Hello from New Zealand

[denis broadbent]

G'Day folks,
I am an expat Lancashire lad now living in New Zealand. This site was sent to me by an old shipmate who lives in Lewes, Sussex, Peter is his name & he is potty about the wildlife in Great Britain as I am myself. I have lived in N.Z for over 40 years but during a trip home in 1998 my wife & I were lucky to see some rare animals known as Pine Martins in Scotland. I cannot disclose the location as they are now regarded as a pest & would be killed off. They look someting like a Squirrell & are a joy to watch scampering about! The ones we saw were wild, not pets but were fed biscuits & came out to eat them, putting on a great display leaping over one another as they dined.
We have lots of wildlife here in New Zealand & it is pleasing to see the efforts being made by the government department of conservation in protecting N.Z. endangered species. The Kiwi itself is an endangered bird & some Islands off the North Island Coast have been cleared of rats & are now sanctuaries for breeding Kiwis.
The Yellow eyed Penguin is another bird that is now under threat & they breed in the South Island in a protected environmrent.
The mighty Albatross breeds close by & a lot of time goes into protecting these fantastic birds with a wing span of up to 13 feet.
Some insects are becoming hard to find & they too are protected as far as possible.I admire all the people who devote their time to caring for the wildlife in all countries so that our children will be able to enjoy the wonders of the wildlife that exists on this beautiful planet, we are so lucky to share with.
My thanks to Greenpeace in their courageous efforts in trying to stop the killing of the beautiful whales.