Injured Wildlife

Say you happen upon a sick/injured animal in the wild... what should you do?
Trying to help would be sensible, but how? Trying to help is risky for both you and the animal, and yet leaving it alone is difficult.
To be quite honest, I haven't known the answer to this for a long time. Often as I am driving, I begin to think "What if I hit a deer or a small animal...? Do I keep driving? Should I stop the car and make sure it's okay?"

The other day my dad brought home a small baby bird, saying he found it outside by itself and it didn't seem to know how to fly. I was skeptical, and didn't think bringing the bird inside was a good idea; after all, it was just a baby.
So, I quickly went on Google and began to do some research. I found that if you happen upon a baby bird that has wings (fledgling), the best thing to do is to leave it alone, as its parents may be nearby. I told my Dad that we should put it back where he found it, so we did.
I gently nudged the bird out of my cupped hands and back onto the ground, where she immediately began to sing, calling out to her parents. My Dad and I waited, and sure enough, the bird began to hop away and eventually soared up to the nearest branch - she was just fine.

It's difficult to leave wild animals alone, especially when you think they may seem so 'helpless'. The reality is, unless you are 100% positive the animal is in need of care, most of the time leaving them alone is for the best. For all I know, when my Dad picked up the baby bird, her parents might have fled for protection. Hopefully though, her cries were heard.

I've done some research and am not surprised to find that the most sensible solution is to call people who do know how to help. Who are these people? Wildlife Rehabilitation Centers. They're not common, but they're around, and you should be able to find one in your area.
I recommend looking up the Wildlife Rehab Center closest to your area, and storing their phone number in your cell. If you hit a deer, for example, pull over, call the center and tell them your location. If they think it is necessary or possible to help, they'll take care of the rest.

When I was much younger, a friend and I found a small chipmunk that had a broken hind leg and couldn't walk. We were devastated, and carefully placed the animal in a small box. We realized there was nothing we could do, so we called a wildlife center and they arrived within minutes. Unfortunately, we were told that there was nothing that could be done, and that the chipmunk had to be put to sleep. It wasn't good news, but we knew that we had done the right thing.

Of course, unless you have protection (heavy gloves, goggles, proper clothing) you should never attempt to touch or 'save' any wild animal.
If you're unsure of what to do, as I was when my dad showed up with the bird, always see if you can find out what the proper course of action is. You do not want to injure yourself or the animal even more.

I plan on interning at a Wildlife Rehab center in the future; when I do, I'll be sure to post more tips/suggestions as I learn.

Here is a great site that lists Wildlife Centers by area and state:
http://www.tc.umn.edu/~devo0028/contact.htm

Other useful links:
Humane Society, with care directions for specific animals
Help! Found Injured Wildlife

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Wildlife of the Day: Wood Owl

Interesting Facts:
- Common in Asia/India, but also found in Africa
- Usually sedentary
- Feeds on small reptiles and mammals
- Various types: African Wood Owl, Asian Wood Owl, Spotted Wood Owl, Brown Wood Owl...

Spotted Wood Owl video:

Sea Shepherd/Whale Wars - An Opinion

Sea Shepherd is a Conservation Society that was established in 1977 by environmental conservationist Paul Watson. Watson, despite having co-founded Greenpeace, was voted out of the organization for his aggressive actions taken in his conservation efforts. Soon after being kicked out, Watson decided to take things into his own hands, and in an attempt to follow what he so strongly stood for, founded Sea Shepherd.
Sea Shepherd is unlike other conservation organizations; the people of Sea Shepherd believe that the most effective way to put an end to unlawful acts towards wildlife is through direct action. It is no surprise that many disagree with Sea Shepherd and find it difficult to side with the organization.
The television series Whale Wars, which aired for the first time on Animal Planet last year, follows the Steve Irwin, a Sea Shepherd vessel, across the icy Antarctic waters in search of Japanese whaling fleets. The crew harasses the Japanese by throwing butyric acid stink bombs and slippery chemicals aboard the ships, clogging engines, and even by climbing aboard the ships for direct confrontation.
Paul Watson, an environmental 'pirate' of our time, will do anything to win his battles, and him and his crew are all willing to put their lives on the line to save wildlife.

So, here's what I think -

For what they do, Sea Shepherd is an heroic organization; I strongly agree with their belief that these days, in order for something to be done towards wildlife conservation, direct and aggressive action is absolutely necessary. I agree with Paul Watson's argument that Greenpeace is ineffective; while their efforts are heartfelt and good intentioned, simply holding up anti-whaling signs and taking photographs, for example, will only get so far.

However, I disagree with a major aspect of Watson's initiative - putting peoples lives on the line to make a point. Hear me out:
The people of Sea Shepherd in the show Whale Wars make it clear that they are willing to die for the whales. I don't have an issue with this, because to be quite honest, I am begining to believe that I myself would do the same.
However, when people personally declare such a strong decision, lines need to be drawn...

To say that you are willing to die to save a species - to me - has multiple meanings.

To be willing to put yourself in danger through conservation efforts is one thing; to have to sacrifice yourself entirely to prove a point is another.
The crew of the Steve Irwin put their lives in danger by being willing to leave home for months to live in the Antarctic Ocean, where the nearest hospital is days of sailing away, battling the Japanese whalers on the icy waters that can kill within minutes.
However, when Paul Watson asks his crew members to climb aboard the Japanese vessels for direct confrontation, he is literally asking them not only to sacrifice their lives but to be willing to essentially face any and all punishments that they may recieve - just to prove a point. With this tactic, Paul doesn't care what happens to his crew - he wants the Japanese to hold these people hostage and to torture them. This way, the media can see these brutalities and hopefully exile the Japanese fleets from the whaling sanctuaries of Antarctica.

While this is a cunning plan, it is in my opinion unecessary.

Take Gorilla Conservationist Diane Fossey, for instance. Diane devoted her life to protecting Gorillas in Africa from being poached. Diane was brutally murdered in her home in Africa one night.
Diane focused on protecting the Gorillas because it was what she was passionate about. She did not ask to be killed - but it was something she was surely aware may happen. She was killed not because she asked for it, but because that was how it was meant to happen.

To me, wildlife conservation is a beautiful thing; and while it may get out of hand and aggressive, I do not believe that people should have to die for it. Unfortunately, they do, but they shouldn't have to - in Watson's eyes, they might as well.

I like Sea Shepherd's stink bomb/slippery chemical tactics because they don't directly harm anyone - which is their purpose. How, then, does sacrificing the people of the crew to be directly harmed by the Japanese make any sense? In my opinion, when in comes to wildlife conservation, direct HARM to both animals and humans should be avoided at all costs.

Watson is a risk taker - which is what many admire about him. Sometimes, however, he takes his risks too far. I can say with 100% conviciton that I am equally passionate about saving wildlife as is Paul Watson. Unfortunately, I am only an 18 year old still in college, so there is only so much that I can do at this point. However, Watson and I differ in one major way - he is a modern day pirate, and he is willing to put peoples lives on the line in the name of wildlife.
While I may be willing to put my own life on the line, I would never ask others to do the same, and I do not belive that anyone should have to take such drastic measures to prove their point.

Don't get me wrong, Watson does have a point. These days, what is on the minds of a majority of people is not saving wildlife, but money. Whaling is a million dollar industry in Japan.
To be able to make a difference and to change the minds of such powerul and corrupt businesses, major actions need to be taken. Actions, however, that keep people out of direct harms way.

Yes, people and the media respond only when they are exposed to the harsh truths, and what better way to get their attention than by killing our own kind and by bringing war and death into the picture? It is true, and Paul Watson knows this very well - and in order to end whaling, he is willing to put peoples lives on the line.

To be quite honest, I'm not entirely sure if there is a better option. Surely Watson's tactics catch peoples attention - which is what organizations like the Sea Shepherd need... but there must be another way.
There must be a way to end these brutalities, to save the sacred and beautiful wildlife in the oceans and on the lands alike that doesn't require such sacrifices.

Then again, what do I know?

Taking pictures and protesting doesn't work, and stink bombs and harassment will only go so far. As far as I'm concerned, Paul Watson's tactics are revolutionary when it comes to Wildlife Conservation, and in a matter of years I may be following in his very own footsteps. One can't deny that the man has done great things in the name of Conservation, afterall...

For now, I hope to find a way to do what I love, to save the whales and all other wildlife, without having to harm people in the process.

So, in all, I am all for Sea Shepherd. I wouldn't mind joining the crew myself, eventually... so long as Watson decides to come up with new tactics (I won't hold my breath)

If anyone actually reads this, I would love to hear your opinions!

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Wildlife of the Day:
African Crowned Crane

Interesting Facts:
-Roost in trees
-Golden 'crown' protruding from back of neck
-Have interesting voices; lack folds in their windpipe
-Survived the Ice Age

Save Money - and the Environment

I've compiled a list of ways you can save money and help reduce environmental impacts at the same time. You probably think you know where this is going: turn off lights, drive less, etc etc...
Partly, yes, but I've come up with a few easy suggestions to follow that you may not have considered.

1. Buy Used Books
Don't be afraid of the word 'used'. I know, used books don't have that same "new book" smell and the pages aren't as exciting and crisp to turn - but other than that, a book you buy at Barnes and Noble tells the same story as the one you buy at a used book shop, from a friend, or even online.
- If a friend recommends a book, ask if you could borrow it when they are finished.
- Check out the used books available on websites such as Amazon, you'll be surprised at how cheap they really are. I brought one a couple of weeks ago for under $5.00, shipping included.
- Please, please see if you can find a used book store in your area. These places are actually really neat, and trust me, you'll feel special shopping there. Many of them are really suffering because of the lack of customers, so you'll not only be saving trees, but you'll be helping local businesses.

Speaking of "saving trees" - how much merit does this argument actually have? Trees can be regrown, right? So what's the big deal?
Cutting down large quantities of trees to manufacture paper occurs at a faster rate than the amount of time is take for trees to fully regrow. Sure, over time forests can regrow, but for ecosystems with an abundance of trees, attaining a proper climax community can take hundreds of years.

Some interesting websites:
http://www.ecstaticrelations.com/booksintotrees/
http://www.rain.org/~mkummel/stumpers/02feb01a.html

2. Eat In
Not only is buying a few weeks worth of food at a grocery store cheaper, healthier, and more efficient than eating out, it is also a better decision in regards to the environment. What's wrong with eating out?
- Fast food stores require a huge amount of energy to process, store, and produce the foods that they offer. This includes the production of tremendous amounts of dangerous emissions - CO2 from factories and delivery trucks, and an alarming amount of methane from the overabundance of cows in dairy farms and slaughter houses (believe it or not, cows have a major impact on global warming).
- Fast food trash makes up a very large percentage of the total amount of liter produced on a daily basis. This includes paper cups, plastic cups, napkins, straws, plastic wraps, paper bags, ketchup packets, and more - many of which is not properly recycled. I could go into a huge rant about how much litter is actually in this world (some of your houses are likely built above previous dumb sites), the north pacific gyre, and dangerous wastes that end up in less developed countries, but that's for a later time...
Anyway, compare this to eating at home - grabbing a bagel with cream cheese and an apple for breakfast as opposed to getting a bacon, egg and cheese biscuit with an iced coffee; healthier, cheaper, and need I say less detrimental to the environment.

3. Turn off the Television and Unplug
I won't go into how over 90% of the things on T.V. are completely useless, but the important thing to note here is how so many people leave their televisions on when they're not being watched - I know I used to be guilty of this, I would leave the television on all day as a child just to have some background noise because I was afraid of being at home by myself. I could have just as easily turned on the radio, played piano, or gone outside. I know a lot of people that still do this today - they have the television on constantly. One of the largest energy users in your house is the television, along with the washing/drying machines and the fridge.
Unplugging appliances that are not in use can also greatly reduce the amount of energy being used, and your monthly bill. Many appliances, even when turned off, are still using energy just by being plugged in.
- Go around your house and see if you can find any lamps, power strips, radios, or other appliances that you rarely use and unplug them.
- Turn off the TV when not in use, or try to find alternative ways to entertain yourself.
- If you go on a long vacation, unplug everything in your house - trust me, you'll notice a difference in your energy bill.
-Don't leave lights on, either - and if you're going to turn them off, make sure you are ready to do so as simply turning on a light takes 10 times the energy used in comparison to the light just being on.

I'll keep the rest short:

4. Paper Nor Plastic - Plastic bags and paper bags alike are both detrimental to the environment, although if you had to chose, go paper. The better idea is to get tote bags (they can now be brought in almost any store) and take those with you when you go shopping. Keep some in the backseat of your car so you always have them handy. Or, if you buy something that you can easily carry to your car or home, just do that.

5. Sprinklers at Night - Watering and turning on sprinklers for your lawn during the day isn't very beneficial. To put it simply - when the sun is out, more water is evaporated and less gets into the soil where it can be used by the plants. Watering at night, or once the sun has gone down, greatly increases the amount of water that actually ends up being used by the grasses and plants in your lawn.

6. Open Windows, Use Blinds - you can keep your house cool by opening windows as opposed to having the AC on. If it's too hot in the house, use your shades to prevent sunlight from entering.

7. Recycle - Seriously, just do it - it's not that hard.

So, there you have it. Even if you couldn't care less about the environment, we all want to save money. Following these steps can help you save a good deal, and don't require much effort.

Recommended site: http://www.firstchoicepower.com/save-green/no-cost-savings.html
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Wildlife of the Day: Pronghorn

Interesting facts:
- Fastest 'new world' land mammal (55 mph)
- Don't jump
- Live in grasslands
- Endangered due to fencing and hunting

Elephant Dreams

Sorry about the last post... I was just having one of those moments. Y'know, those occasional pangs of utter frustration at the way things are in the world? Okay, maybe it's just me.
I slept well last night... went to bed around 2 and woke up at 11. The good thing about exam week is that on days that you don't have any exams, you get to sleep in. The downside is that the longer you sleep in, the less time you have to study. My next exam is tomorrow morning (yes, Saturday) at 8 AM, but I'm not too worried about it. It's my easiest class, and I know I have an A, but I'm still going to try and get a fair amount of studying done.

Last night my Dali's The Elephants poster fell on me...
Luckily it was still dark, otherwise I think I would have been terrified. I didn't even really think about it, I semi-awoke when I felt it, heard my roommate laugh, and threw it on the ground. When I got out of bed I noticed it on the floor and was really confused.
I guess it's good timing, I need to start moving out of here. My last exam is Wednesday and I can officially say goodbye to this dorm room. I guess I'll miss it...
I'm living in the same building next year, though, only 4 floors down. Next year... I would rather not think about it.

Okayyyy well, I'm going to grab some breakfast and then maybe head over to the library.

Summer couldn't come slower if it tried...





bbw

Short Story & a rant

The giant, rusted body of bolted metal charges quickly through the ocean, splicing the waves in half and leaving a distinct trail in its path. The engine roars ferociously like a hungry lion closing in on its prey. The harpoons are locked and ready; intimidatingly planted at the stern, glistening like diamonds under the strong sun.
Under the waters, a gentle whale feels for the first time small and insignificant as she approaches the massive, dark figure nearby. She swims closer, overcome with curiosity, unaware of the beast's intentions.

Within a few seconds, she has made herself known.

The engine goes numb, the whale sings. With quick turn and no hesitation, the harpoon guns launch themselves from above, flying rapidly towards the ocean. The whale is struck, her smooth skin now pierced and exposed. She thrashes violently, and the silence is broken with the sounds of splashing water and the haunting cries of a 65 foot whale. A canopy of dark, red blood slowly shadows the ocean, and the cries heard are now only echoes of the past.

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Whaling sucks. The Japanese 'experimental whaling' excuse is a load of bulls**t, and the more I read about it the angrier I become.
It's not even just whaling; gorilla poaching, seal slaughters, puppy mills... and for what? Money? Fuck money.
People are treated the same way - genocides, terrorism, slavery... you would think this would have been stopped decades ago, and yet even today, with shocking footage and proof of such acts, nothing is being done.
Honestly, people terrify me - but what terrifies me the most is that these ruthless killings wont stop. This why I want to become a wildlife conservationist. I know it sounds cliche, but I do want to 'save' the whales, and I will devote much of my life to doing so.
Just sayin'

In the meantime... this will have to do:
http://www.whalesrevenge.com/
(Pic credit)

bbw

Just keeping me company...

I was in my History class last week when I noticed a small spider on the chair of the girl sitting across from me. He was pretty, and very exotic looking. His light yellow colour was barely distinguishable against the bright orange chair. Still, I couldn't help but follow him curiously with my eyes as he skirted back and forth, trying to find a place to rest. I eventually realized that I was in the middle of lecture and directed my attention back to my professor.
A few minutes later, I was shocked to see him danging in mid-air - I smiled to myself realizing he had descended on a thin strand of web. I couldn't help but notice the girl sitting next to me watching as well, but with more of a look of disgust than fascination.
I continued to watch this little guy gracefully fly from chair to chair, attempting to create what would have been a beautiful home. At one point, he made his way up onto the sweater of the girl in the chair, quietly crawling up her hood.
Class was over, and I smiled one last time at the little spider now on the floor, bidding him farewell. As I walked out of the aisle, I noticed the girl sititng next to me deliberately grind her shoe over my new friend.

I had forgotten about him until last night, when he visited me in my dreams. Only this time he was much larger and I was afraid. I'm sorry, little spider, for letting you die.

I did some research, it was a yellow sac spider...

Apparently these guys aren't very friendly, and they leave a nasty bite (image search on your own accord). Still, I do miss him.

The funny thing is, two days later in discussion for the same class, I was distracted again not by a spider, but some small, black insect with many legs who found his way onto my desk. I let him climb aboard my pencil eraser and dropped him off on the empty chair to my right. I was watching him throughout class, as I was the yellow spider. Right at the end of class, my TA noticed him, and upon closer inspection, proceeded to step on him. Two little friends, two sudden deaths; and both after I had gotten to know them so well.
Sorry, guys.

bbw