Peta calls for aquarium's cafe to take fish off the menu saying 'it's like serving monkey nuggets at a zoo'

The animal rights group writes on behalf of 'all the fish in the sea' to the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth, Devon, saying the fact it serves seafood is 'odd'

By Agency

8:29AM GMT 12 Feb 2015

The National Marine Aquarium has come to blows with an animal rights group for serving fish in its restaurant.

It received an angry letter from Peta condemning the popular attraction for offering visitors fish-based meals.

The letter, written on behalf of "all the fish in the sea", compares selling seafood at the aquarium to "serving monkey nuggets at a zoo".

Peta's specialist project manager Dawn Carr said: "The National Marine Aquarium advertises itself as a place where people can cultivate an understanding of and admiration for sea animals.

"Yet after inviting people to look on these glorious, fascinating animals in awe, it's odd that your cafe then invites people to stick a fork in them.

"Serving fish in an aquarium is like serving monkey nuggets at a zoo."

Peta is calling for the aquarium to take fish off the menu - and suggests the attraction instead serves vegetarian options such as fish-free fish fingers, faux-fish cakes and vegetarian prawns.

"The fact remains that the seafood in your cafs is made from living sea animals who treasured life and were needlessly subjected to pain and fear," it adds.

Continued ...

Days left to save one of the world’s rarest spiders from developers

One of the world’s rarest spiders is found only in an old limestone quarry in Plymouth that is under threat from a new housing estate.

Plans to build new houses in the quarry could push the tiny, secretive Horrid Ground Weaver spider (Nothophantes horridus), close to extinction says Buglife, the conservation charity petitioning for its survival.

This very small money spider, which has only ever been seen at two sites in the entire world, is only known at three places in Plymouth, one of which has already been built on and lost.

Rather than a comment on its character, the spider got its emotive name from the Latin for bristly – horridus.

It is tricky to find due to its size and the fact that it prefers to live deep in the cracks and crevices of the limestone, only coming out at night to hunt.

Originally this latest development that threatens the spider’s habitat was refused by Plymouth Council but the applicant is appealing the decision and a planning inquiry is due to start on the 20th January.

Read more ...

Whitsand Bay rare coral 'at risk from dredging'

Environmental campaigners are calling for immediate action to protect coral found off the coast near Plymouth.

They say thousands of tonnes of silt dredged from Devonport Dockyard is at risk of overwhelming rare pink sea-fans in Whitsand Bay.

Silt dredged from the River Tamar to clear channels for warships at Devonport docks in Plymouth is dumped in the bay.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) says the dredging is essential.

Millions of tonnes of silt has been dumped off Rame Head in Whitsand Bay over the years.

A new application has been lodged by Ministry of Defence contractors for a two-year licence to deposit up to 337,000 tonnes of silt at the dump site.

Read more

Fond farewell as aquarium casts out extraordinary fish to new home

AN extraordinary creature has left Ilfracombe for somewhere more spacious, leaving behind the aquarium staff who have grown so attached to it.

Ilfracombe Aquarium’s Angler Fish was washed up in the harbour two years ago and has been living there ever since.

But the aquarium decided it needed more space and secured a new home for it in Plymouth.

Marcus Williams, senior biologist at the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth, collected the fish on TuesdayNovember 19.

Ilfracombe Aquarium Director Lawrence Raybone said the move went well, despite an initial attack the Angler launched at a net which was trying to scoop it up.

Read more:

http://www.northdevonjournal.co.uk/Fond-farewell-aquarium-casts-extraordinary-fish/story-20117110-detail/story.html#ixzz2lUZlwEfM

Eight firefighters and RSPCA worker still can't get cat out of tree after four days

A TROUBLESOME cat stuck up a 65ft tree drew quite a crowd as eight firefighters tried to rescue the forlorn feline.

Five-year-old Narla, a cream and grey tortoiseshell, yesterday spent her fourth night stuck up a large oak tree in Royal Navy Avenue, Keyham, despite a two-hour attempt by specialist firefighters and RSPCA workers to free her.

Narla's owner Tracey Bull said she last saw her mischievous moggy on Tuesday morning.

She said: "I was told by a friend's son that Narla was stuck up a tree in Royal Navy Avenue – it's a good 10 minute walk from my house.

"It's awful to see her up there – she's crying. But she doesn't seem to have any intention of coming down. I can't fault the RSPCA and the fire service, they tried everything to get her down. I'm pretty confident they will rescue her today."

Eight firefighters from Camel's Head specialist rescue team were called to the incident at around 2pm yesterday.

Watch manager Nigel Toms said: "We unfortunately reached a point where it became unsafe to go on, so with the help of the RSPCA we put some blankets and food lower down the tree to entice Narla out. She is a very nervous cat and we seemed to attract quite a lot of attention today and because of the noise Narla wouldn't play ball. Eight firefighters does sound a lot but we need that many for safety reasons."

RSPCA Inspector Beccy Wadey, who was also at the scene yesterday, said Narla looked to be in good condition and was mobile. She said: "Yesterday afternoon we left blankets and wet food for Narla slightly lower down in the tree in an attempt to get her to come down. Narla has gone right to the end of a branch and it has not yet been possible to get her down. Eventually cats tend to come down of their own accord, but sometimes it does take them a while to work it out. We will re-attempt to free her today."

As The Herald went to press Tracey, Narla's owner, said her beloved cat was safely curled up on the blankets left for her by the RSPCA and firefighters.

http://www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/firefighters-RSPCA-worker-t-cat-tree-days/story-17838260-detail/story.html

A potentially deadly snake is on the loose after evading a police helicopter which was scrambled to track it down. Residents are on the lookout for a 4ft long constrictor which has been spotted slithering along pavements in Plymouth, Devon.

A potentially deadly snake is on the loose after evading a police helicopter which was scrambled to track it down.
Residents are on the lookout for a 4ft long constrictor which has been spotted slithering along pavements in Plymouth, Devon.


The reptile was briefly captured by three people who trapped it in a bin - but it is so strong it forced its way out and vanished up a drainpipe.

A police helicopter was even diverted to scour the area on Saturday but the snake - nicknamed 'Hissing Sid' by locals - is still at large.

Therapist Barnard Brotherton, 53, was one of three residents who captured the creature in a knee-high swing bin last Thursday before it gave them the slip.

He said: "It seemed like the sensible thing to do but it was so strong it would wrap itself around the rim of the lid and squeeze itself through thee top like toothpaste.

"We got it in about three times but even with six hands pushing down on the lid it was too powerful.

"It was getting angry so we backed off, and at that point it decided to pop up the drainpipe."


Continued:  http://uk.news.yahoo.com/alarm-as-deadly-snake-hissing-sid-slithers-free-in-plymouth.html

Wildlife officer finds fish dumped on Plymouth roundabout

THERE'S been something fishy going on in Mainstone, claim police.

Patrol officers found the strangest fly-tipping they have seen in years after spotting silvery-looking items by the side of the road in Plymbridge Road, by the Wrigley's factory.

Acting Sgt Ryan Canning, who also happens to be the Plymouth Wildlife Crime Liaison Officer, said he and his colleague were out on the hunt for criminals and poachers at around 3.50am on Thursday when they encountered the unusual haul.

He said: "As we drove by it caught my eye. I went over to look and found someone had dumped a load of fresh mackerel on the grass.

"It was really fresh. It must have been caught that day. There was about two dozen of them, left on the grass verge.

"They'd been left a short distance from the Plymbridge Woods, but mackerel are a saltwater fish, so they'd been caught at sea by someone and left here."

To prove the find to disbelieving colleagues, Acting Sgt Canning took a photo of the fish which he posted on a social networking site.

He said: "I think its the first time I've found fish dumped at the side of the road.

"We decided the best thing to do was to leave them there as a breakfast treat for the local wildlife and the seagulls."

http://www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/Wildlife-officer-finds-fish-dumped-Plymouth/story-16438390-detail/story.html