wildlife Archives - Planet Whitley

Visiting the Apollo Beach manatees at the Big Bend Power Station near Tampa

At the Big Bend Power Station in Apollo Beach, Florida, manatees have a winter holiday home. The Big Bend power station at Apollo Beach, Florida The Big Bend power station at Apollo Beach near Tampa is, even by power station standards, stonkingly ugly. It’s an…

Florida, USA, wildlife

Taiaroa Headland: The best place in the world to see albatrosses

The Royal Albatross colony at the Taiaroa Headland on New Zealand’s Otago Peninsula offers an extraordinary chance to see nesting albatrosses. The Royal Albatross colony on Taiaroa Headland It’s a long time since the old fort on the Taiaroa Headland was used for spotting enemy…

birds, Dunedin, New Zealand, South Island, wildlife

Seeing takahe and Haast tokoeka at the Orokonui Ecosanctuary

The Orokonui Ecosanctuary near Dunedin is home to some of New Zealand’s rarest endangered birds. Here’s how to visit. Returning to pre-human New Zealand As tasks go, returning a 307 hectare valley to how it would have looked before humans would have arrived in New…

birds, Dunedin, New Zealand, South Island, wildlife

Sign at Slope Point on New Zealand's Catlins Coast.

Discover nature’s beauty on New Zealand’s Catlins Coast

Very few people need to drive along New Zealand’s Catlins Coast. And that’s what makes the road trip so enjoyable. Native birds at Kaka Point The noise along the muddy tracks near Kaka Point is extraordinary. Glimpses of wing and tail can be caught amongst…

driving, New Zealand, South Island, waterfalls, wildlife

Bison roaming in the road on Antelope Island, Utah.

Antelope Island – the surprising bison refuge of Utah’s Great Salt Lake

In the middle of Utah’s Great Salt Lake, Antelope Island is home to a thriving bison herd. Here’s why. The size of Utah’s Great Salt Lake There’s a magnificent starkness to Utah’s Great Salt Lake. A thin coating of water covers patches of it, but…

USA, Utah, wildlife

Cat in the Largo di Torre Argentina, Rome.

How Julius Caesar’s assassination site became a cat sanctuary

Among the ruins of the Largo di Torre Argentina in Rome, a colony of cats has made a happy home. Visiting Largo di Torre Argentina Largo di Torre Argentina in Rome is a very odd place. Roads fairly heavy traffic flank what should be another…

Italy, Rome, wildlife

A moose on the bank of the Snake River in Grand Teton National Park.

Spotting moose – and other wildlife – in Grand Teton National Park

On a wildlife tour of Grand Teton National Park, elk, bears and moose are amongst the highlights. Bear-proof trash cans in Wyoming The bear-proof trash cans outside the Signal Mountain Lodge are a good idea of what lives in these parts. The impromptu car logjams…

tours, USA, wildlife, Wyoming

Penguins arriving at the Oamaru blue penguin colony, New Zealand.

Oamaru blue penguins, New Zealand: Review with ticket prices

In Oamaru on New Zealand’s South Island, the world’s smallest penguins are utterly adorable. Oamaru blue penguins ticket information Advance booking your tickets to see the Oamaru Blue Penguin Colony is strongly advised. Bookings can be made here. Tickets to see the penguins in Oamaru…

New Zealand, Oamaru, penguins, South Island, wildlife

Why the scarlet macaw has returned to the ruins of Copán, Honduras

A breeding programme is bringing back the scarlet macaw – once held sacred by the ancient Maya – back to the Copán ruins in Honduras. To skip the story and book your Copán tour, head here. Mayan Ball Game in Copán, Honduras Amid the ancient…

Central America, Honduras, wildlife

Why Singapore Zoo is probably the best zoo in the world

To skip the story and just buy skip-the-line Singapore Zoo tickets, head here. For tickets including a transfer, head here. In many ways, aside from the notable addition of booze, I pretty much like what I’ve liked since I was a child. I like going…

Singapore, wildlife, zoos