Animals

I want to save the earth, one animal at a time. I have a big task before me. One creature that doesn’t need saving is a very resourceful, cool black cat. I fostered him for a few months until I found that I couldn’t part with his company. Magic is now an adopted member of the family. Anyone who has become attached to a pet knows the feeling. Your mood rises every time he or she walks into the room. My little guy prefers to trot. He is super light on his feet and can jump from great heights and land on all fours. He has many talents. He knocks knickknacks off the shelf and catches bugs with one paw. He talks (not unusual for a cat), fetches like a dog, stands on his hind feet, and runs around in circles chasing a red laser dot. I haven’t even given you his best trick yet. The cat, believe it or not, is toilet trained and I didn’t even do it.

The cat was able to understand the workings of the toilet on his own. I hate to say from observation, but who knows? One day I spied him sniffing around the Kohler and he jumped with agility onto the closed seat. Otherwise he would have fallen in and mistaken the toilet for a bathtub. Amidst my laughter, this cool dude used the facility and flushed it with the easy-to-use handle for which this brand is known. I’d spent ages trying to find the right one back when I bought it, which was when I discovered this web site. I had to rush over to my mother’s house down the block and get her to come and watch. It took time since he had already done his business. I gave him some water to encourage the process.

In time, she watched the show. Ha! she gasped. I wish my cat would do that. I would love to get rid of the smelly box and the constant litter changes. You are so lucky! I agreed. Maybe the cat could teach mom’s the basics. I told her to bring Fluffy over. This large mama cat is not that cleaver and is a bit slow on the uptake. No special tricks for her. She will just sit in your lap. Fluffy came to visit for a day. I sat around trying not to watch and deter the training. Fluffy followed Magic like a long-lost sister and at last they made it into the bathroom.

My cat didn’t hesitate to use the Kohler and he seemed to give me a wink as I stood just inside the door. Fluffy followed suit but couldn’t figure out the handle. We all waited with bated breath. Finally, Magic did the honors as he had given up on Mom’s prissy miss. I roared with glee. Magic is a gentleman. Fluffy went home that night and I waited for a phone call. It came in a few hours. Mom was ecstatic with her newly-trained cat. How did you do it? She queried. I didn’t, I explained. It was the cat. Ohhhhh I heard on the other end.

The word mosquito is often synonymous with malaria, especially in certain parts of the third world. It is the bane of many people’s existence. Pest control is costly and limited when the menace is widespread. It takes preventative measures and constant vigilance to keep pace. In areas of sub-Saharan Africa or tropical countries such as the Middle East, Asia, Central and South America, malaria is a topic of constant discussion. World organizations have taken Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and some Pacific Ocean islands under wing — warm climates that have a lot of rain and humidity. Poor countries are the most vulnerable as one might expect. That’s three billion people with children under five at high risk.

Malaria can cause more than a half a million deaths in a year, and twenty percent of these are sadly children. The disease is transmitted by parasites through the bite of an infected mosquito. Netting and spray have been the most common remedies. Travelers to the top malaria regions know to come equipped or change their vacation dates. Even though it is not contagious, visitors have a low degree of immunity if bitten. There are no vaccinations yet available in spite of the existence of medications.

The United States is a small minority percentage in the malaria equation. Maybe 1,500 cases a year come to light and are brought in by immigrants or travelers to an endemic country. It is easy for Americans to turn their heads away from something that has a low threat ratio. Mosquitos seem to be merely an annoyance in the summer, although their bites can cause welts, rashes, and allergic reactions.

When a mosquito carries malaria, the recipient of a bite can have more severe symptoms such as headaches, chills, high fever, and swollen glands. At its worst, it can cause jaundice, coma, and death. It takes from a week to a month to show these signs. It is comforting to know that prevention and control are on the rise with more knowledge about the signs of mosquitos, malaria medications, mosquito netting, and bug sprays. As a result, mortality rates have dropped 25% worldwide over the last decade. Officials are wising up to this persistent mosquito-borne infectious disease because it is not over yet.

Without proper or sufficient treatment, the symptoms can recur. The good news is that a second or third exposure will be less severe due to increased immunity. For those who want the gory details, malaria arises from the injection of a parasite from the mosquito’s saliva into the human blood stream. So what can be done? Draining standing water is a big issue. Insecticides is another more controversial one. It is all about the cost of prevention and it is not always available to the world’s poorest populations.

Control is not enough, but is at least on the path to ultimate elimination. To cite one statistic, an adequate program in Tunisia would add up to one-fifth of the total public health budget. As a rule, where malaria is rampant, the economy has taken a hit and development is slow. Funds to be used for production and growth are deferred to healthcare and it is not a small bill. It’s time to sit up and take notice.

You see them everywhere, animal activists trying to save the world, or at least the animals that are endangered within it.

While these extremists may seem a little off their rockers at first, a deeper look into the causes show that they are good people on a quest to do good things for…good animals that are otherwise helpless against the conflicts between man and nature.  But…what can we do to help these causes?

There are group efforts that you can join up with online such as group funding organizations.  You can follow the progress on the site and watch the money that comes in.  It is important if you are going to take part in one of these groups to be sure it is operating through a reputable site.

You can purchase items that fund to saving wildlife.  Many companies give a portion of their sales to benefit and save endangered animals so be sure to watch for these and support them and the same is true for the opposite.  Please be careful not to support companies that are actually doing the endangering.

You can also give to groups that are not online exclusives like the Nature Conservancy.  The Nature Conservancy actually makes a difference in that they work with the public such as individuals, businesses and entire communities to make changes.  They have protected millions of acres and have a green, live and let live, philosophy to help with the issues. In my opinion, they are one organization worth donating to because they make a difference.

The Sierra Club is another group you can donate directly to.  It has been around a long time, since 1892 actually.  They focus on ecological changes that make a huge difference in the possibility of animals in danger being able to come out of the danger alive.  It is a practical approach like helping with the development of coal alternatives and ideas for clean energy and transportation done green.

For those with a passion for saving the creatures of the ocean, there is the group, Oceana.  Over seventy percent of the proceeds goes to actually help.  Focusing on protection of the oceans around the world, Oceana works to make healthier oceans so that the life within them can sustain.

Efforts can be made on an individual basis too.  You can take the feat on yourself and do what you can although that may be hard to do.  It is not impossible though.  If you live in an area where sage grouse abound, you can do what you can to help sustain them like not letting your dog go after them.  You can make choices that do not negatively affect endangered animals like choosing to go green.

There are a lot of problems in the world today and the fact that we have all but stomped out much of the nature and wildlife that we have been gifted with is a harsh but very true reality.  It doesn’t have to be that way though.  We can help, one dollar, one effort at a time and together, we can make it happen.  We CAN save the world AND the creatures in it.

Can you imagine living in a world without elephants?  Can you fathom hearing tales of elephants like we do about dinosaurs?  “Years ago, when elephants walked the earth…”  It sounds crazy but it very well could come to pass.

There are two main types of elephants in the world today.  One is the African elephant and the other is the Asian Elephant, or Indian Elephants.  Although all elephants are in trouble, the Asian Elephant is the one to worry about, first at least.  It is so near extinction, it’s not funny.

So what’s the reason behind the uncertain fate of elephants?  Ivory.  Ivory hunters are killing elephants so fast and furiously, they are close to wiping out the largest of mammals on the planet.  In the past sixty to seventy years, the population of elephants has met a steady decline.  There are under 50,000 elephants living in the wild now and only about 15,000 in captivity within the zoo or controlled environments.

It is estimated that around 700,000 elephants met their demise by the hands of poachers in the 1980’s alone.  Not only are the ivory hunters killing off the elephants, the demolishing of the forest and other non-conducive environmental actions are acts that are quickly having a devastating effect on elephants across the globe.

The statistics are staggering.  As populations grow and industry does as well and as ivory hunters and poachers continue their reckless kills, the elephants grow closer to being a thing of the past, a memory like the dinosaur.

There are actually a number of species of elephants that are extinct.  They were bigger than the elephants we have around today.  These elephants were located in most every country, aside from Australia.

Elephants are majestic animals.  They have huge ears which flap to control the temperature within their body and possibly to keep flies and other insects away.  They have tusks which can be weapons or tools and can grow very long and strong.  Their legs are huge, like pillars and can hold extreme weight.  They have long trunks that they use for multiple purposes as well.  Male elephants can weight in at 15,000 pounds at maturity.  They can reach13 feet high.

Elephants aren’t just awesome to behold, studies have proven that they have many likenesses to man.  They are mammals.  They obviously have emotions and can be quite smart as well with intelligence levels being very remarkable.   They can form bonds with humans too, just like out pets do.

There have been a number of great books written about elephants and movies too.  One of the most well-known is the Disney movie, “Dumbo”.  Elephants have been worshiped through the years too.  They have also made great team workers for men, moving large objects and assisting in heavy labor.

The time is now to act in order to save the elephants.  We must save them for the elephants’ sake but also for our own sake and for that of our children and their children.  The elephants…must be saved!  We must stop the madness.