SAVING WILDLIFE

To make long term changes for wildlife and our environment, every individual must take personal responsibility for their actions. Here is a short list of some things you can do to help.

Simply Learn More. Read books and magazines, watch nature programs on TV, experience a SWI wildlife presentation with your family and learn about the natural world. The more you know and understand the environment, the more you can do to help!

Share what you know about the environment and what can be done to help save endangered species to your friends and family. Modeling environmentally friendly practices (e.g. parents who recycle, pick up trash and conserve water) demonstrate a reverence for our environment.

Write constructive (but respectful) letters to government officials and big businesses. Express your concerns about wildlife and the environment. If enough people write, someone will listen.

DO NOT buy products made from wild animals and exotic hard woods! If people do not buy products made from wild animals, the people who hunt and trap wild animals will have to stop making products. Products made from exotic hard woods often come from the rainforest that is home to many endangered animals. Ask if you are not sure what a product is made of and where it comes from.

DO NOT buy live animals that have been taken from the wild. When even one animal is taken from the wild it encourages trappers to catch more. This includes all animals: mammals, reptiles, amphibians, birds, fish, and even insects. If you would like an exotic animal for a pet, ask the seller if it was bred in captivity and have them show you proof.

Work with and support environmental organizations. You can support organizations through donations of money, materials, and your time.

Plant a tree. Trees provide shelter and food to animals. Trees also help fight global warming caused by the greenhouse effect, hold together soil, create shade, and make the world a more beautiful place.

Thank you for taking the time to learn more about what you can do to save wildlife and protect our environment!

Population of One-Horned Rhino Increases in Nepal’s Wildlife Parks

According to a population census on the endangered one-horned rhinos, carried out by the Department of National Park and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC), Nepal there are at present 534 rhinos in the country, an increase of 99 from the 2008 census. The counting was carried out at Chitwan National Park (CNP), Bardia National Park (BNP) and Shuklaphanta Wildlife Reserve (SWR). Counting was carried simultaneously at these places. 503 rhinos were recorded in Chitwan National Park, 24 in Bardia National Park and 7 in Shuklaphanta Wildlife Reserve. The rhino census, supported by World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is conducted every three years.

An Essay about Animal Habitats

All living things-humans and other animals, and even plants-share some of the same basic needs. One of those needs is a home. But a home is more than just a house. Home is the place where plants and animals find food, water, shelter and space. The scientific name for this kind of home is "habitat."

All animals need some kind of shelter. People build houses, apartments, trailers, even houseboats, for shelter. Wild animals don't need that kind of home, but they do need some kind of shelter. They might use an underground den, or a bush, or build a nest in the crook of a tree.

All animals, including humans, need food and water. There are people who plant gardens to provide some of the food they need, but most of us go to the grocery store to find food. Wild animals don't have that luxury. All of their food and water must be available within their home territory-the space they call their own. Unlike the grocery store, which can order more food when the shelves are bare, a wild animal's "store" only has so much food. Animals need enough space to find food and water for themselves and their young. The land where they live can only support so many animals. "Carrying capacity" is the term scientists use to describe the number of animals a certain portion of land can support.

There are many different kinds of habitats. Some habitats are very small, while others are quite large. The animals that live in these different habitats have special characteristics which enable them to survive under these special conditions.

For example, the kangaroo rat lives in a desert habitat. There is very little water to drink in a desert, but that isn't a problem for the kangaroo rat. This special little animal is able to get all the water it needs to live from the seeds and grasses it eats.

The polar bear has a thick layer of fat and special hollow hairs covering its body which help to keep it warm in its arctic habitat. A kangaroo rat would freeze to death in this habitat, but polar bears do just fine. In fact, polar bear bodies are so well insulated that they have to be careful not to overheat!

The ocean is another kind of habitat. There are many different kinds of marine animals living in the ocean-starfish, dolphins, turtles, sea cucumbers, and hundreds of different kinds of fish. All fish need to live in water, but not all fish can live in the ocean. If you take a fish from a fresh water stream or lake and put it in the ocean, it will die. Its body doesn't have the special adaptations needed to live in such a salty habitat.

Not all animals are as specialized as a kangaroo rat or a polar bear or a sea turtle. But all wild animals need a habitat - and so do you.