People of the Forest

We recently went to the Greenville Zoo, and took this video of Bob, the baby Bornean Orangutan. Orangutans are our closest relatives with 97 percent of the same DNA! Orangutan means people of the forest.

The Bornean Orangatan is highly endangered and the Sumatran Orangutan is critically endangered. Logging and mining is wiping out their habitats. It's hard to believe but poaching baby orangutans is also a big problem. Some scientists think they'll be extinct in five or ten years!!!

Some people are trying to save them like this Orangutan Conservancy. Do what you can.

Ivory-Billed Woodpecker Really Extinct?

I've seen a pileated woodpecker up close a few times at Congaree National Park. Once I was so close in my kayak, it was amazing! But I REALLY wanted to see or hear an Ivory-Billed Woodpecker. Many people are afraid they are extinct. My dad showed me this article in The State newspaper about the search for them in South Carolina.


I'm disappointed they didn't find any Ivory Billed Woodpeckers, but I still think they are out there! Listen to one at this site so you'll know if you hear it! What do you think?

Belugas in Danger!

In Spring 2006 I visited the Georgia Aquarium. My most favorite animals there were the belugas. I could watch them all day! But when I found out they are in danger of extinction, I felt sad. This video is from Storyteller.

You can help the beluga whale here, or write to the government here and say that we should take care of the belugas!

Thylacine really extinct?

Someone from Colorado wrote to me and asked me about thylacine sightings. Many have been recorded, but sadly, none are confirmed. But that doesn't mean they couldn't be alive.

This video was taken in 1973. It's one of the three videos I have seen of a thylacine sighting. My opinion is it gives me some hope they could be alive.

What do you think? If you'd like to let me know, please post a comment.

From billions to zero

One out of every four bird species in the USA is in trouble! Two out of three species in the world are declining! Hard to beleive?

Once there were billions of passenger pigeons. It was the most numerous bird on the planet. They were colorful and could fly 70 miles an hour! They were hunted like crazy, and a hunter even said "Don't worry. There are so many, we can't kill them all." But at the Cincinnati Zoo, the very last passenger pigeon died in September 1914. Extinct!

I've seen two stuffed passenger pigeons. One at the Museum of Science in Boston last summer, and one this March at the Natural History Museum in Washington D.C. But I'll never get to see a real one.




Will we let more birds go extinct? What can you do about it? Learn more about the birds in your yard and neighborhood. You can plant wild flowers and trees for the birds and butterflies. Build a birdfeeder so birds will use it during the winter. The Audubon says write letters. Talk to your parents about things your family can do at home. Any other suggstions?

What will you do to help the birds in your town? Let me know!

Could this be the most recent extinction?

Probably the most recent extinction would be the yangtze river dolphin. This makes me feel sad because more of earth's species are dying. Did you even hear about it? It was hardly in the news except for this clip I found. There are thousands of other species so close to extinction. Can you name any?