sign in sign up
<<
Home , Sea otter

OTTER NEWS ®

from the International Survival Fund INTERNATIONALIOSF OTTER No 45 Autumn/Winter 2006 SURVIVAL FUND

SEA OTTER ART COMPETITION RESULTS on back cover WELCOME TO THE NEW LOOK NEWSLETTER

Considering the recent changes in postal charges and a desire to give it a “facelift”, Otter News now comes to you in a smaller format which is cheaper to post. We are sure you agree that it is important to keep costs to a minimum so that more can be spent on caring for . But don’t worry, we will still be keeping you up to date with all that is going on in the otter world.

You will also find enclosed our latest catalogue and we would like to invite you to support our work even more by doing some of your Christmas shopping through our Ottershop where you will find Christmas cards and all sorts of gifts – and remember that it all helps the otters.

IOSF has had another busy year both at our sanctuary and abroad. We have also set up two displays about our work at Drumkinnon Tower, Loch Lomond Aquarium and the Aros Centre in Portree, Isle of Skye. They have links to our otter webcam so people can view the otters without disturbing them.

At long last the proceedings of the European Otter Conference will soon be published and our children’s environmental education pack is nearly ready for the printers - so if you are a teacher, children’s group leader or an interested parent, check for news on our website.

I have recently returned from Shetland helping Jim Conroy with his annual otter survey and once again it seems that Shetland otter numbers are down. This is probably because of low numbers but I will write more in the next newsletter when we have analysed all of the data. We are also part funding with Scottish Natural Heritage toxicological analysis of the Shetland otters.

Once again on behalf of IOSF I would like to thank you for your support over the past year - we really do appreciate your help and your letters. We wish you a happy Christmas and New Year and may 2007 be a good year for you all. Paul

2 OTTER SURVEY OF APPLECROSS

This year, instead of our usual survey of Hebridean islands, we decided to test the hypothesis of the effect of geology on otter populations. Paul’s PhD work had shown that the number of otters on a particular coastline was related to the type of rock. Why is this so? Otters which feed in the need freshwater to wash the salt out of their coats’ otherwise the thermo- insulation effect of the will be lost. The abundance of freshwater pools is related to the rock-type as porous rocks will obviously have less available pools. Paul’s work on Skye showed that the Torridonian sandstone area is the best on Skye as the silica sand grains are cemented together by silica and so it is non-porous. So we decided to visit Applecross, which is also on Torridonian sandstone, to see if the situation is the same.

The Applecross Peninsula is straight across from Broadford on the mainland but to get there you have to drive over the 2053ft high pass called the Bealach na Ba, with its hairpin bends. This is the highest road in Britain and as you reach the top you see the kind of views normally reserved only for sweaty mountaineers! The village of Applecross has just 238 people and its name comes from the Gaelic ‘a Chomraich’, which means ‘The Sanctuary’, and it really is a little haven.

The study area stretched from Toscaig in the south to Callikille to the north of Applecross. The area is composed mostly of Torridonian sandstone, although the bay itself consists of Jurassic sediments. For the purposes of the survey the group was divided The survey team at applecross Photo: IOSF into two and we surveyed different areas of coastline each day, recording otter activity, the number of major holts, minor holts and lie-ups, and the number of freshwater pools.

Over the course of the survey we covered a total of 27.7 km of coastline 3 and we also had good sightings of otters including a mother and cubs. We found 39 holts, 381 sprainting points and 53 freshwater pools, which is a much higher density of otter variables than on the Torridonian coastline on the Isle of Skye. The reason for this could be that the Torridonian itself can be broken down into different parts: the rocks in the south belong to the Aultbea Group and are very blocky forming steep slopes and cliffs; in the north the rocks belong to the Applecross Group and these are more thinly bedded. These erode to produce ideal holt sites and in fact in the south we found an average of only 1.3 holts per km whilst in the north it was 3.1 holts per km. All the rocks are non-porous so there is no shortage of freshwater pools.

In our previous surveys on the islands we have used the data to produce an estimate of the size of the otter population. On Shetland it had been found that there is a good correlation between otter numbers and holt numbers, enabling the number of holts to be used as an index for the number of otters. The same is true on Skye. However in Applecross there will be movement of otters along the coast (as compared with the separate unit of an island) and so it is not possible to give an accurate figure for the total otter population of the area. Nevertheless the survey did show that the population on the Applecross peninsula is strong. It also showed that although distribution is affected by the abundance of freshwater pools, the availability of suitable holt sites is also an important factor.

We would like to thank the following people who took part in the survey and climbed boulders above and beyond the call of duty!

Bee Collins John Kent John Noorani Reg Opie Sheila Opie Andy Rothwell Jackie West

4 MARINE OTTERS IN SOUTHERN CHILE

The following is a summary of a report by Gonzalo Medina-Vogel and his team who carried out a project on population assessment and habitat use by marine otters with the help of funding from IOSF and our supporters. The full report can be found on our website on www.otter.org/news/world3.html - go to Chile and click on the link to the pdf.

Data on distribution, abundance, habitat selection and population trends are an important tool for conservation and management of species of interest. The ( felina) is the smallest otter in its genus and is poorly known virtually throughout its range, making the development of appropriate management or conservation Seacat Photo: Ong.Chinchimen, Chile policies difficult.

They typically inhabit coasts with exposed rocky shores, covering areas approximately 30m inland and 150m offshore along the Pacific coast. Their distribution ranges from 6ºS (near Chimbote, Peru) through Chile to 56ºS (Cape Horn and Isla de los Estados, Argentina). In Chile the population abundance varies from 0.04 otter/km in the Beagle Channel to 6.9 otter/km on Chiloe Island. However, previous studies had encountered problems in assessing the precise distribution due to difficulties in recognising individuals, the lack of sexual dimorphism and the various obstructions to observation – caves, rocks, etc. This project therefore had two objectives:

1. to develop a method for estimating the abundance of the otter within a region 2. to assess its use of the terrestrial habitat.

For this, four sites were chosen between Punta Bonifacio and Punta Chungungo (Chungungo is the local name for otter!). These sites were chosen as they have relatively high otter numbers and they also provide easy observation of 1km of shoreline. At each site time was spent watching for otters and the habitat was classified according to the total number of rock caves, cracks and reef rocks, which 5 are features believed to be important for the otters. Due to bad weather no counts were made during August and May.

Observations of otters were made on 90% of the study periods but in summer more otters were recorded during the morning than in the afternoon. The period of activity was divided into 54% feeding, 28% traveling, 8% grooming, 6% socialising and 4% resting with no differences between seasons. The mean distribution was 3.8 otters/km of which 18% were pups born during the year. Indeed pups were recorded throughout the year with most pups in spring i.e. September to November.

Most previous studies have been based on a census technique consisting of transect walks along a determined distance of shoreline. In such studies observation times varied between 0.5-2 hours/km with an average of 1 hour/km. If this method had been used for this study, it would only have recorded 12.5% of the events observed here. This also does not take into account any variation within the day or by season.

Other studies have estimated the population abundance of otters (not just the marine otter) in marine habitats by counting the numbers of holts or by assessing the concentration of spraints. In this study it was demonstrated that these procedures are not effective in the case of the marine otter: there was no relation between the number of caves and rock cracks and the number of otters counted and the concentration of spraints and prey remains are also not a reliable indicator of the number of otters or of aquatic habitat use and selection. The lack of correlation between spraints or prey remains and resource availability may be explained by the fact that the marine otter lives on the Seacat habitat Photo: Ong.Chinchimen, Chile Pacific coast, where it is exposed to wind and waves, which at the study sites broke harshly on the rocky shore. The sea continuously removes spraints and food remains from the inter-tidal zone and reef rocks, which make sampling of spraint and prey remains incomplete for comparisons of terrestrial and aquatic habitat use by marine otters.

6 Previous research has described the mating season for the marine otter to occur between December and January with the pups being born from January to March. However, in this study pups were recorded throughout the year with a peak between September and November (spring). This discrepancy with previous observations could be the result of a lack of studies during different seasons and regions inside the distribution range of the species. This aspect of marine otter biology warrants further research and evaluation, given the great importance of seasonal pupping patterns for management and conservation concerns.

Future studies should also compare sites from different regions in order to gain a better understanding of the importance of terrestrial habitat with regard to the aquatic living conditions of the marine otter, and to determine whether the distribution of the species is limited when human settlers and domestic utilise the terrestrial habitats.

BANGLADESH OTTERS – AN UPDATE

You will remember in our Spring News (No 43), that we told you about a wonderful facility which has been set up to rescue otters in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Otters are at risk from poachers and even though they could be confiscated there was nowhere to send them. That was until 2003 when Dr Feeroz set up the Wildlife Rescue Centre in Jahangirnagar University, which not only cares for the but also teaches people about otters and tries to stop the . Here the otters have a wonderful area to live and can wander about freely in the natural habitat with their own lake! Chitra and Mitra with Padma Photo: Dr Feeroz We have since heard from Dr Feeroz of a young man Padma Kumar Tanchangya who is responsible for the day to day care of the otters in the Centre along with other confiscated animals. He carried out an MSc studying the breeding behaviour of otters in and now works totally voluntarily as they cannot afford to give him a salary. Dr Feeroz has therefore asked if we can help him to continue with this work. 7 We are very keen to help and so you can now “adopt” one of the otters in the Centre, called Chitra, who is being cared for with his brother Mitra. The funds raised in this way will be used for the day to day care of the otters and also to help provide a modest salary for Padma. Without his commitment and dedication, otters like Chitra would have nowhere to go and poaching would simply continue.

If you would also like to donate to this worthwhile project just send a cheque marked “Bangladesh” on the back.

OTTERS IN CARE Sith is back in the wild. He had arrived as a tiny waif last November but he had become a strong adult otter and very independent. So in the middle of September he was taken back to his coastal home on the mainland not far from Skye and set free. He immediately took to the water and we watched him for a short while before we left him quietly to re-explore his old haunts. Sith Photo: IOSF The only problem we had was a technical one and so unfortunately we don’t have any photos of the actual release. So we you will like this photo taken of him hiding in the hay in his sleeping box.

When you work in rescue and rehabilitation of wild animals you should know that the unexpected can always happen, but nothing prepared me for what I found on the croft a short while ago. I went up to feed Heather and Sith and when I went into Heather’s pen I saw that she hadn’t eaten all the fish from the previous day – this is not that unusual as sometimes the otters manage to catch frogs as there are plenty in the pens or the occasional which strays into the enclosure looking for bits of fish.

8 So I looked for her and there she was curled up near the fence asleep. But no, she wasn’t asleep but dead. I was stunned – she looked so peaceful, curled into a lovely ball. And the day before she had been her usual grumpy, snarly self – just the way she should have been.

We sent her for post mortem and the results appeared to show a chlostridium infection. I spoke to Vic Simpson, the vet who did the post mortem, for a long time as obviously I was concerned for the other otters. Apparently this sort of infection comes on very quickly and is known to attack young animals which are healthy! I found this really worrying as I wanted to make sure it didn’t happen again, but it seems it is just “one of those things” - very hard to comprehend.

In August, we had a call about an otter in Staffin which was looking very lethargic on a beach. The problem is that Staffin is 40 miles away from Broadford and by the time we would have got there the otter could have been long gone!

So we called a friend of ours, Sylvia, who lives up there and who watches the local otters regularly – she has been watching a mother and large cubs over the summer so she was worried it might have been one of them.

Female otter and cubs Photo: Alan Horner Sylvia went straight down and found the otter which seemed to have been in a fight, but then went into the water and swam off. Clearly there was no point us going up until there was a chance we could catch it so Sylvia and another friend, Mandy, sat and watched to see if it would come out again so that it could be caught.

The next day they returned and watched again and no sign of an injured otter. They did see three healthy looking otters swimming and behaving perfectly normally. Since then nothing has been seen of the injured otter so we don’t know if it moved on or possibly having just had a fight it went off for a quiet night. After a good rest it may have felt better and was then able to carry on with life as normal – let’s hope so. 9 Meanwhile Lelly and Tweed are a delight. The two of them are so contented together. He is now considerably bigger than her and she is a delicate little thing in spite of the fact that she has a healthy appetite. Some of the fish we have had recently have been quite big and there is often a squabble as both grab ends and play tug-of-war until they each Lelly & Tweed Photo: IOSF get a bit. They also spend a lot of time chasing each other and playing in the pool, providing they don’t catch us spying on them! At the moment you can watch them through the webcam which you can find on our website, but they will soon be moved to one of the croft pens.

Some of you may have been watching the series of programmes, “Saving Grace”, on Animal Planet. This is the story of a young otter cub which had been taken to friends of ours, Charlie Hamilton-James and his wife, Philippa Forrester. The young cub had been found near the river which runs past their house and they were keen to care for her until she could be released back there.

I talked to them for a long time about the pitfalls of rearing otter cubs and warned them of the risk of taming them, especially as they have to stay in care for so long. Charlie has a lot of experience of otters in the wild, but had never been “hands-on” like this, but Philippa had helped out with some of Les Stocker’s work at St Tiggywinkles.

They took on the task and several months of hard work have followed. I won’t spoil the programme for those of you who have been following it but it is a positive story.

The series began with a half hour programme and is being followed with five minute updates on Wednesdays and Fridays. It will end with another half hour programme. If a video is made available we will let you know. 10 SNARES UPDATE

Mr Ian Hudghton MEP has offered to help IOSF by taking the snare issue to the European Parliament. He has submitted questions to the Commission on whether or not non-locking snares are indiscriminate and whether indiscriminate forms of trapping are incompatible with the Habitats Directive. He has also asked which member states use such devices and what restrictions are placed on them.

The need for revised legislation was brought home yet again after a young male otter was found dead with a wire Ian Hudghton MEP snare wrapped around its neck near Looe in Cornwall over the Bank Holiday weekend. The wire had cut into its flesh and muscle right down to its spine and its skull was crushed.

Vic Simpson who has carried out numerous post mortems on otters said: “Over the past 16 years I’ve done something like 500 post mortem examinations on otters and these are the worst injuries I’ve ever seen”

The otter population in Devon and Cornwall has increased in recent years but sadly there has been a series of attacks on otters in the area in recent months. One was found dead after it was thrown off a cliff at Perranporth, one was shot near Hayle and an otter pelt was found hanging on a fence near Looe.

As yet it is not known whether the snare had been legally set for a , or illegally set to catch the otter at a private pond or commercial lake. However, the Environment Agency has promised that if caught the culprits will be prosecuted and risk being fined.

We are hopeful that with the help of Mr Hudghton we can outlaw snares not only in the UK but throughout Europe. We will keep you informed of progress.

11 2007 PROGRAMME OF WILDLIFE TRIPS

Only 56 people in 2007 can experience the wonderful wildlife of the Hebrides with Paul and Grace Yoxon. Will you be one of these?

We are delighted that so many of you come back year after year but for those of you who haven’t been before we are not some sort of exclusive wildlife club! When you come with us you embark on a journey with like-minded people who care for wildlife and conservation but also like to have fun! You travel to what we believe is the most scenic part of Britain – the northwest Highlands and Islands of Scotland and you experience something really special which you will take home with you and remember for ever.

Most people who join us are hoping for a glimpse of an otter. We have a healthy population of otters and as they are not nocturnal your chances are very good, but we can make no promises – in wildlife watching you can never guarantee anything, except that here in the Hebrides the otters, eagles, dolphins, seals are all present and with patience you can see them.

Dun Beag Photo: Steve Birch 2006 gave us such memorable sightings of basking sharks, dolphins, whales, golden and white-tailed sea eagles and otters – not to mention the various seabirds and wild flowers. There seem to have been a lot more basking sharks over the past couple of years and great skuas also seem to be on the increase.

You can choose a holiday which teaches you to become an Otter Detective – learn how to identify secondary signs (spraints, washing pools, tracks, etc) so that you can explore for yourself when you go back home.

You may fancy putting these skills to good use by joining us for the Otter Survey of the Isle of North Uist on the Outer Hebrides.

Or alternatively you may be interested in not just the wildlife but also a 12 bit of the geology, history and archaeology of Skye and its neighbouring island of Raasay – then “Wildlife and Heritage” is for you.

You can find out more about these trips in our Factfiles – these are available on the web on www.otter.org/holidays.html or contact us and we will send you a printed copy.

No of Fitness Title Dates Cost nights Level

Island 12 - 19 May 7 Holidays Become an Otter 4 - 9 June 5 £310 1 Decective Wildlife & Heritage of 25 - 30 June 5 £330 1 Skye & Raasay Otter Survey of North 28 July - 7 £525 2 Uist 4 August Wildlife & Heritage of 20 - 25 August 5 £330 1 Skye & Raasay Island 1 - 8 7 Holidays September Become an Otter 24 - 29 September 5 £310 1 Decective

FITNESS LEVELS: Level 1: Walking about 6-8 miles a day over rough tracks Level 2: Walking about 6 miles over rough ground and slippery shoreline with some hills If you are not sure about the level of fitness required please do contact us for advice. Uist Photo: IOSF On Skye accommodation is on a B&B basis in local guest houses and there are local shops where you can buy food for packed lunches and various eating places in the village. In North Uist you will be staying at the Carinish Inn and you can either arrange for a packed lunch there or alternatively buy your own from the local shop. Dinners are not included so that you can eat to suit your pocket!! 13 *Prices and further information on these holidays are available from Island Holidays, PO Box 26317, COMRIE, Perthshire, PH6 2YL, Scotland, Tel: ++1764 670 017; FAX: 01764 670 958, Email: [email protected] Website: www.islandholidays.co.uk

Island Holidays also offer holidays to various other world-wide destinations.

NEWS OF OTTERS

More unexplained otter deaths Vic Simpson has not only been busy carrying out post mortems for the Cornwall otters, but a number of otters have died on the Somerset Levels this summer and as yet the actual cause is uncertain. Eight otters have been found on either side of the Polden Hills with six of them being found in just one month.

Somerset Wildlife Trust is not certain if the deaths are linked to a parasite which is known to affect otters. The parasite, a fluke, is believed to have come into the country through the import of ornamental fish from Eastern Europe. It does not kill the otters directly, but causes disease and jaundice, which weakens them and makes them vulnerable to other causes of death.

The Wildlife Trust would urge people to report otter and deaths as they can also carry the parasite, so that they can be examined. Email: [email protected] BBC News on-line

Otters in Good news about the otter reintroduction in Spain. Eleven years after the first release, the reintroduction of the otter in Catalonia can be considered a success. From 41 otters reintroduced in the Muga and Fluvia basins (NE Catalonia) we estimate that the present populations have about 200 individuals. The otters have expanded not only in the core area of the project (Aiguamolls de l’Emporda Nature Park) and the Muga and Fluvia basins, but also to another basin to the south (Ter river) and two to the north (Tec and Tet rivers), which are situated in France. 14 Thus, the otter arrives again, after some decades, almost as far as Barcelona to the south and to Perpignan to the north, with a new population spreading to both sides of the Pyrenees. Other evidence of the establishment and increase of the new population is that from 2000, all the otters found run over by cars (a total of 5) were adults already born in the reintroduction area. Also, most of the individuals identified in 2002-04 through genetic studies on spraints were also animals already born in this area. These facts show the Catalonian reintroduction project is one of the most successful reintroduction projects in Europe. Email from Deli Saavedra, Aiguamolls de l’Emporda Nature Park

Otter research gives insight into lead pollution Post mortems carried out on otters killed by cars have not only revealed information about the general condition of the species but have also given an indication of the success of the leaded petrol ban.

Scientists from Cardiff University have measured the level of lead in rib- bones from over 300 otters found dead in south-west England between 1992 and 2004. They then compared these results with levels of lead found in stream sediment and airborne emissions. The levels of lead in otter bones in 2004 were less than a quarter of those in 1992 and this correlates with declining emissions from car fuel.

The results have important implications for human health as lead can damage the central nervous system including the brain, as well as affecting the and reducing growth, particularly in children.

Dr. Chadwick of Cardiff University stressed that the research highlights the importance of long-term monitoring and archiving of samples and shows that with help from the public, valuable use can be made of undesirable events such as wildlife road traffic accidents.

More information about the research can be found at http://www.otterproject.cardiff.ac.uk Physorg.com

15 Sea otter measure goes to governor A new bill is being proposed to help Californian sea otters, which are federally listed as threatened. The animal is starting to make a comeback after being hunted close to but this population growth has slowed down over recent years.

Under the bill, penalties for killing sea otters in state waters would more than double to $25,000 and it would also make it possible to use state tax forms to donate money to sea otter research. Half of the money raised in this way would go to help fund otter protection activities by the state Department of Fish and Game, such as increased patrolling and enforcement. The other half would fund competitive research grants administered by the state Coastal Conservancy into the causes of the high mortality rates among otters.

Furthermore, new warnings would be put on every bag of litter sold in telling people not to flush it down the toilet because parasites in cat waste are believed to be killing otters. Instead scientists are urging cat owners to put litter in the garbage, in an enclosed bag, instead.

During the past five years, marine biologists at the University of California- Santa Cruz and other institutions have found that a parasite found in cat faeces, known as , seems to be killing sea otters. Research indicated that 62% of 107 dead sea otters collected along the California coastline from Half Moon Bay to Santa Barbara from 1997 to 2001 were infected with the parasite.

The bill is now on governor Schwarzenegger’s desk and he has until 30 September to decide if he will sign it into law or veto it. The Mercury News (MercuryNews.com) and SanLiosObispo.com

Pregnant woman recalls attack by ‘deranged’ otter Pregnant woman, Marla Hundley, had an awful shock as she swam in Claytor Lake, Roanoke, Virginia, when a river otter bit her several times.

Allen Boynton, a wildlife biologist, and Captain Don Hinchey, both of the Game and Inland Fisheries Department, say they have never heard of anyone being attacked as they swam. “An unprovoked attack like this 16 really makes me think this one might have been rabid,” Boynton said. “It’s not typical behaviour for otters.”

There is a rabies epidemic in across the state, making it likely that the otter contracted the deadly virus from a as both creatures share the shoreline habitat. However it would be very difficult to find the otter responsible for the biting incident. Roanoke.com

New IUCN Otter Specialist Group website Following the appointment of Jim Conroy as the new chair, the World Conservation (IUCN) Otter Specialist Group has a new website which can be found at www.otterspecialistgroup.org

© Lyn Wells

HI KIDS

IOSF is about to produce a children’s otter activity pack. Here you can have a sneak preview of one of the activities in the pack and have the chance to win a pack for yourself.

It’s something for you to do on a rainy afternoon! Draw your own board game – you could make it like a river and as the otter goes down the river it meets different situations. You could say “Litter in the river – go back 3 spaces” or “someone builds an artificial holt – go forward 5”. See how many different things you can do. 17 And remember, create your very own otter game and send a copy of it to us with your name, address and age and you could be one of the first to have a brand new IOSF Otter Activity Pack.

You can email your game as an attachment to iosf@otter. org or send it to IOSF Children’s Competition, 7 Black Park, Broadford, Isle of Skye, IV49 9DE. The closing date is 15 December 2006. Have fun!

18 AN IDEA FOR CHRISTMAS……

If you already sponsor an otter with IOSF you can take advantage of our special offer and Adopt-an-Otter for a friend and you will receive a copy of IUCN’s “Otters” book worth £4 absolutely FREE! Please provide your sponsorship number when ordering

OUR YOUNGER SEA OTTER ART COMPETITION WINNERS

Tilly Stickney aged 5 yrs from Walton-on- Thames made this fantastic collage of a sea otter and won our under 8 yrs age group.

Rowan Pitt aged 8 yrs of Shawford, Winchester sent us a picture of his great papier mache sea otter on the beach at Southsea and won our 8-15 yrs category.

OTTER NEWS ON PDF Help IOSF to put more money into otter conservation by reading your OtterNews online. If you are happy to do this please email us at [email protected] quoting your sponsorship number, and reduce our printing and postage costs. However, if you prefer, we are still happy to send out a printed copy to you. Your OtterNews is now printed on 80% recycled paper.

19 SEA OTTER ART COMPETITION AUCTION Wendy Payne from London, the winner of the age 16 yrs and over category, sent us a copy of her oil painting entry (below). Wendy paints in oils as a hobby and is also a volunteer at the London Wildlife Hospital. She would like us to auction her competition entry to raise funds for IOSF, so if you would like to own or give this fantastic picture (30cm x 25cm unframed) send in your bid before15th December 2006 by email, fax, letter or telephone.

About IOSF Registered business address: 7 Black Park, Broadford, Isle of Skye IV49 9DE Scotland Tel: 01471 822 487 Fax: 01471 822 487 Email: [email protected] Website: www.otter.org Charity number: SC003875 Who’s Who at IOSF Patron: Julian Pettifer – Presidents: Dennis Furnell, Laurence Broderick Co-ordinator: Janet Wildgoose – Development Officer: Helen Birch Head of Operations: Dr Paul Yoxon – Scientific Advisor: Jim Conroy MSc Asian Co-ordinator: Prof Padma da Silva – European Co-ordinator: Dr Vadim Sidorovich A NOTE WHEN WRITING: Could we please ask you to give us your sponsorship number whenever you write as it does help us to find your records more quickly. Thanks. Printed by Strath Print Ltd, Broadford, Isle of Skye email [email protected] Tel: 01471 822555