Artist, Fine Art Specialist, busy mom and home decorating diva Kim Counts drops by once a week to share art facts, decor tips and more.
Which Species Are in Danger
and What You Can Do to Help
I just love this polar bear photography print, don't you? Look at how tender and protective the mother bear is towards her sweet little cub. Polar bears are such wonderful creatures -- so playful and yet majestic. It's hard to imagine they may be extinct by the end of this century.
That's right, by the year 2100, if current climate trends continue warming the sea ice, polar bears simply won't exist anymore. It's a sobering fact, and what's worse is that many other species may also follow in their wake. Fortunately, though, there are steps we can take to help turn things around. In honor of Earth Day, today's entry is devoted to saving endangered animals, like the tiger.
Known for their beautiful stripes and stealthy hunting skills, tigers walk paw in paw with lions as kings of the jungle. Sadly though, due to human construction and deforestation, tigers now have 40% less habitat available to them -- which threatens their existence. Fortunately though, foundations like the World Wildlife Fund are working hard to protect tigers and many other species. Making a donation is one simple way to contribute, and you can also call them up and ask how else you could help.
Can you imagine a world without whales? These great leviathans of the sea are incredibly peaceful mammals, but they also know how to have a good time. Just look at this guy leaping out of the sea:
Doesn't he look joyful? Unfortunately, whale hunting, water pollution and collisions with ships have caused the animal population for this lovely mammal to dwindle. Greenpeace and other organizations have done great work for this cause, and you could contact them if you wanted to get involved.
China's roly-poly Giant Panda is another animal on the way to extinction.
Believe it or not, it's estimated that as few as 1,600 of these beautiful bears exist in the wild today. There is hope, though. Do a little research on the internet, and you'll find all sorts of Adopt-a-Panda type of programs that help you contribute to the preservation of these species and others.
Staying informed and spreading the word also helps. Last week, my son's school did a series of presentations on endangered species, and it really spurred his interest to help. Now he's a regular expert on camel preservation!
As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. In that vein, decorating your home, office or school with images of endangered animals is another way to generate discussion and help foster awareness and appreciation for these beautiful creatures.
So Happy Earth Day to you, and let's do our best to keep our animals alive and well!
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