by Jacqueline Alexander

ELEPHANT poo, apparently, smells quite nice. Lion poo does not. Neither does that of the badger. These little nuggets of information were drawn from the mind of wildlife expert, writer and broadcaster Sir David Attenborough by a five-year-old girl interviewing him for the Guardian.

Few people transcend the divides of age or gender with the same natural, easy manner of Sir David and yet there is no time wasted in actually trying to appeal to everyone. He is neither a fashion victim nor does he seek the popular vote. It is a boundless curiousity of the natural world, an unintimidating intelligence and an engaging persona that unite to make the 83-year-old as popular as ever.

After over 50 years of broadcasting, he has seen more of the planet than most of us and he brings his world into our living room with the greatest of ease. We have all benefited from seeing the elusive snow leopard, the entertaining Lyrebird and the migrating wildebeest without even calling British Airways.

Considering the extent of his adventures, it would be easy to assume that Sir David would have a long list of barely heard-of creatures that cause fear to rise from the depths of his being. The Komodo dragon could be a contender, the grizzly bear perhaps or even one of the many poisonous snakes that have crossed his path.

In fact, it is a creature found in every city, town and village in Britian that makes the hairs stand up on the back of his neck — the lowly rat.

Knowing this, and that Sir David’s thirst for discovery is undiminished, it must have been thrilling for him to learn that the 21st century is still revealing the hidden secrets of our world.

Earlier this week, a team of Botanists led by British experts confirmed the existence of a carnivorous pitcher plant that eats not only insects but rodents, including the rat.

In 2007, in the far reaches of Mount Victoria in the Philippines, the team began their study of this fascinating shrub and continued until they had details of all 120 species.

They also decided to honour Sir David by naming their discovery after the man “whose work has inspired generations toward a better understanding of the beauty and diversity of the natural world”. The plant is now known as Nepenthes attenboroughii.

There is not one news website that has not covered this story, which goes some way to demonstrating the esteem in which Sir David is held and the far-reaching consequences of his work.

Having searched for “David Attenborough,” the resulting number of videos, interviews, essays and articles is overwhelming. The BBC’s website (BBC.co.uk) does a fine job of profiling its star and so it should as Sir David is a fierce defender of public service broadcasting, not just here in the UK but across the world.

Maybe it is befitting that it was during an interview for PBS.org (the Public Broadcasting Service) that a few of the secrets of Sir David’s enduring popularity were revealed.

As we all know, Sir David has more airmiles than most, and during each of his trips, he flies economy - every time. It is no surprise to learn that he is often offered a free upgrade to which he responds, “only if my crew can come too”.

He helps with the carrying of all the filming equipment and constantly passes the frequent accolades he receives on to the camera crew – paying homage to their skill and patience which ensures that those of us engaged in activities closer to home get to witness the wonderful, and diverse, world in which we live.

MOVERS AND SHAKERS

News of a rise in eating disorders has sparked a keen interest in the subject online. Searches for details on what, when and how the compulsion strikes has caused “eating disorders” to take the number two spot in overall searches.

On a much healthier note, Usain Bolt has not only blown us away on the track but is repeating the performance in the sports-based searches.

The Jamacian ran 9.58 seconds in the 100m event at the athletics world championships in Berlin, beating his own world record and testing the hyperbole of broadcasters. Viewings of the video footage of his feat have broken the two million mark by some distance.

Meanwhile, news of the sale of the first 2011 Bentley Mulsanne for more than $550,000 has caused quite a stir. No one knows who was behind the bid for the car said to be “at the pinnacle of ultra-luxury”. The car itself is officially released next year. I don’t fancy its chances over 100m against Bolt, though.

HSOtv

AS students of The Henley College receive their A-level results, we share the joy and disappointments. Watch the video at HSOtv.

ONLINE POLL

A GROUP of Henley residents is calling for changes to South Oxfordshire’s new domestic waste collection service. Should we be given a choice of either wheelie bins or the bags they replaced? Have your say on the home page.