On Mooney Goes Wild tonight...

From cuddly toys to notebooks, there's a huge design interest in Sloths at present.  But aside from being incredibly cute, what else do we know about these languid mammals?  We find out from Judy Avey-Orroyo, co-founder and General Manager of the Sloth Orphanage in Costa Rica, and William Hartson, author of a new book about Sloths.  Plus find out how you can WIN a copy of his book!  Bridget Nicholas canoes away her cares as she joins the crew behind Adventure Gently, who give guided wildlife canoe tours in Leitrim.  And we pay tribute to our friend, colleague, worldwide President of Apimondia, and our very own Beeman: Philip McCabe...

Sloths

The Cambridge English Dictionary defines the word "sloth" as an unwillingness to work or make any effort, and "slothful" as lazy – informed no doubt by Sloth, behavior which includes moving incredibly slowly and sleeping for between 10 to 20 hours per day.  But Sloths have not been without their admirers over the years – David Attenborough once said that he’d like to come back as a Sloth – because (as he said) - "hanging from a tree chewing leaves sounds great!"

Sloth (Photo: Lucy Cooke / Barcroft Images / Barcroft Media via Getty Images)

But is it pronounced "sloth", rhyming with "moth" - or "slothe", rhyming with "both"?  Well according to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word "sloth" should rhyme with "both" – but as that only applies to British English, presumably the rest of us can pronounce it any way we like!

Scientific research has increased our understanding of the ways of the Sloth, and in recent years they’ve started to be rehabilitated in the eyes of the public, thanks to the many cuddly clips posted on YouTube from the Sloth Sanctuary in Costa Rica.

Costa Rica is home to about 500,000 species including jaguars, spider monkeys, five species of turtle – and of course Sloths.  Situated about four hours east of San José in Aviarios del Caribe, the Sloth Sanctuary is dedicated to the care and conservation of these creatures, which have either been rescued from captivity or found injured or orphaned.  Where possible, the animals are eventually re-introduced back into the wild.  Judy Avey-Orroyo is co-founder and General Manager of the Sloth Orphanage in Costa Rica, from where she spoke to Derek...

For more information about the Sloth Sanctuary, visit http://www.slothsanctuary.com/sloth-tours/buttercup-tour.

Left: William Hartson; midddle: Dr. Richard Collins (l) with William Hartson; right: Dr. Richard Collins

William Hartston is a Cambridge-educated mathematician, industrial psychologist, journalist, author and self-confessed sloth-lover.  He’s a former chess champion and international master – and he’s currently one of the viewers on Channel 4 television’s Gogglebox.  He's also an author, most recently of a new book entitled Sloths: A Celebration Of The World's Most Maligned Mammal, which explores the truth behind Sloth behaviour.  Derek and Dr. Richard Collins recently met up with William in Cambridge, to find out more...

Sloths – A Celebration Of The World’s Most Maligned Mammal, by William Hartson, has just been published by Atlantic Books.  The ISBN is 9781786494221, and the RRP is £12.99 (approx. €14.70).  For more information about the book, visit www.atlantic-books.co.uk/book/sloths.

***COMPETITION TIME!***

We have FOUR copies of Sloths – A Celebration Of The World’s Most Maligned Mammal to give away!  To be in with a chance of winning a copy, simply answer the following question:

Sloths are known for being:

a) fast or

b) slow

Entry is by e-mail only - please e-mail your answer, along with your name and address to mooney@rte.ie.  Close of receipt for entries: Sunday, November 4th.  Good luck!

Wildlife Tours By Canoe

Regular listeners may be familiar with 'Adventure Gently', a group who give guided wildlife canoe tours of the north west waterways of Ireland.  In fact they spoke to us on this year’s marathon Dawn Chorus show from Co. Leitrim, where they heard cuckoos and jays as well as many other birds.

It sounds like a lovely way to experience nature – so we sent Bridget Nicholas out to join them on a recent trip.  They started out at Boat Quay House, 1km outside Dromahair (a historic spot for paddle steamers in the 19th century), and headed downstream on the tree-lined river Bonnet towards Lough Gill...

For more information on Adventure Gently, click here.

In Memoriam: Philip McCabe

Everyone on Mooney Goes Wild is devastated to learn of the death of our friend and colleague, Philip McCabe.  Philip did more for our understanding of the honey bee than a life time of learning could ever have taught us.  Kind, thoughtful and generous, he was a true gentleman, and his knowledge, quick wit, and wonderful ability to entertain us with his storytelling meant that he was a pleasure to be around.  He will be very much missed.  Our deepest sympathies to his wife Mary and family, and all who had the pleasure to know or meet him.

In January 2017, Derek made a documentary called The Beeman, which profiled Philip McCabe, his fascinating life and work.  To find out more and to listen to the documentary, click here.

Philip with his wife Mary

Philip with Dr. Richard Collins (r) in the Radio Centre in RTÉ

As President of Apimondia, Philip often got to meet and advise heads of state on all things apicultural; he is pictured here sharing a light-hearted moment with Prince Albert II of Monaco at European Bee Week in Brussels, in 2016

On behalf of all the Mooney Goes Wild team, a huge and heartfelt thanks for all the tributes to and memories of Philip McCabe that you have sent in to us.  We will make sure your kind words are passed on to Philip's family.  If you would like to pass on your condolences, please e-mail mooney@rte.ie.