I would like to create awareness of the sentient nature of animals and help people understand that we should not allow wildlife to be treated inhumanely or with cruelty. Each creature on the earth has a definite purpose and must be respected for their contribution in an ecosystem. The more creatures there are in an ecosystem, the richer and healthier the ecosystem is. Allowing animals to live and fulfill their purpose contributes to biodiversity.
Think for a moment how each creature is so much like you and I. Wolves, coyotes and bears are examples of mammals who form strong bonds with family members. Even geese mate for life! All creatures are capable of expressing emotion and experiencing sadness, loss and happiness. Animals are curious just like us. Wolves and coyotes howl mournfully after a family member has died. Elephants carry the bones of family members as a sign of mourning. All of these examples, and there are many more, mean that animals are sentient (capable of experiencing emotions)
How Amazing are Animals?
• Whales can communicate over huge distances. A whale in Antarctica can hear the call of a whale in Alaska.
• Crows in the south of France have a different accent from the crows in the north.
• Deer have been known to guide other deer who have gone blind.
• Prairie dogs use ‘kisses’ to identify members of their community.
• Some birds use mud and plants to set and heal broken limbs.
• Dolphins have been known to protect shipwrecked sailors from drowning.
• Elephants can paint or draw using twigs.
• Orangutans use large leaves as umbrellas.
• The male emperor penguin guards and incubates the female’s eggs for two months without food in the Antarctic cold.
• Polar bears put their paws over their black noses to hide them when stalking seals.
• A jack rabbit can leap 15 feet in a single jump.
• The average tuna fish swims one million miles in its lifetime - equivalent to forty times around the world.
• The largest blue whale known was 34 metres long.
• A racing pigeon can fly at over 100mph.
• The lake sturgeon can live for up to 150 years.
Think for a moment how each creature is so much like you and I. Wolves, coyotes and bears are examples of mammals who form strong bonds with family members. Even geese mate for life! All creatures are capable of expressing emotion and experiencing sadness, loss and happiness. Animals are curious just like us. Wolves and coyotes howl mournfully after a family member has died. Elephants carry the bones of family members as a sign of mourning. All of these examples, and there are many more, mean that animals are sentient (capable of experiencing emotions)
How Amazing are Animals?
• Whales can communicate over huge distances. A whale in Antarctica can hear the call of a whale in Alaska.
• Crows in the south of France have a different accent from the crows in the north.
• Deer have been known to guide other deer who have gone blind.
• Prairie dogs use ‘kisses’ to identify members of their community.
• Some birds use mud and plants to set and heal broken limbs.
• Dolphins have been known to protect shipwrecked sailors from drowning.
• Elephants can paint or draw using twigs.
• Orangutans use large leaves as umbrellas.
• The male emperor penguin guards and incubates the female’s eggs for two months without food in the Antarctic cold.
• Polar bears put their paws over their black noses to hide them when stalking seals.
• A jack rabbit can leap 15 feet in a single jump.
• The average tuna fish swims one million miles in its lifetime - equivalent to forty times around the world.
• The largest blue whale known was 34 metres long.
• A racing pigeon can fly at over 100mph.
• The lake sturgeon can live for up to 150 years.
Activity: Test Your Animal Knowledge
Answer “TRUE” if the sentence is true. Answer “FALSE” if it is not true. (from PETA's Teachkind)
1. Rats love to be tickled, and they make chirping noises similar to the sounds that we make when we giggle.
2. Cows play games, and some choose their best friends when they’re very young.
3. Pigs like to play games.
4. Hens sing a cheerful song to their chicks while they’re still inside their eggs.
5. Elephants mourn their dead relatives by touching and holding their bones.
6. Dogs’ sense of smell is thousands of times better than humans’, and they can smell smoke before smoke detectors can detect it.
7. Cheetahs are twice as fast as the world’s top human runners.
8. Birds migrate hundreds of miles over oceans and even through storms without getting lost.
9. Octopuses and squids change color to communicate with each other.
10. In the wild, orca mothers and their calves travel together for their entire lives.
(Scroll to the bottom of the page to check your answers!)
Answer “TRUE” if the sentence is true. Answer “FALSE” if it is not true. (from PETA's Teachkind)
1. Rats love to be tickled, and they make chirping noises similar to the sounds that we make when we giggle.
2. Cows play games, and some choose their best friends when they’re very young.
3. Pigs like to play games.
4. Hens sing a cheerful song to their chicks while they’re still inside their eggs.
5. Elephants mourn their dead relatives by touching and holding their bones.
6. Dogs’ sense of smell is thousands of times better than humans’, and they can smell smoke before smoke detectors can detect it.
7. Cheetahs are twice as fast as the world’s top human runners.
8. Birds migrate hundreds of miles over oceans and even through storms without getting lost.
9. Octopuses and squids change color to communicate with each other.
10. In the wild, orca mothers and their calves travel together for their entire lives.
(Scroll to the bottom of the page to check your answers!)
Here comes a surprising, sad part.
But with your help, we can make changes to protect animals!
This next section is hard to think about and it's been happening in our country for over a hundred years. However, due to changes in the way we dress and changes on our earth, it no longer needs to be done. Poison is also being used to kill wolves and coyotes. The animals that eat the poison do not die right away. They die very slowly and painfully. This is inhumane and cruel. The poison stays in the food chain and kills other animals too. I need your support to ban the sale of poison. Right now only two provinces in Canada allow poison called strychnine to be sold. They are Alberta and Saskatchewan. People from anywhere in the country could buy the poison in these two provinces and then take it to their province to kill wildlife.
It's almost a hidden secret but I believe everyone should be aware that this is happening to our wildlife. It is difficult to imagine a wolf, coyote, lynx, marten, fisher or any other animal not being able to fend for itself. They cannot eat. They cannot get food to their babies. Depending on how they are caught, they may try to chew off their own leg or paw. They are in pain and distress because they have been trapped. There are different kinds of traps. There is a snare trap that captures the animal around the neck. The more the animal struggles, the tighter the snare becomes. But the animal does not die quickly. They are tortured for many hours in a snare trap before they die. There are leg-hold traps and there is one called a Conibear Trap that captures the animal around its head. For more detailed information about traps, see thefurbearers.com.
Do we need to wear fur? Is there a market for the sale of fur? Is it worth the pain and torture inflicted on sentient creatures just so their fur can be sold? Wildlife already faces enough challenges simply by trying to survive due to habitat loss. Anything else we do like trapping and poisoning is simply irresponsible. Speak out about these issues with your friends and family. Together we can create change and really protect wildlife.
"Without courage, we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can't be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest." -Maya Angelou
But with your help, we can make changes to protect animals!
This next section is hard to think about and it's been happening in our country for over a hundred years. However, due to changes in the way we dress and changes on our earth, it no longer needs to be done. Poison is also being used to kill wolves and coyotes. The animals that eat the poison do not die right away. They die very slowly and painfully. This is inhumane and cruel. The poison stays in the food chain and kills other animals too. I need your support to ban the sale of poison. Right now only two provinces in Canada allow poison called strychnine to be sold. They are Alberta and Saskatchewan. People from anywhere in the country could buy the poison in these two provinces and then take it to their province to kill wildlife.
It's almost a hidden secret but I believe everyone should be aware that this is happening to our wildlife. It is difficult to imagine a wolf, coyote, lynx, marten, fisher or any other animal not being able to fend for itself. They cannot eat. They cannot get food to their babies. Depending on how they are caught, they may try to chew off their own leg or paw. They are in pain and distress because they have been trapped. There are different kinds of traps. There is a snare trap that captures the animal around the neck. The more the animal struggles, the tighter the snare becomes. But the animal does not die quickly. They are tortured for many hours in a snare trap before they die. There are leg-hold traps and there is one called a Conibear Trap that captures the animal around its head. For more detailed information about traps, see thefurbearers.com.
Do we need to wear fur? Is there a market for the sale of fur? Is it worth the pain and torture inflicted on sentient creatures just so their fur can be sold? Wildlife already faces enough challenges simply by trying to survive due to habitat loss. Anything else we do like trapping and poisoning is simply irresponsible. Speak out about these issues with your friends and family. Together we can create change and really protect wildlife.
"Without courage, we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can't be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest." -Maya Angelou
Books! Books! Books!
(Click to follow link)
There are many excellent books available which discuss ecology and wildlife issues. Here are some of my favourites!
1. Spur: A Wolf's Story Go to www.wolfawareness.org to order your copy
2. Otis Books from Medicine River Wildlife Centre You can purchase these books at www.medicineriverwildlifecentre.ca.
3. Children's book series about abandoned animals by Holly Webb (recommended for ages 9-12)
4. There are numerous books available such as Animal Smarts by Sylvia Funston: www.everylivingthing.ca
4. PETA has an excellent book list to help learn about compassion: www.peta.org
Here are just a few of the titles...
1. Spur: A Wolf's Story Go to www.wolfawareness.org to order your copy
- In award-winning author Eliza Robertson’s stunning debut children’s book, a young, brave wolf named Spur is looking for food with her brother when, suddenly, a flying beast appears in the sky. What was that thing? And where did her brother go? The next time the helicopter appears, Spur knows just what to do to save her wolf pack and reunite with her brother. This captivating tale will inspire children across the world to build compassion for an iconic yet vulnerable animal.
2. Otis Books from Medicine River Wildlife Centre You can purchase these books at www.medicineriverwildlifecentre.ca.
- Otis' Story: Join us on an adventure with Alberta's most beloved Great Horned Owl! In his first book, Otis the Owl takes us through his story of how he came to be at the Medicine River Wildlife Centre. It's a thrilling tale filled with suspense and intrigue!
- Tangled in Trash: Sponsored by Nova Chemicals and following the wildly popular first book, "Otis's Story", the second in this unique series is the story of a Loon that becomes entangled in hastily discarded garbage. Otis observes the bird's journey through the wildlife hospital and learns about the importance of keeping our environment clean.
- Rescued Off the Road: Sponsored by Nova Chemicals, the third book in the children's series is about a fox that has an unfortunate incident with a car. Otis tells the story of its rescue and care at the wildlife hospital and gives child-friendly tips on how to keep wild animals safer on our roads.
- Chatting With Charlie: Sponsored by AltaLink, this book is a little different from its predecessors. It tells the story of educational animal, Charlie the Porcupine, but moves on to discuss the misinformation that exists in regards to several other species of animals. Otis learns much from these creatures and recognizes the importance of all life.
3. Children's book series about abandoned animals by Holly Webb (recommended for ages 9-12)
4. There are numerous books available such as Animal Smarts by Sylvia Funston: www.everylivingthing.ca
- Animal Smarts, one of The Secret Life of Animals series, details fascinating findings about all sorts of creatures, from our everyday pets to exotic wildlife from remote places around the world. The Secret Life of Animals series presents the very latest discoveries about animal behaviors that have long been hidden and mysterious. Suggested books are listed according to age.
4. PETA has an excellent book list to help learn about compassion: www.peta.org
Here are just a few of the titles...
- Baa Humbug
- Benji Bean Sprout Doesn't Eat Meat!
- Black Beauty
- Blueberries for Sal
- The Boy Who Loved All Living Things
- The Boy Who Loved Broccoli
- Buddy Unchained
- Charlotte's Web
Answer key: All of the statements are TRUE!