My Question on You Tube for the Next President

Well this is my first try at You Tube. I decided to post a question to the presidential candiates for when they come to Charleston. I don't think endangered animals and the environment get enough attention so I hope they will use my question.

The original video was much better. I haven't figured You Tube out yet. Let me know if you know how to get better quality. And my parents made me cut my full name.

Will you vote for a president who cares about animals and the environment? I hope you will.

My tiger encounter

This isn't something you get to do every day...bottle feed a rare Golden Tabby Tiger!!!

I was very excited to hold a real tiger at Preservation Station at Myrtle Beach this week. My eyes grew wide when I saw them bringing the tiger out. I've seen tigers on TV and in zoos, but this was the first time I got to hold one.

Here I am holding the tiger with my sister. It is also kown as a Golden Bengal, and there are only about 24 of this kind of tiger left in the world.

A tiger's fur feels soft, but rough at the same time. It was amazing to look into its light green eyes. The only sound it made was slurping on its bottle. The whole thing only lasted a minute or two, but it was cool.

I love tigers. At Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia they have Siberian tigers. They are also endangered with only about 500 left in the world. Learn more about how to help save the tiger.

Animal Jokes

What has antlers and sucks blood?
A moose-quito.

What do Alexander the Great and Winnie the Pooh have in common?
They both have 'the' as their middle names.

What do you get if you cross a centipede and a parrot?
A walkie talkie.

Why are pigs bad drivers?
They HOG the road.

What do you call an elephant in the North Pole?
Lost.

Is this elephant lost...?

Manatee Alert!!!

There is a news alert for boaters to be extra careful of manatees!
Manatees are endangered. There are only about 3,200 left. They are mostly found near Florida and Georgia, but there have been some sightings near South Carolina. Their greatest dangers are motor boats and people net fishing. There are groups dedicated to saving the manatee. But for some reason President Bush doesn't seem to like manatees very much.



Manatees are very shy and slow moving mammals also known as sea cows. They are related to the elephant, and the extinct steller sea cow. I'll do a post on that soon.
I like watching manatees, and would love to see one in the wild. This newspaper says they are smarter than they look. But I don't know. Watch this video and tell me what you think!

Stop the Rhino Poaching!

Gangs of poachers are still killing lots of rhinos for their horns. That report from Traffic says that's how most rhinos die-- poachers in Zimbabwe and Congo hunting them down. Many scientists think the rhino will be extinct in the wild in about ten years if we don't do something!


Rhinos are so interesting because they look almost prehistoric. They were found in North America and Europe during the Ice Age. But the Wooly Rhino was hunted into extinction. Now there are only five species left in Asia and Africa. The Western Black Rhino went extinct summer 2006. The Sumatran Rhino is probably next for extinction since there are less than 300 left in the wild!

The World Wildlife Fund and Traffic and some other groups are working hard to save the rhino. They need your help. What will you think if rhinos go extinct because of poaching? Let me know what you will do to help.

Global Mourning

Global warming is bad for the environment, bad for habitats and animals everywhere, and bad for South Carolina.

So what are we doing about it in South Carolina? Well, we might be making global warming worse! How? By making a new electricity plant that uses coal.

And more pollution and global warming will make more animals go extinct-- like polar bears and walruses. And it will hurt the earth and the environment. And that's why I called this post global mourning. Many people think there are better choices.

You should give your opinion. What do you think?

To Bee or Not to Bee

I heard that Albert Einstein said, "If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe, then man would only have four years of life left."

My dad said Einstein probably never really said that. Anyone know? But it's still interesting to think about how important bees are.

This story says bees are declining worldwide. Bees are disappearing from Montana and other states. And this story from England about disappearing bee colonies.

Take the Mossy Challenge

If we want to save the animals, we have to help the climate and the earth. It's not as hard as you think.

First, I challenge 50 people reading this to change to better light bulbs, like we did at our house. (These are some examples.) The kind we have are swirly, but just as good as the old ones.

And it would be great if 50 people could plant a tree in their yard.

And can 50 people send some money to World Wildlife Fund, Sierra Club, or Nature Conservancy? We're members of those, but there are lots of good ones.

And I KNOW you recycle, right?!!!! And NEVER EVER litter!!!!

E-mail this to your friends. Spread the word. Then tell me some things you will do. The animals will thank you! And I will thank you in a future posting.

Giant Panda

Everyone loves pandas. The zoos in the U.S. with pandas are National Zoo in Washington D.C., Zoo Atlanta, San Diego, Memphis Zoo. I've seen the pandas at the National Zoo and Zoo Atlanta-- they were very cool. You can hear what one sounds like here, or check out a panda cam and videos here.

Pandas are very endangered. There are only about 1,600 in the wild, all in China. About 150 are in zoos-- mostly in China. They eat bamboo. In Chinese they are called "Giant Bear Cats." Aren't they amazing?

The Animal Riddle-- Are You Ready for 5th Grade?

This is just for fun. Tomorrow is my last day of fourth grade, so to celebrate, let's see how smart YOU are.

1. How do you put a giraffe into a refrigerator?

Correct answer: Open the refrigerator, put in the giraffe and close the door. This question tests whether or not you are doing simple things in a complicated way.

2. How do you put an elephant into a refrigerator?

Incorrect answer: Open the refrigerator, put in the elephant and shut the refrigerator.
Correct answer: Open the refrigerator, take out the giraffe, put in the elephant and close the door. This question tests your foresight.

3. The Lion King is hosting an animal conference. All the animals attend except one. Which animal does not attend?

Correct answer: The elephant. The elephant is in the refrigerator! This tests if you are capable of comprehensive thinking.

OK, if you did not answer the last three questions correctly, this one may be your last chance to test your readiness to be a fifth grader.

4. There is a river filled with crocodiles. How do you cross it?

Correct Answer: Simply swim through it. All the crocodiles are attending the animal meeting!

Endangered Snail Kite in South Carolina

Hey, the very rare, endangered snail kite was spotted in South Carolina.
You can read the story here.

What is your animal personality?

What is your animal personality?

My power animal is the eagle,

and I was a whale in a past life.

What about you? Try it below. Let me know!
http://www.blogthings.com/theanimalpersonalitytest/

Baghdad Zoo Hero-- Exclusive Interview!

In an earlier post I wrote about the Baghdad Zoo. I also did a post about a book on the rescue of its animals, and then a post on how it might be made into a movie.

Well, I just did an e-mail interview with the hero who saved Baghdad Zoo, Lawrence Anthony. He's the guy on the left. Here it is:

I live in Columbia South Carolina USA. I have a blog about animals and wrote about you on it twice.
Thanks for your letter and your support on your blog. It is much appreciated.

You must be very brave! What was the scariest part of saving the zoo?

The scariest part about being in Baghdad was the war going on around us, especially in the beginning before the end of “major hostilities.”

When will the movie come out?

As regards to the movie, I believe it is a slow process but from what I have been told it is now under way. You could follow the progress like I do with a Google alert for “Good luck Mr Anthony.”

Have you seen any Rhinos where you live at Thula Thula (South Africa)?

We have Rhino on Thula Thula which I see regularly when I am out in the reserve.

Have any animals ever wandered into your house?

We often have animals wander into our garden, and on occasion we take in abandoned or injured animals and release them once they have recovered.

Congratulations on your book and movie.
Thank you. Please let me know what you think of the book if you read it.

Happy Endangered Species Day

May 18 is endangered species day! Some animals considered endangered?

Elephants!

Rhinos!

Polar Bears!
Some of the endangered animals in South Carolina are the Piping Plover, Loggerhead Turtle, Eastern cougar, manatee, and whales like the right, finback, blue and humpback.

Many scientists think almost half of all animals on earth will become extinct in the next 50 years! Stop pollution, stop poachers, stop habitat destruction! Do your part.