organised at six different locations in the city for this weekend to spot eggs of the butterfly and try to find out where it is breeding.

Conservationists will then try to create sheltered spaces and hedgerows where the brown hairstreak can thrive.

Hunt in blackthorn

Environment cabinet member Pete West, who will be taking part in one of the hunts on Sunday, said: “Winter may seem a strange time to look for a butterfly, but in the case of the brown hairstreak the adults are so elusive that it is easier to find the eggs.

“These are laid on blackthorn twigs and children are particularly good at spotting them.

“We hope people of all ages will join in the hunts, they promise to be a great way of finding out more about wildlife on our doorstep.”

The aim is to see how far the butterfly has spread.

Dr Dan Danahar, from the Sussex branch of Butterfly Conservation, said: “This is a nationally scarce butterfly species which has shown a decline of 40% over the past ten years.

“With help from Brighton and Hove’s countryside rangers we hope to help to stem the national decline of this species.”

For more details call 01273 292929.

Dates and venues

Saturday
10.30am Benfield Hill – Meet outside Hangleton Manor, Hangleton Valley Drive, Hove
1.30pm Hollingbury Woods – meet at Hollingbury Park in Ditchling Road, Brighton
3pm Bevendean – meet outside the Community Centre in Norwich Drive, Brighton
Sunday
10.30am Beacon Hill, Rottingdean – meet at the top of Beacon Hill Road
Midday Whitehawk Hill – Meet at Wyevale Garden Centre in Warren Road, Brighton
2pm Waterhall – meet at the bottom of the Waterhall golf course car park, off Dyke Road

http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/9543690.Hunt_for_rare_butterfly_in_Brighton/

Toddler taken to hospital after fox attack

A toddler was taken to hospital in Brighton after reports that he had been injured by a fox, police confirmed today.

The three-year-old boy was either bitten or scratched on the arm as he played outside at a party at Dorothy Stringer pre-school playgroup in Brighton, East Sussex, on Saturday afternoon.

It is believed the child, who has not been named, saw and stroked the tail of an animal which was sticking out from under a temporary building when it turned on him. An RSPCA inspector who attended the scene was unable to find the animal, but was told there had been a fox den in the playground for more than year.

Relatives took the boy to the Royal Sussex county hospital in Brighton where he was treated and released, Sussex police said.

An RSPCA spokeswoman said: "As far as we are aware it was a fox. People there told us they were aware of a fox who had made his den there and had been living there for a year of so."

She added: "Attacks like this are extremely rare. Foxes will usually shy away from interaction with people. We offer our sincere condolences to the family concerned and we hope for a speedy recovery for the child."

She explained that had a fox been found it would not have been put down but taken away and rereleased elsewhere. She had no information on the extent of the injuries.

A police spokeswoman said: "Police were called by South East Coast Ambulance Service at 12.30pm on Saturday 19 June after a report of a boy being bitten by a fox."

She added: "The boy was taken to the Royal Sussex county hospital by family, where he was treated and released."

A spokeswoman for South East Coast Ambulance Service said: "We were called to the scene but we then were stood down. This would imply that the injuries were not that bad."

The incident comes a fortnight after nine-month-old twins Isabella and Lola Koupparis were attacked after a fox entered their upstairs bedroom in Hackney, east London.

It is thought to have got in through a door on the ground floor of the three-storey house, which was left open because of the hot weather, while the children's parents watched Britain's Got Talent on television.

Both girls have since been discharged from hospital. The twins' four-year-old brother, Max, who was also sleeping upstairs, was not hurt in the attack.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/jun/21/toddler-brighton-fox-attack

(submitted by Rob Chambers)