EXPRESS & ECHO (Exeter, UK) 09 February 08 Is Global Warming To Blame As Ollie Wakes Early?

He may not be as famous as environmental campaigner Al Gore and may not warrant a mention at a United Nations summit, but Ollie the tortoise may be the latest face of global warming.

The 60-year-old reptile has awoken from his slumber and his owner, Sidmouth's Jenny Fensom, blames the unseasonably mild weather.

Jenny, 59, of Temple Street, currently has five tortoises at her home - four of them fast asleep, hibernating.

But Ollie emerged alone from his deep sleep this week, the earliest Jenny has ever known, and is currently enjoying the early spring.

She said: "Ollie has woken up from his slumbers because of the unusually mild weather.

"It is good to see him and he seems very well, despite waking up a bit sooner than his friends."

And it is not the first indication this year that spring has sprung early.

A pair of owls have stunned staff at the Woodlands Park falconry centre near Dartmouth by producing two thumbnail-sized eggs eight weeks earlier than usual.

Experts say it is "unheard of" for the Mexican burrowing owls, to lay eggs in February.

Frogspawn and tadpoles have also been spotted around the county, and there have been sightings of heavily pregnant common frogs making their way to a pool teeming with frogspawn in Bovey Tracey, while butterflies, a variety of other insects, and flowers are already making appearances, according to the National Trust.

Matthew Oates, the trust's nature conservation adviser, said he believed wildlife was going to be increasingly affected by unpredictable variations caused by climate change.

"Last year's massive weather fluctuations pulled wildlife all over the place. It was an utterly unique year, full of extremes.

"Our wildlife has never been stable - it has always been in flux - but we're now entering a radical period of flux which is possibly unprecedented in human history."

Jenny has just put the finishing touches to a book on tortoises, with the help of her brother Anthony.

Printed by Sidford Printing Services, it features a collection of owners' tortoise stories.

It also pays tribute to Devon's famous Tortoise Lady, the late Kay Gray, of Exmouth, who campaigned tirelessly and successfully to secure a ban on imports of the pets.

Tortoise Talk is available for £5.50 from Sidford Post Office, Sidmouth Tackle and Pet Supplies, Sidmouth High Street or direct from Jenny at 134 Temple Street, Sidmouth, EX10 93N.



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