"Norfolk"

Page last revised:
8 th November 2004

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DATE: ANIMAL: LOCATION:
31st May 2003 RHEA Kins Lynn
28th August 2003 PRIMATES Northwold
29th January 2004 EAGLE OWL Norwich
27th September 2004 HIPPOPOTIMUS  
1850s WALLABIES Cromer

 

HIPPOPOTIMUS
Hippo Bones Found
Two Fossilised hippo bones thought to be more than 450,000 years old were recovered byscientists from the Natural History Museum and Queen Mary, University of London. from a quarry in Norfolk, also found was a horse, hyena, fish and rodent remains. Researches said the fossils has opened a window on the UK’s past in the early Middle Pleistocene when the temperature at that time was 2C higher than they are now.

The Hippo’s would have been half as big as today’s hippo’s and would have weighed around six - seven tonnes.

Palaeontologist Simon Parfitt said The landscape would have looked quite familiar - a big river and a very broad flood plain. But some of the animals would have been very different to what we are used to."

It is said that the animals would have lived at the time when the landscape in Norfolk was populated by a vast mixture of plants and animals now seen in the African Savannah.

(Source Only Punjab.com - 27th September 2004)

Re written By: Cher Jenkins

Ref No: 1733

Cromer
WALLABIES
Several wallabies escaped from a collection owned by J.H. Gurney at Northrepps Hall, near Cromer, in the 1850s.

Contributed and Written by: Lisa Willow

File:

NB: We need further information on this colony

Kins Lynn
RHEA
Rhea captured after quad-bike chase
A 5ft high white rhea leapt over a 6ft fence around a paddock in Middleton, near Kings Lynn in Norfolk on Thursday 29th May 2003. . Local farmers captured Rhe-Rhe about two miles from home last night, using a quad bike to herd him into a cattle trailer. Owner Val Ward said: "He can run very fast, it's amazing that we caught him last night and he could nearly outrun the quad bike.” Rheas are one of the world's fastest land animals and can run up to 45 miles per hour.

Rhee-Rhe has now been returned to his paddock. His partner, Fluffy, is not communicating with him.

(Source: Ananova News - 31st May 2003)

Written by: Paul Williams

File: 2003-148
Ref No's: 1222 and 1224

Northwold
PRIMATES
A Norfolk cemetery has been alive with activity recently due to the arrival of two primates.
The Environmental Health Department together with the Trading Standards Animal Health Department have tried in vain to capture two elusive monkeys after ‘Movements in the trees’ reports were sent in from the old part of the cemetery.

They were first spotted six weeks ago when a family saw the monkeys – identified as Capuchins in the trees. The monkeys resemble ‘Organ-grinders’ monkeys in appearance, and are fairly common in South American countries.

They could have escaped or been released into the wild. The cemetery has lots of apple trees that could sustain a ‘visitor’ or so for a period of time.

Humane traps were set up using fruit as bait and Trading Standards Animal Health officers visited the site twice a day to check for any captures, whilst the traps were down. The cemetery was temporarily closed to the public, however, the problem is now being given over to the local authority that may probably send in experts to dart the monkeys in an effort to capture them, so for now at least the saga continues..

(Source: Eastern Daily Press - 28th August 2003)

Contributed by: Mark Fraser
Scottish Big Cats.
www.scottishbigcats.org

File: 2003-81
Ref No: 828

Read Our Preliminary Report

Norwich
EAGLE OWL
Appeal over missing Eagle Owl
ROWAN ENTWISTLE
An Eagle Owl has escaped from an aviary in Norwich after a heavy snow fall brought down a section of it's enclosure overnight. The owner of the“aggressive” Bengali Eagle Owl today appealed for help finding her. Bella, is an eight-year-old bird of raptor with a 2ft wing span, she went missing this morning from her home in Primula Drive, Norwich. It is feared she might starve to death after three days in the wild as she is not used to fending for herself. her owner James Hodson said “She normally feeds on baby chicks and mice, but she has never had to find food on her own,” Mr Hodson is a 26-year-old editor for a publishing company. The Police have warned people to steer clear from the tawny orange and black owl if they do spot her. “She is described as aggressive so should not be approached,” said a spokesman from Norfolk police. Mr Hodson and his wife, Niamh, 32, kept Bella in their garden for five years after she was rescued from a previous owner that had mistreated her.

Bella has left behind her nine-year-old mate Jester, another Bengali Eagle Owl.

Comments:
If anyone spots Bella they may contact us on: (01509) 551 621, email: info@beastwatch.co.uk or contact Mr Hodson direct on: 07753 825615.

(Source: EDP24 – Eastern Daily Express - 29th January 2004)

Contributed by: Lisa Willow

File: 2004-113

Update: Since my last conversation with Mr Hobson he say's Bella had been sighted since in Keswick on the 10th of February, but is still at present on the lose.

N.B. We at Beastwatch UK pride ourselves for trying to write only truthful accounts of all events recorded here, if you know of any reports within these pages to be incorrectely presented then please accept our appologies and contact us immediately letting us know the true facts behind the report, as it is not our intention to write any untruths here.

If you have any further information on any of these, or any other reports for this or other areas, then please let us know

Thank you

Chris Mullins

Co-ordinator
BEASTWATCH UK
info@beastwatch.co.uk