Donald Phillips
Reggie, nicknamed The Terminator, was moved from Stratford-upon-Avon to Dawlish
The return of the pine marten to Exmoor, a new home and new love for a troubled swan, and a runner braving Storm Amy to complete a lap of Cornwall were among the stories you may have missed this week.
We have selected six articles from the past seven days for Devon and Cornwall.
Pine martens return to Exmoor after a century
Terry Whittaker/2020Vision
Pine martens were successfully reintroduced to nearby Dartmoor last year
Nineteen pine martens from Scottish Highlands populations were introduced at secret locations on Exmoor by the Two Moors Pine Marten Project.
Each pine marten has been fitted with a radio collar so researchers can follow their fortunes over the next six to nine months.
Devon Wildlife Trust’s Tracey Hamston, who leads the project, said: “It’s a positive sign that nature can be restored – our woodlands and their wildlife will benefit from their presence.”
ASBO swan finds new home and new love
Watch: Reggie the swan in his new home
A black swan that was removed from a town after spending nine months terrorising other birds and tourists has found his “wife-to-be” at a new home.
Reggie was moved from Stratford-upon-Avon to Dawlish, Devon, and had “settled in very well”.
Donald Phillips, from the Dawlish Waterfowl Centre, said Reggie had been “as good as gold” and had already found a mate.
Lego shark from lost container to be auctioned for charity
Richard West
Richard West said he will split money raised by the sale between Fishermen’s Mission and Cancer Research UK
A Lego shark caught by a fisherman years after it was swept off a container ship is to be auctioned for charity.
Richard West landed the first-ever reported shark from the 51,800 Lego sharks which swept off the Tokio Express cargo ship near Land’s End in 1997. About 4.75 million pieces of Lego were inside the 62 containers when they fell into the sea.
He said: “The best thing about this is even if it makes £10 I’ll be happy because I can tell my skipper that, gram for gram, it’s the most expensive fish we’ve ever caught.”
Water firm’s plea after 7,000 blockages and fatbergs
South West Water
South West Water said in the past year it had cleared more than 7,000 avoidable blockages
South West Water has urged people in Devon and Cornwall to be careful what they put down the drain.
The firm said it had cleared more than 7,000 avoidable blockages from its network in the past year – with three quarters of them caused by wet wipes and fats mixing.
Jenny Eamer, from the company, said: “Blockages might sound like something out of a horror story but they’re very real, and they start with the choices we all make at home and at work.”
Twins compare old and new mountain gear
Two brothers spent time in a -24C chamber to test their equipment and clothes
Twin brothers are climbing a mountain in the Himalayas, one dressed in modern clothing, the other in a replica of the outfit and kit used by British explorers George Mallory and Andrew Comyn Sandy Irvine about 100 years ago.
Hugo and Ross Turner, from Christow, Devon, have taken part in a number of extreme adventures before with their latest adventure testing how their bodies and clothing compares in the extreme environment.
The pair will climb Mera Peak, in Nepal, over a three-week period.
Runner completes lap of Cornwall in six days
Elsey completes her epic challenge!
A woman has completed a challenge to run a 400-mile (643km) lap of Cornwall to honour her mother and raise awareness of Alzheimer’s.
Elsey Davis, from Camelford, completed her run, which started and ended at Land’s End, on Sunday after being delayed by severe weather.
She completed the journey in six days, eight hours and 12 minutes and said: “It’s been an incredibly challenging but beautiful journey around Cornwall.”