Global News Podcast - The Happy Pod: Protecting penguins in South America

Episode Date: November 11, 2023

Our weekly collection of the happiest stories in the world. This week, the biologist who's dedicated his life to protecting penguins in South America. Also: the award-winning Frenchman they call the Michelangelo of tattooists. And Peanut, the world’s oldest chicken

Hello, this is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service, with reports and analysis from across the world. The latest news seven days a week. BBC World Service podcasts are supported by advertising. If you're hearing this, you're probably already listening to BBC's award-winning news podcasts. But did you know that you can listen to them without ads? Get current affairs podcasts like Thank you. Amazon Music with a Prime membership. Spend less time on ads and more time with BBC Podcasts. It's exhilarating. It's like driving a car under an avalanche, but you're taunting the avalanche rather than trying to get away from it.

Amazing sports stories from the BBC World Service. Find it wherever you get your BBC Podcasts. This week, man impersonates penguins. This is the way Magellanic penguins go. They go... I'm Harry Bly. Welcome to The Happy Pod. Lots of birds this week. We speak to a woman who set up a clinic for hummingbirds in her Mexico City apartment. And the world's oldest chicken, living in the US state of Michigan.

She's very inquisitive, quite sassy. She has to have her blueberry yogurt in the morning. She stumbles a little when she walks sometimes, but so do I. Elsewhere. Round and round the rugged rock the ragged rascal ran. Round and round the rugged rock the rascal ran, ragged ran. Can tongue twisters help determine if somebody's drunk? And it's mean, it's not green, it's...

Quite large, quite glandular and interestingly coloured. A new species of toad discovered in Kenya. Hi, I'm Anna, this is Sardia and you're listening to Happy Pod. This is Katia in Mexico City. You're listening to the Happy Pod. I'm Pablo Borboroglu and you're listening to the Happy Pod from the BBC World Service. That is the sound of dozens of mangelanic penguins. These birds are native to South America, particularly the

region of Patagonia. Just under 15 years ago, one colony that lived at El Pedral beach was under threat, with only 12 penguins left. Dr Pablo Borboroglu is a biologist and the founder of the Global Penguin Society. He's dedicated his career to protecting them. His work has helped that dwindling population to grow to more than 8,000 today. He's currently at a biodiversity summit here in London, which is bringing together conservationists from around the world. 15 years ago, we discovered this new colony and there was only six pairs of penguins. They were looking for a safe and secure place to start a new colony. But definitely that was not the place to be because there were a lot of reckless people

and careless visitors. There were garbage all over the place, in the coastal area, within the nests. Some of them also were hunting. So immediately we realized that we needed to protect the colony. And the right thing to do was to restrict the access of these reckless people. And then the following years, we had 40 pairs and then 70 and then 180. And we were able to convince the landowners and also the government. So it was designated as a wildlife refuge.

But instead of closing this place, there was a paradigm shift. So we need to include the people in our conservation actions. So what we did is we helped the landowners to develop a responsible ecotourism operation. And that also generated jobs and incomes for the community and the local people. So people started to perceive that keeping the area safe and healthy and pristine and also keeping the penguins healthy was a good thing for their economy. The amazing thing is that if there's something good about plastics, it's that you can see them. You know, climate change is an abstract concept.

It's difficult to understand. But let me tell you this. When we arrive with all these hundreds of adolescents, they see all the area full up with garbage and the nesting areas. The same day before we leave, they look back and they say, everything is neat and tidy. We did that. So for us, it's a way to empower adolescents and also members of the community about the capacity that they have to change the planet. The great thing is that year after year, we could see penguins coming back. And in the last census, we counted 8,000 breathers. So when you go now, the image that you see is unbelievable.

And I think one of the most amazing wildlife spectacles on the planet is to be within a penguin colony when they are all brained and vocalising together. So for us, that's the way penguins thank us, you know, for all our actions. Could you describe what these penguins look like, but also what do they sound like? The ones we have in Argentina are called Magellanic penguins. They are about 40-45 centimetres tall. They are black and white. But the incredible thing is that they are all so different. You know, they have personalities. Some penguins are really fearful or less social. Some others are more friendly and even curious. They get close to us. And all the penguins,

they vocalize in different ways. So I would try to... This is the way Magellanic penguins go. They go... matching a big colony with thousands of them vocalizing like this at the same time. You attended this Biodiversity Summit in London,

and you've obviously been with a lot of conservationists from around the world. Tell me, to you, what is the importance of summits like this? Conservationists, we work in very difficult places and isolated places, you know. Some people work in the forest, in caves, in Antarctica. So getting together in a room, it's so powerful because you can work in synergy. We share a lot of knowledge, experience, and we are also, this week we've been discussing the future.

What is going to be the future for our wildlife and our planet? Our goal is to change the behaviour of people. We cannot change the behaviour of wildlife. Pablo Borboroglu helping to protect Argentina's majestic mangelenic penguins. Now, from penguins to hummingbirds. Hummingbirds make this sound by beating their wings, which flap thousands of times per minute. I don't know much more about hummingbirds,

but one woman who does is Katia Latouf from Mexico City. For the last 12 years, she's dedicated her life to them, even turning her home into a clinic for hundreds of the tiny birds, which face numerous threats in a busy city. I am an animal lover, you know. I respect life, even if it's the life of a small insect. For me, it's sacred. And one day, an association of animal protection called me, an association I used to help. They said, a woman came this morning and she left a baby hummingbird on our desk saying,

I found him in the street. You are with animals, so take care of him. I said, I don't know anything about hummingbirds. How shall I do it? They said, okay, so what we can do? We let him die? I said, I don't know anything about hummingbirds. How shall I do it? They said, okay, so what we can do? We let him die? I said, no, never. Please, please bring him. He was a baby with the right eye pulled out by a bird or an attack of something. And he stayed with one eye. And for me, he came to my life, Gucci, in 2012. I was battling against a terminal cancer where they gave me two months to live. And Gucci comes and stay on my shoulder. Nine months he lived with me. They're fascinating birds, aren't they? How do you go about caring for a sick or an injured bird? I have so many methods. It depends. I have now around 32 injured. The wings, which is very, very delicate, we cannot fix it. So they stay with me for life. And they have a kind not in cage. They are free to walk.

For me, having wings doesn't mean you have to spend your life in a cage. I adapted some feeders for them because they cannot walk. Right now, Katia, how many birds do you have in your apartment, in your clinic? Last month, I had 130. That's a lot. But I was capable and able to free each week 30 or 20. I take them to a place full of garden, full of flowers. So I freed a lot of them and I still have 32 today. Where are they?

Do they have a little space, little bed? Or where do you put them? I think they have the space I don't have. You know why? I have a big apartment with two big bedrooms. I managed to make each bedroom bringing like trees, dry trees from outside. You know, I am in peace. They give you such energy. That's why I always associate my story of getting out from a terminal cancer

because my love of the hummingbirds. Hummingbird helper Katia Latouf in Mexico City. Now to France and the man they call the Michelangelo of tattooists. Michael de Poissy has made history by becoming the first tattoo artist to win a coveted prize from the Paris Academy of Arts, Science and Literature. David Chazanne went to meet him. Michael de Poissy is an artist first and a tattooist second. And the reason he's been compared to Michelangelo is because he often uses images from medieval stained glass windows

to create vivid, luminous tattoos with really intricate details and his work is so celebrated that people come from all over the world from as far away as Japan, Australia and Mexico to get a piece of his art forever etched on their bodies. I spoke to him on the set of a TV show about tattooing, and I asked him what he most loves about tattooing. For me, it was a fantastic experience because it looks like a wizard, you know? A magician. Yes, exactly, a magician. So for you, it's something magical. It's also something that makes people feel happy. He feels good when he arrives. Sometimes he feels no good during the tattoo

because it's very painful sometimes. And of course, after the tattoo, it's a great moment. It's an emotional moment because the tattoo is finished. And David, what makes Michael and his work so popular? Well, he spent three decades honing his craft to create stunning images, often from antiquity. They're pictures of saints, biblical scenes. His customers are often history buffs, teachers or academics who appreciate his attention to detail. And of course, they were prepared to pay thousands of dollars for tattoos that can take months or even years to finish. He told me that for some the process is akin to therapy. You can have a very difficult moment in your life, you can lost someone, it looks like a

therapy you know but I have another kind of customers, like a collector. The people say, OK, I have just 20% of my skin, it's free. I keep this part for you. And when he arrived in my shop, I can recognise this is tattoo artist. This arm is tattooed by a great tattoo artist. It looks like a museum, you know, the collector of the ink. So that's Michael de Poissy, the Michelangelo of tattoos, doing the job he loves and making people happy. Like one teacher who I spoke to, who just had a tattoo of a Norse god etched on his back,

he said it was like having his own personal masterpiece. David Chazan in Paris. Breathalysers, urine tests, attempting to walk in a straight line. These are all methods that have been used to test how much alcohol somebody has had to drink. But researchers at universities in the United States and Canada have now come up with a more unorthodox test. As Rebecca Wood reports. Tongue twisters. They're tricky, they're tough and a struggle if you've drunk enough.

She sells seashells by the seashore. The shells she sells are surely seashells. Try she sells seashells after a sherry or a pint in the pub and then... Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked. Or a red Rioja with... Round and round the ragged rock the ragged rascal ran. Round and round the ragged rock the ragged rascal ran. Well, research by Stanford University and the University of Toronto suggests linguistic teases like these could be used to alert people to their alcohol levels.

They conducted a small study that involved getting 18 adults drunk on a specific amount of alcohol and then asking them to recite these tricky phrases before drinking and then every hour for a while after. Their attempts were recorded and their voice patterns analysed by technology to predict intoxication levels with reported 98% accuracy. Now, it's not the first time that tongue twisters and alcohol have been paired together, as professional voice coach Samantha Boffin explains. Looking back in history, there's one that was written for World War I, and it was a song, which is a tongue twister, in fact, that we still use.

Each verse was meant to be sung faster, which presented issues for soldiers, in fact, who had consumed large quantities of beer. It's Sister Susie sewing shirts for soldiers. There's lots of verses to it, and it was designed to get soldiers into a twist. Well, from Sister Susie back to that science. A much larger, more diverse study is needed to confirm the validity of the findings. But could it mean a future when my car will only unlock if I'm victorious at a voice challenge? Or could a bartender decide I've had enough if I can't successfully say my sentences? Sounds like we better start tongue twisting.

And why not aim high? Here's Samantha again with what is apparently one of the world's toughest. The sixth six shakes, sixth sheeps sick. The sixth six shakes, sixth sheeps sick. The sixth six shakes, sixth sheeps sick. The sixth six sheeps sick. See, it's difficult. If you choose a different one every day, it means that you don't kind of nail one and then think, oh, I can do this. This is easy peasy. If you do something different every day, then it'll work different parts of your mouth so that you'll get a full workout over a week. Better get practising. Rebecca Wood. Coming up, the Ukrainian band using their music to promote peace.

What can we do that is useful? Because, you know, we're not in military. Like, I don't think I will be any use there in Ukraine physically. So we thought, why don't we write about, you know, we're not in military. Like, I don't think I will be any use there in Ukraine physically. So we thought, why don't we write about, you know, about what's going on in Ukraine? We'll meet the Bloom twins. Suddenly, my quilt is ripped off me and my room is full of white men. And I thought I'm done for. These are fascists. They found where I live. Lives Less Ordinary is the podcast from the BBC World Service, bringing you extraordinary personal stories from around the globe. Betrayal. It runs through my life and runs through my story. I was just all alone in this vast, broken system. I never gave up my dream. Search for Life's Less Ordinary wherever plus other great BBC podcasts from history to comedy to true crime, all ad-free. Simply subscribe to BBC Podcast Premium on Apple Podcasts or listen to

Amazon Music with a Prime membership. Spend less time on ads and more time with BBC Podcasts. Back to our birds. The average chicken lives somewhere between five and ten years, but one chicken in Michigan has lived a lot longer. Peanut is 21 years old and has been awarded a Guinness World Record as the oldest chicken in the world. We met her owner, Marcy Parker-Darwin. Her mom's name was Nanette, and Nanette had these chicks that she was busy with and I noticed one of the eggs had not hatched and I picked up the egg and I was walking down

the pond with it to throw it in the water so that it wouldn't attract predators and I thought I heard a noise and when I held the egg up for my ear I heard heard it chirp. And so I realized there was still a live chick inside the egg. So I went back to the house and put a flashlight up to it and saw that there was a chick struggling to get out. So I peeled it out. Her mother rejected her. She didn't want that soggy chick when her chicks were all fluffy and running around. So I brought Peanut in and put her under a heat lamp and cared for her for the first few days. I, you know, showed her how to drink water, dipped her beak in the water, and did all the things that a mama hen would do. And then I took her back out to the flock, and they were pecking at her, you know,

like chickens do to a new chick on the block. And so I had to bring her back. And she lived in the house with us for the first couple years of her life, which I also suspect might have something to do with her longevity because she didn't get exposed to a lot of the diseases and things that you might find in the barnyard. I don't know. And, of course, she was spoiled rotten. She ate really well and got a lot of the diseases and things that you might find in the barnyard. I don't know. And of course, she was spoiled rotten.

She ate really well and got a lot of attention. She's just been a spoiled little chicken ever since. Wow. Well, I'd love to get on to what it's like living with Peanut. But first, I think we need to discuss her enormous achievement, the world record holder for the oldest chicken. Tell me, how did that come about? Friends started putting two and two together. I hadn't really paid much attention to how old

she was. It just seemed like she'd been with me forever. So I started kind of adding up the years and a friend who had moved to California, he came back 18 years later and Peanut jumped up on his shoulder and he was flabbergasted. You know, he said, chickens don't live that long. And we realized, no, they really don't. So we looked it up and we saw that the last record holder was 14. And we thought, well, we know she's got that beat. We were sure that she was at least 20.

And it took six months of finding different pieces of evidence. And they finally awarded her the record last February. And you've written a book about Peanut. Yes, My Girl Peanut and Me. It's a message. It's a message. There's a message. And I tie Peanut's life into mine, which is ask for help when you need it. And, you know, it's hope because she was kind of a misfit and she turned out to be the world's oldest living chicken.

So it's kind of a message of joy and hope. And I think in these times, those are the stories we need. Now, Peanut was present during our interview, but was shy and didn't make much noise. So Marcy sent us this voice note from Peanut the chicken just before we recorded this podcast. Peanut, the world's oldest chicken. The Ukrainian duo Bloom Twins are using their music to shine a light on the war in Ukraine. Their latest song is called Beat Not Bombs and has this message, let's build rather than destroy. The duo are based here in London and last year used mobile phone footage

of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in a music video. The sisters, Anna and Sonia, spoke to Andrew Peach. We started to sing before we could talk. Our dad and my mom, they met in a band and then, you know, they fell in love with each other and then married each other. And then three kids appeared. And our older sister, she plays cello. I always played piano. And then Sonia plays flute and we both sing when i was in ukraine i thought i wanted to continue with mathematics but then somehow there was serendipity of situations we met our managers in ukraine about 12 years ago and they were like oh my god you guys are so cool

why don't you guys move to london for summer break before going to universities and if it's going to work out great you know if not you can come back to universities and why london what why not um do the act in ukraine just because your manager told you that would be a more fertile market for your music london was one of the places where we consider as a capital of music so it was like dream come true yeah i kind of agree on a certain degree like i love music but i believe the capital of music is literally anywhere you have your headphones in and so we started performing before we could reach the mics and it was something that our great family taught us and that was something that we will always take with us is the ability to reach for the stars and that's literally what we have done

came from a little town in brovary to lond London to not only pursue a career and a dream, but also make the whole world know our country. I love the relationship between you and sisters is really, really apparent to hear. It's really nice. Oh, yeah. Because it was, oh, no, I think this and I think that. Exactly that. Exactly that. Tell me about being in London with your Ukrainian heritage and seeing what's been happening there in the last 18 months. How has that been to be away from home? It's been hard. We felt, how can we help? What can we do that is useful? Because, you know, we're not in military. Like, I don't think write about what's going on in Ukraine,

use the real documentary footage of what's going on. Because there's so much media around the world, there's so many different information that kind of contradicts each other. So the best way to do it is to have a documentary footage and use music to spread the important message. So the documentary footage is like, it's actually pretty easy for us because we have a lot of friends who lives there and then they just pull out the phone and then they film it and then they send it to us. And then also there was many, many, many group chats with people just filming stuff

of what's going on like outside of their window. So it's just like a, it's a 100% factual footage. It's not something that's been made up. What sort of reaction have you had to the work that you've created? Well, most of them were Ukrainians and that means a lot to us. And they said that it means a lot to them that we keep doing it, keep pursuing our goal

to make the whole world know what's going on and keep talking about it. And mainly because we're based here in London, that's important that, I mean... We keep on spreading the word here and then see what happens. Anna and Sonia, the Bloom Twins. Now to a remarkable discovery in the high forests of Mount Kenya, a new species of toad. It's known as the Kenyan volcano toad and it's shedding light

on the mysterious evolutionary history of amphibians in East Africa. Our Africa regional editor Richard Hamilton has more details. Finding this new toad species has puzzled scientists due to its unique appearance and unexpected presence in Kenya. Contrary to the prevailing belief that most of Kenya's amphibian species originated after volcanic activity subsided millions of years ago, the Kenyan volcano toad may date back as far as 20 million years, making it significantly older than the volcanic formation of Mount Kenya itself. Dr Simon Loder is the principal curator of vertebrates at the Natural History Museum here in London.

He has described the discovery of such an ancient lineage predating the formation of the mountains as mind-blowing. This one is quite remarkable as being quite different, quite large, quite glandular, smooth-skinned, quite gracile, and interestingly coloured. Green and brown, and it seems to be sort of nicely camouflaged in the rainforest that it lives in. We know very little about it, but based on its close relatives,

it probably is likely to do a number of interesting things, things like giving birth to live young, which these toads do in these high mountains in East Africa. The discovery of this toad also challenges the notion of what scientists call the Kenyan interval. This is a term used to describe the stark contrast in amphibian diversity between Kenya and its neighbouring countries. While Ethiopia and Tanzania have long been biodiversity hotspots for amphibians, Kenya's geological history and its frequent volcanic activity has made it a challenging place for these creatures to thrive.

But the unique characteristics of this toad suggest that the Kenyan interval theory may not be as straightforward as previously believed. So far, the researchers from the Natural History Museum, as well as the National Museums of Kenya, have only found one specimen, and they don't know how many others might be out there. And since it lives in trees and is camouflaged, it's a tricky one to spot. They also don't know how this new species actually came to be on Mount Kenya.

But these are all the sorts of mysteries and conundrums that naturalists love. Richard Hamilton. And that's all from us for now. Remember, if you'd like to be part of the Happy Pod, we'd love to hear some happy news from wherever you're listening. As ever, you can email us globalpodcast at bbc.co.uk. This edition was mixed by Joe McCartney. The producer was Anna Murphy and the editor is Karen Martin. I'm Harry Bly and until next time, goodbye. If you're hearing this, you're probably already listening to BBC's award-winning news podcasts. But did you know that you can listen to them without ads?

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