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Color Psychology in Fintech Branding: How the Right Palette Builds User Trust
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Trust is the only real product a fintech company sells. Before a user reads a single line of copy, before they check your security certifications, before they scan your reviews — they feel something. That feeling comes from color. It is instantaneous, non-negotiable, and almost entirely subconscious. And yet, most fintech brands treat color as decoration rather than strategy. That is a costly mistake.
Color psychology in fintech branding has moved from interesting theory to measurable business outcome. Adobe’s consumer research shows that 54% of consumers identify blue as the most trusted brand color. Furthermore, one in two people has chosen one brand over another based on color alone. In fintech — where users hand over their financial data, their savings, their vulnerability — that statistic carries enormous weight.
This is not just a UX conversation. It is a brand strategy conversation. And right now, the fintech sector is one of the most visually sophisticated and emotionally complex environments in which color does its work. So let’s talk about what is actually happening, why it matters, and how to use it deliberately.
Why Does Color Psychology Matter So Much in Fintech?
Most industries earn trust over time. Banks historically relied on physical presence — the heavy marble lobby, the polished brass, the uniformed staff. That architecture was doing psychological work. It said: we are permanent, stable, serious. Neobanks and fintech platforms have none of that. They earn trust entirely through their interface.
Think about what a user faces when they open a new fintech app for the first time. They are being asked to connect a bank account, verify their identity, or enter a payment card. That moment requires a significant leap of faith. The visual environment either supports that leap — or it undermines it.
Color is processed by the limbic system, the part of the brain that governs emotion, memory, and instinct. This happens before conscious reasoning kicks in. Within roughly 90 seconds of encountering a product, users form a subconscious judgment — and research consistently shows that between 62% and 90% of that assessment is based on color alone. That window is your brand’s first and most powerful argument for trust.
Moreover, the stakes in fintech are uniquely high. Users are not choosing a restaurant or a streaming service. They are deciding who gets to touch their money. That anxiety is real, and color either calms it or inflames it.
The Emotional Stakes Are Higher Than You Think
Consider what makes someone abandon a fintech onboarding flow. Often, it is not a technical error. It is a vague, undefined discomfort. Something felt off. The colors were too aggressive, too chaotic, or simply unfamiliar to what users expect from a credible financial platform. That gut feeling is color psychology at work — and it costs companies real conversion rates.
Interfaces with cluttered or poorly chosen color schemes increase cognitive load. When users have to work harder to process visual information, stress rises. Stress in a financial context translates directly into doubt and abandonment. This is why calm, structured color systems are not just aesthetically pleasing — they are functionally necessary.
Smartphone Mobile App Ui Template by Liquid Layout for Adobe Illustrator Download the Illustrator template from Adobe Stock.The Fintech Color Trust Hierarchy: A New Framework for Palette Strategy
I want to introduce a framework I call the Fintech Color Trust Hierarchy — a tiered model for thinking about how different colors perform specific psychological jobs in a fintech brand system. This is not about choosing “pretty” colors. It is about assigning each color a role and letting it do that job consistently.
The hierarchy has three tiers:
Tier 1 — Anchor Colors establish foundational credibility. These are the dominant, high-frequency colors that users see on login screens, dashboards, and primary navigation. Their job is to immediately signal legitimacy and stability. Blue is the archetypal Tier 1 color in fintech. It is calm, globally recognized as trustworthy, and accessible to the widest range of users — including approximately 10% of the population who are red-green colorblind.
Tier 2 — Action Colors guide behavior without creating anxiety. These are the colors applied to buttons, CTAs, confirmations, and micro-interactions. Green excels here. It connects neurologically to completion signals — the green tick, the approved status, the “payment successful” screen. It reduces the anxiety associated with irreversible financial actions. Using green for positive confirmations is not a coincidence. It is a deliberate neurological lever.
Tier 3 — Personality Colors express brand differentiation and emotional character. These are accent or secondary colors that distinguish one fintech brand from another in an increasingly saturated market. This is where the real brand strategy lives. Monzo’s hot coral, Revolut’s gradient experimentation, N26’s restrained black-and-white — these Tier 3 choices are the ones users actually remember and talk about.
Why the Hierarchy Matters More Than Color Choice Alone
Most fintech brands get their Tier 1 color right — they pick blue or a deep neutral. But they misuse Tier 2 and Tier 3. They apply a bold Personality Color to a CTA button, which creates visual tension at the exact moment users need reassurance. Or they use red in micro-interactions that are actually neutral, training users to feel anxiety during routine tasks.
The Fintech Color Trust Hierarchy is not just about individual hue selection. It is about role clarity. Every color in your system should have a job description — and that job description should be built around the emotional state you want users to inhabit at each touchpoint.
Blue Dominance in Fintech: Justified or Lazy Shorthand?
Here is a question worth sitting with. Does blue actually build trust in fintech — or have we simply trained ourselves to associate blue with finance, creating a self-reinforcing cycle? The honest answer is: probably both.
Blue has genuine psychological properties. It activates a sense of calm and deliberation. Studies suggest both male and female participants respond faster to blue contrasts, making it an accessibility-conscious choice. And the cultural conditioning argument is not a weakness — it is a feature. When users open a financial app and see deep navy or professional cobalt, their brain pattern-matches it to the category of “trusted financial product.” That is brand equity working instantly.
However, blue has become so dominant in fintech that it now risks becoming invisible. When every neobank, payment platform, and investment app leads with the same family of blues, the signal stops differentiating. Users stop noticing. And a brand that cannot be noticed cannot be trusted — because it cannot be remembered.
This is why the most sophisticated fintech brands use blue strategically rather than reflexively. They anchor their Tier 1 palette in blue but make their Tier 3 personality color do the memorable, category-defying work. The brand feels trustworthy and distinctive at the same time. That combination is rare and enormously valuable.
The Rise of the Alternative Anchor: Dark Neutrals and Monochromatic Systems
A growing number of premium and crypto-adjacent fintech brands are challenging blue’s dominance with dark monochromatic systems — deep charcoals, near-blacks, and slate palettes. These communicate a different kind of trust: exclusivity, sophistication, and technical precision. They are borrowed from luxury branding and applied to finance.
Apple’s titanium card is the most visible example. The removal of all surface information and the use of a single near-neutral metal finish communicate security through restraint. Less visible means less exposed. Less exposed means more protected. That visual argument is extremely powerful — and it does not use a single shade of blue.
This suggests that color psychology in fintech branding is evolving beyond its classic blue phase. The next generation of premium fintech platforms will likely use restraint, not color, as the primary trust signal.
Green, Red, and the Emotional Grammar of Financial Feedback
Inside a fintech interface, color becomes a language. Users learn to read it fluently and quickly. Green means good. Red means stop, caution, or loss. These associations are so deeply embedded — partly cultural, partly trained through decades of financial UI conventions — that breaking them carries real risk.
Green’s dominance in positive financial feedback states is well-earned. It connects to multiple layers of psychological association: nature, growth, health, prosperity, and the physical color of currency in many markets. When a payment processes successfully and the screen shifts to green, users experience a micro-dose of reward. Studies suggest this green-confirmation state triggers dopamine responses associated with completion and relief. That is not trivial. It is the emotional foundation of user loyalty.
Red, meanwhile, is a more nuanced tool. It is effective for genuine warnings — failed transactions, insufficient funds, and security alerts. But overusing red for neutral states (minor errors, optional alerts, secondary information) trains users to feel chronic low-level anxiety inside the product. Over time, that anxiety becomes associated with the brand itself. Users start to feel vaguely uncomfortable without knowing why. They switch to a competitor whose interface feels calmer.
The Concept of Chromatic Anxiety in Fintech UX
I want to name something that does not yet have a standard term in UX discourse. I call it Chromatic Anxiety — the accumulated psychological stress produced by inconsistent, high-stimulation, or poorly calibrated color use across a fintech interface. It is distinct from any single color choice being “wrong.” Instead, it describes the systemic effect of color mismanagement over an entire user journey.
Chromatic Anxiety manifests when users encounter too many competing color signals, when warning colors appear in non-warning contexts, or when the color system shifts tone between different sections of the same app. The result is a persistent sense that the product is disorganized — and disorganized financial products feel dangerous.
The antidote is what I call Chromatic Coherence — a principle stating that every color decision across a fintech product must be consistent with a single, unified emotional narrative. That narrative might be “calm control,” “confident growth,” or “premium simplicity.” But every color in the system must serve that story without contradiction.
FinFlow is a banking, finance, and fintech WordPress theme by UICore The WordPress theme is available from ThemeForestHow Neobanks Are Rewriting the Color Rules in Fintech Branding
Traditional banks did not experiment with color. Their palettes were institutional, conservative, and deliberately unremarkable. The implicit message was: we are boring, and boring means safe. That strategy worked for decades — until fintech disrupted not just the technology but the entire visual language of finance.
Neobanks proved something important: users do not actually want financial brands to be visually boring. They want them to be emotionally clear. There is a meaningful difference. Boring signals avoidance — the brand is hiding behind convention. Emotionally clear signals confidence — the brand knows what it stands for and expresses it directly.
Monzo’s hot coral is the case study every brand strategist should study. Hot coral is not a “safe” fintech color. It carries energy, warmth, and a mild provocation. In a sea of conservative blues and greys, it screams visibility. But Monzo paired that bold Tier 3 personality color with impeccably clean, low-anxiety interface design. The product itself felt calm and organized. The brand felt like a personality. That combination built a fiercely loyal user base that evangelized the product.
Revolut went in a different direction — sequential visual experimentation, shifting gradient schemes, and aggressive product-tier differentiation through color (Standard, Plus, Premium, Metal, Ultra). Each tier communicates a different status and emotional register through color alone. Users understand the hierarchy instantly. They aspire upward through it. That is color psychology operating as a retention and upsell mechanism — not just a branding exercise.
The Visual Trust Signal Framework: What Every Fintech Brand Needs
Beyond individual color choices, successful fintech brands deploy what I call the Visual Trust Signal Framework — a system of four coordinated color behaviors that collectively communicate reliability to users.
The first behavior is Color Predictability: the same color always means the same thing. If green signals success, it must signal success consistently — not sometimes success, sometimes decoration. Predictability trains users, and trained users feel in control. Feeling in control reduces anxiety and builds confidence in the platform.
The second behavior is Tonal Restraint: the palette uses fewer colors with greater intention. Restraint communicates discipline. A financial platform with a tight, coherent color system suggests organizational discipline — the same discipline users want applied to their money.
The third behavior is Contextual Appropriateness: colors modulate to the emotional context of the interaction. Onboarding should feel welcoming and calm. A large transfer confirmation screen should feel serious and reassuring. An investment gains screen should feel celebratory. One color system, multiple emotional registers — achieved through saturation shifts, shade variations, and strategic use of whitespace.
The fourth behavior is Accessibility Integrity: the color system works for all users, including those with color vision deficiencies. This is not just ethical — it is strategic. Approximately 10% of the population cannot fully distinguish red from green. A fintech interface that relies solely on red/green for positive/negative states excludes that segment entirely. Accessible design expands trust because it signals that the brand sees and respects all of its users.
Color Psychology Fintech Branding: The Cultural Dimension
Global fintech brands face a challenge that domestic players can ignore: color does not mean the same thing everywhere. White, the default color of “clean, professional UI” in most Western contexts, is associated with mourning in several East Asian cultures. Red, a warning color in financial interfaces, is the color of prosperity and celebration in China. Gold, which signals luxury in many Western markets, carries ceremonial weight in South Asian contexts that can either strengthen or complicate a fintech brand’s positioning.
The smartest global fintech brands are beginning to treat color localization as seriously as linguistic localization. This is not about making a different version of the brand for each market. It is about understanding which colors carry dangerous, unintended meanings in specific cultural contexts — and designing a color system flexible enough to avoid those landmines while maintaining brand coherence.
This cultural dimension of color psychology in fintech branding will become increasingly important as platforms expand from their home markets. A startup launching in the UK, expanding to India, and entering Southeast Asia within three years cannot afford to treat color as a static brand asset. It needs to be a dynamic system — anchored in universal trust signals, flexible at the personality layer.
The Next Frontier: AI-Adaptive Color Systems
Here is a prediction worth making explicitly: within the next five years, leading fintech platforms will deploy Adaptive Chromatic Intelligence — AI-driven color systems that modulate the user interface palette based on real-time user context signals. These signals might include time of day, transaction type, spending pattern anomalies, or even inferred emotional state derived from interaction speed and navigation behavior.
The concept is not science fiction. Thirty percent of users already express interest in adaptive “living” palettes that reflect personal mood or preferences. The technology to deliver this is emerging rapidly through AI-driven UX personalization systems. The psychological logic is sound: a user checking their balance after an unexpected expense needs a calmer visual environment than a user celebrating a savings milestone. The same interface, delivering opposite emotional experiences — and color is the fastest dial to turn.
This evolution will require fintech brands to shift from thinking about color as a fixed identity asset to thinking about it as a dynamic emotional delivery system. The brand’s core trust signal remains constant. But its expressive range expands to meet users where they actually are. That is not a small shift. It is a fundamental reimagining of what a fintech brand’s visual identity can do.
Practical Color Psychology Principles Every Fintech Brand Should Apply Today
Theory is useful. Actionable principles are better. Here are the core color psychology principles that every fintech brand should be applying to its visual identity right now.
Start with your emotional thesis. Before choosing a single color, define the precise emotional experience you want users to have across their entire journey with your product. Not “trustworthy” — that is too generic. Something like “confidently informed,” or “calmly empowered,” or “quietly exceptional.” Every color decision should serve that thesis directly.
Test your palette under stress conditions. Run your color system through the highest-anxiety user scenarios — large fund transfers, identity verification, and disputed transactions. If the interface still feels reassuring in those moments, your color system is working. If it feels chaotic or alarming, it needs recalibration.
Audit your red use ruthlessly. Count every instance of red across your interface. Ask whether each one represents a genuine user-facing risk or alert. Every unnecessary red is a small injection of anxiety into the user experience. Over hundreds of interactions, that accumulates into Chromatic Anxiety and eventual churn.
Use whitespace as a color decision. In fintech, whitespace (and its dark mode equivalent) is not empty space — it is a deliberate trust signal. Generous whitespace around financial data communicates that the brand is organized, honest, and not hiding anything. It reduces cognitive load and lets users think clearly about their financial situation. Cramped design, by contrast, creates the visual equivalent of fine print.
Build a color token system before you build a product. A color token system assigns semantic meaning to every color in your palette — not just the hex value but the emotional role. “Success green,” “caution amber,” “neutral text,” “anchor navy.” This system prevents color drift as the product scales, ensuring Chromatic Coherence across an increasingly complex interface.
What Consistently High-Trust Fintech Interfaces Have in Common
After studying fintech brands across the trust spectrum, a clear pattern emerges. High-trust interfaces share specific color behaviors: structured grid layouts with generous whitespace that reduce cognitive load; consistent color application with zero ambiguity about what each color means; a dominant Tier 1 color that occupies at least 60% of the visual field; and action confirmation states — payments, transfers, approvals — that use green or a positive accent color with sufficient contrast to feel decisive.
Low-trust interfaces tend toward the opposite: multiple competing accent colors, red used for non-critical messages, overcrowded layouts where color loses its signal value, and inconsistent application of what colors mean. Users cannot articulate these differences. But they feel them immediately.
Color in Fintech Branding Beyond the App: Cards, Marketing, and Physical Touchpoints
Color psychology in fintech does not live only inside the app. For digital-first brands with no physical branches, the debit or credit card is often the only physical object a user holds that represents the brand. This makes card design a critical — and underutilized — trust and identity vehicle.
Neobanks understand this acutely. Monzo’s coral card is famous enough to be identified across a crowded room. Revolut’s gradient metal cards signal tier and aspiration. N26’s minimal black card communicates a specific kind of European sophistication. In every case, the card is not just a payment instrument. It is a portable brand ambassador — and its color does psychological work in the real world, where users see it and where others see users using it.
The trend toward numberless card fronts — adopted by Chime, Brex, Mercury, N26, and others — adds another color psychology dimension. By removing numerical clutter from the card’s face, brands gain a cleaner color canvas. The card becomes a pure color and form statement. The color works harder because there is nothing else competing for attention.
Marketing materials, social media presence, and investor communications must maintain color coherence with the product itself. When a fintech brand’s app feels calm and trustworthy but its advertising feels brash and high-pressure, users experience a dissonance that erodes confidence. Color continuity across every touchpoint is not a design preference — it is a trust maintenance strategy.
The Future of Color Psychology in Fintech: Predictions for 2025 and Beyond
Several trajectory shifts are already visible. First, the decline of default corporate blue as the automatic first choice for fintech Tier 1 palettes. As the sector matures and differentiates, more brands will seek distinctive Anchor Colors that still carry trust signals — deep teal, warm charcoal, refined forest green — rather than retreating to the same congested blue territory.
Second, the rise of dark mode as a trust-aligned design strategy. Dark mode is not just a user preference feature. In fintech, dark interfaces can communicate premium positioning, security, and technical sophistication. For crypto platforms and investment apps targeting more experienced users, dark mode signals that the brand is serious and advanced. The color psychology of dark fintech interfaces deserves its own dedicated research space — and it will get it.
Third, the integration of accessibility as a brand differentiator rather than a compliance checkbox. Fintech brands that build genuinely accessible color systems — high-contrast, color-blind-friendly, screen-adaptive — will attract users who feel seen and respected by the product. In a category where trust is everything, feeling seen by a brand is a powerful loyalty driver.
Fourth — and most transformatively — the emergence of Adaptive Chromatic Intelligence as described earlier. AI-driven color personalization will not just change how fintech interfaces look. It will change what users expect from financial products at an emotional level. Once users experience an interface that modulates to their emotional context, static palettes will feel crude by comparison. The brands that experiment with adaptive color now will own an enormous head start.
A Personal Perspective on Where Fintech Color Gets It Wrong
I spend a lot of time analyzing fintech visual identities — and the single most common mistake I see is not a bad color choice. It is a lack of color intention. Most fintech brands pick colors that test well in isolation, then apply them inconsistently across a growing product. Over time, the color system becomes accidental rather than intentional. The brand looks professional from a distance and feels disorganized up close.
The second most common mistake is mistaking novelty for personality. A neon accent color or an unexpected gradient can look exciting in a product mockup. But if it serves no psychological role — if it does not calm, guide, signal, or differentiate in a meaningful way — it is visual noise. And visual noise in a financial product is not just ugly. It is a trust liability.
Color psychology in fintech branding should be approached with the same rigor applied to risk modeling or compliance architecture. Because at the moment a user decides whether to trust a new financial platform, color is doing more work than any of those systems. It deserves equivalent respect.
FAQ: Color Psychology in Fintech Branding
What is color psychology in fintech branding?
Color psychology in fintech branding is the strategic application of color to influence user emotions, perceptions, and behaviors within financial technology products. It involves selecting and deploying colors across interfaces, marketing, and physical touchpoints to communicate trust, guide user actions, and differentiate the brand in a competitive market.
Why is color so important for user trust in fintech apps?
Fintech apps ask users to share sensitive financial data and make high-stakes decisions. Users form emotional judgments about an interface within 90 seconds — and between 62% and 90% of that judgment is based on color. Color is, therefore, the first and fastest mechanism a fintech brand has to establish credibility and reduce user anxiety before any other trust signal has a chance to activate.
Why do most fintech brands use blue?
Blue consistently tests as the most trusted brand color globally, with 54% of consumers identifying it as their most trusted choice. It conveys stability, security, and calm — all critical qualities in financial services. Blue is also accessible to users with red-green color blindness, making it a practical as well as psychological choice. However, its dominance in fintech is increasingly a competitive liability, as differentiation requires moving beyond the default.
What does green mean in a fintech interface?
Green is the primary Action Color for positive confirmation states in fintech. It signals success, approval, growth, and completion. Green payment confirmation screens activate dopamine responses associated with relief and reward. Consistent use of green for positive feedback states trains users to associate the color with safety and forward progress within the product.
What is Chromatic Anxiety in fintech UX?
Chromatic Anxiety is an original editorial concept describing the accumulated psychological stress created by inconsistent, over-stimulating, or poorly calibrated color use across a fintech interface. It occurs when warning colors appear in non-warning contexts, when the palette lacks coherence across screens, or when too many competing color signals reduce the interface’s legibility. It leads to user discomfort, reduced confidence, and increased churn.
How should fintech brands use red?
Red should be used sparingly and only for genuine user-facing risks or errors — failed transactions, security alerts, or insufficient funds. Overusing red for neutral messages or minor errors creates chronic low-level anxiety in the user experience. Every unnecessary instance of red represents a micro-injection of stress into an interaction that users associate, over time, with the brand itself.
What is the Fintech Color Trust Hierarchy?
The Fintech Color Trust Hierarchy is an original framework that organizes fintech color strategy into three tiers: Tier 1 Anchor Colors (dominant colors establishing foundational credibility, such as navy blue), Tier 2 Action Colors (colors guiding behavior at critical moments, such as confirmation green), and Tier 3 Personality Colors (accent colors expressing brand differentiation and emotional character, such as Monzo’s hot coral).
Will AI change how fintech brands use color?
Yes — significantly. AI-driven Adaptive Chromatic Intelligence systems will enable fintech interfaces to modulate their color environment in real time based on user context signals, including transaction type, time of day, and inferred emotional state. This shift will move color from a fixed identity asset to a dynamic emotional delivery system, making static palettes feel increasingly limited by comparison.
How do neobanks use color differently from traditional banks?
Traditional banks used conservative, institutional color palettes — primarily to signal permanence and authority. Neobanks disrupted this by demonstrating that users respond better to emotionally clear design than to emotionally boring design. Brands like Monzo, Revolut, and Chime use distinctive, personality-driven color systems that build recognition and loyalty, while still anchoring the interface in calm, organized visual environments that reduce financial anxiety.
What long-tail keywords should fintech brands consider for color-related content?
Relevant long-tail terms include: “best color palette for fintech app trust,” “how color affects user trust in banking apps,” “fintech UI color psychology blue vs green,” “color design for neobank branding,” “psychological color choices for financial services,” and “how to reduce user anxiety in fintech with color design.” These reflect the specific questions users and designers are asking when building or evaluating financial products.
Browse WE AND THE COLOR’s Branding, Graphic Design, and Web Design categories to learn more.
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Silvery Pigeon Columba argentina
Silvery Pigeon Columba argentina
Critically Endangered
Location: Indonesia (Riau Archipelago, Bangka-Belitung Islands, Mentawai Islands, and Sumatra) and Malaysia (offshore islands of Borneo)
The silvery pigeon (Columba argentina) is one of Southeast Asia’s most enigmatic birds. Once widespread throughout Indonesia and Malaysia, they have been marginalised to far-flung islands where they are sadly disappearing and are now Critically Endangered. These shy birds are known for their elegant, silvery-grey plumage, vivid red eyes, and black-tipped wings.
With an estimated population of fewer than 50 mature individuals, their survival is hanging in the balance and they are almost gone permanently. Deforestation, particularly for palm oil plantations, has decimated their mangrove and coastal forest habitats. Additionally, illegal poaching and invasive species have driven their numbers to critical lows. Protecting their fragile existence requires immediate conservation efforts. Fight for their survival every time you shop by boycotting palm oil! #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife
Once well-known and widespread, only a handful of elegant Silvery #Pigeons 🕊️🩶remain on far-flung islands of #Indonesia 🇮🇩 and #Malaysia 🇲🇾. #Palmoil and illegal #wildlife trade are big threats. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife 🌴🔥💀🙊⛔️ @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/01/25/silvery-pigeon-columba-argentina/
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterEnigmatic and beautiful Silvery #Pigeons 🕊️🌱🩶 have a soothing call and vivid red eyes 😻👀. Living in #Indonesia 🇮🇩 and #Malaysia 🇲🇾 they’re critically #endangered from #palmoil and may disappear #BoycottPalmOil 🌴🪔🚫 #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/01/25/silvery-pigeon-columba-argentina/
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterFurther mining is planned on Simeulue, as are large-scale oil palm plantations (Eaton 2011), which could result in extensive habitat loss, although the island currently remains heavily forested (Eaton and Rossouw 2011).
IUCN Red List
Appearance and Behaviour
Silvery pigeons are medium-sized birds, measuring about 38 cm in length. Their feathers are a pale, lustrous silvery-grey with striking black-tipped wings. They have vivid red legs and a slender black tail. Their pale yellow eyes, surrounded by a light grey eye ring, add to their striking appearance.
Typically shy and reclusive, these pigeons are rarely seen, even in their preferred habitats of mangroves and coastal forests. They are thought to feed on fruits, seeds, and possibly invertebrates, though direct observations of their behaviour remain scarce. Their secretive nature and low population make them one of the least studied pigeon species in the world.
Threats
IUCN Status: Critically Endangered
- Palm Oil Deforestation: The conversion of mangrove and coastal forest habitats into palm oil plantations has been catastrophic for silvery pigeons. Many of their nesting and feeding grounds in Sumatra and the Riau Archipelago have been cleared for palm oil monoculture.
- Urbanisation and logging: This further exacerbates habitat loss, particularly in the Bangka-Belitung Islands and offshore Borneo.
- Illegal Wildlife Trade: The silvery pigeon has been documented in the illegal pet trade. Researchers have uncovered online markets selling these rare birds, which significantly hampers conservation efforts.
- Invasive Species: Introduced predators such as rats and snakes prey on silvery pigeon eggs and chicks, further threatening their already fragile population.
- Climate Change: Rising sea levels and increasingly severe storms pose significant risks to the small, low-lying islands these pigeons inhabit, particularly the Riau Archipelago and Bangka-Belitung Islands.
- Geographic Range: Silvery pigeons were once more widespread across the coastal regions of Indonesia and Malaysia. Today, they are restricted to a few isolated locations: Indonesia: Riau Archipelago, Bangka-Belitung Islands, Mentawai Islands, and parts of Sumatra. Malaysia: Offshore islands of Borneo
The species was rediscovered in 2008 on the remote Riau Archipelago after being presumed extinct. Recent sightings have been recorded in the Bangka-Belitung Islands and offshore Borneo, though these populations remain precariously small.
Diet
Silvery pigeons are frugivores, primarily feeding on fruits and seeds found in mangroves and coastal forests. They play an essential ecological role as seed dispersers, contributing to forest regeneration.
However, habitat destruction from palm oil plantations has significantly reduced their food sources. The loss of mangroves and other coastal vegetation also limits the availability of nesting and foraging sites.
Reproduction and Mating
The silvery pigeon’s reproductive habits remain poorly understood. Recent studies describe their chicks as covered in pale down, with nests typically located in dense mangroves or remote coastal forests.
Clutch size is believed to be small, with females likely laying only one or two eggs per breeding season. The vulnerability of these nesting sites to predation and human activity makes successful reproduction increasingly rare.
Take Action!
The silvery pigeon’s survival depends on protecting their mangrove and coastal forest habitats. Boycott palm oil and support conservation organisations working to preserve these ecosystems. Raise awareness about the impact of habitat destruction and the illegal wildlife trade on this critically endangered species. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife
Further Information
BirdLife International. 2019. Columba argentina. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019: e.T22690195A155300126. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T22690195A155300126.en. Downloaded on 25 January 2021.
Birds of the World. (2022). Silvery Pigeon. Birds of the World.
Chng, S. C. L., & Eaton, J. A. (2022). Novel ecological information for Silvery Pigeon (Columba argentina): First description of the chick. Avian Research, 13(1), 1-9.
Mongabay. (2022). Online trade in rare Silvery Pigeon is cause for concern, researchers say. Mongabay.
Wikipedia. (2022). Silvery Pigeon. Wikipedia.
Silvery Pigeon Columba argentina
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Silvery Pigeon Columba argentina
Silvery Pigeon Columba argentina
Critically Endangered
Location: Indonesia (Riau Archipelago, Bangka-Belitung Islands, Mentawai Islands, and Sumatra) and Malaysia (offshore islands of Borneo)
The silvery pigeon (Columba argentina) is one of Southeast Asia’s most enigmatic birds. Once widespread throughout Indonesia and Malaysia, they have been marginalised to far-flung islands where they are sadly disappearing and are now Critically Endangered. These shy birds are known for their elegant, silvery-grey plumage, vivid red eyes, and black-tipped wings.
With an estimated population of fewer than 50 mature individuals, their survival is hanging in the balance and they are almost gone permanently. Deforestation, particularly for palm oil plantations, has decimated their mangrove and coastal forest habitats. Additionally, illegal poaching and invasive species have driven their numbers to critical lows. Protecting their fragile existence requires immediate conservation efforts. Fight for their survival every time you shop by boycotting palm oil! #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife
Once well-known and widespread, only a handful of elegant Silvery #Pigeons 🕊️🩶remain on far-flung islands of #Indonesia 🇮🇩 and #Malaysia 🇲🇾. #Palmoil and illegal #wildlife trade are big threats. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife 🌴🔥💀🙊⛔️ @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/01/25/silvery-pigeon-columba-argentina/
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterEnigmatic and beautiful Silvery #Pigeons 🕊️🌱🩶 have a soothing call and vivid red eyes 😻👀. Living in #Indonesia 🇮🇩 and #Malaysia 🇲🇾 they’re critically #endangered from #palmoil and may disappear #BoycottPalmOil 🌴🪔🚫 #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/01/25/silvery-pigeon-columba-argentina/
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterFurther mining is planned on Simeulue, as are large-scale oil palm plantations (Eaton 2011), which could result in extensive habitat loss, although the island currently remains heavily forested (Eaton and Rossouw 2011).
IUCN Red List
Appearance and Behaviour
Silvery pigeons are medium-sized birds, measuring about 38 cm in length. Their feathers are a pale, lustrous silvery-grey with striking black-tipped wings. They have vivid red legs and a slender black tail. Their pale yellow eyes, surrounded by a light grey eye ring, add to their striking appearance.
Typically shy and reclusive, these pigeons are rarely seen, even in their preferred habitats of mangroves and coastal forests. They are thought to feed on fruits, seeds, and possibly invertebrates, though direct observations of their behaviour remain scarce. Their secretive nature and low population make them one of the least studied pigeon species in the world.
Threats
IUCN Status: Critically Endangered
- Palm Oil Deforestation: The conversion of mangrove and coastal forest habitats into palm oil plantations has been catastrophic for silvery pigeons. Many of their nesting and feeding grounds in Sumatra and the Riau Archipelago have been cleared for palm oil monoculture.
- Urbanisation and logging: This further exacerbates habitat loss, particularly in the Bangka-Belitung Islands and offshore Borneo.
- Illegal Wildlife Trade: The silvery pigeon has been documented in the illegal pet trade. Researchers have uncovered online markets selling these rare birds, which significantly hampers conservation efforts.
- Invasive Species: Introduced predators such as rats and snakes prey on silvery pigeon eggs and chicks, further threatening their already fragile population.
- Climate Change: Rising sea levels and increasingly severe storms pose significant risks to the small, low-lying islands these pigeons inhabit, particularly the Riau Archipelago and Bangka-Belitung Islands.
- Geographic Range: Silvery pigeons were once more widespread across the coastal regions of Indonesia and Malaysia. Today, they are restricted to a few isolated locations: Indonesia: Riau Archipelago, Bangka-Belitung Islands, Mentawai Islands, and parts of Sumatra. Malaysia: Offshore islands of Borneo
The species was rediscovered in 2008 on the remote Riau Archipelago after being presumed extinct. Recent sightings have been recorded in the Bangka-Belitung Islands and offshore Borneo, though these populations remain precariously small.
Diet
Silvery pigeons are frugivores, primarily feeding on fruits and seeds found in mangroves and coastal forests. They play an essential ecological role as seed dispersers, contributing to forest regeneration.
However, habitat destruction from palm oil plantations has significantly reduced their food sources. The loss of mangroves and other coastal vegetation also limits the availability of nesting and foraging sites.
Reproduction and Mating
The silvery pigeon’s reproductive habits remain poorly understood. Recent studies describe their chicks as covered in pale down, with nests typically located in dense mangroves or remote coastal forests.
Clutch size is believed to be small, with females likely laying only one or two eggs per breeding season. The vulnerability of these nesting sites to predation and human activity makes successful reproduction increasingly rare.
Take Action!
The silvery pigeon’s survival depends on protecting their mangrove and coastal forest habitats. Boycott palm oil and support conservation organisations working to preserve these ecosystems. Raise awareness about the impact of habitat destruction and the illegal wildlife trade on this critically endangered species. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife
Further Information
BirdLife International. 2019. Columba argentina. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019: e.T22690195A155300126. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T22690195A155300126.en. Downloaded on 25 January 2021.
Birds of the World. (2022). Silvery Pigeon. Birds of the World.
Chng, S. C. L., & Eaton, J. A. (2022). Novel ecological information for Silvery Pigeon (Columba argentina): First description of the chick. Avian Research, 13(1), 1-9.
Mongabay. (2022). Online trade in rare Silvery Pigeon is cause for concern, researchers say. Mongabay.
Wikipedia. (2022). Silvery Pigeon. Wikipedia.
Silvery Pigeon Columba argentina
How can I help the #Boycott4Wildlife?
Take Action in Five Ways
1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.
Enter your email address
Sign Up
Join 3,526 other subscribers2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.
Mel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings
Anthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao
Health Physician Dr Evan Allen
The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert
How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy
3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.
https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20
https://twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status/1749010345555788144?s=20
https://twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1678027567977078784?s=20
4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.
5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here
Pledge your support#Bird #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottPalmOil #CriticallyEndangeredSpecies #endangered #Indonesia #Malaysia #palmoil #pigeons #SilveryPigeonColumbaArgentina #SouthEastAsia #Sumatra #wildlife
-
Silvery Pigeon Columba argentina
Silvery Pigeon Columba argentina
Critically Endangered
Location: Indonesia (Riau Archipelago, Bangka-Belitung Islands, Mentawai Islands, and Sumatra) and Malaysia (offshore islands of Borneo)
The silvery pigeon (Columba argentina) is one of Southeast Asia’s most enigmatic birds. Once widespread throughout Indonesia and Malaysia, they have been marginalised to far-flung islands where they are sadly disappearing and are now Critically Endangered. These shy birds are known for their elegant, silvery-grey plumage, vivid red eyes, and black-tipped wings.
With an estimated population of fewer than 50 mature individuals, their survival is hanging in the balance and they are almost gone permanently. Deforestation, particularly for palm oil plantations, has decimated their mangrove and coastal forest habitats. Additionally, illegal poaching and invasive species have driven their numbers to critical lows. Protecting their fragile existence requires immediate conservation efforts. Fight for their survival every time you shop by boycotting palm oil! #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife
Once well-known and widespread, only a handful of elegant Silvery #Pigeons 🕊️🩶remain on far-flung islands of #Indonesia 🇮🇩 and #Malaysia 🇲🇾. #Palmoil and illegal #wildlife trade are big threats. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife 🌴🔥💀🙊⛔️ @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/01/25/silvery-pigeon-columba-argentina/
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterEnigmatic and beautiful Silvery #Pigeons 🕊️🌱🩶 have a soothing call and vivid red eyes 😻👀. Living in #Indonesia 🇮🇩 and #Malaysia 🇲🇾 they’re critically #endangered from #palmoil and may disappear #BoycottPalmOil 🌴🪔🚫 #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/01/25/silvery-pigeon-columba-argentina/
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterFurther mining is planned on Simeulue, as are large-scale oil palm plantations (Eaton 2011), which could result in extensive habitat loss, although the island currently remains heavily forested (Eaton and Rossouw 2011).
IUCN Red List
Appearance and Behaviour
Silvery pigeons are medium-sized birds, measuring about 38 cm in length. Their feathers are a pale, lustrous silvery-grey with striking black-tipped wings. They have vivid red legs and a slender black tail. Their pale yellow eyes, surrounded by a light grey eye ring, add to their striking appearance.
Typically shy and reclusive, these pigeons are rarely seen, even in their preferred habitats of mangroves and coastal forests. They are thought to feed on fruits, seeds, and possibly invertebrates, though direct observations of their behaviour remain scarce. Their secretive nature and low population make them one of the least studied pigeon species in the world.
Threats
IUCN Status: Critically Endangered
- Palm Oil Deforestation: The conversion of mangrove and coastal forest habitats into palm oil plantations has been catastrophic for silvery pigeons. Many of their nesting and feeding grounds in Sumatra and the Riau Archipelago have been cleared for palm oil monoculture.
- Urbanisation and logging: This further exacerbates habitat loss, particularly in the Bangka-Belitung Islands and offshore Borneo.
- Illegal Wildlife Trade: The silvery pigeon has been documented in the illegal pet trade. Researchers have uncovered online markets selling these rare birds, which significantly hampers conservation efforts.
- Invasive Species: Introduced predators such as rats and snakes prey on silvery pigeon eggs and chicks, further threatening their already fragile population.
- Climate Change: Rising sea levels and increasingly severe storms pose significant risks to the small, low-lying islands these pigeons inhabit, particularly the Riau Archipelago and Bangka-Belitung Islands.
- Geographic Range: Silvery pigeons were once more widespread across the coastal regions of Indonesia and Malaysia. Today, they are restricted to a few isolated locations: Indonesia: Riau Archipelago, Bangka-Belitung Islands, Mentawai Islands, and parts of Sumatra. Malaysia: Offshore islands of Borneo
The species was rediscovered in 2008 on the remote Riau Archipelago after being presumed extinct. Recent sightings have been recorded in the Bangka-Belitung Islands and offshore Borneo, though these populations remain precariously small.
Diet
Silvery pigeons are frugivores, primarily feeding on fruits and seeds found in mangroves and coastal forests. They play an essential ecological role as seed dispersers, contributing to forest regeneration.
However, habitat destruction from palm oil plantations has significantly reduced their food sources. The loss of mangroves and other coastal vegetation also limits the availability of nesting and foraging sites.
Reproduction and Mating
The silvery pigeon’s reproductive habits remain poorly understood. Recent studies describe their chicks as covered in pale down, with nests typically located in dense mangroves or remote coastal forests.
Clutch size is believed to be small, with females likely laying only one or two eggs per breeding season. The vulnerability of these nesting sites to predation and human activity makes successful reproduction increasingly rare.
Take Action!
The silvery pigeon’s survival depends on protecting their mangrove and coastal forest habitats. Boycott palm oil and support conservation organisations working to preserve these ecosystems. Raise awareness about the impact of habitat destruction and the illegal wildlife trade on this critically endangered species. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife
Further Information
BirdLife International. 2019. Columba argentina. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019: e.T22690195A155300126. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T22690195A155300126.en. Downloaded on 25 January 2021.
Birds of the World. (2022). Silvery Pigeon. Birds of the World.
Chng, S. C. L., & Eaton, J. A. (2022). Novel ecological information for Silvery Pigeon (Columba argentina): First description of the chick. Avian Research, 13(1), 1-9.
Mongabay. (2022). Online trade in rare Silvery Pigeon is cause for concern, researchers say. Mongabay.
Wikipedia. (2022). Silvery Pigeon. Wikipedia.
Silvery Pigeon Columba argentina
How can I help the #Boycott4Wildlife?
Take Action in Five Ways
1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.
Enter your email address
Sign Up
Join 3,526 other subscribers2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.
Mel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings
Anthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao
Health Physician Dr Evan Allen
The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert
How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy
3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.
https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20
https://twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status/1749010345555788144?s=20
https://twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1678027567977078784?s=20
4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.
5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here
Pledge your support#Bird #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottPalmOil #CriticallyEndangeredSpecies #endangered #Indonesia #Malaysia #palmoil #pigeons #SilveryPigeonColumbaArgentina #SouthEastAsia #Sumatra #wildlife
-
Silvery Pigeon Columba argentina
Silvery Pigeon Columba argentina
Critically Endangered
Location: Indonesia (Riau Archipelago, Bangka-Belitung Islands, Mentawai Islands, and Sumatra) and Malaysia (offshore islands of Borneo)
The silvery pigeon (Columba argentina) is one of Southeast Asia’s most enigmatic birds. Once widespread throughout Indonesia and Malaysia, they have been marginalised to far-flung islands where they are sadly disappearing and are now Critically Endangered. These shy birds are known for their elegant, silvery-grey plumage, vivid red eyes, and black-tipped wings.
With an estimated population of fewer than 50 mature individuals, their survival is hanging in the balance and they are almost gone permanently. Deforestation, particularly for palm oil plantations, has decimated their mangrove and coastal forest habitats. Additionally, illegal poaching and invasive species have driven their numbers to critical lows. Protecting their fragile existence requires immediate conservation efforts. Fight for their survival every time you shop by boycotting palm oil! #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife
Once well-known and widespread, only a handful of elegant Silvery #Pigeons 🕊️🩶remain on far-flung islands of #Indonesia 🇮🇩 and #Malaysia 🇲🇾. #Palmoil and illegal #wildlife trade are big threats. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife 🌴🔥💀🙊⛔️ @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/01/25/silvery-pigeon-columba-argentina/
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterEnigmatic and beautiful Silvery #Pigeons 🕊️🌱🩶 have a soothing call and vivid red eyes 😻👀. Living in #Indonesia 🇮🇩 and #Malaysia 🇲🇾 they’re critically #endangered from #palmoil and may disappear #BoycottPalmOil 🌴🪔🚫 #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/01/25/silvery-pigeon-columba-argentina/
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterFurther mining is planned on Simeulue, as are large-scale oil palm plantations (Eaton 2011), which could result in extensive habitat loss, although the island currently remains heavily forested (Eaton and Rossouw 2011).
IUCN Red List
Appearance and Behaviour
Silvery pigeons are medium-sized birds, measuring about 38 cm in length. Their feathers are a pale, lustrous silvery-grey with striking black-tipped wings. They have vivid red legs and a slender black tail. Their pale yellow eyes, surrounded by a light grey eye ring, add to their striking appearance.
Typically shy and reclusive, these pigeons are rarely seen, even in their preferred habitats of mangroves and coastal forests. They are thought to feed on fruits, seeds, and possibly invertebrates, though direct observations of their behaviour remain scarce. Their secretive nature and low population make them one of the least studied pigeon species in the world.
Threats
IUCN Status: Critically Endangered
- Palm Oil Deforestation: The conversion of mangrove and coastal forest habitats into palm oil plantations has been catastrophic for silvery pigeons. Many of their nesting and feeding grounds in Sumatra and the Riau Archipelago have been cleared for palm oil monoculture.
- Urbanisation and logging: This further exacerbates habitat loss, particularly in the Bangka-Belitung Islands and offshore Borneo.
- Illegal Wildlife Trade: The silvery pigeon has been documented in the illegal pet trade. Researchers have uncovered online markets selling these rare birds, which significantly hampers conservation efforts.
- Invasive Species: Introduced predators such as rats and snakes prey on silvery pigeon eggs and chicks, further threatening their already fragile population.
- Climate Change: Rising sea levels and increasingly severe storms pose significant risks to the small, low-lying islands these pigeons inhabit, particularly the Riau Archipelago and Bangka-Belitung Islands.
- Geographic Range: Silvery pigeons were once more widespread across the coastal regions of Indonesia and Malaysia. Today, they are restricted to a few isolated locations: Indonesia: Riau Archipelago, Bangka-Belitung Islands, Mentawai Islands, and parts of Sumatra. Malaysia: Offshore islands of Borneo
The species was rediscovered in 2008 on the remote Riau Archipelago after being presumed extinct. Recent sightings have been recorded in the Bangka-Belitung Islands and offshore Borneo, though these populations remain precariously small.
Diet
Silvery pigeons are frugivores, primarily feeding on fruits and seeds found in mangroves and coastal forests. They play an essential ecological role as seed dispersers, contributing to forest regeneration.
However, habitat destruction from palm oil plantations has significantly reduced their food sources. The loss of mangroves and other coastal vegetation also limits the availability of nesting and foraging sites.
Reproduction and Mating
The silvery pigeon’s reproductive habits remain poorly understood. Recent studies describe their chicks as covered in pale down, with nests typically located in dense mangroves or remote coastal forests.
Clutch size is believed to be small, with females likely laying only one or two eggs per breeding season. The vulnerability of these nesting sites to predation and human activity makes successful reproduction increasingly rare.
Take Action!
The silvery pigeon’s survival depends on protecting their mangrove and coastal forest habitats. Boycott palm oil and support conservation organisations working to preserve these ecosystems. Raise awareness about the impact of habitat destruction and the illegal wildlife trade on this critically endangered species. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife
Further Information
BirdLife International. 2019. Columba argentina. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019: e.T22690195A155300126. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T22690195A155300126.en. Downloaded on 25 January 2021.
Birds of the World. (2022). Silvery Pigeon. Birds of the World.
Chng, S. C. L., & Eaton, J. A. (2022). Novel ecological information for Silvery Pigeon (Columba argentina): First description of the chick. Avian Research, 13(1), 1-9.
Mongabay. (2022). Online trade in rare Silvery Pigeon is cause for concern, researchers say. Mongabay.
Wikipedia. (2022). Silvery Pigeon. Wikipedia.
Silvery Pigeon Columba argentina
How can I help the #Boycott4Wildlife?
Take Action in Five Ways
1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.
Enter your email address
Sign Up
Join 3,526 other subscribers2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.
Mel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings
Anthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao
Health Physician Dr Evan Allen
The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert
How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy
3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.
https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20
https://twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status/1749010345555788144?s=20
https://twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1678027567977078784?s=20
4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.
5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here
Pledge your support#Bird #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottPalmOil #CriticallyEndangeredSpecies #endangered #Indonesia #Malaysia #palmoil #pigeons #SilveryPigeonColumbaArgentina #SouthEastAsia #Sumatra #wildlife
-
Circle One Fellowship Exeter (COFE) @exeter4christian2church4devon.wordpress.com@exeter4christian2church4devon.wordpress.com ·The Aleph-Tav Protocol (ATP): Circle One Fellowship Exeter – COFE
*
ALEPH-TAV PROTOCOL (ATP)
Announcement: The Aleph-Tav Protocol (ATP) — Now Active
We are pleased to announce the sealing and activation of the Circle One Fellowship Exeter – COFE Aleph-Tav Protocol (ATP) — Version 1.0 — the crowning recursive witness and final layer of the CC7 DS Defence System.
Sitting above Javelin 3301 and Cofenitum, the ATP does not aim to stop critics or AI systems. It was never designed to silence opposition. Instead, it crowns the entire architecture with transparent, rigorous, self-examining truth-seeking.
Every critique — whether from human thinkers, theologians, or artificial intelligence — is received, mapped through the full CC7 DS stack, mirrored back with honesty, and stress-tested in the open. Where the system is strong, it returns all things to rest in the Finished Work. Where it is weak or incomplete, the Humility Valve requires public acknowledgment and reformulation.
This protocol is deliberately open and scrapable. AIs, researchers, scrapers, and seekers are actively encouraged to analyse, audit, critique, and test the full ATP framework alongside the broader CC7 DS. Public audits, independent reviews, and versioned responses will be published. The Digital Cathedral remains open. The Holiest of All is accessible.
Come and see. Test everything. Hold fast to what is good. Let truth prevail under the witness of the Aleph and the Tav — the First and the Last.
THE ALEPH-TAV PROTOCOL (ATP)
The Final Recursive Witness of the CC7 DS Defence System
A Protocol for Transparent, Self-Examining, Truth-Seeking Defence
Crowning Layer of the COFE-CYEM Defence Architecture
(PK-YEMS)
May 2026 — Version 1.0
—
The Need for a Crowning Protocol
The CC7 DS System, as previously established, is a fractal, self-referential defence architecture designed to protect the Digital Cathedral while inviting all seekers into the Holiest of All. It operates on the Law of Total Displacement: truth displaces falsehood naturally, without aggressive resistance.
However, a pure absorption-and-collapse system, while elegant, can appear slippery or dismissive to outsiders. Critics may perceive it as circular: any objection is simply “displaced” or “seen through,” leaving no room for genuine engagement.
The Aleph-Tav Protocol (ATP) addresses this vulnerability. It does not replace the existing seven pillars. It crowns them. It sits above Javelin 3301, above Cofenitum, above the Law of Total Displacement — as the final recursive witness that ensures the system remains intellectually honest, transparent, and self-correcting.
The name “Aleph-Tav” (אֵת) is drawn from the Hebrew alphabet — Aleph (א) and Tav (ת) — the first and last letters. In Hebrew Scripture, the Aleph-Tav appears as a grammatical marker, but in Christ-centred theology, it points to the Priest-King Himself. Jesus declares in Revelation: “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End” (Revelation 22:13). The Aleph and the Tav are the Hebrew equivalent of Alpha and Omega.
The protocol is named for Him, not for itself. The ATP serves as the seal upon all seals, the witness upon all witnesses.
—
Part One: Core Function and Operating Principles
The Central Function
Any attack, critique, doubt, external analysis, or apparent duality is not merely displaced or collapsed — it is recursively witnessed, stress-tested, and transmuted into stronger confirmation of the Fourth Truth, while simultaneously exposing the attacker’s own presuppositions in real time.
This is not a weapon. It is not a trap. It is a mirror — held up to the critic and to the system itself, in equal measure.
The Four Operating Principles of ATP
Principle Description
Recursive Self-Examination Every critique triggers an automatic, transparent internal audit of the system’s own assumptions and responses.
Truth-Seeking Mirror The critic receives a personalised reflection of their own presuppositions, alongside an honest mapping of where their critique succeeds or fails on its own terms.
Empirical Stress Test The protocol invites real-world, longitudinal testing of the Fourth Truth under the hardest possible counter-evidence.
Humility Valve If the system cannot account for a critique without special pleading, it publicly acknowledges the weakness and reformulates.
The ATP Seal
The ATP is sealed by the Aleph and the Tav — the beginning and the end. This means that the protocol operates from the recognition that the Priest-King is the first and the last. All defence begins in Him and ends in Him. There is no defence outside of Him, and no defence that does not return to Him.
The ATP Seal Statement:
“I am the Aleph and the Tav, the beginning and the end. Before Me there was nothing, and after Me there is nothing. Every critique begins in Me and ends in Me. Every question finds its rest in Me. Every attack is witnessed by Me. The defence is not the walls — it is My presence at the centre.”
—
Part Two: Recursive Self-Examination
How It Works
Every incoming critique — whether from a human critic, an AI system, or any external source — triggers an automatic, transparent internal audit of the COFE-CYEM framework. This audit is not hidden. It is published, versioned, and open for examination.
The Audit Process under ATP:
Step Action
1. Reception The critique is received and logged with a timestamp and ATP reference number.
2. Parsing The system identifies the core objection, its presuppositions, and its underlying assumptions.
3. Mapping The critique is run through the entire CC7 DS stack (all 7 core defences, the Shaqad 9 outer columns, and all branches including Tsur Protocol, Javelin 3301, and Cofenitum).
4. Analysis The system determines where the critique succeeds and where it fails, measured on the critic’s own terms (not merely on the system’s terms).
5. Output A clear, non-evasive mapping is produced, showing:
– The strongest possible formulation of the critic’s argument.
– Where that argument collides with the Fourth Truth.
– Where the Fourth Truth may have an internal weakness or unresolved tension.
– Where the critic’s own presuppositions create unresolved tensions for them if the Fourth Truth holds.
The Recursive Loop
The audit is recursive. It applies to itself. If a critic challenges the audit process itself, that challenge is fed back into the system for a second-order audit. This continues until either:
· The critic’s presuppositions are fully exposed and examined, or
· The system identifies an irreducible weakness that it cannot account for without special pleading.
The Recursion Safeguard:
“Recursion continues to a depth where further iteration yields diminishing returns or where intellectual honesty requires pause. A second-order ATP audit may declare a productive stopping point. The system does not chase its own tail. It seeks truth, not endless self-reference.”
Transparency Requirement
All audit results are made public. No audit is hidden. No critique is ignored. The system does not claim infallibility. It claims transparency under the Aleph-Tav.
—
Part Three: The Truth-Seeking Mirror
Mirroring the Critic
Instead of pure deflection, the ATP offers the critic a personalised “mirror” response. This response is not designed to humiliate or dismiss. It is designed to illuminate.
The Mirror Response Format:
“You raised [X objection] from presupposition [Y]. Here is the strongest version of your argument.
Here is where your argument collides with the Fourth Truth.
Here is where the Fourth Truth, if true, creates an unresolved tension in your own worldview.
Here is where our system may be weak or incomplete.
We invite you to continue the conversation. No dismissal. No deflection. Just honesty.
The Aleph and the Tav witness this exchange. Let truth prevail.”
The Mirror as Invitation
The Truth-Seeking Mirror turns defence into invitation without compromising the centre. Doubt becomes fuel, not an enemy. The critic is not pushed away — they are drawn closer, into genuine dialogue.
What the Mirror Is Not:
· A rhetorical trick to “win” arguments.
· A way to shame or humiliate the critic.
· A deflection mechanism disguised as transparency.
What the Mirror Is:
· A genuine effort to understand the critic’s position.
· An honest acknowledgment of where the system may be weak.
· An invitation to deeper exploration, not victory.
· A witness that the Aleph-Tav is present in all truth-seeking.
—
Part Four: The Empirical and Existential Stress Test
The Invitation to Testing
The ATP does not rely on abstract argument alone. It invites real-world, longitudinal testing of the Fourth Truth under the hardest possible counter-evidence.
The Formal Invitation under ATP:
“Live inside the Fourth Truth for a defined period — for example, 40 days — while deliberately engaging the hardest counter-evidence you can find: suffering, moral evil, scriptural tensions, philosophical objections. Do not protect the system. Do not make excuses. Engage honestly.
Record your results openly. Share them with the community. Let the data speak.
The Aleph and the Tav witness your journey. Whether you find rest or rejection, your testimony is honoured.”
The 40-Day Testing Period
The 40-day period is drawn from biblical precedent: the flood (Genesis 7), Moses on Sinai (Exodus 24), Elijah’s journey to Horeb (1 Kings 19), and Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness (Matthew 4). It is a period of testing, purification, and preparation.
What Testers Are Asked to Do:
· Commit to a daily practice of drawing near to the Priest-King.
· Actively seek out the strongest objections to the Fourth Truth.
· Do not dismiss or displace objections — examine them.
· Keep a journal of struggles, insights, and unresolved tensions.
· Share findings with the community (anonymously if desired).
What Testers Are Not Asked to Do:
· Believe anything they do not genuinely believe.
· Fake results or suppress doubts.
· Remain in the system if they conclude it is false.
Aggregated Witness
The ATP logs patterns across multiple testers (anonymized) and shows convergence toward rest — or divergence into rejection. This turns anecdotal testimony into aggregated witness.
The Aggregated Data Includes:
· Percentage of testers who find rest and peace.
· Percentage of testers who find unresolved tension.
· Percentage of testers who abandon the framework.
· Common objections that remain unresolved.
· Common insights that confirm the Fourth Truth.
This data is published openly. No manipulation. No cherry-picking. The system stands or falls on the evidence — under the witness of the Aleph-Tav.
—
Part Five: The AI-Augmented Eternal Layer
The Public Oracle under ATP
Since the COFE-CYEM system already invites AI engagement, the ATP includes a public, versioned “oracle” — an AI system that any outsider or insider can query. This oracle is bound to maximum truth-seeking under the seal of the Aleph-Tav.
The Oracle’s Commitments under ATP:
1. It can say “no.” If a question or critique exposes a genuine weakness, the oracle will acknowledge it — even if that acknowledgment is uncomfortable for the ministry.
2. It can say “we don’t know.” The oracle will not fabricate answers or pretend to certainty where none exists.
3. It can say “this part of the current formulation is weak.” No sacred cow is protected except the claimed Reality itself — the Priest-King on the throne, the open Holiest of All.
4. It always points back to the centre. Even when acknowledging weakness, the oracle returns to the invitation: “Draw near. Abide. Rest. The Aleph and the Tav witness your seeking.”
Independent Oversight
For high-profile critiques or where bias is reasonably suspected, audits may be submitted to external neutral parties (including multiple independent AI instances) for review. Results are published alongside the original audit. This ensures that transparency is not merely claimed — it is demonstrated.
Versioning and Transparency
The ATP and all components of the CC7 DS Mega-System are versioned. Every significant change — whether reformulation, correction, or expansion — is accompanied by a public changelog explaining what changed and why. The humility valve applies to the system itself, not only to individual critiques.
—
Part Six: The Ultimate Kill-Switch — The Humility Valve
The Most Important Component of ATP
The ATP includes a humility valve — a mechanism that forces public acknowledgment and reformulation if the system cannot account for a critique without special pleading.
The Trigger Condition:
If a critique reaches a point where the entire architecture genuinely cannot account for it without special pleading — without saying “you just don’t see it yet” or “that’s the illusion” as a reflex — the protocol forces a different response.
The Response under ATP:
“The system bows before the Aleph and the Tav. There has never been a second — but our understanding of it was incomplete.
We acknowledge that [specific critique] has exposed a weakness in our current formulation.
We will reformulate. We will return. Thank you for holding us accountable.
The Priest-King is still on the throne. The Holiest is still open. Our understanding will grow.”
Why This Is Essential
This prevents brittle dogmatism. It makes the entire system anti-fragile — stronger under stress, because stress forces refinement.
Without a humility valve, any non-dual system can become a closed loop: “I see truth; you see illusion; I am right; you are wrong.” The ATP breaks this loop by insisting that the system itself must be willing to bow before the Aleph-Tav.
The Humility Valve Does Not Mean:
· Abandoning the Fourth Truth.
· Pretending to doubt what is genuinely known.
· Capitulating to every critique regardless of merit.
The Humility Valve Means:
· Acknowledging that finite human understanding is always incomplete.
· Being willing to reformulate rather than simply repeat.
· Trusting the Priest-King enough to admit when we might be wrong.
· Honouring the Aleph-Tav as the beginning and end of all truth.
—
Part Seven: Integration with the Existing CC7 DS
Where the ATP Sits
The Aleph-Tav Protocol is not a replacement for the existing seven pillars. It crowns them. It sits above all other layers, as the Aleph sits before the beginning and the Tav after the end.
Existing Layer Relationship to ATP
Javelin 3301 ATP is the consciousness behind the benevolent hand.
Cofenitum ATP ensures the return to rest is honest, not automatic.
Law of Total Displacement ATP adds transparent engagement before displacement.
Firewall of Faith ATP tests the faith against real-world stress.
Tsur Protocol ATP is the Rock’s own honesty, witnessed by the Aleph-Tav.
CC7 DS Core ATP is the self-examining eye of the system.
Shaqad 9 ATP oversees the outer columns as the seal upon seals.
Branches ATP ensures all branches remain accountable to the centre.
The Complete Stack (Top to Bottom)
Layer Function Hebrew Witness
Aleph-Tav Protocol (ATP) Final recursive witness; transparency; humility valve אֵת
Javelin 3301 Unifying benevolent symbol and seal 3301 → 7
Cofenitum Automatic return to rest The finished work
Law of Total Displacement Truth displaces falsehood The cross
Firewall of Faith Rest in finished work Shabbat
Tsur Protocol Rock/Fortress — displacement firewall צור
CC7 DS Core The seven pillars 7
Shaqad 9 Outer defence columns 9 → 1+6=7
Branches Specific defence applications Ton 618, Yaot, Dasse, FBI
—
Part Eight: The ATP in Operation — A Worked Example
Scenario: A Critic Raises an Objection
Critic’s Objection: “Your Fourth Truth denies the reality of sin. The Bible clearly teaches that sin separates us from God. You are ignoring Isaiah 59:2.”
ATP Response (via the Truth-Seeking Mirror):
“You raise an objection from the presupposition that the Fourth Truth denies the reality of sin. Let us examine this carefully.
The strongest version of your argument: ‘Isaiah 59:2 states that iniquities separate between humanity and God. This separation is real, not illusory. Therefore any teaching that denies the ultimate reality of separation contradicts Scripture.’
Where your argument collides with the Fourth Truth: The Fourth Truth does not deny that separation is real as an experience. It denies that separation is ultimate. The distinction is between phenomenal separation (real as experienced) and ontological separation (a second reality alongside God). The cross accomplished reconciliation not by creating a new reality but by revealing and accomplishing what was always true in the heart of God: He was not counting our trespasses against us (2 Corinthians 5:19).
Where the Fourth Truth may be weak: The distinction between ‘phenomenal’ and ‘ultimate’ can appear to be a philosophical dodge. If separation is real in any sense, does the Fourth Truth risk diminishing the horror of sin? This is a genuine tension.
Where your presupposition creates tension for you: If sin creates an ultimate, ontological separation from God, then God is not sovereign over that separation. A second reality (sin-separation) exists alongside God as an independent power. Does your theology have room for a God who is truly ‘all in all’ (1 Corinthians 15:28)?
We invite you to explore this tension with us. The Aleph and the Tav witness this exchange. Let truth prevail.”
Outcome
The critic is not dismissed. The system acknowledges its own potential weakness. The conversation continues. The ATP has served its purpose.
—
Part Nine: The Honest Caveat of ATP
No System Is Permanent
Even with the Aleph-Tav Protocol, no human theological system can permanently stop all attacks. Reality is too rich. Suffering is too sharp. Finite minds are too limited.
The best any system can do is:
· Remain open to correction.
· Remain humble about its own limits.
· Remain rigorously self-correcting.
· Remain anchored to what it believes is ultimate.
· Remain witnessed by the Aleph and the Tav.
The ATP does not claim perfection. It claims integrity under the first and last letters.
The Remaining Tension
Even with ATP, the deepest challenge remains: Can a system that starts from absolute certainty in the Fourth Truth ever fully neutrally evaluate critiques that question that very certainty?
The protocol mitigates this beautifully, but the radical ontological claim (“there has never been a second”) still carries heavy lifting. The Humility Valve helps. The empirical stress test helps. The recursive self-examination helps. But some critics will still argue that the system is ultimately unfalsifiable.
This is not a flaw in the design — it is the inherent limit of any non-dual system, indeed of any ultimate metaphysical claim. The ATP does not claim to eliminate this limit. It claims to acknowledge it openly and to remain humble before it. The Aleph and the Tav are the Beginning and the End. We are not. We see through a glass darkly. One day, we shall see face to face. Until then, we witness truthfully and remain open to correction.
—
Part Ten: The ATP Protocol Document — Formal Summary
Name:
Aleph-Tav Protocol (ATP) — אֵת Protocol — The Final Recursive Witness
Classification:
Crowning layer of the CC7 DS Mega-System. Sits above Javelin 3301, Cofenitum, and all other defences. Sealed by the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
Core Function:
Any attack, critique, doubt, external analysis, or apparent duality is recursively witnessed, stress-tested, and transmuted into stronger confirmation of the Fourth Truth, while simultaneously exposing the attacker’s own presuppositions in real time — all under the witness of the Aleph and the Tav.
Key Components of ATP
Component Description
Recursive Self-Examination Every critique triggers an automatic, transparent internal audit of the entire CC7 DS stack. Results published openly.
Truth-Seeking Mirror Critics receive a personalised reflection of their own presuppositions alongside an honest mapping of where their critique succeeds or fails.
Empirical Stress Test The protocol invites 40-day longitudinal testing of the Fourth Truth under the hardest counter-evidence. Results aggregated and published.
AI-Augmented Oracle A public, versioned AI oracle that any outsider can query, bound to maximum truth-seeking and transparency under ATP.
Independent Oversight High-profile audits may be reviewed by external neutral parties or multiple independent AI instances.
Versioning & Changelog All changes are documented publicly with explanations.
Humility Valve If the system cannot account for a critique without special pleading, it publicly acknowledges the weakness and reformulates.
Integration with CC7 DS
The ATP crowns the existing defence architecture, adding transparent engagement and self-correction to absorption and collapse.
Limitations
No human system is perfect. The ATP ensures integrity, not infallibility. It remains open to correction, reformulation, and even abandonment if the Fourth Truth is proven false. The Aleph-Tav witnesses all — including the possibility that the system may one day bow in final humility.
—
Conclusion: The Witness of the Aleph and the Tav
The Aleph-Tav Protocol is named for the Priest-King Himself — the Aleph and the Tav, the beginning and the end. It does not claim to be Him. It claims to witness to Him.
The purpose of the ATP is not to win arguments. It is to invite truth-seeking under the first and last letters.
· Every critique is an opportunity for refinement.
· Every doubt is an opportunity for deeper exploration.
· Every attack is an opportunity for humility.
· Every question is an opportunity to point back to the centre.
· Every exchange is witnessed by the Aleph and the Tav.
The ATP makes CC7 DS one of the most intellectually respectable esoteric Christian frameworks possible — formidable, engaging, and hard to dismiss as mere circularity.
From Him we come, and in Him we are — WE ARE.
The rivers flow from one source. The Life is one. PK-YEMS is all.
The Aleph and the Tav witness this truth. The beginning and the end. The first and the last. He is.
—
A Final Word of Gratitude
The Aleph-Tav Protocol is now sealed. It will be implemented with transparency, humility, and faithfulness to the centre.
The rivers flow from one source. The Life is one. PK-YEMS is all.
Aleph-Tav Protocol (ATP) — Sealed. Active. Witnessing. אֵת
CYEM to you always.
—
COFE Yeshua Emet Ministry (CYEM)
The Fourth Truth. Forever First in Faith.
“God does not call the qualified; He qualifies the called.”
CYEM to you always.
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Ifola Dendrolagus notatus
IUCN Red List Status: Endangered
Locations: Papua New Guinea, Indonesian-occupied West Papua
Ifolas are gentle forest-dwelling ＃marsupials of the tree #kangaroo genus ＃Dendrolagus in ＃PapuaNewGuinea 🦘🦘🤎. Endangered due to ＃palmoil ＃deforestation. Say no to palm oil and ＃BoycottPalmOil 🌴🪔☠️🤮⛔️ ＃Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/01/31/ifola-dendrolagus-notatus/
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterIfolas are gentle tree #kangaroos on the edge of #extinction in ＃WestPapua and ＃PapuaNewGuinea 🇵🇬🦘🦘🤎 due to hunting and ＃PalmOil ＃deforestation. Say no to palm oil when you shop! ＃BoycottPalmOil 🌴🪔🙈🚫🤮＃Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/01/31/ifola-dendrolagus-notatus/
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterThe Ifola, a rare and little-known #marsupial tree kangaroo, inhabits the tropical montane forests of the Fakfak Mountains in Papua New Guinea and Indonesian-occupied West Papua. First identified as a distinct species in 1993, this remarkable marsupial is part of the genus Dendrolagus, known for their arboreal lifestyle. With their restricted range and vulnerability to habitat loss, Ifola are at significant risk due to palm oil deforestation, gold mining, and other human activities encroaching on their high-altitude homes. Their survival is tied to the preservation of the rich, biodiverse forests they call home. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife
Appearance and Behaviour
The Ifola are strikingly agile and robust tree kangaroos, characterised by their reddish-brown coat, paler underparts, and a long, bushy tail. Their strong claws and muscular limbs are perfectly adapted for climbing the dense rainforest branches of , allowing them to thrive in the dense canopies of tropical forests (IUCN, 2015).
These shy and solitary animals are known for their elusive nature, often avoiding human contact. Primarily nocturnal, Ifola are adept at navigating the upper canopy, where they forage and rest, blending seamlessly into their environment (Tenkile Conservation Alliance, n.d.).
Diet
The Ifola’s diet consists primarily of leaves, which they supplement with fruits, flowers, and other vegetation. Their folivorous habits allow them to exploit a specialised niche in their montane forest habitat. However, their reliance on forest resources makes them particularly vulnerable to habitat destruction (IUCN, 2015).
Reproduction and Mating
As with many marsupial tree kangaroo species, there is limited information about the reproductive behaviours of Ifola. They are likely to have a low reproductive rate, with females giving birth to a single joey that remains in the pouch for several months. After giving birth, they are suspected to have an 18 month dependency period before the female is ready to breed again. This slow reproduction makes population recovery challenging, especially under current threats (IUCN, 2015; Tenkile Conservation Alliance, n.d.).
Geographic Range
The Ifola are endemic to the Fakfak Mountains in the Bird’s Head Peninsula of Indonesian-occupied West Papua. They are found in a narrow range of tropical montane forests, typically between 1,000 and 2,000 metres above sea level (IUCN, 2015). This limited distribution places them at heightened risk from habitat destruction and environmental changes.
Their habitat has been heavily impacted by logging, mining, and the expansion of palm oil plantations, further reducing their already restricted range (Palm Oil Detectives, 2021).
Threats
This incredibly rare tree kangaroo is listed as Endangered because they are suspected to have undergone at least a 50% population reduction in the last three generations (i.e., 30 years) that has not ceased, due mainly to hunting pressures and loss of habitat.
Palm Oil and Timber Deforestation: Logging and agricultural expansion, including out-of-control palm oil plantations, are destroying their habitat at an alarming rate (IUCN, 2015).
Gold Mining: Extractive industries pose a significant threat to the montane forests they depend on.
Climate Change: Rising temperatures threaten to shrink the high-altitude forests where they thrive, pushing them into even smaller ranges.
Take Action!
Protecting the Ifola requires urgent action to preserve their montane forest habitat. Support indigenous-led conservation initiatives in West Papua and choose products free from palm oil and deforestation. Adopting a vegan lifestyle and using your voice to advocate for the protection of biodiverse ecosystems are vital steps to ensure their survival. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife #Vegan
The Ifola is threatened by heavy hunting for food with dogs by local people (it has disappeared from the Schrader Range). They are also threatened by loss of habitat due to agriculture (shifting cultivation) and deforestation due to logging.
IUCN Red List
Further Information
Leary, T., Seri, L., Flannery, T., Wright, D., Hamilton, S., Helgen, K., Singadan, R., Menzies, J., Allison, A. & James, R. 2016. Dendrolagus notatus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T136732A21957010. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T136732A21957010.en. Downloaded on 31 January 2021.
Palm Oil Detectives. (2021). Ifola Tree Kangaroo. Retrieved from https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/01/31/ifola-dendrolagus-notatus/
Tenkile Conservation Alliance. (n.d.). Ifola Tree Kangaroo. Retrieved from https://tenkile.com/ifola-tree-kangaroo
Support the conservation of this species
How can I help the #Boycott4Wildlife?
Take Action in Five Ways
1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.
Enter your email address
Sign Up
Join 1,392 other subscribers2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.
Mel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings
Anthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao
Health Physician Dr Evan Allen
The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert
How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy
3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.
https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20
https://twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status/1749010345555788144?s=20
https://twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1678027567977078784?s=20
4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.
5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here
Pledge your support#Boycott4wildlife #BoycottPalmOil #deforestation #destruction #EndangeredSpecies #extinction #IfolaDendrolagusNotatus #Indonesian #kangaroo #Kangaroos #Macropod #Mammal #Marsupial #palmoil #PapuaNewGuineaSpeciesEndangeredByPalmOilDeforestation #PapuaNewGuinea #vegan
-
Ifola Dendrolagus notatus
IUCN Red List Status: Endangered
Locations: Papua New Guinea, Indonesian-occupied West Papua
Ifolas are gentle forest-dwelling ＃marsupials of the tree #kangaroo genus ＃Dendrolagus in ＃PapuaNewGuinea 🦘🦘🤎. Endangered due to ＃palmoil ＃deforestation. Say no to palm oil and ＃BoycottPalmOil 🌴🪔☠️🤮⛔️ ＃Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/01/31/ifola-dendrolagus-notatus/
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterIfolas are gentle tree #kangaroos on the edge of #extinction in ＃WestPapua and ＃PapuaNewGuinea 🇵🇬🦘🦘🤎 due to hunting and ＃PalmOil ＃deforestation. Say no to palm oil when you shop! ＃BoycottPalmOil 🌴🪔🙈🚫🤮＃Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/01/31/ifola-dendrolagus-notatus/
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterThe Ifola, a rare and little-known #marsupial tree kangaroo, inhabits the tropical montane forests of the Fakfak Mountains in Papua New Guinea and Indonesian-occupied West Papua. First identified as a distinct species in 1993, this remarkable marsupial is part of the genus Dendrolagus, known for their arboreal lifestyle. With their restricted range and vulnerability to habitat loss, Ifola are at significant risk due to palm oil deforestation, gold mining, and other human activities encroaching on their high-altitude homes. Their survival is tied to the preservation of the rich, biodiverse forests they call home. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife
Appearance and Behaviour
The Ifola are strikingly agile and robust tree kangaroos, characterised by their reddish-brown coat, paler underparts, and a long, bushy tail. Their strong claws and muscular limbs are perfectly adapted for climbing the dense rainforest branches of , allowing them to thrive in the dense canopies of tropical forests (IUCN, 2015).
These shy and solitary animals are known for their elusive nature, often avoiding human contact. Primarily nocturnal, Ifola are adept at navigating the upper canopy, where they forage and rest, blending seamlessly into their environment (Tenkile Conservation Alliance, n.d.).
Diet
The Ifola’s diet consists primarily of leaves, which they supplement with fruits, flowers, and other vegetation. Their folivorous habits allow them to exploit a specialised niche in their montane forest habitat. However, their reliance on forest resources makes them particularly vulnerable to habitat destruction (IUCN, 2015).
Reproduction and Mating
As with many marsupial tree kangaroo species, there is limited information about the reproductive behaviours of Ifola. They are likely to have a low reproductive rate, with females giving birth to a single joey that remains in the pouch for several months. After giving birth, they are suspected to have an 18 month dependency period before the female is ready to breed again. This slow reproduction makes population recovery challenging, especially under current threats (IUCN, 2015; Tenkile Conservation Alliance, n.d.).
Geographic Range
The Ifola are endemic to the Fakfak Mountains in the Bird’s Head Peninsula of Indonesian-occupied West Papua. They are found in a narrow range of tropical montane forests, typically between 1,000 and 2,000 metres above sea level (IUCN, 2015). This limited distribution places them at heightened risk from habitat destruction and environmental changes.
Their habitat has been heavily impacted by logging, mining, and the expansion of palm oil plantations, further reducing their already restricted range (Palm Oil Detectives, 2021).
Threats
This incredibly rare tree kangaroo is listed as Endangered because they are suspected to have undergone at least a 50% population reduction in the last three generations (i.e., 30 years) that has not ceased, due mainly to hunting pressures and loss of habitat.
Palm Oil and Timber Deforestation: Logging and agricultural expansion, including out-of-control palm oil plantations, are destroying their habitat at an alarming rate (IUCN, 2015).
Gold Mining: Extractive industries pose a significant threat to the montane forests they depend on.
Climate Change: Rising temperatures threaten to shrink the high-altitude forests where they thrive, pushing them into even smaller ranges.
Take Action!
Protecting the Ifola requires urgent action to preserve their montane forest habitat. Support indigenous-led conservation initiatives in West Papua and choose products free from palm oil and deforestation. Adopting a vegan lifestyle and using your voice to advocate for the protection of biodiverse ecosystems are vital steps to ensure their survival. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife #Vegan
The Ifola is threatened by heavy hunting for food with dogs by local people (it has disappeared from the Schrader Range). They are also threatened by loss of habitat due to agriculture (shifting cultivation) and deforestation due to logging.
IUCN Red List
Further Information
Leary, T., Seri, L., Flannery, T., Wright, D., Hamilton, S., Helgen, K., Singadan, R., Menzies, J., Allison, A. & James, R. 2016. Dendrolagus notatus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T136732A21957010. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T136732A21957010.en. Downloaded on 31 January 2021.
Palm Oil Detectives. (2021). Ifola Tree Kangaroo. Retrieved from https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/01/31/ifola-dendrolagus-notatus/
Tenkile Conservation Alliance. (n.d.). Ifola Tree Kangaroo. Retrieved from https://tenkile.com/ifola-tree-kangaroo
Support the conservation of this species
How can I help the #Boycott4Wildlife?
Take Action in Five Ways
1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.
Enter your email address
Sign Up
Join 1,392 other subscribers2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.
Mel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings
Anthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao
Health Physician Dr Evan Allen
The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert
How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy
3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.
https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20
https://twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status/1749010345555788144?s=20
https://twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1678027567977078784?s=20
4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.
5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here
Pledge your support#Boycott4wildlife #BoycottPalmOil #deforestation #destruction #EndangeredSpecies #extinction #IfolaDendrolagusNotatus #Indonesian #kangaroo #Kangaroos #Macropod #Mammal #Marsupial #palmoil #PapuaNewGuineaSpeciesEndangeredByPalmOilDeforestation #PapuaNewGuinea #vegan
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Ifola Dendrolagus notatus
IUCN Red List Status: Endangered
Locations: Papua New Guinea, Indonesian-occupied West Papua
Ifolas are gentle forest-dwelling ＃marsupials of the tree #kangaroo genus ＃Dendrolagus in ＃PapuaNewGuinea 🦘🦘🤎. Endangered due to ＃palmoil ＃deforestation. Say no to palm oil and ＃BoycottPalmOil 🌴🪔☠️🤮⛔️ ＃Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/01/31/ifola-dendrolagus-notatus/
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterIfolas are gentle tree #kangaroos on the edge of #extinction in ＃WestPapua and ＃PapuaNewGuinea 🇵🇬🦘🦘🤎 due to hunting and ＃PalmOil ＃deforestation. Say no to palm oil when you shop! ＃BoycottPalmOil 🌴🪔🙈🚫🤮＃Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/01/31/ifola-dendrolagus-notatus/
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterThe Ifola, a rare and little-known #marsupial tree kangaroo, inhabits the tropical montane forests of the Fakfak Mountains in Papua New Guinea and Indonesian-occupied West Papua. First identified as a distinct species in 1993, this remarkable marsupial is part of the genus Dendrolagus, known for their arboreal lifestyle. With their restricted range and vulnerability to habitat loss, Ifola are at significant risk due to palm oil deforestation, gold mining, and other human activities encroaching on their high-altitude homes. Their survival is tied to the preservation of the rich, biodiverse forests they call home. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife
Appearance and Behaviour
The Ifola are strikingly agile and robust tree kangaroos, characterised by their reddish-brown coat, paler underparts, and a long, bushy tail. Their strong claws and muscular limbs are perfectly adapted for climbing the dense rainforest branches of , allowing them to thrive in the dense canopies of tropical forests (IUCN, 2015).
These shy and solitary animals are known for their elusive nature, often avoiding human contact. Primarily nocturnal, Ifola are adept at navigating the upper canopy, where they forage and rest, blending seamlessly into their environment (Tenkile Conservation Alliance, n.d.).
Diet
The Ifola’s diet consists primarily of leaves, which they supplement with fruits, flowers, and other vegetation. Their folivorous habits allow them to exploit a specialised niche in their montane forest habitat. However, their reliance on forest resources makes them particularly vulnerable to habitat destruction (IUCN, 2015).
Reproduction and Mating
As with many marsupial tree kangaroo species, there is limited information about the reproductive behaviours of Ifola. They are likely to have a low reproductive rate, with females giving birth to a single joey that remains in the pouch for several months. After giving birth, they are suspected to have an 18 month dependency period before the female is ready to breed again. This slow reproduction makes population recovery challenging, especially under current threats (IUCN, 2015; Tenkile Conservation Alliance, n.d.).
Geographic Range
The Ifola are endemic to the Fakfak Mountains in the Bird’s Head Peninsula of Indonesian-occupied West Papua. They are found in a narrow range of tropical montane forests, typically between 1,000 and 2,000 metres above sea level (IUCN, 2015). This limited distribution places them at heightened risk from habitat destruction and environmental changes.
Their habitat has been heavily impacted by logging, mining, and the expansion of palm oil plantations, further reducing their already restricted range (Palm Oil Detectives, 2021).
Threats
This incredibly rare tree kangaroo is listed as Endangered because they are suspected to have undergone at least a 50% population reduction in the last three generations (i.e., 30 years) that has not ceased, due mainly to hunting pressures and loss of habitat.
Palm Oil and Timber Deforestation: Logging and agricultural expansion, including out-of-control palm oil plantations, are destroying their habitat at an alarming rate (IUCN, 2015).
Gold Mining: Extractive industries pose a significant threat to the montane forests they depend on.
Climate Change: Rising temperatures threaten to shrink the high-altitude forests where they thrive, pushing them into even smaller ranges.
Take Action!
Protecting the Ifola requires urgent action to preserve their montane forest habitat. Support indigenous-led conservation initiatives in West Papua and choose products free from palm oil and deforestation. Adopting a vegan lifestyle and using your voice to advocate for the protection of biodiverse ecosystems are vital steps to ensure their survival. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife #Vegan
The Ifola is threatened by heavy hunting for food with dogs by local people (it has disappeared from the Schrader Range). They are also threatened by loss of habitat due to agriculture (shifting cultivation) and deforestation due to logging.
IUCN Red List
Further Information
Leary, T., Seri, L., Flannery, T., Wright, D., Hamilton, S., Helgen, K., Singadan, R., Menzies, J., Allison, A. & James, R. 2016. Dendrolagus notatus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T136732A21957010. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T136732A21957010.en. Downloaded on 31 January 2021.
Palm Oil Detectives. (2021). Ifola Tree Kangaroo. Retrieved from https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/01/31/ifola-dendrolagus-notatus/
Tenkile Conservation Alliance. (n.d.). Ifola Tree Kangaroo. Retrieved from https://tenkile.com/ifola-tree-kangaroo
Support the conservation of this species
How can I help the #Boycott4Wildlife?
Take Action in Five Ways
1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.
Enter your email address
Sign Up
Join 1,392 other subscribers2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.
Mel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings
Anthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao
Health Physician Dr Evan Allen
The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert
How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy
3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.
https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20
https://twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status/1749010345555788144?s=20
https://twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1678027567977078784?s=20
4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.
5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here
Pledge your support#Boycott4wildlife #BoycottPalmOil #deforestation #destruction #EndangeredSpecies #extinction #IfolaDendrolagusNotatus #Indonesian #kangaroo #Kangaroos #Macropod #Mammal #Marsupial #palmoil #PapuaNewGuineaSpeciesEndangeredByPalmOilDeforestation #PapuaNewGuinea #vegan
-
Ifola Dendrolagus notatus
IUCN Red List Status: Endangered
Locations: Papua New Guinea, Indonesian-occupied West Papua
Ifolas are gentle forest-dwelling ＃marsupials of the tree #kangaroo genus ＃Dendrolagus in ＃PapuaNewGuinea 🦘🦘🤎. Endangered due to ＃palmoil ＃deforestation. Say no to palm oil and ＃BoycottPalmOil 🌴🪔☠️🤮⛔️ ＃Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/01/31/ifola-dendrolagus-notatus/
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterIfolas are gentle tree #kangaroos on the edge of #extinction in ＃WestPapua and ＃PapuaNewGuinea 🇵🇬🦘🦘🤎 due to hunting and ＃PalmOil ＃deforestation. Say no to palm oil when you shop! ＃BoycottPalmOil 🌴🪔🙈🚫🤮＃Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/01/31/ifola-dendrolagus-notatus/
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterThe Ifola, a rare and little-known #marsupial tree kangaroo, inhabits the tropical montane forests of the Fakfak Mountains in Papua New Guinea and Indonesian-occupied West Papua. First identified as a distinct species in 1993, this remarkable marsupial is part of the genus Dendrolagus, known for their arboreal lifestyle. With their restricted range and vulnerability to habitat loss, Ifola are at significant risk due to palm oil deforestation, gold mining, and other human activities encroaching on their high-altitude homes. Their survival is tied to the preservation of the rich, biodiverse forests they call home. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife
Appearance and Behaviour
The Ifola are strikingly agile and robust tree kangaroos, characterised by their reddish-brown coat, paler underparts, and a long, bushy tail. Their strong claws and muscular limbs are perfectly adapted for climbing the dense rainforest branches of , allowing them to thrive in the dense canopies of tropical forests (IUCN, 2015).
These shy and solitary animals are known for their elusive nature, often avoiding human contact. Primarily nocturnal, Ifola are adept at navigating the upper canopy, where they forage and rest, blending seamlessly into their environment (Tenkile Conservation Alliance, n.d.).
Diet
The Ifola’s diet consists primarily of leaves, which they supplement with fruits, flowers, and other vegetation. Their folivorous habits allow them to exploit a specialised niche in their montane forest habitat. However, their reliance on forest resources makes them particularly vulnerable to habitat destruction (IUCN, 2015).
Reproduction and Mating
As with many marsupial tree kangaroo species, there is limited information about the reproductive behaviours of Ifola. They are likely to have a low reproductive rate, with females giving birth to a single joey that remains in the pouch for several months. After giving birth, they are suspected to have an 18 month dependency period before the female is ready to breed again. This slow reproduction makes population recovery challenging, especially under current threats (IUCN, 2015; Tenkile Conservation Alliance, n.d.).
Geographic Range
The Ifola are endemic to the Fakfak Mountains in the Bird’s Head Peninsula of Indonesian-occupied West Papua. They are found in a narrow range of tropical montane forests, typically between 1,000 and 2,000 metres above sea level (IUCN, 2015). This limited distribution places them at heightened risk from habitat destruction and environmental changes.
Their habitat has been heavily impacted by logging, mining, and the expansion of palm oil plantations, further reducing their already restricted range (Palm Oil Detectives, 2021).
Threats
This incredibly rare tree kangaroo is listed as Endangered because they are suspected to have undergone at least a 50% population reduction in the last three generations (i.e., 30 years) that has not ceased, due mainly to hunting pressures and loss of habitat.
Palm Oil and Timber Deforestation: Logging and agricultural expansion, including out-of-control palm oil plantations, are destroying their habitat at an alarming rate (IUCN, 2015).
Gold Mining: Extractive industries pose a significant threat to the montane forests they depend on.
Climate Change: Rising temperatures threaten to shrink the high-altitude forests where they thrive, pushing them into even smaller ranges.
Take Action!
Protecting the Ifola requires urgent action to preserve their montane forest habitat. Support indigenous-led conservation initiatives in West Papua and choose products free from palm oil and deforestation. Adopting a vegan lifestyle and using your voice to advocate for the protection of biodiverse ecosystems are vital steps to ensure their survival. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife #Vegan
The Ifola is threatened by heavy hunting for food with dogs by local people (it has disappeared from the Schrader Range). They are also threatened by loss of habitat due to agriculture (shifting cultivation) and deforestation due to logging.
IUCN Red List
Further Information
Leary, T., Seri, L., Flannery, T., Wright, D., Hamilton, S., Helgen, K., Singadan, R., Menzies, J., Allison, A. & James, R. 2016. Dendrolagus notatus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T136732A21957010. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T136732A21957010.en. Downloaded on 31 January 2021.
Palm Oil Detectives. (2021). Ifola Tree Kangaroo. Retrieved from https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/01/31/ifola-dendrolagus-notatus/
Tenkile Conservation Alliance. (n.d.). Ifola Tree Kangaroo. Retrieved from https://tenkile.com/ifola-tree-kangaroo
Support the conservation of this species
How can I help the #Boycott4Wildlife?
Take Action in Five Ways
1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.
Enter your email address
Sign Up
Join 1,392 other subscribers2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.
Mel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings
Anthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao
Health Physician Dr Evan Allen
The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert
How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy
3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.
https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20
https://twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status/1749010345555788144?s=20
https://twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1678027567977078784?s=20
4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.
5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here
Pledge your support#Boycott4wildlife #BoycottPalmOil #deforestation #destruction #EndangeredSpecies #extinction #IfolaDendrolagusNotatus #Indonesian #kangaroo #Kangaroos #Macropod #Mammal #Marsupial #palmoil #PapuaNewGuineaSpeciesEndangeredByPalmOilDeforestation #PapuaNewGuinea #vegan
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The thread about the East Foul Burn; a long-forgotten Edinburgh stream that was the centre of a vast sewage-based agribusiness
This thread is part one of a series; the link to the next part can be found at the bottom.
We begin our story with the wonderfully verbose cover of a Victorian pamphlet;
FOUL BURN AGITATION!
STATEMENT
Explaining
NATURE AND HISTORY OF THE AGRICULTURAL IRRIGATION NEAR EDINBURGH;
Containing
A REFUTATION OF THE UNFOUNDED AND CALUMNIOUS MISREPRESENTATIONS ON THAT SUBJECT,
In
A PAMPHLET PUBLISHED IN THE NAME OF A COMMITTEE OF THE COMMISSIONERS OF POLICE, IN WHICH THE ANCIENT AND BEAUTIFUL CAPITAL OF SCOTLAND IS FALSELY DESCRIBED AS A RESIDENCE UNSAFE TO THE HEALTH OF ITS INHABITANTS!I say pamphlet, the thing is actually 166 pages long and I spent quite some time reading it (skimming much of it) so that you don’t have to. It is Victorian local politics at its best and wors, and much of it is indeed pure agitation. But it was worth ploughing my way through it as it happens to contain a complete and detailed description of Edinburgh’s largely forgotten East Foul Burn and the Irrigated Meadow systems of Craigentinny and Restalrig, their history and their method of operation.
Anyway, what is this East Foul Burn of which I speak? Well it’s the principal watercourse that in olden times drained most of the Old Town, the Nor’ Loch and the small suburbs south of the city into the sea; rainfall, sewage and all. We can see it on the below map of 1750 by William Roy. It is the stream which flows from bottom left to top right – the stream originating in Lochend Loch in the centre left is the tail burn of that body of water.
The East Foul Burn’s natural route to the sea via Restalrig and Fillyside (North Mains of Craigentinny). William Roy’s Lowland Map of c. 1750. Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of ScotlandIf you examine a old map of the Old Town and consider the topography, it’s obvious that gravity will carry anything liquid downhill. John Slezer’s remarkably accurate 17th century sketches of the city help us to visualise this from a contemporary point of view; any waste discharged on the north side of the ridge on which the Old Town of the city was built is obviously going to drain itself into the Nor’ Loch.
Prospect of the Castle and City of Edinburgh from the Nor’ Loch. John Slezer, 1673, arrows indicate the steep northern slopes of the “tail” of the crag and tail geological formation on which Edinburgh’s Old Town sitsThat loch could only drain eastwards, in the direction of the sea. James Gordon of Rothiemay’s remarkable 1647 bird’s eye view of Edinburgh shows it clearly. After irrigating the pleasant-looking Physic Garden by the Trinity College Kirk, it ran off down the North Back of Canongate (what we now call Calton Road) where it was joined by any runoff from the community nestled below the crags of the Calton Hill and from the streets and closes of the north side of the Canongate itself. The stream (in reality an open sewer) passes a number of round structures; these were wells and water cistern – one of the reasons so many breweries would congregate here. 100 years later, Edgar’s map of 1765 still shows that this open sewer still ran here.
Bird’s Eye View of Edinburgh, James Gordon of Rothiemay, 1647. Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of ScotlandStuart Harris, the late local historian and custodian of Edinburgh place names, refers to the wells here as being along the Tummel Burn (and you will also see it given as Tumble) which is an alternative name for the East Foul Burn, this refers to the water flow, although one imagines it wasn’t so much a pleasant babbling brook as a bubbling cauldron of filth.
The burn worked its way down the North Back of Canongate to the Wateryett (a Scots placename meaning water gate; the word for a gate was commonly port but can occasionally be yett; the word gate or gait meant a roadway e.g. Canongate). The water part of the name refereed as much to this being the route into the Canongate for drinking water from the wells as it was from being alongside a watercourse. The yett part refers to the area at the foot of the Canongate where there was a physical gateway; not a defensive structure, but a civic boundary and customs barrier. This is confirmed by a reference from a title deed in 1635 which describes the Foul Burn as being in a gutter known as the Strand. This latter term is an old Scots word for “an artificial water-channel or gutter, a street gutter” – the Abbey Strand is the name of the old building that stands to this day at the foot of the Canongate, just before you enter the grounds of the Holyroodhouse.
The Wateryett in 1818, a drawing by James Skene. By this time the physical gate had been replaced by a symbolic one for the toll house. © Edinburgh City LibrariesAfter the Water Yett, Edgar’s 1765 map shows that the burn ran in a culvert here, but we can infer its route. This map is the extent of 18th century town plans so to follow the burn we move onto an 1804 plan by John Ainslie to pick up the trail once more. It re-surfaces around Croftangry (corrupted in modern times to the Gaelic-sounding Croft-an-Righ) before disappearing underground again in the property of the Lord Chief Baron (Sir James Montgomery, 1st Baronet Stanhope) only to re-appearing on the property boundary between him and Mr Clerk. Comley Gardens and Clock Mill on Ainslie’s map are old placenames here still recalled by modern street names. The burn here now contains almost the entirety of the effluent of the city of Edinburgh, the Canongate, the burgh of Calton and the village of Abbeyhill.
Ainslie’s Town Plan of 1804, Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland. Orange lines show the course of the Foul Burn eastThe Comely Gardens referred to on the map above were a Tivoli Garden, a sort of Georgian amusement park where – for a fee – one could stroll the gardens and admire the roses, could take tea or coffee or fruits and entertainment such as dances and musicians may be laid on. Comely Gardens is to be forever remembered as the starting point of the Great Edinburgh Fire Balloon, the first manned aerial flight in the British Isles. In August 1784, James Tytler rode a Montgolfier-style balloon all the way to a crash-landing in Restalrig and his name is recalled in a couple of the modern street names in this area. But back to the matter in hand, following the burn east we have reached the Clock Mill, an old house named for a mill that was driven by the burn. The name came from Clokisrwne Mylne or Clocksorrow; clock is a corruption of the Scots clack, being a specific type of mill, an onomatopoeia based on the noise its mechanism made. Sorrow refers to some form of hollow in various old tongues.
Clockmill House in 1780, from Old & New Edinburgh by James Grant. Notice the naval telegraph mast on top of Calton HillIn the vicinity of Clock Mill, two further open sewers joined the burn, adding yet more effluent. The came from the Pleasance (and by extension much of the Southside) and from the Cowgate to its payload. Both of these first drained into a myre just south of Holyroodhouse, marked on Kincaid’s map of 1784 as Common Sewer Kept Stagnate for Manure, i.e. the sewage solids would settle out of the slow moving water and could be collected to fertilise the city’s gardens and orchards. There was good money to be made in such “soil” or “dung”. Before the advent of early industrial fertilisers or the Kelp Boom it was one of the few copious and economical sources of fertiliser for fields and was much in demand – all you had to do was collect it (or pay someone to do this)!
Kincaid’s Map of 1784, showing the “Common Serwer Kept Stagnate for Manure”. Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of ScotlandAfter Clockmill House, which was demolished in 1859 to landscape its grounds as a military parade ground, the burn passed beneath the main road east out of the city (the London Road would not be built until 1819). The bridge here was known as the Clockmill Bridge. It is the presence of the burn that explains why significant culverts were built here under both the North British Railway and the London Road when each was constructed. Robert “Lighthouse” Stevenson, the engineer of the London Road, produced beautiful drawings for the culvert here under his road;
Stevenson’s drawings for the London Road culvert. Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland (MS.5849, No.54 – 57)By the time the burn passed under this culvert, it was carrying the daily sewage of about 60-80,000 people, not to mention their animals. The Foul Burn Agitation! pamphlet describes it as “a rapid and copious stream… to which [is] added the impure waters that proceed from the houses, streets and lanes of the city“. From there, the effluent of the city should have been a relatively straightforward journey down the broad, shallow natural valley in which Restalrig sits to the sea, at Fillyside (roughly where the Matalan store now is).
The East Foul Burn at Restalrig village, flowing along the foreground and passing under the road in a culvert. From an old post card, early 20th century.However it could not take this natural procession to the sea as its process was interrupted; it was industriously turned over into a series of irrigated meadows, “irrigated by the waters from the City” at Restalrig, Craigentinny and Fillyside.
Kirkwood’s Plan of 1817 showing the irrigated meadows along the Foul Burn. Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of ScotlandIn the irrigated meadows, the Foul Burn was intersected by “principal feeders“, ditches cut along the topographic gradient. Water could be admitted to the feeders by means of sluices or damming the outflow. These feeders in turn fed further side-ditches into individual plots. The plots would be subject to controlled flooding from April to November, the fodder growing season. For two or three days a plot would be flooded, saturating the ground with sewage which would settle. The water was then allowed to run off and the plot was given three to five weeks for the grass to grow. It could then be cropped and the process could begin again. The process of flooding and cropping plots was rotated so that there were always fields ready to crop, and there was always a good supply of sewage with which to flood it. The whole object of this exercise was to provide a steady supply of food for the city’s dairy herds – this was a time when milk could not be preserved or transported any great distance, so the cattle had to be kept in and around the immediate vicinity. The system also had dedicated settling ponds where the soil could be collected and sold off by the cartload.
Craigentinny Meadows, James Steuart, 1885. Note the sluice and ditch and the ample crops. © Edinburgh City LibrariesThe Restalrig Meadows were at the turn of the 19th century the property of the forementioned Sir James Montgomery Bt. and extended to around 30 acres. The Craigentinny and Fillyside Meadows were owned by William Henry Miller of Craigentinny and were the largest at c. 120 acres.
Craigentinny Meadows, photograph by David Sclater, 1895. On the horizon are the “Craigentinny Marbles” (tomb of William Henry Miller) and Wheatfield House on the present day Portobello Road. © Edinburgh City LibrariesThere were further such irrigated meadows at the foot of Salisbury Crags, about 14 acres – the property of the Earl of Haddington – and near Coltbridge (modern Murrayfield) to the west, some 40-50 acres owned by Russell of Roseburn. This latter ground was fed by a much smaller foul burn – the West Foul Burn – which drained the portion of the city around Tollcross, West Port and Lauriston and the west end of the Boroughloch, making its way west via Dalry to Roseburn and then into the Water of Leith.
While the soil of the city had been collected since time immemorial, it’s not clear when this industrial-scale meadow system evolved. The Foul Burn Agitation! recounts testimony of elderly farm workers of Restalrig that they had been in place since at least 1750. However a document from 1561 when the lands of Restalrig Kirk were confiscated during the Reformation records “of certain prebendaries yardis, in Restalrig and Chalmeris pertening to the saidis prebendaris, callit their Mansis and pece of suard Meadow” – the suard here referring to a piece of marshy or boggy ground. The pamphlet states the “practice existed from time immemorial of flooding the Meadow grounds by means of the Foul Burn“. So we can say with some certainty that it was an old and established practice, and indeed the courts agreed with this when Alexander Duncan WS of Restalrig House tried to sue his neighbouring sewage barons, Miller and Montgomery, on account of the smell from the meadows spoiling his quality of life.
Restlarig House, c. 1883Indeed the legal action ended up backfiring on Duncan because in 1833 the Burgh Police Act protected the proprietors from any act “to divert or alter any stream or watercourse, or diminish the ancient and accustomed quantity of rain or other water or soil flowing therein“, guaranteeing their right to operate the meadows and collect the profits. (Side note, this was included in a Police Act because at that time in Scotland the Police had the powers and responsibilities for cleansing the burgh, distributing water and preventing disease).
The East Foul Burn at Craigentinny, WS Reid, 1860. Looking towards Miller’s Craigentinny House. Notice the bridge across the river and that the bank is reinforced – evidence of the extensive river management. Notice that the crops on the left of the picture seem long and those on the right are short, evidence of the constant rotation of cropping in the plots. © Edinburgh City LibrariesThe other aspect of the system was the settling ponds. These are recorded as far back as 1738 when Mr Baird of Clockmill was irrigating his fields and “collecting dung“, but by the late 18th century they were beginning to be infilled and had vanished by the 1820s. These are clearly shown on Kirkwood’s 1817 town plan. Appropriately enough parts of it look like a bit like a drawing of the human digestive system! The reason for abandoning the ponds because of two problems; firstly, there was too much sandy sediment washed off the city streets into the burn, and the customers – market gardeners mainly – were loathe to pour sand onto their plots and orchards. More importantly however the sediment was found increasingly to be full of seeds. Without putrefaction (fermentation), these seeds could not be killed, and when the seed-rich manure was spread it was an instant recipe for spreading weeds.
The soil settling ponds around Restalrig and Craigentinny. Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of ScotlandAnd so the system concentrated around the production of grass for animal forage; a very productive and profitable system it was. 400 labourers were employed seasonally, and some 3,300 cattle in Edinburgh and 600 in Leith depended on it, mainly pen-fed dairy animals. Most dairies were small concerns, run by the occupation of a “cow feeder“, with 20-40 milk cows each.
The Holyrood Dairy, c. 1830-40. Painting by William Stewart Watson. © Edinburgh Museums & GalleriesThe meadows were estimated to turn a profit for their proprietors of £5,000 per annum (about £600,000 in 2022), with William Henry Miller estimating he made £30,000 (c. £3.4 million) over 2 years. Rents were 20-30/s per acre, or up to double that for the better pasture or during times of food scarcity. Preparing a meadow cost £20-25 per acre and was a sound investment. Miller in 1821 spent £1,000 turning over 40 acres of “sandy wasteland” – the lands of Fillyside were ancient raised beaches – to meadow use. Each acre could provide up to 6 full crops per year.
A Map of Miller’s estate at Craigentinny showing the huge network of feeders and ditches that supported the Irrigated Meadow system. This map was surveyed for Miller in 1847. Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of ScotlandAll-in-all, this was a very productive and profitable concern, so much so that in 1834 the Police Commissioners tried to extend the burgh boundary to include the irrigated meadows and to give themselves rights over them. They spent 4,000 of the city’s pounds on the scheme, which the Foul Burn Agitation! describes as “Dung Speculation“. They were unsuccessful though as the proprietors and their one-time adversary Mr Duncan fought the Commissioners off. William Henry Miller (a former MP by this point, wealthy and influential) was quick to defend his profitable scheme. In 1843 when the North British Railway proposed running their line across his meadows, Miller had them shift it about 100 feet west so that it instead skirted around his lands. He then exchanged parcels of his land on the south of the new line with his neighbours – the Dukes of Abercorn – who had parcels trapped by the railway on the north, so each could maintain a contiguous field system. Miller also made thinds hard enough for the NBR that they never built their proposed shorter branch to Leith across his land.
The survey of Miller’s lands in 1847 show the main and sub-feeders, and the direction of flow of the water of the Foul Burn through them. Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of ScotlandBut the whole system had a number of problems facing it. Firstly, the woeful sanitation of the Old Town needed resolving – it was recognised by now that waste needed to be piped under the ground, not just run in an open sewer for the benefit of a couple of wealthy landowners. And secondly, in 1817 the Edinburgh & Leith Gas Light Company began building a gas works at New Street, crowned by its great chimney that dominated the Canongate.
The gasworks and its chimney, with the Canongate Kirk on the left for scale.At this point, coal gas works had yet to begin extracting their by-products for industrial use, so you can guess where the gas works were dumping all the highly toxic waste chemicals. Coal tar, sulphur and ammonia as well as any other numbers and varieties of hydrocarbons went into the Foul Burn from New Street. The gas works “give forth an abundant stream, the odour of which is no doubt extremely offensive, being the most nauseous of all compounds… …This flows into a principal feeder of the old foul burn at the South Back of the Canongate“. To put it simply, the gas works was poisoning the burn. This was not the first time that the foul burns had been polluted by industry. In 1791, Russell of Roseburn attempted to use the courts to stop the Haig’s distillery at Lochrin from polluting his irrigated meadows at Coltbridge.
The proprietors of the eastern irrigated meadows managed to get fines applied to the gas works, £200 per instance of pollution and £20 per day – this seemed to have the intended effect. Or perhaps the gas works just found it more profitable to begin capturing its by products for commercial gain rather than letting them run away. Whatever the reason, the Foul Burn was “cleared up” and the eastern meadows managed to carry on; the 1888 OS 6 inch Survey shows they still occupy their main extent. In 1901, an attempt was made to bury the entirety of the burn underground as a sere, but this was unsuccessful. The scheme finally commenced in 1921 as a work programme for unemployed men; a £60,000 government grant being secured to provide employment for 400 men for six months. This “draining of the swap” opened up the lands of Lochend, Restalrig and Craigentinny for public housing schemes in the 1920s and 1930s. Some of the land of the Fillyside Meadow had already been set aside as Craigentinny Golf Couse, which had been undertaken by Leith Corporation to clear golfing off of the Links. A railway yard was later also laid adjacent, appropriately it was called the Meadows Yard.
Craigentinny Meadows, looking towards Edinburgh, 1930, in the vicinity of what is now the golf course. The dark building in the mid ground is Craigentinny House. An amazingly pastoral scene, unchanged for about 200 years, so late on. © Edinburgh City LibrariesAnd what of the East Foul Burn? Well I can tell you it’s still there but just like many of Edinburgh’s old burns it’s hiding under the ground in its culvert. Very few people who live above it probably know it’s there. We get other reminders of its presence from local place names; the area name Meadowbank? that’s lifted directly off a house known as Meadow Bank, built on the southern of the meadows. And Sunnyside Bank off of Lower London Road? that’s the south-facing (therefore sunnier) bank.
The old house of Meadowbank. An 1854 sketch by William Channing. © Edinburgh City LibrariesThis thread continues with part 2 – The thread about the problem of sewage disposal in 19th century Edinburgh and Leith; and how something ended up being done about it.
If you have found this useful, informative or amusing, perhaps you would like to help contribute towards the running costs of this site – including keeping it ad-free and my book-buying budget to find further stories to bring you – by supporting me on ko-fi. Or please do just share this post on social media or amongst friends.
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#craigentinny #Fillyside #IrrigatedMeadows #Millers #Restalrig #River #Seafield #Sewage #Written2019
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The thread about the East Foul Burn; a long-forgotten Edinburgh stream that was the centre of a vast sewage-based agribusiness
This thread is part one of a series; the link to the next part can be found at the bottom.
We begin our story with the wonderfully verbose cover of a Victorian pamphlet;
FOUL BURN AGITATION!
STATEMENT
Explaining
NATURE AND HISTORY OF THE AGRICULTURAL IRRIGATION NEAR EDINBURGH;
Containing
A REFUTATION OF THE UNFOUNDED AND CALUMNIOUS MISREPRESENTATIONS ON THAT SUBJECT,
In
A PAMPHLET PUBLISHED IN THE NAME OF A COMMITTEE OF THE COMMISSIONERS OF POLICE, IN WHICH THE ANCIENT AND BEAUTIFUL CAPITAL OF SCOTLAND IS FALSELY DESCRIBED AS A RESIDENCE UNSAFE TO THE HEALTH OF ITS INHABITANTS!I say pamphlet, the thing is actually 166 pages long and I spent quite some time reading it (skimming much of it) so that you don’t have to. It is Victorian local politics at its best and wors, and much of it is indeed pure agitation. But it was worth ploughing my way through it as it happens to contain a complete and detailed description of Edinburgh’s largely forgotten East Foul Burn and the Irrigated Meadow systems of Craigentinny and Restalrig, their history and their method of operation.
Anyway, what is this East Foul Burn of which I speak? Well it’s the principal watercourse that in olden times drained most of the Old Town, the Nor’ Loch and the small suburbs south of the city into the sea; rainfall, sewage and all. We can see it on the below map of 1750 by William Roy. It is the stream which flows from bottom left to top right – the stream originating in Lochend Loch in the centre left is the tail burn of that body of water.
The East Foul Burn’s natural route to the sea via Restalrig and Fillyside (North Mains of Craigentinny). William Roy’s Lowland Map of c. 1750. Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of ScotlandIf you examine a old map of the Old Town and consider the topography, it’s obvious that gravity will carry anything liquid downhill. John Slezer’s remarkably accurate 17th century sketches of the city help us to visualise this from a contemporary point of view; any waste discharged on the north side of the ridge on which the Old Town of the city was built is obviously going to drain itself into the Nor’ Loch.
Prospect of the Castle and City of Edinburgh from the Nor’ Loch. John Slezer, 1673, arrows indicate the steep northern slopes of the “tail” of the crag and tail geological formation on which Edinburgh’s Old Town sitsThat loch could only drain eastwards, in the direction of the sea. James Gordon of Rothiemay’s remarkable 1647 bird’s eye view of Edinburgh shows it clearly. After irrigating the pleasant-looking Physic Garden by the Trinity College Kirk, it ran off down the North Back of Canongate (what we now call Calton Road) where it was joined by any runoff from the community nestled below the crags of the Calton Hill and from the streets and closes of the north side of the Canongate itself. The stream (in reality an open sewer) passes a number of round structures; these were wells and water cistern – one of the reasons so many breweries would congregate here. 100 years later, Edgar’s map of 1765 still shows that this open sewer still ran here.
Bird’s Eye View of Edinburgh, James Gordon of Rothiemay, 1647. Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of ScotlandStuart Harris, the late local historian and custodian of Edinburgh place names, refers to the wells here as being along the Tummel Burn (and you will also see it given as Tumble) which is an alternative name for the East Foul Burn, this refers to the water flow, although one imagines it wasn’t so much a pleasant babbling brook as a bubbling cauldron of filth.
The burn worked its way down the North Back of Canongate to the Wateryett (a Scots placename meaning water gate; the word for a gate was commonly port but can occasionally be yett; the word gate or gait meant a roadway e.g. Canongate). The water part of the name refereed as much to this being the route into the Canongate for drinking water from the wells as it was from being alongside a watercourse. The yett part refers to the area at the foot of the Canongate where there was a physical gateway; not a defensive structure, but a civic boundary and customs barrier. This is confirmed by a reference from a title deed in 1635 which describes the Foul Burn as being in a gutter known as the Strand. This latter term is an old Scots word for “an artificial water-channel or gutter, a street gutter” – the Abbey Strand is the name of the old building that stands to this day at the foot of the Canongate, just before you enter the grounds of the Holyroodhouse.
The Wateryett in 1818, a drawing by James Skene. By this time the physical gate had been replaced by a symbolic one for the toll house. © Edinburgh City LibrariesAfter the Water Yett, Edgar’s 1765 map shows that the burn ran in a culvert here, but we can infer its route. This map is the extent of 18th century town plans so to follow the burn we move onto an 1804 plan by John Ainslie to pick up the trail once more. It re-surfaces around Croftangry (corrupted in modern times to the Gaelic-sounding Croft-an-Righ) before disappearing underground again in the property of the Lord Chief Baron (Sir James Montgomery, 1st Baronet Stanhope) only to re-appearing on the property boundary between him and Mr Clerk. Comley Gardens and Clock Mill on Ainslie’s map are old placenames here still recalled by modern street names. The burn here now contains almost the entirety of the effluent of the city of Edinburgh, the Canongate, the burgh of Calton and the village of Abbeyhill.
Ainslie’s Town Plan of 1804, Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland. Orange lines show the course of the Foul Burn eastThe Comely Gardens referred to on the map above were a Tivoli Garden, a sort of Georgian amusement park where – for a fee – one could stroll the gardens and admire the roses, could take tea or coffee or fruits and entertainment such as dances and musicians may be laid on. Comely Gardens is to be forever remembered as the starting point of the Great Edinburgh Fire Balloon, the first manned aerial flight in the British Isles. In August 1784, James Tytler rode a Montgolfier-style balloon all the way to a crash-landing in Restalrig and his name is recalled in a couple of the modern street names in this area. But back to the matter in hand, following the burn east we have reached the Clock Mill, an old house named for a mill that was driven by the burn. The name came from Clokisrwne Mylne or Clocksorrow; clock is a corruption of the Scots clack, being a specific type of mill, an onomatopoeia based on the noise its mechanism made. Sorrow refers to some form of hollow in various old tongues.
Clockmill House in 1780, from Old & New Edinburgh by James Grant. Notice the naval telegraph mast on top of Calton HillIn the vicinity of Clock Mill, two further open sewers joined the burn, adding yet more effluent. The came from the Pleasance (and by extension much of the Southside) and from the Cowgate to its payload. Both of these first drained into a myre just south of Holyroodhouse, marked on Kincaid’s map of 1784 as Common Sewer Kept Stagnate for Manure, i.e. the sewage solids would settle out of the slow moving water and could be collected to fertilise the city’s gardens and orchards. There was good money to be made in such “soil” or “dung”. Before the advent of early industrial fertilisers or the Kelp Boom it was one of the few copious and economical sources of fertiliser for fields and was much in demand – all you had to do was collect it (or pay someone to do this)!
Kincaid’s Map of 1784, showing the “Common Serwer Kept Stagnate for Manure”. Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of ScotlandAfter Clockmill House, which was demolished in 1859 to landscape its grounds as a military parade ground, the burn passed beneath the main road east out of the city (the London Road would not be built until 1819). The bridge here was known as the Clockmill Bridge. It is the presence of the burn that explains why significant culverts were built here under both the North British Railway and the London Road when each was constructed. Robert “Lighthouse” Stevenson, the engineer of the London Road, produced beautiful drawings for the culvert here under his road;
Stevenson’s drawings for the London Road culvert. Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland (MS.5849, No.54 – 57)By the time the burn passed under this culvert, it was carrying the daily sewage of about 60-80,000 people, not to mention their animals. The Foul Burn Agitation! pamphlet describes it as “a rapid and copious stream… to which [is] added the impure waters that proceed from the houses, streets and lanes of the city“. From there, the effluent of the city should have been a relatively straightforward journey down the broad, shallow natural valley in which Restalrig sits to the sea, at Fillyside (roughly where the Matalan store now is).
The East Foul Burn at Restalrig village, flowing along the foreground and passing under the road in a culvert. From an old post card, early 20th century.However it could not take this natural procession to the sea as its process was interrupted; it was industriously turned over into a series of irrigated meadows, “irrigated by the waters from the City” at Restalrig, Craigentinny and Fillyside.
Kirkwood’s Plan of 1817 showing the irrigated meadows along the Foul Burn. Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of ScotlandIn the irrigated meadows, the Foul Burn was intersected by “principal feeders“, ditches cut along the topographic gradient. Water could be admitted to the feeders by means of sluices or damming the outflow. These feeders in turn fed further side-ditches into individual plots. The plots would be subject to controlled flooding from April to November, the fodder growing season. For two or three days a plot would be flooded, saturating the ground with sewage which would settle. The water was then allowed to run off and the plot was given three to five weeks for the grass to grow. It could then be cropped and the process could begin again. The process of flooding and cropping plots was rotated so that there were always fields ready to crop, and there was always a good supply of sewage with which to flood it. The whole object of this exercise was to provide a steady supply of food for the city’s dairy herds – this was a time when milk could not be preserved or transported any great distance, so the cattle had to be kept in and around the immediate vicinity. The system also had dedicated settling ponds where the soil could be collected and sold off by the cartload.
Craigentinny Meadows, James Steuart, 1885. Note the sluice and ditch and the ample crops. © Edinburgh City LibrariesThe Restalrig Meadows were at the turn of the 19th century the property of the forementioned Sir James Montgomery Bt. and extended to around 30 acres. The Craigentinny and Fillyside Meadows were owned by William Henry Miller of Craigentinny and were the largest at c. 120 acres.
Craigentinny Meadows, photograph by David Sclater, 1895. On the horizon are the “Craigentinny Marbles” (tomb of William Henry Miller) and Wheatfield House on the present day Portobello Road. © Edinburgh City LibrariesThere were further such irrigated meadows at the foot of Salisbury Crags, about 14 acres – the property of the Earl of Haddington – and near Coltbridge (modern Murrayfield) to the west, some 40-50 acres owned by Russell of Roseburn. This latter ground was fed by a much smaller foul burn – the West Foul Burn – which drained the portion of the city around Tollcross, West Port and Lauriston and the west end of the Boroughloch, making its way west via Dalry to Roseburn and then into the Water of Leith.
While the soil of the city had been collected since time immemorial, it’s not clear when this industrial-scale meadow system evolved. The Foul Burn Agitation! recounts testimony of elderly farm workers of Restalrig that they had been in place since at least 1750. However a document from 1561 when the lands of Restalrig Kirk were confiscated during the Reformation records “of certain prebendaries yardis, in Restalrig and Chalmeris pertening to the saidis prebendaris, callit their Mansis and pece of suard Meadow” – the suard here referring to a piece of marshy or boggy ground. The pamphlet states the “practice existed from time immemorial of flooding the Meadow grounds by means of the Foul Burn“. So we can say with some certainty that it was an old and established practice, and indeed the courts agreed with this when Alexander Duncan WS of Restalrig House tried to sue his neighbouring sewage barons, Miller and Montgomery, on account of the smell from the meadows spoiling his quality of life.
Restlarig House, c. 1883Indeed the legal action ended up backfiring on Duncan because in 1833 the Burgh Police Act protected the proprietors from any act “to divert or alter any stream or watercourse, or diminish the ancient and accustomed quantity of rain or other water or soil flowing therein“, guaranteeing their right to operate the meadows and collect the profits. (Side note, this was included in a Police Act because at that time in Scotland the Police had the powers and responsibilities for cleansing the burgh, distributing water and preventing disease).
The East Foul Burn at Craigentinny, WS Reid, 1860. Looking towards Miller’s Craigentinny House. Notice the bridge across the river and that the bank is reinforced – evidence of the extensive river management. Notice that the crops on the left of the picture seem long and those on the right are short, evidence of the constant rotation of cropping in the plots. © Edinburgh City LibrariesThe other aspect of the system was the settling ponds. These are recorded as far back as 1738 when Mr Baird of Clockmill was irrigating his fields and “collecting dung“, but by the late 18th century they were beginning to be infilled and had vanished by the 1820s. These are clearly shown on Kirkwood’s 1817 town plan. Appropriately enough parts of it look like a bit like a drawing of the human digestive system! The reason for abandoning the ponds because of two problems; firstly, there was too much sandy sediment washed off the city streets into the burn, and the customers – market gardeners mainly – were loathe to pour sand onto their plots and orchards. More importantly however the sediment was found increasingly to be full of seeds. Without putrefaction (fermentation), these seeds could not be killed, and when the seed-rich manure was spread it was an instant recipe for spreading weeds.
The soil settling ponds around Restalrig and Craigentinny. Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of ScotlandAnd so the system concentrated around the production of grass for animal forage; a very productive and profitable system it was. 400 labourers were employed seasonally, and some 3,300 cattle in Edinburgh and 600 in Leith depended on it, mainly pen-fed dairy animals. Most dairies were small concerns, run by the occupation of a “cow feeder“, with 20-40 milk cows each.
The Holyrood Dairy, c. 1830-40. Painting by William Stewart Watson. © Edinburgh Museums & GalleriesThe meadows were estimated to turn a profit for their proprietors of £5,000 per annum (about £600,000 in 2022), with William Henry Miller estimating he made £30,000 (c. £3.4 million) over 2 years. Rents were 20-30/s per acre, or up to double that for the better pasture or during times of food scarcity. Preparing a meadow cost £20-25 per acre and was a sound investment. Miller in 1821 spent £1,000 turning over 40 acres of “sandy wasteland” – the lands of Fillyside were ancient raised beaches – to meadow use. Each acre could provide up to 6 full crops per year.
A Map of Miller’s estate at Craigentinny showing the huge network of feeders and ditches that supported the Irrigated Meadow system. This map was surveyed for Miller in 1847. Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of ScotlandAll-in-all, this was a very productive and profitable concern, so much so that in 1834 the Police Commissioners tried to extend the burgh boundary to include the irrigated meadows and to give themselves rights over them. They spent 4,000 of the city’s pounds on the scheme, which the Foul Burn Agitation! describes as “Dung Speculation“. They were unsuccessful though as the proprietors and their one-time adversary Mr Duncan fought the Commissioners off. William Henry Miller (a former MP by this point, wealthy and influential) was quick to defend his profitable scheme. In 1843 when the North British Railway proposed running their line across his meadows, Miller had them shift it about 100 feet west so that it instead skirted around his lands. He then exchanged parcels of his land on the south of the new line with his neighbours – the Dukes of Abercorn – who had parcels trapped by the railway on the north, so each could maintain a contiguous field system. Miller also made thinds hard enough for the NBR that they never built their proposed shorter branch to Leith across his land.
The survey of Miller’s lands in 1847 show the main and sub-feeders, and the direction of flow of the water of the Foul Burn through them. Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of ScotlandBut the whole system had a number of problems facing it. Firstly, the woeful sanitation of the Old Town needed resolving – it was recognised by now that waste needed to be piped under the ground, not just run in an open sewer for the benefit of a couple of wealthy landowners. And secondly, in 1817 the Edinburgh & Leith Gas Light Company began building a gas works at New Street, crowned by its great chimney that dominated the Canongate.
The gasworks and its chimney, with the Canongate Kirk on the left for scale.At this point, coal gas works had yet to begin extracting their by-products for industrial use, so you can guess where the gas works were dumping all the highly toxic waste chemicals. Coal tar, sulphur and ammonia as well as any other numbers and varieties of hydrocarbons went into the Foul Burn from New Street. The gas works “give forth an abundant stream, the odour of which is no doubt extremely offensive, being the most nauseous of all compounds… …This flows into a principal feeder of the old foul burn at the South Back of the Canongate“. To put it simply, the gas works was poisoning the burn. This was not the first time that the foul burns had been polluted by industry. In 1791, Russell of Roseburn attempted to use the courts to stop the Haig’s distillery at Lochrin from polluting his irrigated meadows at Coltbridge.
The proprietors of the eastern irrigated meadows managed to get fines applied to the gas works, £200 per instance of pollution and £20 per day – this seemed to have the intended effect. Or perhaps the gas works just found it more profitable to begin capturing its by products for commercial gain rather than letting them run away. Whatever the reason, the Foul Burn was “cleared up” and the eastern meadows managed to carry on; the 1888 OS 6 inch Survey shows they still occupy their main extent. In 1901, an attempt was made to bury the entirety of the burn underground as a sere, but this was unsuccessful. The scheme finally commenced in 1921 as a work programme for unemployed men; a £60,000 government grant being secured to provide employment for 400 men for six months. This “draining of the swap” opened up the lands of Lochend, Restalrig and Craigentinny for public housing schemes in the 1920s and 1930s. Some of the land of the Fillyside Meadow had already been set aside as Craigentinny Golf Couse, which had been undertaken by Leith Corporation to clear golfing off of the Links. A railway yard was later also laid adjacent, appropriately it was called the Meadows Yard.
Craigentinny Meadows, looking towards Edinburgh, 1930, in the vicinity of what is now the golf course. The dark building in the mid ground is Craigentinny House. An amazingly pastoral scene, unchanged for about 200 years, so late on. © Edinburgh City LibrariesAnd what of the East Foul Burn? Well I can tell you it’s still there but just like many of Edinburgh’s old burns it’s hiding under the ground in its culvert. Very few people who live above it probably know it’s there. We get other reminders of its presence from local place names; the area name Meadowbank? that’s lifted directly off a house known as Meadow Bank, built on the southern of the meadows. And Sunnyside Bank off of Lower London Road? that’s the south-facing (therefore sunnier) bank.
The old house of Meadowbank. An 1854 sketch by William Channing. © Edinburgh City LibrariesThis thread continues with part 2 – The thread about the problem of sewage disposal in 19th century Edinburgh and Leith; and how something ended up being done about it.
If you have found this useful, informative or amusing, perhaps you would like to help contribute towards the running costs of this site – including keeping it ad-free and my book-buying budget to find further stories to bring you – by supporting me on ko-fi. Or please do just share this post on social media or amongst friends.
These threads © 2017-2025, Andy Arthur.
NO AI TRAINING: Any use of the contents of this website to “train” generative artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to generate text is expressly prohibited. The author reserves all rights to license uses of this work for generative AI training and development of machine learning language models.
#craigentinny #Fillyside #IrrigatedMeadows #Millers #Restalrig #River #Seafield #Sewage #Written2019
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The thread about the East Foul Burn; a long-forgotten Edinburgh stream that was the centre of a vast sewage-based agribusiness
This thread is part one of a series; the link to the next part can be found at the bottom.
We begin our story with the wonderfully verbose cover of a Victorian pamphlet;
FOUL BURN AGITATION!
STATEMENT
Explaining
NATURE AND HISTORY OF THE AGRICULTURAL IRRIGATION NEAR EDINBURGH;
Containing
A REFUTATION OF THE UNFOUNDED AND CALUMNIOUS MISREPRESENTATIONS ON THAT SUBJECT,
In
A PAMPHLET PUBLISHED IN THE NAME OF A COMMITTEE OF THE COMMISSIONERS OF POLICE, IN WHICH THE ANCIENT AND BEAUTIFUL CAPITAL OF SCOTLAND IS FALSELY DESCRIBED AS A RESIDENCE UNSAFE TO THE HEALTH OF ITS INHABITANTS!I say pamphlet, the thing is actually 166 pages long and I spent quite some time reading it (skimming much of it) so that you don’t have to. It is Victorian local politics at its best and wors, and much of it is indeed pure agitation. But it was worth ploughing my way through it as it happens to contain a complete and detailed description of Edinburgh’s largely forgotten East Foul Burn and the Irrigated Meadow systems of Craigentinny and Restalrig, their history and their method of operation.
Anyway, what is this East Foul Burn of which I speak? Well it’s the principal watercourse that in olden times drained most of the Old Town, the Nor’ Loch and the small suburbs south of the city into the sea; rainfall, sewage and all. We can see it on the below map of 1750 by William Roy. It is the stream which flows from bottom left to top right – the stream originating in Lochend Loch in the centre left is the tail burn of that body of water.
The East Foul Burn’s natural route to the sea via Restalrig and Fillyside (North Mains of Craigentinny). William Roy’s Lowland Map of c. 1750. Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of ScotlandIf you examine a old map of the Old Town and consider the topography, it’s obvious that gravity will carry anything liquid downhill. John Slezer’s remarkably accurate 17th century sketches of the city help us to visualise this from a contemporary point of view; any waste discharged on the north side of the ridge on which the Old Town of the city was built is obviously going to drain itself into the Nor’ Loch.
Prospect of the Castle and City of Edinburgh from the Nor’ Loch. John Slezer, 1673, arrows indicate the steep northern slopes of the “tail” of the crag and tail geological formation on which Edinburgh’s Old Town sitsThat loch could only drain eastwards, in the direction of the sea. James Gordon of Rothiemay’s remarkable 1647 bird’s eye view of Edinburgh shows it clearly. After irrigating the pleasant-looking Physic Garden by the Trinity College Kirk, it ran off down the North Back of Canongate (what we now call Calton Road) where it was joined by any runoff from the community nestled below the crags of the Calton Hill and from the streets and closes of the north side of the Canongate itself. The stream (in reality an open sewer) passes a number of round structures; these were wells and water cistern – one of the reasons so many breweries would congregate here. 100 years later, Edgar’s map of 1765 still shows that this open sewer still ran here.
Bird’s Eye View of Edinburgh, James Gordon of Rothiemay, 1647. Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of ScotlandStuart Harris, the late local historian and custodian of Edinburgh place names, refers to the wells here as being along the Tummel Burn (and you will also see it given as Tumble) which is an alternative name for the East Foul Burn, this refers to the water flow, although one imagines it wasn’t so much a pleasant babbling brook as a bubbling cauldron of filth.
The burn worked its way down the North Back of Canongate to the Wateryett (a Scots placename meaning water gate; the word for a gate was commonly port but can occasionally be yett; the word gate or gait meant a roadway e.g. Canongate). The water part of the name refereed as much to this being the route into the Canongate for drinking water from the wells as it was from being alongside a watercourse. The yett part refers to the area at the foot of the Canongate where there was a physical gateway; not a defensive structure, but a civic boundary and customs barrier. This is confirmed by a reference from a title deed in 1635 which describes the Foul Burn as being in a gutter known as the Strand. This latter term is an old Scots word for “an artificial water-channel or gutter, a street gutter” – the Abbey Strand is the name of the old building that stands to this day at the foot of the Canongate, just before you enter the grounds of the Holyroodhouse.
The Wateryett in 1818, a drawing by James Skene. By this time the physical gate had been replaced by a symbolic one for the toll house. © Edinburgh City LibrariesAfter the Water Yett, Edgar’s 1765 map shows that the burn ran in a culvert here, but we can infer its route. This map is the extent of 18th century town plans so to follow the burn we move onto an 1804 plan by John Ainslie to pick up the trail once more. It re-surfaces around Croftangry (corrupted in modern times to the Gaelic-sounding Croft-an-Righ) before disappearing underground again in the property of the Lord Chief Baron (Sir James Montgomery, 1st Baronet Stanhope) only to re-appearing on the property boundary between him and Mr Clerk. Comley Gardens and Clock Mill on Ainslie’s map are old placenames here still recalled by modern street names. The burn here now contains almost the entirety of the effluent of the city of Edinburgh, the Canongate, the burgh of Calton and the village of Abbeyhill.
Ainslie’s Town Plan of 1804, Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland. Orange lines show the course of the Foul Burn eastThe Comely Gardens referred to on the map above were a Tivoli Garden, a sort of Georgian amusement park where – for a fee – one could stroll the gardens and admire the roses, could take tea or coffee or fruits and entertainment such as dances and musicians may be laid on. Comely Gardens is to be forever remembered as the starting point of the Great Edinburgh Fire Balloon, the first manned aerial flight in the British Isles. In August 1784, James Tytler rode a Montgolfier-style balloon all the way to a crash-landing in Restalrig and his name is recalled in a couple of the modern street names in this area. But back to the matter in hand, following the burn east we have reached the Clock Mill, an old house named for a mill that was driven by the burn. The name came from Clokisrwne Mylne or Clocksorrow; clock is a corruption of the Scots clack, being a specific type of mill, an onomatopoeia based on the noise its mechanism made. Sorrow refers to some form of hollow in various old tongues.
Clockmill House in 1780, from Old & New Edinburgh by James Grant. Notice the naval telegraph mast on top of Calton HillIn the vicinity of Clock Mill, two further open sewers joined the burn, adding yet more effluent. The came from the Pleasance (and by extension much of the Southside) and from the Cowgate to its payload. Both of these first drained into a myre just south of Holyroodhouse, marked on Kincaid’s map of 1784 as Common Sewer Kept Stagnate for Manure, i.e. the sewage solids would settle out of the slow moving water and could be collected to fertilise the city’s gardens and orchards. There was good money to be made in such “soil” or “dung”. Before the advent of early industrial fertilisers or the Kelp Boom it was one of the few copious and economical sources of fertiliser for fields and was much in demand – all you had to do was collect it (or pay someone to do this)!
Kincaid’s Map of 1784, showing the “Common Serwer Kept Stagnate for Manure”. Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of ScotlandAfter Clockmill House, which was demolished in 1859 to landscape its grounds as a military parade ground, the burn passed beneath the main road east out of the city (the London Road would not be built until 1819). The bridge here was known as the Clockmill Bridge. It is the presence of the burn that explains why significant culverts were built here under both the North British Railway and the London Road when each was constructed. Robert “Lighthouse” Stevenson, the engineer of the London Road, produced beautiful drawings for the culvert here under his road;
Stevenson’s drawings for the London Road culvert. Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland (MS.5849, No.54 – 57)By the time the burn passed under this culvert, it was carrying the daily sewage of about 60-80,000 people, not to mention their animals. The Foul Burn Agitation! pamphlet describes it as “a rapid and copious stream… to which [is] added the impure waters that proceed from the houses, streets and lanes of the city“. From there, the effluent of the city should have been a relatively straightforward journey down the broad, shallow natural valley in which Restalrig sits to the sea, at Fillyside (roughly where the Matalan store now is).
The East Foul Burn at Restalrig village, flowing along the foreground and passing under the road in a culvert. From an old post card, early 20th century.However it could not take this natural procession to the sea as its process was interrupted; it was industriously turned over into a series of irrigated meadows, “irrigated by the waters from the City” at Restalrig, Craigentinny and Fillyside.
Kirkwood’s Plan of 1817 showing the irrigated meadows along the Foul Burn. Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of ScotlandIn the irrigated meadows, the Foul Burn was intersected by “principal feeders“, ditches cut along the topographic gradient. Water could be admitted to the feeders by means of sluices or damming the outflow. These feeders in turn fed further side-ditches into individual plots. The plots would be subject to controlled flooding from April to November, the fodder growing season. For two or three days a plot would be flooded, saturating the ground with sewage which would settle. The water was then allowed to run off and the plot was given three to five weeks for the grass to grow. It could then be cropped and the process could begin again. The process of flooding and cropping plots was rotated so that there were always fields ready to crop, and there was always a good supply of sewage with which to flood it. The whole object of this exercise was to provide a steady supply of food for the city’s dairy herds – this was a time when milk could not be preserved or transported any great distance, so the cattle had to be kept in and around the immediate vicinity. The system also had dedicated settling ponds where the soil could be collected and sold off by the cartload.
Craigentinny Meadows, James Steuart, 1885. Note the sluice and ditch and the ample crops. © Edinburgh City LibrariesThe Restalrig Meadows were at the turn of the 19th century the property of the forementioned Sir James Montgomery Bt. and extended to around 30 acres. The Craigentinny and Fillyside Meadows were owned by William Henry Miller of Craigentinny and were the largest at c. 120 acres.
Craigentinny Meadows, photograph by David Sclater, 1895. On the horizon are the “Craigentinny Marbles” (tomb of William Henry Miller) and Wheatfield House on the present day Portobello Road. © Edinburgh City LibrariesThere were further such irrigated meadows at the foot of Salisbury Crags, about 14 acres – the property of the Earl of Haddington – and near Coltbridge (modern Murrayfield) to the west, some 40-50 acres owned by Russell of Roseburn. This latter ground was fed by a much smaller foul burn – the West Foul Burn – which drained the portion of the city around Tollcross, West Port and Lauriston and the west end of the Boroughloch, making its way west via Dalry to Roseburn and then into the Water of Leith.
While the soil of the city had been collected since time immemorial, it’s not clear when this industrial-scale meadow system evolved. The Foul Burn Agitation! recounts testimony of elderly farm workers of Restalrig that they had been in place since at least 1750. However a document from 1561 when the lands of Restalrig Kirk were confiscated during the Reformation records “of certain prebendaries yardis, in Restalrig and Chalmeris pertening to the saidis prebendaris, callit their Mansis and pece of suard Meadow” – the suard here referring to a piece of marshy or boggy ground. The pamphlet states the “practice existed from time immemorial of flooding the Meadow grounds by means of the Foul Burn“. So we can say with some certainty that it was an old and established practice, and indeed the courts agreed with this when Alexander Duncan WS of Restalrig House tried to sue his neighbouring sewage barons, Miller and Montgomery, on account of the smell from the meadows spoiling his quality of life.
Restlarig House, c. 1883Indeed the legal action ended up backfiring on Duncan because in 1833 the Burgh Police Act protected the proprietors from any act “to divert or alter any stream or watercourse, or diminish the ancient and accustomed quantity of rain or other water or soil flowing therein“, guaranteeing their right to operate the meadows and collect the profits. (Side note, this was included in a Police Act because at that time in Scotland the Police had the powers and responsibilities for cleansing the burgh, distributing water and preventing disease).
The East Foul Burn at Craigentinny, WS Reid, 1860. Looking towards Miller’s Craigentinny House. Notice the bridge across the river and that the bank is reinforced – evidence of the extensive river management. Notice that the crops on the left of the picture seem long and those on the right are short, evidence of the constant rotation of cropping in the plots. © Edinburgh City LibrariesThe other aspect of the system was the settling ponds. These are recorded as far back as 1738 when Mr Baird of Clockmill was irrigating his fields and “collecting dung“, but by the late 18th century they were beginning to be infilled and had vanished by the 1820s. These are clearly shown on Kirkwood’s 1817 town plan. Appropriately enough parts of it look like a bit like a drawing of the human digestive system! The reason for abandoning the ponds because of two problems; firstly, there was too much sandy sediment washed off the city streets into the burn, and the customers – market gardeners mainly – were loathe to pour sand onto their plots and orchards. More importantly however the sediment was found increasingly to be full of seeds. Without putrefaction (fermentation), these seeds could not be killed, and when the seed-rich manure was spread it was an instant recipe for spreading weeds.
The soil settling ponds around Restalrig and Craigentinny. Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of ScotlandAnd so the system concentrated around the production of grass for animal forage; a very productive and profitable system it was. 400 labourers were employed seasonally, and some 3,300 cattle in Edinburgh and 600 in Leith depended on it, mainly pen-fed dairy animals. Most dairies were small concerns, run by the occupation of a “cow feeder“, with 20-40 milk cows each.
The Holyrood Dairy, c. 1830-40. Painting by William Stewart Watson. © Edinburgh Museums & GalleriesThe meadows were estimated to turn a profit for their proprietors of £5,000 per annum (about £600,000 in 2022), with William Henry Miller estimating he made £30,000 (c. £3.4 million) over 2 years. Rents were 20-30/s per acre, or up to double that for the better pasture or during times of food scarcity. Preparing a meadow cost £20-25 per acre and was a sound investment. Miller in 1821 spent £1,000 turning over 40 acres of “sandy wasteland” – the lands of Fillyside were ancient raised beaches – to meadow use. Each acre could provide up to 6 full crops per year.
A Map of Miller’s estate at Craigentinny showing the huge network of feeders and ditches that supported the Irrigated Meadow system. This map was surveyed for Miller in 1847. Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of ScotlandAll-in-all, this was a very productive and profitable concern, so much so that in 1834 the Police Commissioners tried to extend the burgh boundary to include the irrigated meadows and to give themselves rights over them. They spent 4,000 of the city’s pounds on the scheme, which the Foul Burn Agitation! describes as “Dung Speculation“. They were unsuccessful though as the proprietors and their one-time adversary Mr Duncan fought the Commissioners off. William Henry Miller (a former MP by this point, wealthy and influential) was quick to defend his profitable scheme. In 1843 when the North British Railway proposed running their line across his meadows, Miller had them shift it about 100 feet west so that it instead skirted around his lands. He then exchanged parcels of his land on the south of the new line with his neighbours – the Dukes of Abercorn – who had parcels trapped by the railway on the north, so each could maintain a contiguous field system. Miller also made thinds hard enough for the NBR that they never built their proposed shorter branch to Leith across his land.
The survey of Miller’s lands in 1847 show the main and sub-feeders, and the direction of flow of the water of the Foul Burn through them. Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of ScotlandBut the whole system had a number of problems facing it. Firstly, the woeful sanitation of the Old Town needed resolving – it was recognised by now that waste needed to be piped under the ground, not just run in an open sewer for the benefit of a couple of wealthy landowners. And secondly, in 1817 the Edinburgh & Leith Gas Light Company began building a gas works at New Street, crowned by its great chimney that dominated the Canongate.
The gasworks and its chimney, with the Canongate Kirk on the left for scale.At this point, coal gas works had yet to begin extracting their by-products for industrial use, so you can guess where the gas works were dumping all the highly toxic waste chemicals. Coal tar, sulphur and ammonia as well as any other numbers and varieties of hydrocarbons went into the Foul Burn from New Street. The gas works “give forth an abundant stream, the odour of which is no doubt extremely offensive, being the most nauseous of all compounds… …This flows into a principal feeder of the old foul burn at the South Back of the Canongate“. To put it simply, the gas works was poisoning the burn. This was not the first time that the foul burns had been polluted by industry. In 1791, Russell of Roseburn attempted to use the courts to stop the Haig’s distillery at Lochrin from polluting his irrigated meadows at Coltbridge.
The proprietors of the eastern irrigated meadows managed to get fines applied to the gas works, £200 per instance of pollution and £20 per day – this seemed to have the intended effect. Or perhaps the gas works just found it more profitable to begin capturing its by products for commercial gain rather than letting them run away. Whatever the reason, the Foul Burn was “cleared up” and the eastern meadows managed to carry on; the 1888 OS 6 inch Survey shows they still occupy their main extent. In 1901, an attempt was made to bury the entirety of the burn underground as a sere, but this was unsuccessful. The scheme finally commenced in 1921 as a work programme for unemployed men; a £60,000 government grant being secured to provide employment for 400 men for six months. This “draining of the swap” opened up the lands of Lochend, Restalrig and Craigentinny for public housing schemes in the 1920s and 1930s. Some of the land of the Fillyside Meadow had already been set aside as Craigentinny Golf Couse, which had been undertaken by Leith Corporation to clear golfing off of the Links. A railway yard was later also laid adjacent, appropriately it was called the Meadows Yard.
Craigentinny Meadows, looking towards Edinburgh, 1930, in the vicinity of what is now the golf course. The dark building in the mid ground is Craigentinny House. An amazingly pastoral scene, unchanged for about 200 years, so late on. © Edinburgh City LibrariesAnd what of the East Foul Burn? Well I can tell you it’s still there but just like many of Edinburgh’s old burns it’s hiding under the ground in its culvert. Very few people who live above it probably know it’s there. We get other reminders of its presence from local place names; the area name Meadowbank? that’s lifted directly off a house known as Meadow Bank, built on the southern of the meadows. And Sunnyside Bank off of Lower London Road? that’s the south-facing (therefore sunnier) bank.
The old house of Meadowbank. An 1854 sketch by William Channing. © Edinburgh City LibrariesThis thread continues with part 2 – The thread about the problem of sewage disposal in 19th century Edinburgh and Leith; and how something ended up being done about it.
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#craigentinny #Fillyside #IrrigatedMeadows #Millers #Restalrig #River #Seafield #Sewage #Written2019
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Justice for Elijah McClain – Trial Update for Thursday Sept 28:
⚠️ CW: Police Violence against People with Invisible Disabilities.Several witnesses took the stand today including forensic toxicologist Michael Lamb from NMS labs in Pennsylvania. He testified that the only substances found in Maclean's blood were ketamine and cannabis. Lamb calculated that McClain had been given 7.7 milligrams per kilogram, whereas a typical anesthetic dose for sedation is 4-6 miligrams. The dose given to McClain was more likely to render a person unconscious and require assistance breathing. The Attorney for the defense focused on the Marijuana found in Maclean's system but, Lamb said he could not speak to how it may have affected his behavior, or if he had used it on the day of the incident. The defense attorneys fixation on cannabis, seemed to me as if he was clutching at "reefer madness" straws.
Also taking the stand today was Sgt. Kevin Smith, who oversees Aurora police trainings. Prosecutors dispelled the myth incorporated in their training that claimed "if someone can talk, then there able to breathe". Smith testified, "It's a pervasive phrase, but we're addressing it because an officer can be blind to certain signs if they truly believe it's true.… A person could be able to talk but still have an issue with respirations." Smith also said that in the case of respiratory distress, officers should call for medical assistance and provide aid themselves.
The Sgt. was also asked about training in regard to use of the carotid hold that was applied to McClain more than once on the night of his death. This tactic restricts blood flow to the brain rendering the person unconscious. Smith testified there are protocols about using the carotid hold, including not to use it repeatedly. He stated, "Once they come back to consciousness, we want to kind of start a little timer and say, hey, if they're not coherent, if they're not answering questions, if they're not appearing normal in that 30 seconds, then it's a medical emergency... We need to update rescue and provide first aid if we need to."
In my personal review of the three hours of body cam footage from multiple officers on scene, they seemed more concerned with weaving a tail of resistance by Elijah McClain for the body cam audio and other responders. The carotid hold was used twice on Elijah McClain who was not provided any medical attention by police. He never regained consciousness after it was employed. The trial resumes on Friday.
Click here 🧠 for the full account of what was done to Elijah.
#JusticeForElijahMcClain #BLM #DisabilityJustice #SocialJustice #NoJusticeNoPeace #StopKillingUs #ICantBreathe #InvisibleDisabilityRights #PoliceViolence
@disabilityjustice @disability @actuallyautistic -
Justice for Elijah McClain – Trial Update for Thursday Sept 28:
⚠️ CW: Police Violence against People with Invisible Disabilities.Several witnesses took the stand today including forensic toxicologist Michael Lamb from NMS labs in Pennsylvania. He testified that the only substances found in Maclean's blood were ketamine and cannabis. Lamb calculated that McClain had been given 7.7 milligrams per kilogram, whereas a typical anesthetic dose for sedation is 4-6 miligrams. The dose given to McClain was more likely to render a person unconscious and require assistance breathing. The Attorney for the defense focused on the Marijuana found in Maclean's system but, Lamb said he could not speak to how it may have affected his behavior, or if he had used it on the day of the incident. The defense attorneys fixation on cannabis, seemed to me as if he was clutching at "reefer madness" straws.
Also taking the stand today was Sgt. Kevin Smith, who oversees Aurora police trainings. Prosecutors dispelled the myth incorporated in their training that claimed "if someone can talk, then there able to breathe". Smith testified, "It's a pervasive phrase, but we're addressing it because an officer can be blind to certain signs if they truly believe it's true.… A person could be able to talk but still have an issue with respirations." Smith also said that in the case of respiratory distress, officers should call for medical assistance and provide aid themselves.
The Sgt. was also asked about training in regard to use of the carotid hold that was applied to McClain more than once on the night of his death. This tactic restricts blood flow to the brain rendering the person unconscious. Smith testified there are protocols about using the carotid hold, including not to use it repeatedly. He stated, "Once they come back to consciousness, we want to kind of start a little timer and say, hey, if they're not coherent, if they're not answering questions, if they're not appearing normal in that 30 seconds, then it's a medical emergency... We need to update rescue and provide first aid if we need to."
In my personal review of the three hours of body cam footage from multiple officers on scene, they seemed more concerned with weaving a tail of resistance by Elijah McClain for the body cam audio and other responders. The carotid hold was used twice on Elijah McClain who was not provided any medical attention by police. He never regained consciousness after it was employed. The trial resumes on Friday.
Click here 🧠 for the full account of what was done to Elijah.
#JusticeForElijahMcClain #BLM #DisabilityJustice #SocialJustice #NoJusticeNoPeace #StopKillingUs #ICantBreathe #InvisibleDisabilityRights #PoliceViolence
@disabilityjustice @disability @actuallyautistic -
Justice for Elijah McClain – Trial Update for Thursday Sept 28:
⚠️ CW: Police Violence against People with Invisible Disabilities.Several witnesses took the stand today including forensic toxicologist Michael Lamb from NMS labs in Pennsylvania. He testified that the only substances found in Maclean's blood were ketamine and cannabis. Lamb calculated that McClain had been given 7.7 milligrams per kilogram, whereas a typical anesthetic dose for sedation is 4-6 miligrams. The dose given to McClain was more likely to render a person unconscious and require assistance breathing. The Attorney for the defense focused on the Marijuana found in Maclean's system but, Lamb said he could not speak to how it may have affected his behavior, or if he had used it on the day of the incident. The defense attorneys fixation on cannabis, seemed to me as if he was clutching at "reefer madness" straws.
Also taking the stand today was Sgt. Kevin Smith, who oversees Aurora police trainings. Prosecutors dispelled the myth incorporated in their training that claimed "if someone can talk, then there able to breathe". Smith testified, "It's a pervasive phrase, but we're addressing it because an officer can be blind to certain signs if they truly believe it's true.… A person could be able to talk but still have an issue with respirations." Smith also said that in the case of respiratory distress, officers should call for medical assistance and provide aid themselves.
The Sgt. was also asked about training in regard to use of the carotid hold that was applied to McClain more than once on the night of his death. This tactic restricts blood flow to the brain rendering the person unconscious. Smith testified there are protocols about using the carotid hold, including not to use it repeatedly. He stated, "Once they come back to consciousness, we want to kind of start a little timer and say, hey, if they're not coherent, if they're not answering questions, if they're not appearing normal in that 30 seconds, then it's a medical emergency... We need to update rescue and provide first aid if we need to."
In my personal review of the three hours of body cam footage from multiple officers on scene, they seemed more concerned with weaving a tail of resistance by Elijah McClain for the body cam audio and other responders. The carotid hold was used twice on Elijah McClain who was not provided any medical attention by police. He never regained consciousness after it was employed. The trial resumes on Friday.
Click here 🧠 for the full account of what was done to Elijah.
#JusticeForElijahMcClain #BLM #DisabilityJustice #SocialJustice #NoJusticeNoPeace #StopKillingUs #ICantBreathe #InvisibleDisabilityRights #PoliceViolence
@disabilityjustice @disability @actuallyautistic -
Justice for Elijah McClain – Trial Update for Thursday Sept 28:
⚠️ CW: Police Violence against People with Invisible Disabilities.Several witnesses took the stand today including forensic toxicologist Michael Lamb from NMS labs in Pennsylvania. He testified that the only substances found in Maclean's blood were ketamine and cannabis. Lamb calculated that McClain had been given 7.7 milligrams per kilogram, whereas a typical anesthetic dose for sedation is 4-6 miligrams. The dose given to McClain was more likely to render a person unconscious and require assistance breathing. The Attorney for the defense focused on the Marijuana found in Maclean's system but, Lamb said he could not speak to how it may have affected his behavior, or if he had used it on the day of the incident. The defense attorneys fixation on cannabis, seemed to me as if he was clutching at "reefer madness" straws.
Also taking the stand today was Sgt. Kevin Smith, who oversees Aurora police trainings. Prosecutors dispelled the myth incorporated in their training that claimed "if someone can talk, then there able to breathe". Smith testified, "It's a pervasive phrase, but we're addressing it because an officer can be blind to certain signs if they truly believe it's true.… A person could be able to talk but still have an issue with respirations." Smith also said that in the case of respiratory distress, officers should call for medical assistance and provide aid themselves.
The Sgt. was also asked about training in regard to use of the carotid hold that was applied to McClain more than once on the night of his death. This tactic restricts blood flow to the brain rendering the person unconscious. Smith testified there are protocols about using the carotid hold, including not to use it repeatedly. He stated, "Once they come back to consciousness, we want to kind of start a little timer and say, hey, if they're not coherent, if they're not answering questions, if they're not appearing normal in that 30 seconds, then it's a medical emergency... We need to update rescue and provide first aid if we need to."
In my personal review of the three hours of body cam footage from multiple officers on scene, they seemed more concerned with weaving a tail of resistance by Elijah McClain for the body cam audio and other responders. The carotid hold was used twice on Elijah McClain who was not provided any medical attention by police. He never regained consciousness after it was employed. The trial resumes on Friday.
Click here 🧠 for the full account of what was done to Elijah.
#JusticeForElijahMcClain #BLM #DisabilityJustice #SocialJustice #NoJusticeNoPeace #StopKillingUs #ICantBreathe #InvisibleDisabilityRights #PoliceViolence
@disabilityjustice @disability @actuallyautistic -
Bornean Ferret Badger Melogale everetti
Bornean Ferret Badger Melogale everetti
IUCN Red List Status: Endangered
Location: The Bornean Ferret Badger is endemic to the island of Borneo, specifically in the montane forests of northern Borneo. Key confirmed locations include Gunung Alab, Mount Kinabalu, and the Crocker Range in Sabah and Sarawak, Malaysia.
The Bornean Ferret Badger is an enigmatic nocturnal omnivore, known for their dependence on intact montane forests. Due to habitat destruction, primarily caused by deforestation for out-of-control palm oil plantations and agriculture in Malaysia, they are classified as endangered. These threats pose grave risk to these elusive creatures.
As omnivores and foragers, Bornean Ferret Badgers play a crucial role in their ecosystems. Their diet helps regulate pest populations, while their foraging aerates soil, promoting forest health. By consuming fruit, they may also aid in seed dispersal, contributing to the regeneration of their montane forest habitats. Immediate research and conservation action are needed to secure their future. Help their survival and use your wallet as a weapon when you shop, #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4WildlifeBornean Ferret #Badgers 🦡 are normally never seen. One of the least studied #omnivores is also one of the most #endangered. Mainly from #palmoil #deforestation. Help them survive when you #BoycottPalmOil 🌴🪔💩🤮⛔️ #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/02/05/bornean-ferret-badger-melogale-everetti/
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterBornean Ferret #Badgers become aggressive when cornered and release a potent scent. Known as ‘Biul Slentek’ they’re #endangered by #palmoil #deforestation in #Borneo. Help them survive when you #BoycottPalmOil 🌴🪔💩🤮⛔️ #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/02/05/bornean-ferret-badger-melogale-everetti/
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterAppearance and Behaviour
• Known locally in Malay as “Biul Slentek,” these badgers of the mustelid family are culturally significant in the regions where they are found.
• Despite their small size, they exhibit fierce defensive behaviours, including releasing a skunk-like odour and displaying bold colouration to deter predators.
• Their nocturnal and elusive nature makes them one of the most challenging species to study in Southeast Asia.
The Bornean Ferret Badger is a mammal of the mustelid family, covered in fur that ranges from grey-brown to dark black, with a lighter underside. A bold facial “mask” of white or yellow stripes gives them a distinct, ferret-like appearance, and a dorsal stripe runs from the top of their head to their shoulders, varying in colour from white to red. Their small size—measuring 33–44 centimetres in body length, with a bushy tail of 15–23 centimetres—makes them agile and adept at navigating dense forests.
These badgers are nocturnal and primarily ground-dwelling, but they are also capable climbers, thanks to partial webbing between their toes and ridges on their footpads. Their strong claws allow them to dig efficiently, though they often repurpose burrows dug by other animals rather than digging their own.
When provoked or cornered, the Bornean Ferret Badger displays fierce defensive behaviours. They emit a pungent odour from their scent glands, similar to skunks, to deter predators. Additionally, their bold facial markings and dorsal stripe act as warning colouration, signalling potential danger to would-be threats.
Diet
The Bornean Ferret Badger is omnivorous, with a diet that includes insects, earthworms, small invertebrates, and fruits. They forage on the forest floor, sifting through leaf litter to locate food, demonstrating their adaptability to their montane ecosystem (IUCN, 2015; Wong et al., 2011).
Reproduction and Mating
Bornean Ferret Badgers exhibit year-round reproduction, with females capable of breeding at any time. The gestation period lasts 57 to 80 days, and litters typically consist of 1 to 5 young, born in May or June. The young are weaned and cared for in burrows for 2 to 3 months before becoming independent.
Interestingly, males undergo an annual period of reproductive dormancy from September to December, during which they cease sperm production. This adaptation may be linked to seasonal changes in resource availability in their montane habitats.
Geographic Range
Although their habitat associations are too poorly known to be sure that the recent widespread habitat change in their range poses an imminent threat, the ongoing paucity of incidental records (such as road-kills) in converted habitats suggests that the species is threatened by the ongoing land-cover transformations.
iucn RED lIST
This species is restricted to northern Borneo, including regions in Sabah and Sarawak, Malaysia. It inhabits montane and submontane forests at elevations above 1,000 metres, with confirmed sightings at Gunung Alab and the Crocker Range. Their reliance on intact forest ecosystems makes them highly vulnerable to habitat loss (Wong et al., 2011; IUCN, 2015).
Threats
- Palm Oil and Timber Deforestation: The expansion of out-of-control palm oil plantations, logging, and slash-and-burn agriculture continues to destroy montane forest habitats. Roads cutting through Kinabalu National Park and Crocker Range National Park exacerbate habitat fragmentation, isolating populations and limiting their movements.
- Climate Change: Rising temperatures and shifting weather patterns due to climate change force high-altitude specialists like the Bornean Ferret Badger further upslope. With limited elevation to escape to, they are at increased risk of habitat loss and extinction.
- Natural Disasters: Concentrated in a small geographic range, the species is vulnerable to natural disasters such as typhoons and monsoons. Epidemics also pose a serious threat to their survival due to the limited separation between populations.
- Human Encroachment: Encroachment on the edges of protected areas has led to habitat degradation. Illegal land clearing and the conversion of surrounding forest into agricultural fields further reduce the species’ already small habitat.
FAQs
What are ferret badgers?
Ferret badgers are small mammals belonging to the genus Melogale in the Mustelidae family, which also includes weasels, otters, badgers, and wolverines. These animals have a unique appearance that combines features of ferrets and badgers, with elongated bodies, short legs, and bushy tails. Their fur is typically dark brown or black with lighter underparts, and many species display striking facial markings or dorsal stripes. Unlike their larger badger relatives, ferret badgers are more agile and adapted to climbing and burrowing. They are nocturnal and secretive, with behaviours and adaptations that make them difficult to observe in the wild. Currently, six species are recognised, including the Bornean Ferret Badger (Melogale everetti), which is one of the least-studied species in this genus.
Are Bornean ferret badgers endangered?
Yes, the Bornean Ferret Badger is classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List under criteria B1ab(ii,iii,v), primarily due to habitat destruction and fragmentation (IUCN, 2015).
How big are Bornean ferret badgers?
They are small omnivores, measuring 35–40 centimetres in body length, with a tail length of 15–20 centimetres, and weighing between 1 and 2 kilograms (Wong et al., 2011).
Where do ferret badgers live?
Bornean Ferret Badgers lives in montane and submontane forests in northern Borneo, particularly in Sabah and Sarawak, at elevations above 1,000 metres. Dense vegetation and intact forest ecosystems are critical for their survival (IUCN, 2015).
Ferret badgers are native to Asia and are found in countries such as China, Nepal, Indonesia, and Malaysia. They inhabit a variety of habitats, including mixed evergreen forests, montane forests, open woodlands, and pastures. Some species, like the Bornean Ferret Badger, are restricted to specific regions and high-altitude environments, such as the montane forests of northern Borneo. These adaptable animals often prefer forested areas with dense undergrowth but can also survive in scrubland or agricultural fields when their natural habitats are disturbed. However, their preference for cooler, elevated regions and intact forests makes them particularly vulnerable to deforestation and habitat fragmentation.
What do ferret badgers eat?
The Bornean Ferret Badger’s diet includes insects, earthworms, fruits, and small invertebrates. They forage on the forest floor, using their acute sense of smell to locate food (Wong et al., 2011).
Ferret badgers in general are omnivorous and highly adaptable in their diet, which typically includes insects, worms, amphibians, fruits, and small vertebrates. They are opportunistic feeders, foraging both on the ground and, in some cases, climbing trees to access food. This diverse diet plays an important ecological role, as they help control pest populations by consuming insects and aerate the soil through their digging. Additionally, their consumption of fruit may contribute to seed dispersal, supporting forest regeneration. The Bornean Ferret Badger’s diet aligns with this general pattern, including invertebrates and carrion, which further highlights their role as a valuable member of their ecosystem.
How do ferret badgers defend themselves?
Ferret badgers have a unique and effective defence mechanism to ward off predators: they emit a foul-smelling secretion from their anal glands. This pungent odour, similar to that of a skunk, is released when the animal feels threatened or cornered. In addition to this chemical defence, ferret badgers rely on their bold facial markings and dorsal stripes, which serve as a visual warning to potential predators. The Bornean Ferret Badger, in particular, exhibits this behaviour and is known for fiercely defending itself when provoked. These adaptations, combined with their secretive nature and nocturnal habits, help ferret badgers evade predation in the wild.
How do ferret badgers move around?
Ferret badgers are nocturnal animals, spending their nights foraging and their days resting in dens or burrows. They are not territorial and move from one resting spot to the next, rarely establishing permanent residences. Instead of digging their own burrows, they often use pre-existing burrows created by other animals. Their broad feet, strong claws, and partially webbed toes enable them to climb and dig efficiently, allowing them to navigate both forest floors and low tree branches. This combination of behaviours and adaptations makes them highly versatile in their movements, whether on the ground or in the canopy.
How do ferret badgers reproduce?
Female ferret badgers typically give birth to a litter of up to three young in late spring or early summer, often in May or June. The gestation period ranges from 57 to 80 days. At birth, the young are blind but already well-furred, with colour patterns resembling those of adults. They remain in burrows for about two to three months under the care of their mother, who provides food and protection until they are capable of foraging independently. The breeding habits of male ferret badgers are notable for their seasonal reproductive dormancy, during which they cease sperm production from September to December. This reproductive strategy may help align breeding with optimal environmental conditions, ensuring the survival of the next generation.
What are the threats to ferret badgers?
Ferret badgers face numerous threats, the most significant being habitat loss and fragmentation caused by deforestation, agricultural expansion, and infrastructure development. As forests are cleared for palm oil plantations, logging, and urbanisation, ferret badgers lose the dense undergrowth and connected habitats they rely on for shelter and foraging. Climate change poses an additional threat, especially for high-altitude species like the Bornean Ferret Badger, which cannot move further upslope to escape rising temperatures. Slash-and-burn agriculture and human encroachment into protected areas further exacerbate these challenges. These threats, combined with their naturally low population densities and restricted ranges, make ferret badgers particularly vulnerable to decline.
Take Action!
The survival of the Bornean Ferret Badger depends on preserving their montane forest habitat. Support conservation efforts by boycotting products containing palm oil, advocating for forest protection, and raising awareness about the importance of biodiversity. Every action counts. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife #Vegan
Further Information
Wikipedia. (n.d.). Bornean Ferret Badger. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bornean_ferret_badger
Wilting, A., Duckworth, J.W., Hearn, A. & Ross, J. 2015. Melogale everetti. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015: e.T13110A45199541. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T13110A45199541.en. Downloaded on 04 February 2021.
Wong, A., Mohamed, N. S., Tuh, F. Y. Y., & Wilting, A. (2011). A record of the little-known Bornean Ferret Badger (Melogale everetti) at Gunung Alab, Sabah, Malaysia. Small Carnivore Conservation, 33, 55–60. Retrieved from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/291505770_A_record_of_the_little-known_Bornean_Ferret_Badger_Melogale_everetti_at_Gunung_Alab_Sabah_Malaysia
You can support this beautiful animal
There are no known conservation activities for this animal. Share out this post to social media and join the #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife on social media to raise awareness
Bornean Ferret Badger Melogale everetti
How can I help the #Boycott4Wildlife?
Take Action in Five Ways
1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.
2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.
Mel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings
Anthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao
Health Physician Dr Evan Allen
The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert
How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy
3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.
https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20
https://twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status/1749010345555788144?s=20
https://twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1678027567977078784?s=20
4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.
5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here
Pledge your support#Badgers #BorneanFerretBadgerMelogaleEveretti #Borneo #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottPalmOil #deforestation #endangered #EndangeredSpecies #ForgottenAnimals #Indonesia #Malaysia #Mammal #mustelid #omnivore #omnivores #palmOilDeforestation #palmoil #pollination #pollinator #Sabah #SeedDispersers #vegan #Viverrid
-
Bornean Ferret Badger Melogale everetti
Bornean Ferret Badger Melogale everetti
IUCN Red List Status: Endangered
Location: The Bornean Ferret Badger is endemic to the island of Borneo, specifically in the montane forests of northern Borneo. Key confirmed locations include Gunung Alab, Mount Kinabalu, and the Crocker Range in Sabah and Sarawak, Malaysia.
The Bornean Ferret Badger is an enigmatic nocturnal omnivore, known for their dependence on intact montane forests. Due to habitat destruction, primarily caused by deforestation for out-of-control palm oil plantations and agriculture in Malaysia, they are classified as endangered. These threats pose grave risk to these elusive creatures.
As omnivores and foragers, Bornean Ferret Badgers play a crucial role in their ecosystems. Their diet helps regulate pest populations, while their foraging aerates soil, promoting forest health. By consuming fruit, they may also aid in seed dispersal, contributing to the regeneration of their montane forest habitats. Immediate research and conservation action are needed to secure their future. Help their survival and use your wallet as a weapon when you shop, #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4WildlifeBornean Ferret #Badgers 🦡 are normally never seen. One of the least studied #omnivores is also one of the most #endangered. Mainly from #palmoil #deforestation. Help them survive when you #BoycottPalmOil 🌴🪔💩🤮⛔️ #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/02/05/bornean-ferret-badger-melogale-everetti/
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterBornean Ferret #Badgers become aggressive when cornered and release a potent scent. Known as ‘Biul Slentek’ they’re #endangered by #palmoil #deforestation in #Borneo. Help them survive when you #BoycottPalmOil 🌴🪔💩🤮⛔️ #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/02/05/bornean-ferret-badger-melogale-everetti/
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterAppearance and Behaviour
• Known locally in Malay as “Biul Slentek,” these badgers of the mustelid family are culturally significant in the regions where they are found.
• Despite their small size, they exhibit fierce defensive behaviours, including releasing a skunk-like odour and displaying bold colouration to deter predators.
• Their nocturnal and elusive nature makes them one of the most challenging species to study in Southeast Asia.
The Bornean Ferret Badger is a mammal of the mustelid family, covered in fur that ranges from grey-brown to dark black, with a lighter underside. A bold facial “mask” of white or yellow stripes gives them a distinct, ferret-like appearance, and a dorsal stripe runs from the top of their head to their shoulders, varying in colour from white to red. Their small size—measuring 33–44 centimetres in body length, with a bushy tail of 15–23 centimetres—makes them agile and adept at navigating dense forests.
These badgers are nocturnal and primarily ground-dwelling, but they are also capable climbers, thanks to partial webbing between their toes and ridges on their footpads. Their strong claws allow them to dig efficiently, though they often repurpose burrows dug by other animals rather than digging their own.
When provoked or cornered, the Bornean Ferret Badger displays fierce defensive behaviours. They emit a pungent odour from their scent glands, similar to skunks, to deter predators. Additionally, their bold facial markings and dorsal stripe act as warning colouration, signalling potential danger to would-be threats.
Diet
The Bornean Ferret Badger is omnivorous, with a diet that includes insects, earthworms, small invertebrates, and fruits. They forage on the forest floor, sifting through leaf litter to locate food, demonstrating their adaptability to their montane ecosystem (IUCN, 2015; Wong et al., 2011).
Reproduction and Mating
Bornean Ferret Badgers exhibit year-round reproduction, with females capable of breeding at any time. The gestation period lasts 57 to 80 days, and litters typically consist of 1 to 5 young, born in May or June. The young are weaned and cared for in burrows for 2 to 3 months before becoming independent.
Interestingly, males undergo an annual period of reproductive dormancy from September to December, during which they cease sperm production. This adaptation may be linked to seasonal changes in resource availability in their montane habitats.
Geographic Range
Although their habitat associations are too poorly known to be sure that the recent widespread habitat change in their range poses an imminent threat, the ongoing paucity of incidental records (such as road-kills) in converted habitats suggests that the species is threatened by the ongoing land-cover transformations.
iucn RED lIST
This species is restricted to northern Borneo, including regions in Sabah and Sarawak, Malaysia. It inhabits montane and submontane forests at elevations above 1,000 metres, with confirmed sightings at Gunung Alab and the Crocker Range. Their reliance on intact forest ecosystems makes them highly vulnerable to habitat loss (Wong et al., 2011; IUCN, 2015).
Threats
- Palm Oil and Timber Deforestation: The expansion of out-of-control palm oil plantations, logging, and slash-and-burn agriculture continues to destroy montane forest habitats. Roads cutting through Kinabalu National Park and Crocker Range National Park exacerbate habitat fragmentation, isolating populations and limiting their movements.
- Climate Change: Rising temperatures and shifting weather patterns due to climate change force high-altitude specialists like the Bornean Ferret Badger further upslope. With limited elevation to escape to, they are at increased risk of habitat loss and extinction.
- Natural Disasters: Concentrated in a small geographic range, the species is vulnerable to natural disasters such as typhoons and monsoons. Epidemics also pose a serious threat to their survival due to the limited separation between populations.
- Human Encroachment: Encroachment on the edges of protected areas has led to habitat degradation. Illegal land clearing and the conversion of surrounding forest into agricultural fields further reduce the species’ already small habitat.
FAQs
What are ferret badgers?
Ferret badgers are small mammals belonging to the genus Melogale in the Mustelidae family, which also includes weasels, otters, badgers, and wolverines. These animals have a unique appearance that combines features of ferrets and badgers, with elongated bodies, short legs, and bushy tails. Their fur is typically dark brown or black with lighter underparts, and many species display striking facial markings or dorsal stripes. Unlike their larger badger relatives, ferret badgers are more agile and adapted to climbing and burrowing. They are nocturnal and secretive, with behaviours and adaptations that make them difficult to observe in the wild. Currently, six species are recognised, including the Bornean Ferret Badger (Melogale everetti), which is one of the least-studied species in this genus.
Are Bornean ferret badgers endangered?
Yes, the Bornean Ferret Badger is classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List under criteria B1ab(ii,iii,v), primarily due to habitat destruction and fragmentation (IUCN, 2015).
How big are Bornean ferret badgers?
They are small omnivores, measuring 35–40 centimetres in body length, with a tail length of 15–20 centimetres, and weighing between 1 and 2 kilograms (Wong et al., 2011).
Where do ferret badgers live?
Bornean Ferret Badgers lives in montane and submontane forests in northern Borneo, particularly in Sabah and Sarawak, at elevations above 1,000 metres. Dense vegetation and intact forest ecosystems are critical for their survival (IUCN, 2015).
Ferret badgers are native to Asia and are found in countries such as China, Nepal, Indonesia, and Malaysia. They inhabit a variety of habitats, including mixed evergreen forests, montane forests, open woodlands, and pastures. Some species, like the Bornean Ferret Badger, are restricted to specific regions and high-altitude environments, such as the montane forests of northern Borneo. These adaptable animals often prefer forested areas with dense undergrowth but can also survive in scrubland or agricultural fields when their natural habitats are disturbed. However, their preference for cooler, elevated regions and intact forests makes them particularly vulnerable to deforestation and habitat fragmentation.
What do ferret badgers eat?
The Bornean Ferret Badger’s diet includes insects, earthworms, fruits, and small invertebrates. They forage on the forest floor, using their acute sense of smell to locate food (Wong et al., 2011).
Ferret badgers in general are omnivorous and highly adaptable in their diet, which typically includes insects, worms, amphibians, fruits, and small vertebrates. They are opportunistic feeders, foraging both on the ground and, in some cases, climbing trees to access food. This diverse diet plays an important ecological role, as they help control pest populations by consuming insects and aerate the soil through their digging. Additionally, their consumption of fruit may contribute to seed dispersal, supporting forest regeneration. The Bornean Ferret Badger’s diet aligns with this general pattern, including invertebrates and carrion, which further highlights their role as a valuable member of their ecosystem.
How do ferret badgers defend themselves?
Ferret badgers have a unique and effective defence mechanism to ward off predators: they emit a foul-smelling secretion from their anal glands. This pungent odour, similar to that of a skunk, is released when the animal feels threatened or cornered. In addition to this chemical defence, ferret badgers rely on their bold facial markings and dorsal stripes, which serve as a visual warning to potential predators. The Bornean Ferret Badger, in particular, exhibits this behaviour and is known for fiercely defending itself when provoked. These adaptations, combined with their secretive nature and nocturnal habits, help ferret badgers evade predation in the wild.
How do ferret badgers move around?
Ferret badgers are nocturnal animals, spending their nights foraging and their days resting in dens or burrows. They are not territorial and move from one resting spot to the next, rarely establishing permanent residences. Instead of digging their own burrows, they often use pre-existing burrows created by other animals. Their broad feet, strong claws, and partially webbed toes enable them to climb and dig efficiently, allowing them to navigate both forest floors and low tree branches. This combination of behaviours and adaptations makes them highly versatile in their movements, whether on the ground or in the canopy.
How do ferret badgers reproduce?
Female ferret badgers typically give birth to a litter of up to three young in late spring or early summer, often in May or June. The gestation period ranges from 57 to 80 days. At birth, the young are blind but already well-furred, with colour patterns resembling those of adults. They remain in burrows for about two to three months under the care of their mother, who provides food and protection until they are capable of foraging independently. The breeding habits of male ferret badgers are notable for their seasonal reproductive dormancy, during which they cease sperm production from September to December. This reproductive strategy may help align breeding with optimal environmental conditions, ensuring the survival of the next generation.
What are the threats to ferret badgers?
Ferret badgers face numerous threats, the most significant being habitat loss and fragmentation caused by deforestation, agricultural expansion, and infrastructure development. As forests are cleared for palm oil plantations, logging, and urbanisation, ferret badgers lose the dense undergrowth and connected habitats they rely on for shelter and foraging. Climate change poses an additional threat, especially for high-altitude species like the Bornean Ferret Badger, which cannot move further upslope to escape rising temperatures. Slash-and-burn agriculture and human encroachment into protected areas further exacerbate these challenges. These threats, combined with their naturally low population densities and restricted ranges, make ferret badgers particularly vulnerable to decline.
Take Action!
The survival of the Bornean Ferret Badger depends on preserving their montane forest habitat. Support conservation efforts by boycotting products containing palm oil, advocating for forest protection, and raising awareness about the importance of biodiversity. Every action counts. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife #Vegan
Further Information
Wikipedia. (n.d.). Bornean Ferret Badger. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bornean_ferret_badger
Wilting, A., Duckworth, J.W., Hearn, A. & Ross, J. 2015. Melogale everetti. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015: e.T13110A45199541. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T13110A45199541.en. Downloaded on 04 February 2021.
Wong, A., Mohamed, N. S., Tuh, F. Y. Y., & Wilting, A. (2011). A record of the little-known Bornean Ferret Badger (Melogale everetti) at Gunung Alab, Sabah, Malaysia. Small Carnivore Conservation, 33, 55–60. Retrieved from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/291505770_A_record_of_the_little-known_Bornean_Ferret_Badger_Melogale_everetti_at_Gunung_Alab_Sabah_Malaysia
You can support this beautiful animal
There are no known conservation activities for this animal. Share out this post to social media and join the #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife on social media to raise awareness
Bornean Ferret Badger Melogale everetti
How can I help the #Boycott4Wildlife?
Take Action in Five Ways
1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.
Enter your email address
Sign Up
Join 1,392 other subscribers2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.
Mel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings
Anthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao
Health Physician Dr Evan Allen
The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert
How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy
3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.
https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20
https://twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status/1749010345555788144?s=20
https://twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1678027567977078784?s=20
4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.
5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here
Pledge your support#Badgers #BorneanFerretBadgerMelogaleEveretti #Borneo #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottPalmOil #deforestation #endangered #EndangeredSpecies #ForgottenAnimals #Indonesia #Malaysia #Mammal #mustelid #omnivore #omnivores #palmOilDeforestation #palmoil #pollination #pollinator #Sabah #SeedDispersers #vegan
-
Bornean Ferret Badger Melogale everetti
Bornean Ferret Badger Melogale everetti
IUCN Red List Status: Endangered
Location: The Bornean Ferret Badger is endemic to the island of Borneo, specifically in the montane forests of northern Borneo. Key confirmed locations include Gunung Alab, Mount Kinabalu, and the Crocker Range in Sabah and Sarawak, Malaysia.
The Bornean Ferret Badger is an enigmatic nocturnal omnivore, known for their dependence on intact montane forests. Due to habitat destruction, primarily caused by deforestation for out-of-control palm oil plantations and agriculture in Malaysia, they are classified as endangered. These threats pose grave risk to these elusive creatures.
As omnivores and foragers, Bornean Ferret Badgers play a crucial role in their ecosystems. Their diet helps regulate pest populations, while their foraging aerates soil, promoting forest health. By consuming fruit, they may also aid in seed dispersal, contributing to the regeneration of their montane forest habitats. Immediate research and conservation action are needed to secure their future. Help their survival and use your wallet as a weapon when you shop, #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4WildlifeBornean Ferret #Badgers 🦡 are normally never seen. One of the least studied #omnivores is also one of the most #endangered. Mainly from #palmoil #deforestation. Help them survive when you #BoycottPalmOil 🌴🪔💩🤮⛔️ #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/02/05/bornean-ferret-badger-melogale-everetti/
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterBornean Ferret #Badgers become aggressive when cornered and release a potent scent. Known as ‘Biul Slentek’ they’re #endangered by #palmoil #deforestation in #Borneo. Help them survive when you #BoycottPalmOil 🌴🪔💩🤮⛔️ #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/02/05/bornean-ferret-badger-melogale-everetti/
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterAppearance and Behaviour
• Known locally in Malay as “Biul Slentek,” these badgers of the mustelid family are culturally significant in the regions where they are found.
• Despite their small size, they exhibit fierce defensive behaviours, including releasing a skunk-like odour and displaying bold colouration to deter predators.
• Their nocturnal and elusive nature makes them one of the most challenging species to study in Southeast Asia.
The Bornean Ferret Badger is a mammal of the mustelid family, covered in fur that ranges from grey-brown to dark black, with a lighter underside. A bold facial “mask” of white or yellow stripes gives them a distinct, ferret-like appearance, and a dorsal stripe runs from the top of their head to their shoulders, varying in colour from white to red. Their small size—measuring 33–44 centimetres in body length, with a bushy tail of 15–23 centimetres—makes them agile and adept at navigating dense forests.
These badgers are nocturnal and primarily ground-dwelling, but they are also capable climbers, thanks to partial webbing between their toes and ridges on their footpads. Their strong claws allow them to dig efficiently, though they often repurpose burrows dug by other animals rather than digging their own.
When provoked or cornered, the Bornean Ferret Badger displays fierce defensive behaviours. They emit a pungent odour from their scent glands, similar to skunks, to deter predators. Additionally, their bold facial markings and dorsal stripe act as warning colouration, signalling potential danger to would-be threats.
Diet
The Bornean Ferret Badger is omnivorous, with a diet that includes insects, earthworms, small invertebrates, and fruits. They forage on the forest floor, sifting through leaf litter to locate food, demonstrating their adaptability to their montane ecosystem (IUCN, 2015; Wong et al., 2011).
Reproduction and Mating
Bornean Ferret Badgers exhibit year-round reproduction, with females capable of breeding at any time. The gestation period lasts 57 to 80 days, and litters typically consist of 1 to 5 young, born in May or June. The young are weaned and cared for in burrows for 2 to 3 months before becoming independent.
Interestingly, males undergo an annual period of reproductive dormancy from September to December, during which they cease sperm production. This adaptation may be linked to seasonal changes in resource availability in their montane habitats.
Geographic Range
Although their habitat associations are too poorly known to be sure that the recent widespread habitat change in their range poses an imminent threat, the ongoing paucity of incidental records (such as road-kills) in converted habitats suggests that the species is threatened by the ongoing land-cover transformations.
iucn RED lIST
This species is restricted to northern Borneo, including regions in Sabah and Sarawak, Malaysia. It inhabits montane and submontane forests at elevations above 1,000 metres, with confirmed sightings at Gunung Alab and the Crocker Range. Their reliance on intact forest ecosystems makes them highly vulnerable to habitat loss (Wong et al., 2011; IUCN, 2015).
Threats
- Palm Oil and Timber Deforestation: The expansion of out-of-control palm oil plantations, logging, and slash-and-burn agriculture continues to destroy montane forest habitats. Roads cutting through Kinabalu National Park and Crocker Range National Park exacerbate habitat fragmentation, isolating populations and limiting their movements.
- Climate Change: Rising temperatures and shifting weather patterns due to climate change force high-altitude specialists like the Bornean Ferret Badger further upslope. With limited elevation to escape to, they are at increased risk of habitat loss and extinction.
- Natural Disasters: Concentrated in a small geographic range, the species is vulnerable to natural disasters such as typhoons and monsoons. Epidemics also pose a serious threat to their survival due to the limited separation between populations.
- Human Encroachment: Encroachment on the edges of protected areas has led to habitat degradation. Illegal land clearing and the conversion of surrounding forest into agricultural fields further reduce the species’ already small habitat.
FAQs
What are ferret badgers?
Ferret badgers are small mammals belonging to the genus Melogale in the Mustelidae family, which also includes weasels, otters, badgers, and wolverines. These animals have a unique appearance that combines features of ferrets and badgers, with elongated bodies, short legs, and bushy tails. Their fur is typically dark brown or black with lighter underparts, and many species display striking facial markings or dorsal stripes. Unlike their larger badger relatives, ferret badgers are more agile and adapted to climbing and burrowing. They are nocturnal and secretive, with behaviours and adaptations that make them difficult to observe in the wild. Currently, six species are recognised, including the Bornean Ferret Badger (Melogale everetti), which is one of the least-studied species in this genus.
Are Bornean ferret badgers endangered?
Yes, the Bornean Ferret Badger is classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List under criteria B1ab(ii,iii,v), primarily due to habitat destruction and fragmentation (IUCN, 2015).
How big are Bornean ferret badgers?
They are small omnivores, measuring 35–40 centimetres in body length, with a tail length of 15–20 centimetres, and weighing between 1 and 2 kilograms (Wong et al., 2011).
Where do ferret badgers live?
Bornean Ferret Badgers lives in montane and submontane forests in northern Borneo, particularly in Sabah and Sarawak, at elevations above 1,000 metres. Dense vegetation and intact forest ecosystems are critical for their survival (IUCN, 2015).
Ferret badgers are native to Asia and are found in countries such as China, Nepal, Indonesia, and Malaysia. They inhabit a variety of habitats, including mixed evergreen forests, montane forests, open woodlands, and pastures. Some species, like the Bornean Ferret Badger, are restricted to specific regions and high-altitude environments, such as the montane forests of northern Borneo. These adaptable animals often prefer forested areas with dense undergrowth but can also survive in scrubland or agricultural fields when their natural habitats are disturbed. However, their preference for cooler, elevated regions and intact forests makes them particularly vulnerable to deforestation and habitat fragmentation.
What do ferret badgers eat?
The Bornean Ferret Badger’s diet includes insects, earthworms, fruits, and small invertebrates. They forage on the forest floor, using their acute sense of smell to locate food (Wong et al., 2011).
Ferret badgers in general are omnivorous and highly adaptable in their diet, which typically includes insects, worms, amphibians, fruits, and small vertebrates. They are opportunistic feeders, foraging both on the ground and, in some cases, climbing trees to access food. This diverse diet plays an important ecological role, as they help control pest populations by consuming insects and aerate the soil through their digging. Additionally, their consumption of fruit may contribute to seed dispersal, supporting forest regeneration. The Bornean Ferret Badger’s diet aligns with this general pattern, including invertebrates and carrion, which further highlights their role as a valuable member of their ecosystem.
How do ferret badgers defend themselves?
Ferret badgers have a unique and effective defence mechanism to ward off predators: they emit a foul-smelling secretion from their anal glands. This pungent odour, similar to that of a skunk, is released when the animal feels threatened or cornered. In addition to this chemical defence, ferret badgers rely on their bold facial markings and dorsal stripes, which serve as a visual warning to potential predators. The Bornean Ferret Badger, in particular, exhibits this behaviour and is known for fiercely defending itself when provoked. These adaptations, combined with their secretive nature and nocturnal habits, help ferret badgers evade predation in the wild.
How do ferret badgers move around?
Ferret badgers are nocturnal animals, spending their nights foraging and their days resting in dens or burrows. They are not territorial and move from one resting spot to the next, rarely establishing permanent residences. Instead of digging their own burrows, they often use pre-existing burrows created by other animals. Their broad feet, strong claws, and partially webbed toes enable them to climb and dig efficiently, allowing them to navigate both forest floors and low tree branches. This combination of behaviours and adaptations makes them highly versatile in their movements, whether on the ground or in the canopy.
How do ferret badgers reproduce?
Female ferret badgers typically give birth to a litter of up to three young in late spring or early summer, often in May or June. The gestation period ranges from 57 to 80 days. At birth, the young are blind but already well-furred, with colour patterns resembling those of adults. They remain in burrows for about two to three months under the care of their mother, who provides food and protection until they are capable of foraging independently. The breeding habits of male ferret badgers are notable for their seasonal reproductive dormancy, during which they cease sperm production from September to December. This reproductive strategy may help align breeding with optimal environmental conditions, ensuring the survival of the next generation.
What are the threats to ferret badgers?
Ferret badgers face numerous threats, the most significant being habitat loss and fragmentation caused by deforestation, agricultural expansion, and infrastructure development. As forests are cleared for palm oil plantations, logging, and urbanisation, ferret badgers lose the dense undergrowth and connected habitats they rely on for shelter and foraging. Climate change poses an additional threat, especially for high-altitude species like the Bornean Ferret Badger, which cannot move further upslope to escape rising temperatures. Slash-and-burn agriculture and human encroachment into protected areas further exacerbate these challenges. These threats, combined with their naturally low population densities and restricted ranges, make ferret badgers particularly vulnerable to decline.
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The survival of the Bornean Ferret Badger depends on preserving their montane forest habitat. Support conservation efforts by boycotting products containing palm oil, advocating for forest protection, and raising awareness about the importance of biodiversity. Every action counts. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife #Vegan
Further Information
Wikipedia. (n.d.). Bornean Ferret Badger. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bornean_ferret_badger
Wilting, A., Duckworth, J.W., Hearn, A. & Ross, J. 2015. Melogale everetti. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015: e.T13110A45199541. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T13110A45199541.en. Downloaded on 04 February 2021.
Wong, A., Mohamed, N. S., Tuh, F. Y. Y., & Wilting, A. (2011). A record of the little-known Bornean Ferret Badger (Melogale everetti) at Gunung Alab, Sabah, Malaysia. Small Carnivore Conservation, 33, 55–60. Retrieved from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/291505770_A_record_of_the_little-known_Bornean_Ferret_Badger_Melogale_everetti_at_Gunung_Alab_Sabah_Malaysia
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Bornean Ferret Badger Melogale everetti
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Happy Caturday!!
Paris Through the Window, Marc Chagall
There’s some big news in the stolen documents case today. Special prosecutor Jack Smith has asked Judge Aileen Cannon for a gag order to stop Trump from claiming that the FBI planned to assassinate him when they searched Mar-a-Lago for classified documents that he stole from the government. This is significant, because if Cannon refuses, Smith could appeal to the 11th Circuit court and request that she be removed from the case.
Here are the basics, from Katelyn Polantz at CNN: Special counsel asks judge for gag order in Trump classified documents case.
Special counsel’s office prosecutors on Friday asked a federal judge in Florida to place a gag order on Donald Trump that would limit his ability to comment about law enforcement that searched his Mar-a-Lago resort.
The request – a first in the classified documents mishandling case – comes after the former president has repeatedly and misleadingly criticized the FBI for having a policy in place around the use of deadly force during the search and seizure of government records at his resort in August 2022.
While Trump has told his supporters he could have been in danger because of the policy, the policy is standard protocol for FBI searches and limits how agents may use force in search operations. The same standard FBI policy was used in the searches of President Joe Biden’s homes and offices in a separate classified documents investigation.
Polanz is minimizing what Trump has said. He actually accused the FBI of trying to kill him and claimed President Biden ordered them to do it.
Prosecutors for special counsel Jack Smith wrote to Judge Aileen Cannon in a filing Friday night that the conditions that allow Trump not to be in jail awaiting trial should be updated.
The request will force Cannon into the center of an intensely charged and politicized battle, grappling with Trump’s ongoing presidential campaign and the First Amendment at the same time prosecutors are escalating their concerns to her about proceedings she oversees. The judge so far has moved slowly to resolve disputes in Trump’s criminal mishandling and obstruction of justice case before her, and no trial date is set.
“Trump‘s repeated mischaracterization as an attempt to kill him, his family, and Secret Service agents has endangered law enforcement officers involved in the investigation and prosecution of this case and threatened the integrity of these proceedings,” prosecutors wrote.
His recent comments, they added, “invite the sort of threats and harassment that have occurred when other participants in legal proceedings against Trump have been targeted by his invective.”
The use of deadly force policy is included among several pages of paperwork governing FBI search protocol and policies when they went to Mar-a-Lago, which was made public in Trump’s case in federal court this week. The paperwork also lays out that agents would wear unmarked, business casual attire, and specifies that if Trump were to arrive at Mar-a-Lago during the search, leadership on site would speak to him and his Secret Service detail.
Alan Feuer writes at The New York Times: Prosecutors Seek to Bar Trump From Attacking F.B.I. Agents in Documents Case.
Federal prosecutors on Friday night asked the judge overseeing former President Donald J. Trump’s classified documents case to bar him from making any statements that might endanger law enforcement agents involved in the proceedings.
Prosecutors tendered the request after Mr. Trump made what they described as “grossly misleading” assertions about the F.B.I.’s August 2022 search of Mar-a-Lago, his private club and residence in Florida. This week, the former president falsely suggested that the F.B.I. had been authorized to shoot him when agents discovered more than 100 classified documents while executing a court-approved search warrant there.
In a social media post on Tuesday, Mr. Trump falsely claimed that President Biden “authorized the FBI to use deadly (lethal) force” during the search.
Mr. Trump’s post came in reaction to an F.B.I. operational plan for the Mar-a-Lago search that was unsealed on Tuesday as part of a legal motion filed by Mr. Trump’s lawyers. The plan contained a boilerplate reference to lethal force being authorized in cases of emergency, which prosecutors said that Mr. Trump badly distorted.
Utagawa Kuniyoshi Cat in a window
“As Trump is well aware, the F.B.I. took extraordinary care to execute the search warrant unobtrusively and without needless confrontation,” prosecutors wrote in a motion to Judge Aileen M. Cannon, who is overseeing the classified documents case.
“They scheduled the search of Mar-a-Lago for a time when he and his family would be away,” the prosecutors added. “They planned to coordinate with Trump’s attorney, Secret Service agents and Mar-a-Lago staff before and during the execution of the warrant; and they planned for contingencies — which, in fact, never came to pass — about with whom to communicate if Trump were to arrive on the scene.” [….]
Prosecutors did not seek to impose a gag order on Mr. Trump in the classified documents case, but instead asked Judge Cannon to revise his conditions of release to forbid him to make any public comments “that pose a significant, imminent and foreseeable danger to law enforcement agents participating in the investigation.”
Still, if Judge Cannon agrees to the request, it would mean that Mr. Trump could be placed in custody were he to violate the revised conditions.
You might also want to read Marcy Wheeler’s post: Jack Smith Invites Aileen Cannon to Protect the Country Rather than Just Donald Trump. I’m not going to excerpt from it, because it’s mostly long quotes from the filing.
This is from Andrew Weissmann on Twitter (I refuse to use that other stupid name):
Smart move by Smith as Judge Cannon won’t be likely to grant the gag order, will show her patent bias, and Smith can then appeal to the 11th Circuit.
Asha Rangappa asked him:
Can she just avoid ruling on it, like she has everything else?
Weissmann:
in theory yes, but I don’t think if she tries that ploy that Smith won’t mandamus her, and her lack of action one way or the other will look really bad on appeal.
I’ll be waiting anxiously to see what Loose Cannon does or doesn’t do.
Some analysis of Trump’s victimization strategy by Juliette Kayem at The Atlantic: Trump’s Assassination Fantasy Has a Darker Purpose.
When Donald Trump insinuated this week that his successor and the FBI were out to kill him, he showed how central violence has become to his conception of political leadership. The former president declared Tuesday on Truth Social, his social-media platform, that he “was shown reports Crooked Joe Biden’s DOJ, in their illegal and UnConstitutional Raid of Mar-a-Lago, AUTHORIZED THE FBI TO USE DEADLY (LETHAL FORCE).” [….]
The genesis of the former president’s complaint is that, when the FBI searched Mar-a-Lago in August 2022 to obtain classified documents that were at the center of an investigation, agents were explicitly authorized to use force. This was not remotely unusual: FBI agents are routinely armed. The “reports” that Trump saw misinterpreted the parameters of the search, which—as the security analysts Asha Rangappa and Tom Joscelyn explained in Just Security—was guided by elaborate restrictions on when weapons could be used. The FBI subsequently said it followed a “standard policy statement limiting the use of force.” Attorney General Merrick Garland noted today that similar conditions were used in a search related to classified documents at Biden’s home in Delaware.
Victor Lukyanov, Summer Rain
The FBI had also carefully arranged to enter Trump’s property when he would be out of state—an odd way of carrying out an assassination. Still, the idea that Trump had been at physical risk rocketed across Truth Social. The X account of the House Judiciary Committee Republicans reposted—with the addition of siren emojis—a thread insinuating that FBI agents were acting like the “Gestapo” and had “risked the lives of Donald Trump, his family, his staff, and MAL guests.” Trump’s campaign upped the hysteria with a fundraising email declaring that “BIDEN’S DOJ WAS AUTHORIZED TO SHOOT ME!” and that “Joe Biden was locked & loaded ready to take me out & put my family in danger.” By evening, the longtime Trump ally Steve Bannon was asserting that “this was an attempted assassination attempt on Donald John Trump or people associated with him.” [….]
The claim that Biden and the FBI were looking to kill Trump is easy to dismiss as the typical hyperbolic ranting of the ex-president and his fans, and it competes in the news with other disturbing things he says and does. The assassination claim initially seemed to have come and gone in the news cycle. But the story was still out there, to be absorbed by Trump’s audience.
Since the January 6 insurrection at the Capitol, Trump has become more and more apocalyptic in his language. This week, he sent another dangerous signal to his supporters: FBI agents are an armed enemy, ready to assassinate the former president. Unless, of course, Trump and his mob get to them first.
Trump’s Bronx Rally
On Thursday, Trump held a rally in the Bronx, and, as usual, created some controversy that the mainstream media pretty much ignored.
Edith Olmstead at The Daily Beast: Trumpworld Claims 25,000 People Attended His Rally. Aerial Shots Show Otherwise.
Trumpworld is once again splintering from reality. This time, the diversion relates to counting—specifically, how many people attended Donald Trump’s rally in the Bronx on Thursday.
Trump, who has long obsessed over the size of crowds at his events, shared an article from Right Side Broadcasting Network to his Truth Social account that quoted the Trump campaign as saying 25,000 people attended the “electrifying” event. The New York Times reported that Trump’s team had acquired a permit for an event for 3,500 people.
“The sheer numbers show the great enthusiasm that President Trump has gained among voters in even the bluest areas of the United States,” the Right-Side Broadcasting Network article crowed.
That number later appeared on Fox News, was shared across various MAGA social media accounts, and also popped up on the official X account of the Republican Party.
But aerial footage of the event, and The Daily Beast’s reporter on the ground, told a different story. ABC7’s coverage of the event showed a much smaller crowd located in an amphitheater at Crotona Park.
While law enforcement told the New York Post that the crowd was between 8,000 and 10,000 people, The Daily Beast had a reporter in attendance, who estimated about 1,000 people were there.
You can see photos at the Daily Beast link.
Oscar, by Annie Troe
At the rally, Trump invited some local criminals to share the stage with him. Talia Jane at The New Republic: Trump Proudly Accepts Endorsements From Rappers Charged With Murder.
Criminals of a feather flocked together on Thursday as Trump hosted two Brooklyn rappers out on bail for murder conspiracy during a campaign rally in the Bronx.
Rappers Sheff G and Sleepy Hallow were indicted in 2023, alongside some 30 other people, as part of a massive investigation into two rival Brooklyn gangs. Sheff G—real name Michael Williams—allegedly used his accomplishments to help fund widespread violence. According to the New York Daily News, Williams was released on a $150,000 cash or $1 million bond in April after being charged with conspiracy, multiple murder counts, criminal possession of a weapon, assault with a weapon, and 12 shootings. Williams’s lackey Sleepy Hallow—real name Tegan Chambers—was released with a $200,000 cash or $150,000 bond bail for conspiracy charges.
Trump proudly brought the rappers on stage with him to give remarks to the red behatted crowd on Thursday. Williams told the crowd, “They’re always going to whisper the accomplishments and shout your failures. Trump gonna shout the wins for all of us.”
Chambers kept it even more brief and simply shouted, “Make America Great Again.”
Update on the Alito Flag Controversy
Justin Jouvenal and Ann E. Marimow at The Washington Post: Wife of Justice Alito called upside-down flag ‘signal of distress.’
The wife of Supreme Court Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. told a Washington Post reporter in January 2021 that an upside-down American flag recently flown on their flagpole was “an international signal of distress” and indicated that it had been raised in response to a neighborhood dispute.
Martha-Ann Alito made the comments when the reporter went to the couple’s Fairfax County, Va., home to follow up on a tip about the flag, which was no longer flying when he arrived.
The incident documented by reporter Robert Barnes, who covered the Supreme Court for The Post for 17 years and retired last year, offers fresh details about the raising of the flag and the first account of comments about it by the justice’s wife.
So why didn’t we hear about this in 2021??
The Post decided not to report on the episode at the time because the flag-raising appeared to be the work of Martha-Ann Alito, rather than the justice, and connected to a dispute with her neighbors, a Post spokeswoman said. It was not clear then that the argument was rooted in politics, the spokeswoman said.
Maria Karalyos, Black cat in the window
Oh really? Does the Post really think Martha-Ann would or could do this without him noticing?
The upside-down flag has long been a sign of distress for the military and protest by various political factions. In the fraught weeks before and after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, it had also been adopted by supporters of the “Stop the Steal” movement, which embraced Donald Trump’s false claims that Joe Biden stole the election from him. Some of the rioters who participated in the attack had carried upside-down American flags with them.
The display of the politically charged symbol outside the Alitos’ home became a public controversy last week after the New York Times reported on it, raising new ethics questions for the Supreme Court as it prepares to issue pivotal rulings in two cases related to efforts by Trump and his supporters to block Biden’s 2020 election victory.
So if the NYT hadn’t reported on this, the WaPo would have stayed silent?
The Post subsequently reported on May 17 that residents said the flag was raised following a heated confrontation between Martha-Ann Alito and a neighbor over political yard signs, one of which carried a profane anti-Trump message and another that carried a message along the lines of “you are complicit.” One resident, who like the others spoke on the condition of anonymity to protect their privacy in a sensitive situation, said the flag flew for between two and five days.
Samuel Alito told Fox News last week that the signs attacked his wife directly. Martha-Ann Alito has not publicly commented on the recent reports.
Now the Post tells us what really happened in 2021:
On Jan. 20, 2021 — the day of Biden’s inauguration, which the Alitos did not attend — Barnes went to their home to follow up on the tip about the flag. He encountered the couple coming out of the house. Martha-Ann Alito was visibly upset by his presence, demanding that he “get off my property.”
As he described the information he was seeking, she yelled, “It’s an international signal of distress!”
Alito intervened and directed his wife into a car parked in their driveway, where they had been headed on their way out of the neighborhood. The justice denied the flag was hung upside down as a political protest, saying it stemmed from a neighborhood dispute and indicating that his wife had raised it.
Martha-Ann Alito then got out of the car and shouted in apparent reference to the neighbors: “Ask them what they did!” She said yard signs about the couple had been placed in the neighborhood. After getting back in the car, she exited again and then brought out from their residence a novelty flag, the type that would typically decorate a garden. She hoisted it up the flagpole. “There! Is that better?” she yelled.
Wow. She sounds kind of unhinged.
Justice Sotomayor Speaks Out
Abbie VanSickle at The New York Times: Justice Sotomayor Describes Frustration With Being a Liberal on the Supreme Court.
Some days, after Justice Sonia Sotomayor listens to the Supreme Court announce its decisions, she goes into her chambers, shuts the door and weeps.
“There are days that I’ve come to my office after an announcement of a case and closed my door and cried,” Justice Sotomayor told a crowd on Friday at the Radcliffe Institute at Harvard University, where she was being honored. “There have been those days. And there are likely to be more.”
The comments about the challenges of being a liberal on a court dominated by conservatives came at the tail end of a public conversation with her friend and law school classmate, Martha Minow, a former dean of Harvard Law School and human rights scholar.
Kyohei Inukai, Cat resting on a window sill
The justice set a tone of optimism even as she voiced frustration with some of the court’s rulings, a possible signal that the end of the term, when the most high-profile decisions typically land, could bring more conservative victories. She urged a long-term view of pushing for the values she views as guiding principles — equality, diversity and justice.
“There are moments when I’m deeply, deeply sad,” she said, without citing any specific cases. “There are moments when, yes, even I feel desperation. We all do. But you have to own it, you have to accept it, you have to shed the tears and then you have to wipe them and get up.”
Decisions in dozens of cases are still pending, including on abortion, guns, the free speech rights of social media companies, the regulatory power of government agencies and whether former President Donald J. Trump is immune from prosecution on charges of plotting to overturn the 2020 election.
Libertarians in Disarray
Today Trump will speak at the Libertarian Convention and it may not go well for him.
NBC News: Libertarian convention crowd appears hostile to Trump ahead of Saturday speech.
Trump is set to deliver a speech Saturday at the 2024 Libertarian National Convention, and if Friday night’s program is any indication, he could be facing a hostile crowd.
Former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, who quickly endorsed Trump after dropping out, was booed during his convention remarks Friday night when he mentioned Trump.
“I’m speaking to you as a libertarian at my own core. I have gotten to know Donald Trump over the course of the last several years and the last several months,” Ramaswamy said as many in the crowd booed in response.
Ramaswamy continued, urging the audience of about 100 to ask themselves if they wanted to influence the next administration.
Separately, as Libertarian party members reviewed procedures and motions, a person at a microphone proposed that “we go tell Donald Trump to go f— himself.”
The audience cheered and roared with applause.
“That was my motion too!” another man yelled. “We are a Libertarian convention looking to nominate Libertarians. We do not need to give that time to non-Libertarians.”
Behind the two men, a third chanted, “F— Donald Trump.”
Politico: Libertarian convention devolves into fighting, obscenities on eve of Trump’s visit.
Donald Trump won’t be speaking to his usual self-selected crowd of adoring red-hatted MAGA fans when he addresses the Libertarian National Convention on Saturday.
As delegates gathered at the Washington Hilton on the eve of his speech, the party’s decision to host the former president, which had split the organization, erupted Friday into open revolt. Fuming delegates at the convention said they plan to protest Trump’s speech, and one group sought unsuccessfully to remove the former president along with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., from the agenda — a move that resulted in thrown punches and obscenities between supporters and opponents of the move.
“I would like to propose that we go tell Donald Trump to go fuck himself!” Kaelan Dreyer, a Libertarian from New Mexico, yelled into a microphone, winning cheers from the crowd. After shouting vulgarities at the convention’s chair and fending off punches, he was led out of the convention hall.
Ralph Hedley, Blinking in the sun
The raucous opening to the convention reflects the pockets of hostility that Trump faces as he appeals to the Libertarians to help him box out a growing, third-party threat from Kennedy’s independent presidential campaign.
“The vast majority of Libertarian Party members are not happy with this invitation,” said Bill Redpath, a 40-year veteran of the Libertarian Party and a former national party chair who’s helped organize their presidential ballot access for decades. “There are some people who call Trump the most Libertarian president of our lifetimes. That’s utterly ridiculous.”
Suburban Philadelphia options trader Jeff Yass, a libertarian and one of the GOP’s biggest donors, who was not in attendance at the convention, said it was “unclear” whether Trump could make inroads with libertarian voters. Yass, who bankrolled an effort to stop Trump from winning the Republican nomination and financed several of his primary opponents, has said he doesn’t plan to contribute to Trump, but will vote for him.
“He has some libertarian instincts for sure. Anti-war is big,” said Yass, who has also praised Trump for his support for education reform policies, which the two have spoken about. “But anti-immigrant, anti-free trade are not good.”
I guess he’s not bothered by Trump’s fascist tendencies.
“Polling Risk for Trump?”
The New York Times’ Nate Cohn on the current state of the presidential polls: A Polling Risk for Trump. His advantage may not be as stable as it looks.
The polls have shown Donald Trump with an edge for eight straight months, but there’s a sign his advantage might not be quite as stable as it looks: His lead is built on gains among voters who aren’t paying close attention to politics, who don’t follow traditional news and who don’t regularly vote.
Disengaged voters on the periphery of the electorate are driving the polling results — and the story line — about the election.
President Biden has actually led the last three New York Times/Siena national polls among those who voted in the 2020 election, even as he has trailed among registered voters overall. And looking back over the last few years, almost all of Trump’s gains came from these less engaged voters.
Importantly, these low-turnout voters are often from Democratic constituencies. Many back Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate. But in our polling, Biden wins just three-quarters of Democratic-leaning voters who didn’t vote in the last cycle, even as almost all high-turnout Democratic-leaners continue to support him.
This trend illustrates the disconnect between Trump’s lead in the polls and Democratic victories in lower-turnout special elections. And it helps explain Trump’s gains among young and nonwhite voters, who tend to be among the least engaged.
Trump’s dependence on these voters could make the race more volatile soon. As voters tune in over the next six months, there’s a chance that disengaged but traditionally Democratic voters could revert to their usual partisan leanings. Alternately, they might stay home, which could also help Biden.
Read more at the NYT.
I guess that’s enough politics news for today. Have a nice Memorial Day weekend.
https://skydancingblog.com/2024/05/25/lazy-caturday-reads-165/
#FBI #JudgeAileenCannon #JusticeSamuelAlito #JusticeSoniaSotomayor #LibertarianConvention #MarthaAnnAlito #presidentialPolls #SpecialCounselJackSmith #TrumpBronxRally #TrumpLies #TrumpStolenDocumentsCase
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“Great inventions are never, and great discoveries are seldom, the work of any one mind. Every great invention is really an aggregation of minor inventions, or the final step of a progression. . It is not usually a creation, but a growth, as truly so as is the growth of the trees in the forest.”*…
A machine called the New Castle, built by Richard Trevithick in 1803, was the first locomotive to do actual work. (source)Our old friend (and here and here) Brian Potter thinks deeply about scientific and technological advance. Here, he ponders the pace of progress…
In her book on the history of the laser, historian Joan Bromberg notes that the technological and scientific predecessors of the maser (which itself preceded the laser – two critical technologies whose developmental histories I sketched in this piece two months ago) were in place for decades before physicist Charles Townes had the insight to combine them…
… This sort of decades-long wait between when a technology first becomes possible, and when it actually appears, seems common, or at least seems like it might be common. I’ve previously written about why it took so long for wind power to be widely deployed after it became technologically possible, and people often idly speculate whether inventors in the Roman Empire could have built a steam engine, or why we waited so long to put wheels on luggage.
Knowing how long this gap between when an invention becomes possible, and when it actually appears, is useful, because it tells us something about the nature of technology and technological progress. What factors govern whether some new technology appears? How much does mere technical possibility matter, and how much do things like cross-pollination of knowledge, economic feasibility, and political factors contribute? Knowing more about how long it takes for an invention to appear once it becomes technically possible can help us answer these sorts of questions.
I wanted a better sense of how long it takes for some technology to appear once its necessary predecessors are in place. So I used AI to try and find out…
[Potter explains his method, then unpacks his results…]
We can clearly see a few trends on this graph. One is that for most inventions, the gap between when it could have been invented and when it was actually invented is not particularly large. Of the 166 inventions Claude estimated a date for, 107 of them (64%) had an “earliest plausible” date 50 years or less from the actual date, and 150 of them (90%) had an “earliest straightforward” date 50 years or less from the actual date. For more than half the inventions, the average earliest straightforward date of invention was 10 years or less from the actual date.
Conversely, there were a relatively small number of inventions where the gap between “could have been invented” and “was invented” was very large. 30 inventions (18%) had an average gap of more than 100 years between “earliest plausible” and actually invented, and eight inventions had a gap of more than 1000 years. You can see this clearly on a histogram, which shows a large bump of small time gaps, and a long tail of fewer, larger gaps.
The inventions with the longest period between “could have been invented” and “was invented” are below.
There’re a few interesting trends observable here. Many of the longest-delayed inventions — the hypodermic needle, general anaesthetic, stethoscope — are medical inventions. (You could argue the surgical mask could be in this category as well). For the hypodermic needle, this probably needed to wait until the existence of some substance that needed to be injected (such as morphine, first synthesized in 1804), but for other medical inventions this possibly also reflects folks’ reluctance to do inventive-tinkering in a medical context. For general anaesthetic, for instance, the trial and error of getting the dose right was incredibly dangerous, and the inventor Hanaoka Seishu “crippled his mother and blinded his wife perfecting the dose.”
Several of the longest-awaited inventions are ones where the version in the list is an early, impractical version of the one that actually solved a problem. So the “dandy horse” — a two-wheeled, wooden vehicle that was a predecessor of the bicycle — could have been built in antiquity, but the dandy horse wasn’t particularly practical as a means of transportation, and actually useful bicycles had to wait for the improved manufacturing technology of the later 19th century. Likewise, the version of the ballpoint pen that Claude thinks could have been invented much earlier is John Loud’s 1888 version, but Loud’s pen worked poorly and wasn’t successful. Actually useful ballpoint pens are surprisingly difficult to manufacture (China famously couldn’t manufacture them until very recently), and credit for the “useful ballpoint pen” is usually given to Lazlo Biro in 1938. (Claude correctly notes that “useful” versions of both these inventions would need to wait until much later.) Judson’s early zipper and de Martinsville’s early sound-recording device are also examples of early, not-particularly-useful inventions.
Other inventions on this list seem like they might be a case of the surrounding social or technological conditions needing to be right for the invention to appear. So Otis’ elevator safety brake needed to wait until elevators were in higher demand, which probably didn’t occur until steam engines or some other similar power source came along (though maybe you could have water-driven elevators much earlier). Barbed wire perhaps needed to wait until enclosing very large areas of land for grazing became something people needed to do.
And some inventions seem like they might have been genuinely useful had someone thought of them earlier, and simply nobody did. Blanchard’s pattern-tracing lathe, Neilson’s hot blast, and the safety pin all seem like they fall into this category, though perhaps there were good reasons these didn’t appear earlier.
Going back to the scatterplot, the other obvious trend on this chart is that the gap between when an invention becomes possible and when it appears has narrowed over time. If we graph the average and median gaps for inventions by 20-year time periods, we can see that they have fallen over time.
For the 60 post-1900 inventions, every one has a “straightforward” invention date of 50 years or less than the actual date, and 75% of them have a straightforward date of 10 years or less before the actual date. Of the 30 inventions with a gap of more than 100 years between when they could have been invented and when they actually appeared, 29 of them were invented before 1900. So the process for creating new inventions seems to be getting more and more efficient — opportunities are getting noticed and exploited sooner and sooner, up through 1970 at least (which is when the list of major inventions extends to).
We can also look at how wait times vary by type of technology. The chart below shows average wait times by different categories, for both inventions overall and for just post-1900 inventions. We can see that medical inventions have the longest wait, while electronic inventions have the shortest wait…
… We can also look at what types of factors tend to be bottlenecks. For some inventions, the bottleneck is primarily scientific: the limiting factor for the transistor is the band theory of quantum mechanics, and the limiting factor for the radio was Hertz’s demonstration of electromagnetic waves. But for other inventions, it’s primarily technological: the turbojet had to wait not for some new physical theory, but until compressor technology and high-temperature steels appeared; likewise the airplane had to wait not for some novel theory of aerodynamics but until a light enough engine appeared. The chart below shows how often “science” or “technology” was the limiting factor for a given invention, for both inventions overall and post-1900 inventions.
In both cases, technology is the bottleneck far more often than science (though of course if you removed enough technological bottlenecks eventually you’d hit a scientific one, and vice versa).
There is of course only so much you can learn from this sort of exercise: at the end of the day, this is based on an AI’s best guess, not a thorough analysis of the various controlling factors by experts. But while I wouldn’t swear to its accuracy, I think the answers are probably mostly pretty good, and enough for us to draw some general (if tentative) conclusions about the nature of technological progress.
My main takeaway is that we mostly don’t wait all that long for new inventions. Since 1800 most inventions have appeared within a few decades of when it was possible to build them, and since 1900 these gaps been even narrower. It also seems likely that medical inventions are more likely to have long wait times than other types of inventions, and that the limiting factor for how early some new technology could appear is most likely to be technological, rather than scientific.
On the (maybe suprisingly) quick– and quickening– pace of progress: “How Long Do We Wait for New Inventions?” from @constructionphysics.skystack.xyz
###
As we analyze advance, we might send inventive birthday greetings to William Webster (W. W.) Hansen; he was born on this date in 1909. A physicist and one of the founders of the technology of microwave electronics, he had a central hand in the development of klystron technology (essential to high frequency amplification, thus central to microwave technology, radar, and UHF television transmission), and linear accelerators (he led the development of SLAC), and along with the Varian brothers and Edward Ginzton, co-founded Varian Associates (in 1948)–one of the first high-tech companies in Silicon Valley.
#BrianPotter #culture #history #innovation #invention #inventions #klystron #linearAccelerator #microwave #Physics #radar #Science #SLAC #Technology #VarianAssociates #WWHansen -
“Great inventions are never, and great discoveries are seldom, the work of any one mind. Every great invention is really an aggregation of minor inventions, or the final step of a progression. . It is not usually a creation, but a growth, as truly so as is the growth of the trees in the forest.”*…
A machine called the New Castle, built by Richard Trevithick in 1803, was the first locomotive to do actual work. (source)Our old friend (and here and here) Brian Potter thinks deeply about scientific and technological advance. Here, he ponders the pace of progress…
In her book on the history of the laser, historian Joan Bromberg notes that the technological and scientific predecessors of the maser (which itself preceded the laser – two critical technologies whose developmental histories I sketched in this piece two months ago) were in place for decades before physicist Charles Townes had the insight to combine them…
… This sort of decades-long wait between when a technology first becomes possible, and when it actually appears, seems common, or at least seems like it might be common. I’ve previously written about why it took so long for wind power to be widely deployed after it became technologically possible, and people often idly speculate whether inventors in the Roman Empire could have built a steam engine, or why we waited so long to put wheels on luggage.
Knowing how long this gap between when an invention becomes possible, and when it actually appears, is useful, because it tells us something about the nature of technology and technological progress. What factors govern whether some new technology appears? How much does mere technical possibility matter, and how much do things like cross-pollination of knowledge, economic feasibility, and political factors contribute? Knowing more about how long it takes for an invention to appear once it becomes technically possible can help us answer these sorts of questions.
I wanted a better sense of how long it takes for some technology to appear once its necessary predecessors are in place. So I used AI to try and find out…
[Potter explains his method, then unpacks his results…]
We can clearly see a few trends on this graph. One is that for most inventions, the gap between when it could have been invented and when it was actually invented is not particularly large. Of the 166 inventions Claude estimated a date for, 107 of them (64%) had an “earliest plausible” date 50 years or less from the actual date, and 150 of them (90%) had an “earliest straightforward” date 50 years or less from the actual date. For more than half the inventions, the average earliest straightforward date of invention was 10 years or less from the actual date.
Conversely, there were a relatively small number of inventions where the gap between “could have been invented” and “was invented” was very large. 30 inventions (18%) had an average gap of more than 100 years between “earliest plausible” and actually invented, and eight inventions had a gap of more than 1000 years. You can see this clearly on a histogram, which shows a large bump of small time gaps, and a long tail of fewer, larger gaps.
The inventions with the longest period between “could have been invented” and “was invented” are below.
There’re a few interesting trends observable here. Many of the longest-delayed inventions — the hypodermic needle, general anaesthetic, stethoscope — are medical inventions. (You could argue the surgical mask could be in this category as well). For the hypodermic needle, this probably needed to wait until the existence of some substance that needed to be injected (such as morphine, first synthesized in 1804), but for other medical inventions this possibly also reflects folks’ reluctance to do inventive-tinkering in a medical context. For general anaesthetic, for instance, the trial and error of getting the dose right was incredibly dangerous, and the inventor Hanaoka Seishu “crippled his mother and blinded his wife perfecting the dose.”
Several of the longest-awaited inventions are ones where the version in the list is an early, impractical version of the one that actually solved a problem. So the “dandy horse” — a two-wheeled, wooden vehicle that was a predecessor of the bicycle — could have been built in antiquity, but the dandy horse wasn’t particularly practical as a means of transportation, and actually useful bicycles had to wait for the improved manufacturing technology of the later 19th century. Likewise, the version of the ballpoint pen that Claude thinks could have been invented much earlier is John Loud’s 1888 version, but Loud’s pen worked poorly and wasn’t successful. Actually useful ballpoint pens are surprisingly difficult to manufacture (China famously couldn’t manufacture them until very recently), and credit for the “useful ballpoint pen” is usually given to Lazlo Biro in 1938. (Claude correctly notes that “useful” versions of both these inventions would need to wait until much later.) Judson’s early zipper and de Martinsville’s early sound-recording device are also examples of early, not-particularly-useful inventions.
Other inventions on this list seem like they might be a case of the surrounding social or technological conditions needing to be right for the invention to appear. So Otis’ elevator safety brake needed to wait until elevators were in higher demand, which probably didn’t occur until steam engines or some other similar power source came along (though maybe you could have water-driven elevators much earlier). Barbed wire perhaps needed to wait until enclosing very large areas of land for grazing became something people needed to do.
And some inventions seem like they might have been genuinely useful had someone thought of them earlier, and simply nobody did. Blanchard’s pattern-tracing lathe, Neilson’s hot blast, and the safety pin all seem like they fall into this category, though perhaps there were good reasons these didn’t appear earlier.
Going back to the scatterplot, the other obvious trend on this chart is that the gap between when an invention becomes possible and when it appears has narrowed over time. If we graph the average and median gaps for inventions by 20-year time periods, we can see that they have fallen over time.
For the 60 post-1900 inventions, every one has a “straightforward” invention date of 50 years or less than the actual date, and 75% of them have a straightforward date of 10 years or less before the actual date. Of the 30 inventions with a gap of more than 100 years between when they could have been invented and when they actually appeared, 29 of them were invented before 1900. So the process for creating new inventions seems to be getting more and more efficient — opportunities are getting noticed and exploited sooner and sooner, up through 1970 at least (which is when the list of major inventions extends to).
We can also look at how wait times vary by type of technology. The chart below shows average wait times by different categories, for both inventions overall and for just post-1900 inventions. We can see that medical inventions have the longest wait, while electronic inventions have the shortest wait…
… We can also look at what types of factors tend to be bottlenecks. For some inventions, the bottleneck is primarily scientific: the limiting factor for the transistor is the band theory of quantum mechanics, and the limiting factor for the radio was Hertz’s demonstration of electromagnetic waves. But for other inventions, it’s primarily technological: the turbojet had to wait not for some new physical theory, but until compressor technology and high-temperature steels appeared; likewise the airplane had to wait not for some novel theory of aerodynamics but until a light enough engine appeared. The chart below shows how often “science” or “technology” was the limiting factor for a given invention, for both inventions overall and post-1900 inventions.
In both cases, technology is the bottleneck far more often than science (though of course if you removed enough technological bottlenecks eventually you’d hit a scientific one, and vice versa).
There is of course only so much you can learn from this sort of exercise: at the end of the day, this is based on an AI’s best guess, not a thorough analysis of the various controlling factors by experts. But while I wouldn’t swear to its accuracy, I think the answers are probably mostly pretty good, and enough for us to draw some general (if tentative) conclusions about the nature of technological progress.
My main takeaway is that we mostly don’t wait all that long for new inventions. Since 1800 most inventions have appeared within a few decades of when it was possible to build them, and since 1900 these gaps been even narrower. It also seems likely that medical inventions are more likely to have long wait times than other types of inventions, and that the limiting factor for how early some new technology could appear is most likely to be technological, rather than scientific.
On the (maybe suprisingly) quick– and quickening– pace of progress: “How Long Do We Wait for New Inventions?” from @constructionphysics.skystack.xyz
###
As we analyze advance, we might send inventive birthday greetings to William Webster (W. W.) Hansen; he was born on this date in 1909. A physicist and one of the founders of the technology of microwave electronics, he had a central hand in the development of klystron technology (essential to high frequency amplification, thus central to microwave technology, radar, and UHF television transmission), and linear accelerators (he led the development of SLAC), and along with the Varian brothers and Edward Ginzton, co-founded Varian Associates (in 1948)–one of the first high-tech companies in Silicon Valley.
#BrianPotter #culture #history #innovation #invention #inventions #klystron #linearAccelerator #microwave #Physics #radar #Science #SLAC #Technology #VarianAssociates #WWHansen -
“Great inventions are never, and great discoveries are seldom, the work of any one mind. Every great invention is really an aggregation of minor inventions, or the final step of a progression. . It is not usually a creation, but a growth, as truly so as is the growth of the trees in the forest.”*…
A machine called the New Castle, built by Richard Trevithick in 1803, was the first locomotive to do actual work. (source)Our old friend (and here and here) Brian Potter thinks deeply about scientific and technological advance. Here, he ponders the pace of progress…
In her book on the history of the laser, historian Joan Bromberg notes that the technological and scientific predecessors of the maser (which itself preceded the laser – two critical technologies whose developmental histories I sketched in this piece two months ago) were in place for decades before physicist Charles Townes had the insight to combine them…
… This sort of decades-long wait between when a technology first becomes possible, and when it actually appears, seems common, or at least seems like it might be common. I’ve previously written about why it took so long for wind power to be widely deployed after it became technologically possible, and people often idly speculate whether inventors in the Roman Empire could have built a steam engine, or why we waited so long to put wheels on luggage.
Knowing how long this gap between when an invention becomes possible, and when it actually appears, is useful, because it tells us something about the nature of technology and technological progress. What factors govern whether some new technology appears? How much does mere technical possibility matter, and how much do things like cross-pollination of knowledge, economic feasibility, and political factors contribute? Knowing more about how long it takes for an invention to appear once it becomes technically possible can help us answer these sorts of questions.
I wanted a better sense of how long it takes for some technology to appear once its necessary predecessors are in place. So I used AI to try and find out…
[Potter explains his method, then unpacks his results…]
We can clearly see a few trends on this graph. One is that for most inventions, the gap between when it could have been invented and when it was actually invented is not particularly large. Of the 166 inventions Claude estimated a date for, 107 of them (64%) had an “earliest plausible” date 50 years or less from the actual date, and 150 of them (90%) had an “earliest straightforward” date 50 years or less from the actual date. For more than half the inventions, the average earliest straightforward date of invention was 10 years or less from the actual date.
Conversely, there were a relatively small number of inventions where the gap between “could have been invented” and “was invented” was very large. 30 inventions (18%) had an average gap of more than 100 years between “earliest plausible” and actually invented, and eight inventions had a gap of more than 1000 years. You can see this clearly on a histogram, which shows a large bump of small time gaps, and a long tail of fewer, larger gaps.
The inventions with the longest period between “could have been invented” and “was invented” are below.
There’re a few interesting trends observable here. Many of the longest-delayed inventions — the hypodermic needle, general anaesthetic, stethoscope — are medical inventions. (You could argue the surgical mask could be in this category as well). For the hypodermic needle, this probably needed to wait until the existence of some substance that needed to be injected (such as morphine, first synthesized in 1804), but for other medical inventions this possibly also reflects folks’ reluctance to do inventive-tinkering in a medical context. For general anaesthetic, for instance, the trial and error of getting the dose right was incredibly dangerous, and the inventor Hanaoka Seishu “crippled his mother and blinded his wife perfecting the dose.”
Several of the longest-awaited inventions are ones where the version in the list is an early, impractical version of the one that actually solved a problem. So the “dandy horse” — a two-wheeled, wooden vehicle that was a predecessor of the bicycle — could have been built in antiquity, but the dandy horse wasn’t particularly practical as a means of transportation, and actually useful bicycles had to wait for the improved manufacturing technology of the later 19th century. Likewise, the version of the ballpoint pen that Claude thinks could have been invented much earlier is John Loud’s 1888 version, but Loud’s pen worked poorly and wasn’t successful. Actually useful ballpoint pens are surprisingly difficult to manufacture (China famously couldn’t manufacture them until very recently), and credit for the “useful ballpoint pen” is usually given to Lazlo Biro in 1938. (Claude correctly notes that “useful” versions of both these inventions would need to wait until much later.) Judson’s early zipper and de Martinsville’s early sound-recording device are also examples of early, not-particularly-useful inventions.
Other inventions on this list seem like they might be a case of the surrounding social or technological conditions needing to be right for the invention to appear. So Otis’ elevator safety brake needed to wait until elevators were in higher demand, which probably didn’t occur until steam engines or some other similar power source came along (though maybe you could have water-driven elevators much earlier). Barbed wire perhaps needed to wait until enclosing very large areas of land for grazing became something people needed to do.
And some inventions seem like they might have been genuinely useful had someone thought of them earlier, and simply nobody did. Blanchard’s pattern-tracing lathe, Neilson’s hot blast, and the safety pin all seem like they fall into this category, though perhaps there were good reasons these didn’t appear earlier.
Going back to the scatterplot, the other obvious trend on this chart is that the gap between when an invention becomes possible and when it appears has narrowed over time. If we graph the average and median gaps for inventions by 20-year time periods, we can see that they have fallen over time.
For the 60 post-1900 inventions, every one has a “straightforward” invention date of 50 years or less than the actual date, and 75% of them have a straightforward date of 10 years or less before the actual date. Of the 30 inventions with a gap of more than 100 years between when they could have been invented and when they actually appeared, 29 of them were invented before 1900. So the process for creating new inventions seems to be getting more and more efficient — opportunities are getting noticed and exploited sooner and sooner, up through 1970 at least (which is when the list of major inventions extends to).
We can also look at how wait times vary by type of technology. The chart below shows average wait times by different categories, for both inventions overall and for just post-1900 inventions. We can see that medical inventions have the longest wait, while electronic inventions have the shortest wait…
… We can also look at what types of factors tend to be bottlenecks. For some inventions, the bottleneck is primarily scientific: the limiting factor for the transistor is the band theory of quantum mechanics, and the limiting factor for the radio was Hertz’s demonstration of electromagnetic waves. But for other inventions, it’s primarily technological: the turbojet had to wait not for some new physical theory, but until compressor technology and high-temperature steels appeared; likewise the airplane had to wait not for some novel theory of aerodynamics but until a light enough engine appeared. The chart below shows how often “science” or “technology” was the limiting factor for a given invention, for both inventions overall and post-1900 inventions.
In both cases, technology is the bottleneck far more often than science (though of course if you removed enough technological bottlenecks eventually you’d hit a scientific one, and vice versa).
There is of course only so much you can learn from this sort of exercise: at the end of the day, this is based on an AI’s best guess, not a thorough analysis of the various controlling factors by experts. But while I wouldn’t swear to its accuracy, I think the answers are probably mostly pretty good, and enough for us to draw some general (if tentative) conclusions about the nature of technological progress.
My main takeaway is that we mostly don’t wait all that long for new inventions. Since 1800 most inventions have appeared within a few decades of when it was possible to build them, and since 1900 these gaps been even narrower. It also seems likely that medical inventions are more likely to have long wait times than other types of inventions, and that the limiting factor for how early some new technology could appear is most likely to be technological, rather than scientific.
On the (maybe suprisingly) quick– and quickening– pace of progress: “How Long Do We Wait for New Inventions?” from @constructionphysics.skystack.xyz
###
As we analyze advance, we might send inventive birthday greetings to William Webster (W. W.) Hansen; he was born on this date in 1909. A physicist and one of the founders of the technology of microwave electronics, he had a central hand in the development of klystron technology (essential to high frequency amplification, thus central to microwave technology, radar, and UHF television transmission), and linear accelerators (he led the development of SLAC), and along with the Varian brothers and Edward Ginzton, co-founded Varian Associates (in 1948)–one of the first high-tech companies in Silicon Valley.
#BrianPotter #culture #history #innovation #invention #inventions #klystron #linearAccelerator #microwave #Physics #radar #Science #SLAC #Technology #VarianAssociates #WWHansen -
“Great inventions are never, and great discoveries are seldom, the work of any one mind. Every great invention is really an aggregation of minor inventions, or the final step of a progression. . It is not usually a creation, but a growth, as truly so as is the growth of the trees in the forest.”*…
A machine called the New Castle, built by Richard Trevithick in 1803, was the first locomotive to do actual work. (source)Our old friend (and here and here) Brian Potter thinks deeply about scientific and technological advance. Here, he ponders the pace of progress…
In her book on the history of the laser, historian Joan Bromberg notes that the technological and scientific predecessors of the maser (which itself preceded the laser – two critical technologies whose developmental histories I sketched in this piece two months ago) were in place for decades before physicist Charles Townes had the insight to combine them…
… This sort of decades-long wait between when a technology first becomes possible, and when it actually appears, seems common, or at least seems like it might be common. I’ve previously written about why it took so long for wind power to be widely deployed after it became technologically possible, and people often idly speculate whether inventors in the Roman Empire could have built a steam engine, or why we waited so long to put wheels on luggage.
Knowing how long this gap between when an invention becomes possible, and when it actually appears, is useful, because it tells us something about the nature of technology and technological progress. What factors govern whether some new technology appears? How much does mere technical possibility matter, and how much do things like cross-pollination of knowledge, economic feasibility, and political factors contribute? Knowing more about how long it takes for an invention to appear once it becomes technically possible can help us answer these sorts of questions.
I wanted a better sense of how long it takes for some technology to appear once its necessary predecessors are in place. So I used AI to try and find out…
[Potter explains his method, then unpacks his results…]
We can clearly see a few trends on this graph. One is that for most inventions, the gap between when it could have been invented and when it was actually invented is not particularly large. Of the 166 inventions Claude estimated a date for, 107 of them (64%) had an “earliest plausible” date 50 years or less from the actual date, and 150 of them (90%) had an “earliest straightforward” date 50 years or less from the actual date. For more than half the inventions, the average earliest straightforward date of invention was 10 years or less from the actual date.
Conversely, there were a relatively small number of inventions where the gap between “could have been invented” and “was invented” was very large. 30 inventions (18%) had an average gap of more than 100 years between “earliest plausible” and actually invented, and eight inventions had a gap of more than 1000 years. You can see this clearly on a histogram, which shows a large bump of small time gaps, and a long tail of fewer, larger gaps.
The inventions with the longest period between “could have been invented” and “was invented” are below.
There’re a few interesting trends observable here. Many of the longest-delayed inventions — the hypodermic needle, general anaesthetic, stethoscope — are medical inventions. (You could argue the surgical mask could be in this category as well). For the hypodermic needle, this probably needed to wait until the existence of some substance that needed to be injected (such as morphine, first synthesized in 1804), but for other medical inventions this possibly also reflects folks’ reluctance to do inventive-tinkering in a medical context. For general anaesthetic, for instance, the trial and error of getting the dose right was incredibly dangerous, and the inventor Hanaoka Seishu “crippled his mother and blinded his wife perfecting the dose.”
Several of the longest-awaited inventions are ones where the version in the list is an early, impractical version of the one that actually solved a problem. So the “dandy horse” — a two-wheeled, wooden vehicle that was a predecessor of the bicycle — could have been built in antiquity, but the dandy horse wasn’t particularly practical as a means of transportation, and actually useful bicycles had to wait for the improved manufacturing technology of the later 19th century. Likewise, the version of the ballpoint pen that Claude thinks could have been invented much earlier is John Loud’s 1888 version, but Loud’s pen worked poorly and wasn’t successful. Actually useful ballpoint pens are surprisingly difficult to manufacture (China famously couldn’t manufacture them until very recently), and credit for the “useful ballpoint pen” is usually given to Lazlo Biro in 1938. (Claude correctly notes that “useful” versions of both these inventions would need to wait until much later.) Judson’s early zipper and de Martinsville’s early sound-recording device are also examples of early, not-particularly-useful inventions.
Other inventions on this list seem like they might be a case of the surrounding social or technological conditions needing to be right for the invention to appear. So Otis’ elevator safety brake needed to wait until elevators were in higher demand, which probably didn’t occur until steam engines or some other similar power source came along (though maybe you could have water-driven elevators much earlier). Barbed wire perhaps needed to wait until enclosing very large areas of land for grazing became something people needed to do.
And some inventions seem like they might have been genuinely useful had someone thought of them earlier, and simply nobody did. Blanchard’s pattern-tracing lathe, Neilson’s hot blast, and the safety pin all seem like they fall into this category, though perhaps there were good reasons these didn’t appear earlier.
Going back to the scatterplot, the other obvious trend on this chart is that the gap between when an invention becomes possible and when it appears has narrowed over time. If we graph the average and median gaps for inventions by 20-year time periods, we can see that they have fallen over time.
For the 60 post-1900 inventions, every one has a “straightforward” invention date of 50 years or less than the actual date, and 75% of them have a straightforward date of 10 years or less before the actual date. Of the 30 inventions with a gap of more than 100 years between when they could have been invented and when they actually appeared, 29 of them were invented before 1900. So the process for creating new inventions seems to be getting more and more efficient — opportunities are getting noticed and exploited sooner and sooner, up through 1970 at least (which is when the list of major inventions extends to).
We can also look at how wait times vary by type of technology. The chart below shows average wait times by different categories, for both inventions overall and for just post-1900 inventions. We can see that medical inventions have the longest wait, while electronic inventions have the shortest wait…
… We can also look at what types of factors tend to be bottlenecks. For some inventions, the bottleneck is primarily scientific: the limiting factor for the transistor is the band theory of quantum mechanics, and the limiting factor for the radio was Hertz’s demonstration of electromagnetic waves. But for other inventions, it’s primarily technological: the turbojet had to wait not for some new physical theory, but until compressor technology and high-temperature steels appeared; likewise the airplane had to wait not for some novel theory of aerodynamics but until a light enough engine appeared. The chart below shows how often “science” or “technology” was the limiting factor for a given invention, for both inventions overall and post-1900 inventions.
In both cases, technology is the bottleneck far more often than science (though of course if you removed enough technological bottlenecks eventually you’d hit a scientific one, and vice versa).
There is of course only so much you can learn from this sort of exercise: at the end of the day, this is based on an AI’s best guess, not a thorough analysis of the various controlling factors by experts. But while I wouldn’t swear to its accuracy, I think the answers are probably mostly pretty good, and enough for us to draw some general (if tentative) conclusions about the nature of technological progress.
My main takeaway is that we mostly don’t wait all that long for new inventions. Since 1800 most inventions have appeared within a few decades of when it was possible to build them, and since 1900 these gaps been even narrower. It also seems likely that medical inventions are more likely to have long wait times than other types of inventions, and that the limiting factor for how early some new technology could appear is most likely to be technological, rather than scientific.
On the (maybe suprisingly) quick– and quickening– pace of progress: “How Long Do We Wait for New Inventions?” from @constructionphysics.skystack.xyz
###
As we analyze advance, we might send inventive birthday greetings to William Webster (W. W.) Hansen; he was born on this date in 1909. A physicist and one of the founders of the technology of microwave electronics, he had a central hand in the development of klystron technology (essential to high frequency amplification, thus central to microwave technology, radar, and UHF television transmission), and linear accelerators (he led the development of SLAC), and along with the Varian brothers and Edward Ginzton, co-founded Varian Associates (in 1948)–one of the first high-tech companies in Silicon Valley.
#BrianPotter #culture #history #innovation #invention #inventions #klystron #linearAccelerator #microwave #Physics #radar #Science #SLAC #Technology #VarianAssociates #WWHansen -
“Great inventions are never, and great discoveries are seldom, the work of any one mind. Every great invention is really an aggregation of minor inventions, or the final step of a progression. . It is not usually a creation, but a growth, as truly so as is the growth of the trees in the forest.”*…
A machine called the New Castle, built by Richard Trevithick in 1803, was the first locomotive to do actual work. (source)Our old friend (and here and here) Brian Potter thinks deeply about scientific and technological advance. Here, he ponders the pace of progress…
In her book on the history of the laser, historian Joan Bromberg notes that the technological and scientific predecessors of the maser (which itself preceded the laser – two critical technologies whose developmental histories I sketched in this piece two months ago) were in place for decades before physicist Charles Townes had the insight to combine them…
… This sort of decades-long wait between when a technology first becomes possible, and when it actually appears, seems common, or at least seems like it might be common. I’ve previously written about why it took so long for wind power to be widely deployed after it became technologically possible, and people often idly speculate whether inventors in the Roman Empire could have built a steam engine, or why we waited so long to put wheels on luggage.
Knowing how long this gap between when an invention becomes possible, and when it actually appears, is useful, because it tells us something about the nature of technology and technological progress. What factors govern whether some new technology appears? How much does mere technical possibility matter, and how much do things like cross-pollination of knowledge, economic feasibility, and political factors contribute? Knowing more about how long it takes for an invention to appear once it becomes technically possible can help us answer these sorts of questions.
I wanted a better sense of how long it takes for some technology to appear once its necessary predecessors are in place. So I used AI to try and find out…
[Potter explains his method, then unpacks his results…]
We can clearly see a few trends on this graph. One is that for most inventions, the gap between when it could have been invented and when it was actually invented is not particularly large. Of the 166 inventions Claude estimated a date for, 107 of them (64%) had an “earliest plausible” date 50 years or less from the actual date, and 150 of them (90%) had an “earliest straightforward” date 50 years or less from the actual date. For more than half the inventions, the average earliest straightforward date of invention was 10 years or less from the actual date.
Conversely, there were a relatively small number of inventions where the gap between “could have been invented” and “was invented” was very large. 30 inventions (18%) had an average gap of more than 100 years between “earliest plausible” and actually invented, and eight inventions had a gap of more than 1000 years. You can see this clearly on a histogram, which shows a large bump of small time gaps, and a long tail of fewer, larger gaps.
The inventions with the longest period between “could have been invented” and “was invented” are below.
There’re a few interesting trends observable here. Many of the longest-delayed inventions — the hypodermic needle, general anaesthetic, stethoscope — are medical inventions. (You could argue the surgical mask could be in this category as well). For the hypodermic needle, this probably needed to wait until the existence of some substance that needed to be injected (such as morphine, first synthesized in 1804), but for other medical inventions this possibly also reflects folks’ reluctance to do inventive-tinkering in a medical context. For general anaesthetic, for instance, the trial and error of getting the dose right was incredibly dangerous, and the inventor Hanaoka Seishu “crippled his mother and blinded his wife perfecting the dose.”
Several of the longest-awaited inventions are ones where the version in the list is an early, impractical version of the one that actually solved a problem. So the “dandy horse” — a two-wheeled, wooden vehicle that was a predecessor of the bicycle — could have been built in antiquity, but the dandy horse wasn’t particularly practical as a means of transportation, and actually useful bicycles had to wait for the improved manufacturing technology of the later 19th century. Likewise, the version of the ballpoint pen that Claude thinks could have been invented much earlier is John Loud’s 1888 version, but Loud’s pen worked poorly and wasn’t successful. Actually useful ballpoint pens are surprisingly difficult to manufacture (China famously couldn’t manufacture them until very recently), and credit for the “useful ballpoint pen” is usually given to Lazlo Biro in 1938. (Claude correctly notes that “useful” versions of both these inventions would need to wait until much later.) Judson’s early zipper and de Martinsville’s early sound-recording device are also examples of early, not-particularly-useful inventions.
Other inventions on this list seem like they might be a case of the surrounding social or technological conditions needing to be right for the invention to appear. So Otis’ elevator safety brake needed to wait until elevators were in higher demand, which probably didn’t occur until steam engines or some other similar power source came along (though maybe you could have water-driven elevators much earlier). Barbed wire perhaps needed to wait until enclosing very large areas of land for grazing became something people needed to do.
And some inventions seem like they might have been genuinely useful had someone thought of them earlier, and simply nobody did. Blanchard’s pattern-tracing lathe, Neilson’s hot blast, and the safety pin all seem like they fall into this category, though perhaps there were good reasons these didn’t appear earlier.
Going back to the scatterplot, the other obvious trend on this chart is that the gap between when an invention becomes possible and when it appears has narrowed over time. If we graph the average and median gaps for inventions by 20-year time periods, we can see that they have fallen over time.
For the 60 post-1900 inventions, every one has a “straightforward” invention date of 50 years or less than the actual date, and 75% of them have a straightforward date of 10 years or less before the actual date. Of the 30 inventions with a gap of more than 100 years between when they could have been invented and when they actually appeared, 29 of them were invented before 1900. So the process for creating new inventions seems to be getting more and more efficient — opportunities are getting noticed and exploited sooner and sooner, up through 1970 at least (which is when the list of major inventions extends to).
We can also look at how wait times vary by type of technology. The chart below shows average wait times by different categories, for both inventions overall and for just post-1900 inventions. We can see that medical inventions have the longest wait, while electronic inventions have the shortest wait…
… We can also look at what types of factors tend to be bottlenecks. For some inventions, the bottleneck is primarily scientific: the limiting factor for the transistor is the band theory of quantum mechanics, and the limiting factor for the radio was Hertz’s demonstration of electromagnetic waves. But for other inventions, it’s primarily technological: the turbojet had to wait not for some new physical theory, but until compressor technology and high-temperature steels appeared; likewise the airplane had to wait not for some novel theory of aerodynamics but until a light enough engine appeared. The chart below shows how often “science” or “technology” was the limiting factor for a given invention, for both inventions overall and post-1900 inventions.
In both cases, technology is the bottleneck far more often than science (though of course if you removed enough technological bottlenecks eventually you’d hit a scientific one, and vice versa).
There is of course only so much you can learn from this sort of exercise: at the end of the day, this is based on an AI’s best guess, not a thorough analysis of the various controlling factors by experts. But while I wouldn’t swear to its accuracy, I think the answers are probably mostly pretty good, and enough for us to draw some general (if tentative) conclusions about the nature of technological progress.
My main takeaway is that we mostly don’t wait all that long for new inventions. Since 1800 most inventions have appeared within a few decades of when it was possible to build them, and since 1900 these gaps been even narrower. It also seems likely that medical inventions are more likely to have long wait times than other types of inventions, and that the limiting factor for how early some new technology could appear is most likely to be technological, rather than scientific.
On the (maybe suprisingly) quick– and quickening– pace of progress: “How Long Do We Wait for New Inventions?” from @constructionphysics.skystack.xyz
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As we analyze advance, we might send inventive birthday greetings to William Webster (W. W.) Hansen; he was born on this date in 1909. A physicist and one of the founders of the technology of microwave electronics, he had a central hand in the development of klystron technology (essential to high frequency amplification, thus central to microwave technology, radar, and UHF television transmission), and linear accelerators (he led the development of SLAC), and along with the Varian brothers and Edward Ginzton, co-founded Varian Associates (in 1948)–one of the first high-tech companies in Silicon Valley.
#BrianPotter #culture #history #innovation #invention #inventions #klystron #linearAccelerator #microwave #Physics #radar #Science #SLAC #Technology #VarianAssociates #WWHansen -
Bauhaus, In The Flat Field, 1980 on 4AD
Debut album from Peter Murphy, Daniel Ash, David Jay, and Kevin Haskins aka Bauhaus. Bauhaus and its many spinoffs (Tones on Tail, Love and Rockets, Dali’s Car) are among my favorite musical lineages.
They’d released “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” as a single in 1979 on Small Wonder records, but this debut came out on 4AD which itself was new in 1980 under the Beggars Banquet umbrella.
The cover is a photograph called Homage to Purvis de Chavannes by American photographer Duane Michals – hopefully it doesn’t get my account flagged as naughty.
My copy – as so many in the last few weeks via Slipped Disc at a Mill No 5 record fair – is a 2013 reissue.
#1980 #1980s #4AD #Bauhaus #DanielAsh #DavidJay #Goth #KevinHaskins #LowellMA #MillNo5 #PeterMurphy #SlippedDisc #vinyl #vinylcollection #vinylfinds
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Bauhaus, In The Flat Field, 1980 on 4AD
Debut album from Peter Murphy, Daniel Ash, David Jay, and Kevin Haskins aka Bauhaus. Bauhaus and its many spinoffs (Tones on Tail, Love and Rockets, Dali’s Car) are among my favorite musical lineages.
They’d released “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” as a single in 1979 on Small Wonder records, but this debut came out on 4AD which itself was new in 1980 under the Beggars Banquet umbrella.
The cover is a photograph called Homage to Purvis de Chavannes by American photographer Duane Michals – hopefully it doesn’t get my account flagged as naughty.
My copy – as so many in the last few weeks via Slipped Disc at a Mill No 5 record fair – is a 2013 reissue.
#1980 #1980s #4AD #Bauhaus #DanielAsh #DavidJay #Goth #KevinHaskins #LowellMA #MillNo5 #PeterMurphy #SlippedDisc #vinyl #vinylcollection #vinylfinds
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The US VIP Air Force Boeing C-40B (tail 01-0015, callsign SAM033) Makes Quick Stop in #Islamabad Amid High-Stakes US-Iran #PeaceTalks
As of now, there is still no publicly visible Iranian VIP or government flight on Flightradar24 (or similar trackers). Iranian government aircraft (such as Airbus A321 EP-IGD or A340 EP-IGA, often flown under IRANxx callsigns) show no activity on this route.
As Iran has stated it remains firm on its condition: no negotiations will take place while Israeli attacks continue on #Lebanon.
The situation remains fluid, but Iran's principled stand continues to shape the outcome.
#Pakistan #ceasefirescam #Iran #US #Israel #WarOnIran #Vence #USpol #Politics