Last week I had the chance to watch the film “Racing Extinction”. It tells the amazing story of people who are making a difference, saving and protecting animals every day. These people include race car drivers, former chief executive officers, artists and scientists. Don’t miss it.
Did you ever marvel in wonder at an owl’s ability to completely turn its head around? I always have. Owls can turn their heads almost 360 degrees –to be exact they can turn their heads a maximum of 270 degrees. Or did you know bobcats are excellent swimmers? When you think of cats you probably think of domestic cats, most of whom do not dare to swim. And what about coyotes, did you know they like fruit and vegetables? They do.
Animals mean so much to many of us and through the help of my blogs, my goal is to help you to see new ways of looking at things or get involved in protecting the precious few animals which remain on the Earth. I have already told you, we are in the midst of one of the greatest extinctions on the planet. Each day we lose large mammals in the ocean and on land. And I just heard that bobcats, coyotes and owls are suffering and dying on the west coast, in California, because of certain rat poisons. Sadly, many neighborhoods in the Santa Monica area are using second generation toxic poisons to control rat populations. The poisons are toxic because they are making their way up the food chain. They kill the rats but also kill the animals which eat the rat carcasses And that means bobcats, coyotes, and owls are dying. As Julie Schowitz, resident of Newbury Park put it, “the insanity of it all is that in trying to wipe out rats they are killing the very animals that keep rat populations under control.” The poison causes deathly internal bleeding and destroys precious, intelligent, and beautiful creatures.
Our behavior can have such devastating effects on animals and others. Please, think about your actions and the lives of those around you. Your decisions spread far and wide, and have life or death consequences.
I wish you and your loved ones a very happy and healthy holiday season. Let us be grateful for our blessings and may there be peace on Earth.
I just read about the fierce fires burning all across Indonesia and how they are affecting orangutans, leopards, tigers, sun bears, gibbons, and human children. These precious species are in peril, as are one-third of the world’s orangutans at risk from fires and sprawling, heavy smoke in Sumatra and Borneo. As many of you know, orangutans are in danger of becoming extinct, and their numbers are fewer than 70,000. Fires have been raging for months, burning precious forest where these animals live. Many people are struggling to put out the fires and save the land. Sadly, the fires are not easy to extinguish because they linger underground in the peat. As soon as the fires are put out they appear, almost as if by magic, in another location. Hopes were pinned on the start of the rainy season at the end of October which was expected to completely eradicate the fires. Unfortunately, NASA and other climate watchers announced the rains will not come until some point between January and March of 2016.
Orangutan organizations and rescue groups need your help. They require hoses, buckets, protective gear, and heavy machinery so they can increase their fire-fighting efforts. If the forests go up in flames there will be nowhere for the animals to go. Already, so many have died from smoke inhalation. Orangutans, leopards and tigers need forests to survive. People need forests to survive. Please be as generous as you can, and support a non-profit organization such as Orangutan Foundation International or International Animal Rescue. The animals, and humans need us now. Please join me. Thank you.
February 14th will soon be here and with it, lots of chocolate. A few people will go to the movies, out to dinner, or for a walk in the park. Others may stay home and enjoy a quiet day.
As someone said to me, Valentine’s Day is a great time to cultivate our hearts and be grateful for the love we have in our lives. Pets are a great source of love. They effortlessly add smiles to our faces and warmth to our hearts. I started to wonder, what if we had a holiday called Animal Day? We could take some time to play with our cats and dogs, and celebrate the entire animal kingdom.
Climate change is affecting animals. Experts predict that one-fourth of the Earth’s species will be extinct by 2050 if we do not reduce global warming. We already lost the golden toad in 1999. And we could lose polar bears in the next 100 years because of melting ice in the Arctic. Polar bears use the ice to hunt. If there is no ice they are forced to go on land and find other food sources. But the question remains if polar bears can do so and find the right food alternatives.
For those of you who are penguin fans, the Adelie penguin is at risk because of declining krill stocks. Krill live under ice sheets in the Antarctic. Penguins eat krill. As the ice retreats and krill populations fall penguins have to spend a lot of energy to find food. This makes it harder for them to raise their young and breed.
There are so many amazing creatures on this planet. They are worth fighting for. I love giraffes, seals, zebras, dolphins, elephants, cougars and orangutans. What do you love? Slowing the rate of climate change is crucial for many animals. It can mean their survival or death. Without animals we are impoverished. We have a wonderful opportunity to make a difference by reducing our carbon footprints, using alternative energy, reducing pollution, and ditching fossil fuels. Our actions affect others –especially animals.