Category Archives: Animals

Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge

Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge

By Roi J. Tamkin, Georgia.

A great way to experience nature and the outdoors without traveling to remote parts of the country is a visit to a National Wildlife Refuge. There are 588 National Wildlife Refuges, or NWRs, across the United States alone. Chances are very good there’s a NWR near you.

NWRs are managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Their number one priority is to protect native species. Their second big purpose is recreation. NWRs are great for outdoor hiking, exploring and fishing. If you live near a refuge by the water, you can even go boating. The Fish and Wildlife Service manages land and water resources to create the optimal environment for all the plant and animal species that call these refuges home.

 

 

Downey Woodpecker in Cattails

I recently visited Pinckney Island off the southern coast of South Carolina. This NWR is part of a chain of islands along the Atlantic Flyway that attracts thousands of birds each year. The island is an important rookery for coastal birds.

Common Moorhens on their Nesting Site

Pinckney Island is named after the Revolutionary War veteran Major General Charles Cotesworth Pinckney who purchased the island to grow cotton. The refuge was established in 1975 and consists of 4,035 acres and includes many small islands around Pinckney, the largest one. These islands support a wide variety of plant and animal life found in South Carolina. 

A Coot

During my visit to Pinckney, I saw plenty of moorhens and coots in the freshwater ponds on the island. I also saw three very large alligators in one pond. That’s three too many for me! White-tailed deer roam the island, but are hard to find since they generally avoid people.

A Friendly Armadillo

But a friendly armadillo did come out of the brush to visit me. I also saw dolphins in the creek running along the eastern side of the island. There is also a historical shell mound built by Archaic Indians 4,000 years ago. Sadly, it is covered up by centuries of vegetation, but you can still walk to the spot where the mound is located. Nearby Hilton Head Island has a preserved mound you can visit and learn about the ancient people that migrated through the coast of the southern U.S.

 

 

Spanish Moss on Oak Trees

The NWR near you may not have alligators or 4,000-year-old relics, but it may have something unique to where you live. Check your local maps or do a search for a wildlife refuge near you and enjoy a day outdoors with nature.

—Roi J. Tamkin is a photographer based in Atlanta, Georgia.

 The Big Gardens

 The Big Gardens

By Geraldine De Goeas, California

The tall iron gates stood wide open in welcome. Nadine read the large overhead sign. The Botanical Gardens. She grinned. No one in Guyana called it that. It was ‘The Big Gardens,’ simply because it was big, and also to differentiate it from the Promenade Gardens, known as ‘The Small Gardens’.

Towering palm trees lined the main walkway. The sweet scent of Frangipani filled the air.

“Which way to the manatee pond, Brother?” Nadine asked.

“Stop calling me Brother.” Nadine’s older brother Julio wagged his finger at her. Then he said, “We’ll go see the flowers first, check out the band and…”

Nadine sucked her teeth. “I came to feed the manatees. I don’t want to see flowers or listen to any old band.”

“Too bad,” Julio retorted. “The manatees won’t come to eat until it’s cooler. I’ll buy you a shave-ice and…”

“So why bring me now?” Nadine interrupted, stamping her foot.

“Because Mummy told me to. But we can go home,” Julio threatened.

Nadine’s lips formed a tight line. I’m not going home, she thought. What I came for is right here. She thought back to the first time she saw the manatees. How she found them ‘So awesome.’ “God’s gentle giants,” her mummy had called them. Nadine pictured them moving, ever so slowly, in the water. No splashing or thrashing; making hardly a ripple on the water’s surface. She remembered their small round eyes that seemed to twinkle as they spotted the eager crowd, offering all that delicious grass. No, Nadine would not be going home. Now that her mother had finally declared her old enough, Nadine was here to feed a manatee, and nothing would stop her.

“I’ll have a pineapple shave-ice,” she muttered grudgingly.

The sweet pineapple juice poured over crushed ice did little to change Nadine’s disappointment. She lagged behind Julio, ignoring the circles of delicate roses, colorful zinnias, and bright yellow marigolds that surrounded her. She shuffled along the dirt path, angrily kicking up dust with the tip of her yachting shoes.

Suddenly, a black bee zipped past Nadine’s nose. Nadine’s head snapped back instantly, but her eyes followed the bee cautiously. She saw it circle, then zoom, into the dark center of a large golden sunflower. As she watched, Nadine’s eyes grew wide and round like matching silver dollars. “Awesome,” she whispered.

“You coming?” shouted Julio.

Nadine ran to her brother. “Oh, Brother!” she exclaimed. “I saw a bee with its head shoved deep into a flower sucking up nectar, just the way my teacher said,” she blurted out excitedly. “Awesome.”

“Hey, I’ll show you something really awesome,” was Julio’s reply. Leading Nadine away from the flower beds, across a metal footbridge that twanged loudly with every footstep, Julio guided her to the far end of the gently running stream they had just crossed.

Huge round leaves, like giant plates, lay on the water’s surface. Pure white flowers, big as water-coconuts, with pointed oval petals, sat between the leaves, gleaming like jewels in the brilliant sunshine. Nadine gasped. Her mouth formed a perfect “O.”

“Victoria lilies,” Julio explained. “Guyana’s special flower. Named after a queen.”

“Oh, Brother, this is double awesome. God sure makes beautiful things.”

And as if in agreement, music filled the air. Recognizing a folksong she knew, Nadine sang aloud, “There’s a brown girl in the ring…”

Julio grabbed his sister’s hand. “Let’s go!” he yelled. And with the wind whistling in their ears, they ran toward the music. Soon, the bright red dome of the bandstand loomed before them. Groups of people dotted the surrounding grassy area; some singing like Nadine to the tune the bandsmen, in their crisp navy uniforms and shiny silver buttons were playing, “She likes sugar, and I like plums.”

Julio threw himself on the lawn and pulled Nadine down with him.

Soon, Nadine’s shoulders were rocking and her body swaying as she sang along with the spectators. “This is fun, Brother. Will you bring me again?”

“Only if you stop calling me Brother.”

Nadine’s forehead wrinkled into a frown. She loved Julio. He was her brother. Why shouldn’t she say so? She’d be happy if he called her Sister.

“Now to the manatee pond.”

Delighted at Julio’s words, Nadine immediately forgot her brother’s threat and sprang up to follow him.

Noisy children, protective parents, and many teenagers stood or sat by the water’s edge. Brother and sister searched for clumps of clean, young grass, then squatted by the water and waited.

The late afternoon sun peeking between the over-hanging Poinciana trees made dancing shadows on the still water.

“Here they come,” someone whispered. Nadine’s eyes lit up. Her heart pounded with excitement. The crown of a manatee’s wrinkled head appeared inches above the water. Then another, and another. As the mammals moved closer, people waved their fists of clutched grass hoping to attract a manatee’s attention.

“The grass, Daddy, hurry!”

At Nadine’s right, a boy about her age sat, both legs in braces, leaning sideways straining to find his father.

In seconds, a manatee’s head popped up out of the water, close to Nadine and the boy. It’s thick round lips opened wide; the two halves of it’s upper lip jiggled as if signaling to be fed.

“Daddy, Daddy.”

Nadine saw the boy’s lips tremble. She saw tears flood his eyes. She knew that feeling. She remembered her anger and her tears whenever her mommy had said, “Not until you’re older.”

Nadine eyed the manatee’s jiggling lips. So close. Quickly she extended her arm and offered her fist-full of grass. “Here take this,” she said to the boy.

“But Nadine…” Julio began.

“It’s okay,” Nadine said. “You’ll bring me another day, right Brother?”

Julio’s eyes misted up. He hugged his sister and nodded, “I promise.”

By Geraldine De Goeas, California. She adds: “I was born and educated in what was then British Guyana. These botanical gardens were my playground of choice growing up.”

A Letter to my Grandchildren

A Letter to my Grandchildren:

How To Save Our Health and the Health of the World!

With Earth Day approaching I have been giving a lot of thought to how I can contribute to making this world a healthier and safer place for you. We have a number of issues that may be stressful for you… but I would like to share some of my thoughts on why the food choices we make can be powerful factors in improving the health and safety in your life as well as the health of the world.
What are some of the problems we face?

  1. Global warming leading to extreme weather (storms, floods, tornadoes, droughts, etc.)
  2. Species extinction due to loss of habitat
  3. Crime and violence
  4. Pandemic issues
  5. Obesity and increase in chronic illnesses (like diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, liver disease, etc.) 

What is one of the most effective ways to reduce these problems? It’s Food!

Why? When you look around the world…you will discover that certain populations live longer (into their 90’s and 100’s) and are healthier than others. The book, The Blue Zones by Dan Buettner, documents the five regions of the world that have a number of similarities—a whole plant food diet, movement throughout the day, and good social support from family and friends.There are two sources of food available in our world—plants and animals. In the Americas, raising animals for our main food source contributes more to global warming than all the transportation we use. It uses more water and land than using plants for our main food source. And raising animals in close quarters has led to spreading diseases to humans and has contributed to antibiotic resistance. Animal foods are high in saturated fats, which leads to inflammation and clogging of our arteries. Saturated fats also are an underlying cause of obesity, diabetes, and many other chronic illnesses. Also, the processing of our foods to increase shelf life and to make food choices more attractive has increased the fat, salt, and sugar content, and at the same time, made them highly addictive. Addiction leads to anxiety, depression, and a lower quality of life. It may lead to mental illness and potentially to increased crime and violence. All in all, raising animals for our food is not only contributing in a huge way to making our health worse but it is also making our planet sick.

So what is the solution? The one thing we can all do is to start asking ourselves questions like: “Are the food choices I am making now because of my habits or will they help me reach my goals and help improve the health of our planet?” Greta Thunberg’s answer is to just eat plant-based foods. And eating plants as they have grown in nature (with only minimal processing) is the healthiest choice we can make.
What gets in the way of us making healthier choices?

  1. Family and friends
  2. Our culture
  3. Myths we live with…

Let’s look at some of the myths we live with.

Myth# 1. Our Genes Determine Our Health
We used to believe that our genes were the main determinants of our health. We now know that genetics account for about 20% of our health. 80% of our health is determined by our lifestyle (what we eat, how we move throughout the day, the chemicals we use, and how we deal with stress). A good analogy is this… If you put a bullet in a gun, no one gets hurt unless the trigger gets pulled. Our genes are like the bullet. If we choose unhealthy foods, live a sedentary lifestyle, use tobacco or alcohol, or do not learn how to handle stress, then our trigger gets pulled and we can develop the diseases that hurt us. So if you want to be the healthiest, do not stress out too much about your family history, but instead concentrate on the lifestyle choices you make. And eat healthy foods regularly to achieve your best health.

Myth# 2. The Best Source of Protein Is Animal Foods
The building blocks for protein are called amino acids. All of these building blocks are made by and found in plants—greens, beans, legumes, grains, roots and tubers, seeds, fruits, and nuts, etc. Animals are like a middleman. They eat plants and plant products to make protein. Our teeth and long digestive tracts are meant to grind up plants and make our own protein, just like the strongest animals on Earth—elephants and gorillas. We have no need to eat other animals. When we eat protein from animals we decrease the fiber content of our diet. Dietary fiber is the main deficiency in the American diet—the Standard American Diet (SAD).

Myth# 3. Protein Is Deficient in our Diet
If you eat enough calories and a variety of foods in the day, you will get enough protein. Do not focus your attention on getting enough protein, but do focus on how you are going to get enough fiber. Why is fiber so important? Fiber provides bulk and makes us full so we do not overeat. Fiber hooks up with excess cholesterol, other excess hormones, and toxins and wheelbarrows it out quickly through our intestines. For every 10 grams of fiber you add to your daily diet, you decrease your colon cancer risk by 10% because the toxins pass through the intestine so quickly they do not have time to do as much damage to the cells lining your colon. Fiber is the food for the good bacteria in your colon. These bacteria are called your microbiome. When you feed these bacteria they feed you back with chemicals like butyrate and serotonin. Butyrate is an anti-inflammatory chemical which helps heal the body. Serotonin is a hormone that prevents anxiety and depression. Remember… more fiber from whole plant foods leads to better health.

Myth# 4. Carbohydrates Are the Enemy
Many of us are confused about this issue. We all know that eating more fruits and vegetables is healthy. But we are told not to eat carbohydrates. Yet fruits and vegetables are carbohydrates plus fiber. So, why wouldn’t we be confused?

Carbohydrates packaged with their usual fiber are healthy and not harmful. That is why eating whole plant foods as grown in nature is healthy, but processing these same plant foods by stripping away their fiber leads to inflammation and spiking blood sugars that lead to disease. So avoid all processed foods like white sugar, white bread, sugary drinks and sodas, and artificial foods that are not grown in nature.

Myth# 5. Willpower Is the Main Factor in Obesity
Willpower is not the main factor in the epidemic of obesity in the Western world. Our foods have been altered (processed) in such a way as to make them highly addictive. Like any other addiction, high calorie density foods light up the pleasure centers in our brains and keep us wanting to eat more…even though we know this is harming our health. Transition your food choices to low calorie density and you will not have to worry about your weight. It may take several weeks for your body to adjust to eating low calorie density foods rather than the high calorie density foods that you are used to eating.

Myth# 6. Milk Does the Body Good!
Milk has been promoted for its calcium. However, science shows that milk drinkers do not have lower rates of bone fracture. In fact, sometimes they have higher rates of bone fracture. Get your calcium from the beans and greens in your diet. 75% of the world population lacks the enzymes to metabolize lactose (the sugar in milk). This lactose intolerance leads to bloating, increased gas, and a lot of unnecessary abdominal pain. Milk has IGF-1 (a hormone that promotes growth). That is good when you are a baby…but it is not so good if you are older and happen to have some cancer cells whose growth might be stimulated by the Insulin-like Growth Factor-1 hormone.

Myth# 7. You Can Trust your Doctor or Health Care System for Nutrition Advice
Currently there are very few medical schools that share the science of ‘food as medicine’ in the curriculum. So do not be surprised if your doctor or healthcare provider actually learns from you. If you look around and see the number of people who are overweight, have diabetes, or other chronic illnesses, you might ask yourself, “Do I really want to trust the information (nutritional advice) that my healthcare system has been promoting for many years?” or “Do I want to do some research and find a better way?”

Myth# 8. Animals that We Eat are Well Cared for
This might be one of the biggest myths. Big Ag (agriculture) has taken over how animals are raised and killed for our food. Animals are kept in very crowded conditions (I think of these conditions like concentration camps) that require the use of antibiotics to prevent spreading disease in these animals. This use of antibiotics has led to antibiotic resistance. Antibiotic resistance is an important issue because if a person gets an infection that our antibiotics no longer can treat…it could result in increased rates of disability and death. The way we treat others (and that includes animals) will influence how kind or compassionate we become as human beings. The way we have been treating our animals is not an example of how I wish to be treated. My choice is to not support an industry that treats animals inhumanely—as is currently practiced in the meat and poultry industry.

It took over 30 years for the United States to understand that smoking causes cancer and death. Food has become our new tobacco. Promote transitioning to a whole food, plant based diet and watch the reduction in deaths from most of our chronic diseases as we eliminate calorie-rich and processed (CRAP) foods from our diet. We will feel healthier as we replace these with greens, beans, legumes, grains, roots and tubers, seeds, fruits, and nuts in our daily diet. Some of these can be eaten raw while others can be soaked and cooked—boiled or baked to make them digestible and palatable. Minimizing salt, oils (fats) and refined sugars and using whole grains (rather than white flour, white rice, etc.) in preparing meals, and fresh fruits rather than fruit juices ensures that we get that important dietary fiber in our digestive system.
The time is right to transition what we eat…let’s be thoughtful about the science of healthy food choices…not only for our individual health but also for the health of our planet!

Love,
Papa

By Dr. Charles “Charlie” Ross. Doctor Ross is a practicing osteopathic physician for over 45 years and a part-time Assistant Professor at Western University of Health Sciences in Oregon. He wants to change the practice of medicine from treating symptoms to treating the root causes of disease. He practices Lifestyle Medicine and co-teaches free community classes on the science of nutrition and food as medicine.  

 

 

Color Me!

Landscape

Happy Earth Day 2023!

Our friend, artist Jon Bush of Massachusetts, invites the artist in you to color this landscape to your liking. Get out your crayons or color pencils and pens to bring to life the landscape in living color of your choice. What different things do you seen in this scene? As you begin to color, you may find many things that you may have missed in your first look. You will need to print out the image before you begin to color. Try different schemes. Have fun.  —Editor

Horse Dream

“Horse Dream” by Tang Li, age 9, Florida.

Tang Li was born in the United States, and she speaks and learns to write in English, Mandarin, and French. She has had one-year horseback riding experience She is very fond of riding and taking care of horses, and she misses those good old days. She wants to be a veterinarian in the future; her dream hasn’t changed since she was four years old. 

In Tang’s realistic fiction, Horse Dream, she used the main character Molly to realize her dream, by choosing an ideal location and a dream horse to ride. She began her creative writing by introducing Molly: “Hi. My name is Molly. I am ten years old and was born in Paris, Texas. Yes! It may sound crazy and this Paris even has an Eiffel Tower, just like the one in France. But this Eiffel Tower has a gigantic cowboy hat! My house is just a few blocks away from the Eiffel Tower.

“I have always dreamed of being a cowgirl. Horses are such beautiful animals! I begged mom and dad to sign me up for horseback riding lessons… In school, my favorite part was recess because I got to swing high up on the swings and to see the horse pasture on the other side of the school wall. My favorite horse was a horse named Fiona. She is a brown quarterback horse with a white mark shaped like a rhombus between her eyes. I always hoped to ride on Fiona someday.”

Snake Island

Snake Island, Brazil

Imagine a beautiful, tiny island located in the Atlantic Ocean, about 25 miles off the coast of Brazil. Here you’ll find tropical weather, luscious rainforests, and a breathtaking coastline. But the island’s creepiest residents are several thousand deadly snakes.

This island is called Ilha da Queimada Grande but it is better known as Snake Island. On the island, there are between 2,000 to 4,000 deadly snakes. There is at least one snake per square meter, so if you were to take several steps, you are likely to come across another snake!

The island is the only home to the golden lancehead (a type of pit viper). It is one of the most venomous and endangered snakes on earth. This snake is yellowish brown in color with a black-tipped tail and can grow from over a foot and a half to well past three feet in length. Its venom is three to five times stronger than that of any mainland snakes. If the golden lancehead bites someone, it can melt human flesh, and that person could be dead within an hour.

You may wonder how all these snakes arrived on an island located so many miles from the mainland. Actually, the snakes appeared over thousands of years on their own.  Approximately 11,000 years ago, sea levels rose to separate Snake Island from Brazil. The species that then lived in Brazil were called jararaca snakes. This same species became stranded on Snake Island and began increasing in population because they didn’t have any ground-dwelling predators. Without having any food sources, the snakes began slithering up trees to prey upon birds that migrated to the island. Over time, their venom became much stronger because they had to compete for food, and they had to kill the birds instantly so they wouldn’t fly away.

Golden Lancehead. Photo by Otavio A.V. Marques, a scientific researcher from Brazil working with the golden lancehead species to find cures for illnesses. 

Over many years, the golden lanceheads developed a method of attacking their prey. The golden lanceheads coil up and draw the tip of their tail close to their head. The movement of their tail helps to attract birds. They then strike their prey and wait for the poisons to take effect. They paralyze, or prevent their prey from moving, so that they can melt its flesh to make it easier to swallow whole.

No humans live on the island now, but some did for a while up until the late 1920’s. A lightkeeper and his family lived there to maintain the island’s lighthouse. According to legend (a story believed by many people but not proven to be true) several snakes entered their home through some open windows. As a result, the entire family was bitten and soon died. Another legend involved a fisherman who arrived on the island looking for bananas. He was later found dead in his boat with snake bites all over his body.

It is now illegal for anyone to step upon the island without special permission from the Brazilian government. The Brazilian navy makes a yearly visit to maintain the island’s lighthouse and to trim surrounding trees and plants. Scientists and researchers are the only other groups allowed to visit, but they must bring a doctor along in case they need to be treated for a snake bite.

Scientists and researchers are studying the golden lanceheads’ venom to support health issues. Brazilian scientist, Marcelo Duarte, who studies venomous reptiles for medical purposes, described the potential of the golden lancehead. “We are just scratching the world of possibilities for using this venom,” he said. He further commented that golden lancehead venom has shown promise in helping with heart disease, blood circulation, and blood clots.

Unfortunately, the golden lanceheads are now considered critically endangered, which means they are at high risk of becoming extinct. Wildlife smugglers who trap the snakes and sell them illegally for thousands of dollars have caused a decrease in their population. Also, snakes captured for scientific studies have added to the problem. Removal of some of the island’s trees and plants by the Brazilian navy as well as disease among the golden lanceheads have also reduced the snake population by approximately 50 percent in the last 15 years. This may come as good news to people but not for the snakes!

Isn’t it fascinating that something so beneficial could come from something so deadly? However, if different approaches aren’t taken, we could lose the golden lancehead species forever. This could mean throwing away the key to a future of life saving medications and procedures. Protecting and preserving nature can truly help everyone.

SIDEBAR: If you would like to help protect wildlife, here are some steps to take:

• Learn about threatened and endangered species in your area. Use your knowledge to teach others about these species.
• Install a birdhouse or feeder near your yard.
• Keep your pets, especially cats, indoors. Cats kill billions of birds each year.
• Avoid the use of fertilizers or pesticides on your lawn or garden as they are toxic to wildlife.
• Let local or state wildlife agencies know that you don’t support the use of cruel or inhumane traps to capture wild animals.
• Write a letter to your local or state officials requesting that they follow regulations that support wildlife.

By Debby Shade, Texas. Debby is a writer, former school teacher, and a nature enthusiast.

Fire Dragon

Fire Dragon by Jiacheng Yu, age 6, Florida.

Fire Dragon by Jiacheng Yu, age 6, Chinese American, Florida. This was an entry for the 2021 Youth Awards.

The Horse That Jumps

“This is the first drawing of mine that has really jumped off the page. I especially like drawing horses, because they are such majestic creatures, and you can display their beauty. I’ve always loved horses, and learning about them. I think, the drawing also shows my personality.”

By Ava Shorten, age 11, Cork, Ireland.

Life Aboard an Iceberg

By Carla Sabotta, Olympia, Washington.

An Iceberg in the Antarctic Region. Photo by Carla Sabotta, Washington.

From jellyfish to harbor seals, a variety of animals thrive in and around icebergs. The animals find food and shelter, and some of them nest, on these floating chunks of ice.

Icebergs break off from glaciers and ice shelves and bob in the sea. An ice shelf appears where a glacier flows down to a coastline. Icebergs stay afloat even though they weigh many hundreds of thousands of tons. They float for the same reason ice cubes do in a glass of water—ice is lighter than water.

Icebergs the size of houses and large buildings form each year in the Arctic at the North Pole and in Antarctica at the South Pole. Table-shaped icebergs have steep sides and flat tops. Other shapes of icebergs have domes and spires.

Algae and phytoplankton grow on and around all shapes and sizes of icebergs. Algae are like plants and make food from sunlight. Phytoplankton are tiny living things and include plants and animals. Inch-long, shrimp-like creatures called krill eat the algae and phytoplankton. Thousands of krill mill about together and make up the largest part of the diet of many animals.

Invertebrates such as jellyfish come to the icebergs to feed on krill. Invertebrates lack backbones. Larger animals such as fish, squid and penguins also like krill. Penguins catch the slippery creatures with their spiny tongues and powerful jaws, while keeping a look out for seals and whales.

Leopard seals and killer whales seek out icebergs to hunt the penguins. Squawking flocks of petrels and other flying seabirds circle overhead looking for food. The seals also like to sleep on pieces of sea ice floating in the shadows of the icebergs, to get protection from high winds.

A Leopard Seal on a Small Iceberg. Photo by Carla Sabotta, Washington.

In addition to supplying food, icebergs also give protection and a place to raise pups. Young icefish dart into small holes to hide from animals hunting them. These pale-looking fish have clear blood because they lack red blood cells and hemoglobin. Groups of harbor seals haul out onto icebergs to escape killer whales, sharks and polar bears. They rest on the ice with their heads and rear flippers lifted up in a banana-like pose.

During the spring, female harbor seals give birth to pups on icebergs. Groups of mother seals raise their pups on the ice to protect themselves from predators. When they’re not swimming and diving, the seal pups rest on the ice. Out of the water the pups use little energy to stay warm. They can instead use the energy from their mother’s milk to grow and put on the blubber they will need to survive the winter.

Are icebergs becoming home to new animals? Possibly. Scientists recently reported for the first time seeing a colony of ivory gulls and chicks nesting on a rock-covered iceberg. The iceberg drifted in open water near Northeast Greenland. These gleaming white gulls usually build their nests on cliff ledges or distant islands near coasts. Scientists think the gulls may have chosen an iceberg to avoid Arctic foxes and polar bears, and to stay close to their favorite food—small fish and krill.

Adelie Penguins on an Iceberg. Photo by Carla Sabotta

Carla adds, “I was inspired to write this article after learning about icebergs on a trip to Antarctica.”

I’m a Young African Elephant Calf

Illustration and flash fiction by Alina Yuan, 17, California.

This season, it is unusually hot. The heat of the African savanna radiates off the parched land and burns my feet with each step while the sun glares down upon us, sneering at our misfortunes. I slowly drag my feet through the dirt, feeling not soreness but numbness. Small fissures have appeared across the arid landscape. I flick my tail to shoo away pesky flies. A slight breeze blows through the landscape, flinging dust into my eyes and nostrils. But I am too tired to shake off the dust. I have gone days without food or water. My eyelids droop as a hazy feeling overpowers my senses and a dull buzzing noise echoes in my head. One of our pack buddies collapses ahead of me, breathing heavily and closing his eyes. Immediately, mosquitos start to swarm him until he takes his shaky, final breath. At this rate, I will die soon, too.

Our pack shuffles sluggishly towards a large puddle left over from the rainy season. Everyone gulps the water greedily. It is the dry season and we must keep ourselves hydrated during the drought. After drinking water, I use my trunk to pull off the leaves and twigs of an uprooted tree, and I eat with Mother and my cousins. The rest of my family stays close by, eating and keeping watch for predators. We continue our journey and trudge towards a patch of trees. After a while, I look up. The sun is starting to set, and I can sense the temperature dropping quickly.

I hear a slight rustle behind the bushes. I see a head, a human. It is carrying a long stick in its hands. It points it at our pack slowly and waits. We immediately become silent, and I turn to Mother.

“What is it doing?”

“Hush,” she says quietly, her voice trembling.

She pushes me roughly into the middle of the pack and blocks me from the human’s sight with her body.

“Is this what killed Father before I was born?” I whisper. “I’m scared.”

Mother turns to me. Her eyes soften, but I can still see her pupils shaking. She caresses my face with her trunk.

“It’s going to be alright.”

The human stands up slowly, making sure to barely make a sound. I see a piece of tusk hanging from a strand around its neck. Sheer fright envelopes me. It moves its finger.

A deafening noise startles me, and I freeze in terror. My pack scatters, frantically trying to escape. One of them falls, but I don’t know who. The human puts something back into the stick and aims again. Another blast. I turn around and run as fast as I can. More fall. My vision blurs, and I search frantically for Mother, turning in circles, bugling in panic. The screams of my brethren are muffled and drowned out by my violent heartbeat. The human appears in front of me, shooting at my relatives beside me. I scream and turn around to face the body of my dead Mother.

By Alina Yuan, 17, California. She adds: “I enjoy writing flash fiction and short stories, as well as drawing comics. At home, I love playing with my dog, a Shiba Inu, and collecting an eclectic array of stickers.

I am of Chinese cultural background, but I always enjoy learning about other cultures and issues around the world. One day, while scrolling through social media, I stumbled upon a picture of poachers hunting elephants for the illegal ivory trade. I was so appalled by that image that it stuck with me and prompted me to create art and writing revolving around this topic. Learning about cultures requires you to put yourself in other people’s shoes, and the same can be said for learning about world issues. Remove yourself from the perspective of a human being and put yourself in the shoes of the oppressed in order to learn more and practice empathy. That is how the world can progress and rid itself of evil.”