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| AMNH image |
The museum’s 7-minute video about elephants should spur attendance at this exciting exhibition that covers the 60 million year-evolution of the elephant family, showing ancient and modern elephants via casts, fossils and life-size models: meet a woolly mammoth and see a dwarf elephant, just 4 feet high at the shoulders! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTbLHV7lDV8
Elephants,
those marvelous creatures who have played major roles in human history, are
endangered (at best) and facing extinction (at worst). For many years, humans’ mad desire for ivory
and the resulting slaughter of elephants for their tusks have been largely to
blame.
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| Maternal love |
Conservationists
work diligently to combat such threats to elephants, starting with the poachers
who kill for tusks and profit and the countries where ivory is still a valuable
commodity. They’ve also devised wise
ways to deter elephants from raiding gardens.
Illustrating another way to minimize elephant loss, the
Humane Society of the US recently applauded Canada, where “landmark
regulations” that ban trade in elephant ivory . . . as
well as imports of hunting trophies . . . . take effect early January,
’24. If wildlife hunters can’t bring
home their “trophies” to brag about, they may be less inclined to hunt. https://tinyurl.com/39tdd8ck
Elephants have been extolled for numerous behavioral wonders (that humans could learn from!). Physically, they’re also marvels.
Only consider their trunks –
far stronger and more versatile than they may look. An elephant’s (boneless) trunk can weigh up to
300 pounds and lift 700 pounds, yet thanks to remarkable musculature, it’s amazingly
flexible.
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| Gabon landscape with elephant |
Till I get
there to see for myself, I can only hope that “Secret World of Elephants” includes effective pitches
to savor and protect elephants -- animals who deserve to live forever!
Canned that idea!
After my total failure to inspire readers to creatively re-purpose the numerous jangling metal cat-food cans, I’ll propose a better, more worthy idea now and see if it flies:
how about a pet ambulance to take pets to an animal hospital when their
families can’t?
Some loving
pet parents simply don’t drive or can’t drive in dark or bad weather, while
desperate to get a pet with major health issues to care-providers right away. That's a job for . . . a pet ambulance!
‘Hay is
for horses!’
Community cats
(those who live outdoors, formerly known as “feral cats”) can be woeful sights,
especially in cold, icy weather. How can
we make life more comfortable for them?
Think
“straw”! Then go get some (see link below) for bedding and put it in the cat
shelter(s) you plan to position outside.
Once you know that straw traps heat and repels moisture, what else do
you need to know?
As for the
shelter itself, I’ve seen wooden ones and heard of using big Styrofoam boxes
(lidded, of course), firmly positioned in sheltered spots – shelter the
shelter! -- with as entrance hole cut into one side.
Voila: cozy cats!
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