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.