COVID CORNER
Tribal peoples under threat, bored ravens and some good news for Britain’s hens
ANDAMAN EXTINCTION
Fears for the survival of indigenous communities living in the remote Andaman and Nicobar Islands have been heightened by the news that 10 of the 50 remaining Great Andamanese tribe have been infected with coronavirus. Six are recovering at home under quarantine, but four remain in hospital.
The tribe lives on tiny Strait Island, one of 572 islands between the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea, of which 38 are inhabited. While the government provides food and shelter, some Andamanese people work in the capital, Port Blair, where it is thought they were infected. To date, the island chain has reported 2,268 infections and 37 deaths. The archipelago is home to five indigenous peoples, the Great Andamanese, the Jarawa, North Sentinelese, Onge and Shompen, of whom only 400450 remain. DNA evidence suggests they migrated from Africa around 60,000 BC, becoming isolated from other populations circa 30,000 BC during the Middle Palaeeolithic era. Further isolation from each other led to the development of distinct languages and other cultural traits. All five have seen dramatically decreased populations over the past 250 years due to conflict with European settlers and illnesses caused by contact with the outside world for which their immune systems have no resistance.
The first European contact came in 1755 when the Danish East India Company landed, attempting to establish colonies which repeatedly failed due to malaria outbreaks. In 1789, the British set up a naval base and penal colony on Chatham Island. When they arrived in the early 19th century there were 5,000 Great Andamanese; but hundreds died fighting the invaders and thousands more were later wiped out by measles, influenza and syphilis epidemics. Tuberculosis and alcoholism are also rife, both of which are believed to render the tribe more vulnerable to Covid-19. Britain established a more permanent settlement at Port Blair in 1857, a substantial penal colony incarcerating prisoners from the Indian Mutiny. Those convicts who were not hanged suffered life imprisonment with hard labour, many dying from disease and ill-treatment. Towards the end of the 19th century, the British constructed the notorious Cellular Jail here – a huge prison housing Indian political prisoners from the burgeoning independence movement.
In order to protect the remaining islanders, access to the archipelago is forbidden, although poachers and fishermen occasionally trespass. The Jarawa and Sentinelese in particular have resisted outside contact and maintain their independence, despite the island group being a Union Territory of India since 1956. In 2018, Christian missionary John Allen Chau, 26, a US national, was shot dead with arrows by the Sentinelese after illegally chartering a boat to North Sentinel Island where he hoped to convert the tribe (see FT376:23). His body was never recovered.
Survival International, a London group campaigning for the rights of tribal communities, urged local authorities to protect the tribes after five welfare staff working with the Jarawa tested positive for coronavirus: “The Andaman authorities must act urgently to prevent the virus reaching more Great Andamanese and to prevent infection in the other tribes,” they announced. Times, 27 Aug 2020.
In order to protect the islanders, access is forbidden
MASKED ROBBERY?
An Israeli jewellery company is making what it says will be the world’s most expensive coronavirus mask. The 18-carat-gold mask, decorated with 3,600 white and black diamonds and fitted with top-of-the-range N99 filters, will cost £1.1 million. However, it may not be practical to wear, since it weighs in at 270g
(9.5oz), nearly 100 times more than a standard surgical mask. The company refused to identify the buyer, but said he was a Chinese businessman living in the United States. [AP] 7 Aug 2020.
HENS REHOMED
A charity that rehomes chickens says it has received over 52,000 requests for hens since lockdown began. Fresh Start for Hens saves birds that would otherwise be slaughtered, having reached the end of their peak laying years after 72 weeks. The charity takes the chickens from farmers and rehomes them with private households. Operations director Jaki Hann said the huge demand was initiated after the egg shortage in March. Despite coronavirus restrictions easing and shops having refilled their shelves, the charity still has a lengthy waiting list. “This week I’m organising a handover for 332 hens,” said Ms Hann. “I’m also trying to find homes for 800 ducks from a Somerset farm.” BBC News, 20 Aug 2020.
GOOSE FAIR CANCELLED
Nottingham’s 700-year-old annual carnival has only been cancelled once before in peacetime: in 1646, because of bubonic plague. Now, almost four centuries later, the legendary Goose Fair has been cancelled due to coronavirus. The five-day October fair attracts 420,000 people to its 500 temporary amusements each year. It is considered of such economic importance to the city
that, even though it was called off during the first four years of World War II, it was reinstated in 1943. A local councillor said it had not been a decision taken lightly. “If we did go ahead and, three or four weeks later, we find the fair caused a spike [in coronavirus infections], that would be a terrible thing,” he said, adding: “We know how well-loved the event is and what a boost it would have been for morale in the city.”
It is not known exactly when the Goose Fair first began, but it is thought to date back to at least 1284 when a royal charter was granted by King Edward I referring to a city fair in Nottingham. Its name is derived from its origins as a livestock event when thousands of geese would be brought into the city. Independent, 22 Aug 2020.
STRAYING RAVENS
A lack of tourists at the Tower of London is making the ravens bored and lonely, causing them to venture away, says Ravenmaster Christopher Skaife. The highly intelligent birds thrive on contact with people, and if under-stimulated, will seek entertainment elsewhere. Although notices discourage visitors from feeding the birds, the Ravenmaster said that the ravens miss having
overflowing bins to rummage through, or people offering them snacks. He has encouraged the Beefeaters to throw the ravens their leftover food.
The Tower closed on 20 March at the start of the coronavirus lockdown and reopened in late July, but few tourists have returned. Visitor numbers usually exceed 15,000 in summer, but because of the pandemic they have fallen to fewer than 800 a day this year. Consequently, the birds are restless for more company. The seven ravens, Jubilee, Harris, Gripp, Rocky, Erin, Poppy and Merlina, are free to roam the Tower precincts during the day. Legend (invented in the 19th century) says the kingdom and the Tower itself will fall should the six resident ravens leave. There are seven in total – the required six, plus a spare one.
“If the ravens were to leave, the tower would crumble to dust,” said Ravenmaster Skaife. “The ravens have always been so important... because they’ve been surrounded by myths and legends. We really need people to come back to help the ravens.” For more on the Tower ravens, see FT206:30-36, 367:10-11, 382:6-7. Guardian, 20 Aug 2020.