3 chinese students, 48 tigers, and 72 hours to kill

by Kraig Becker on

The Qinling Wild Animal Safari in the Xi’an, Shaanxi province of China, recently held a unique promotion, recruiting three people to spend 72-hours living inside a small cabin located at the center of a tiger enclosure. The recruits were tasked with observing the behavior of the 48 big cats that prowled the grounds just outside the thin walls of the cabin, recording their interactions 24-hours per day.

Officials from the safari park say they received more than 650 applicants from brave souls looking to spend the night in the tiger pen. They ended up selecting three students, ages 24 and 25, who were given laptops, digital cameras and notebooks to record their observations, and this past Sunday, they were locked into the small, ten square-meter cabin to begin the process. Sunday also just happened to be the start of the Chinese New Year, marking the beginning of the “Year of the Tiger”

For it’s part, the cabin wasn’t exactly luxury accommodations. It had no electricity or heat, and contained no furniture what so ever. It was packed with straw to help keep the students warm however, and it allowed them to get up close and personal in making their round-the-clock observations of the cats, without disturbing their natural patterns. In a sense, it served as a duck blind for the three days they were in the enclosure.

The students managed to survive their stay inside the cage, and were let out on Wednesday. Their observations will now be used as part of a larger study on the behavior of tigers in an attempt to better understand how they live in the wild. Some experts think that there may be as few as 50 tigers still left in the wild in China, and during the Year of the Tiger, they hope to raise awareness of that fact.

American Airlines will begin commercial flights into Haiti starting Friday

by Aaron Hotfelder on

American Airlines is all set to become the first airline to resume commercial flights into Haiti, according to an announcement it made last night. The first flight will depart Miami International Airport at 6:40 am and arrive in Port-au-Prince at 8:35 am. Kayak lists airfare for that flight at $782 roundtrip.

According to a spokesperson for American, three flights a day will depart for Port-au-Prince from South Florida, with four flights a week from JFK in New York soon to follow.

The main airport in Port-au-Prince, damaged significantly by the 7.0 magnitude earthquake which struck January 12, has finally been repaired enough to begin acccepting commercial passengers. Haitian Customs will take place at a nearby cargo facility, however, because of damage to the main terminal.

Despite not sending commercial flights into Haiti until Friday, American has been flying humanitarian workers, supplies, and medical personnel into Port-au-Prince since the earthquake.

According to a senior official for American Airlines, the commercial flights which begin Friday “serve as major milestones toward helping the country rebuild… With commercial air service restored, we can better connect loved ones and provide consistent transportation to and from Haiti.”

More here.

Giving back feels good: 600,000 signed up for Disney volunteer days

by Melanie Nayer on

Maybe it’s a sign of the times or maybe it’s a sign of things to come, but either way it feels good to give back — just ask the 600,000 people who have already signed up for Disney’s volunteer days.

Disney Parks kicked off 2010 with a new promotion: volunteer and get one-day free admission to Walt Disney World. During a press conference today in Orlando, Disney announced that just six weeks into the promotion it already had 600,000 volunteers signed up to give back. Disney is aiming for 1 million volunteers and at this rate, it’s possible their dream just might come true.

The concept is simple:

  • Sign-up for an approved, one-day community program at the HandsOn Network via the Disney Parks homepage
  • Once you’ve completed your day of volunteering, you’ll get a voucher for a free day at Disney

Disney started this campaign after a revenue decline of 2% last quarter. Looking for a way to bring more families back to the Magic Kingdom, Disney cooked up this promotion, which benefits both the park and those less fortunate. It’s no secret the parks are pricey, so offering free admission to Main Street USA is a draw for any family looking to save a few dollars.

[via WalletPop.com]

Austin-Lehman Adventures launches “preserve a park” program

by Kraig Becker on

Upscale adventure travel company Austin-Lehman Adventures has launched a new conservation and education program that will, on a yearly basis, highlight a designated national park and provide financial contributions to an organization that is associated with that park. This new initiative is dubbed the “Preserve A Park” program, with Glacier National Park being the first beneficiary.

2010 marks the 100th anniversary of Glacier being designated as a national park. Located in the state of Montana, along the border with British Columbia, Canada, the park is over 1 million acres of pristine backcountry wilderness. Home to hundreds of species of animals, Glacier is popular with those hoping to catch a glimpse of the amazing wildlife, which includes grizzly bears, mountain goats, elk, moose and much more. Other visitors come to take in some of the 700 miles of hiking trails or paddle the more than 300 mountain lakes, while some are happy to just drive the famous Going to the Sun Road.

Of course, Austin-Lehman is offering their own Glacier Park Vacations giving travelers a chance to explore the park in all of its splendor. And for every person who signs up for one of these trips, the company is donating $100 to the Glacier National Park Fund as part of the Preserve A Park program. There will be three Glacier Park trips for this year, each lasting 6 days and 5 nights, running from August 1-6, August 8-13, and August 15-20, with a cost of $2498 per person.

Austin-Lehman is one of the top adventure travel companies in the world, offering small group travel in North, South, and Central America, as well as Europe and Africa. For more than 35-years, the company has been organizing active excursions around the globe, while still offering an emphasis on culture and history as well.

Scottish island reaps financial reward protecting birds

by Sean McLachlan on

The Isle of Mull in the Scottish Inner Hebrides is making millions by protecting the white-tailed eagle and other birds.

This small island, home to about 2,700 people and 250 bird species, gets 6,000 visitors a year who spend £2 million ($3.3 million). That’s 2.2 tourists and £741 ($1,211) per person.

Well, the people of Mull only get half that; the other half goes to the Mull Eagle Watch, the organization that monitors and helps the birds. I doubt the locals begrudge this ecological sugar daddy a bit of support.

The local community uses the money for education, youth groups, and other initiatives. The folks at Treehugger say this environmental/tourist model works so well in Mull because the community is small and relatively autonomous, so the money doesn’t get lost in some vast, corrupt bureaucracy.

While most visitors come to Mull for its rugged scenery and abundant wildlife, there are also castles, prehistoric ruins, a stone circle, and a local whiskey distillery. As residents celebrate ten years of the eagle project, they can look forward to a strong tourist industry to showcase all of their island’s natural and historic heritage.