Creature Feature: Pangolin

In my last blog, I reviewed The Jungle Book. One of the elements I liked in the movie (which I didn't mention in my review), was the little side characters that added comic relief. For example, there was a porcupine that acted like the seagulls from Finding Nemo, saying "This is mine, and this is mine,". The one I'd like to talk about now is the pangolin. 

It's really no wonder that this little animal was in the movie- they are practically born to do comedy just by their hilariously weird anatomy. They look like something out of a Pokedex. Twenty percent of a pangolin's body weight is from their scales, which are made of keratin like our fingernails and hair. Unfortunately, they are poached for these scales, as well as their meat. There are eight pangolin species in Africa and Asia, and all are anywhere from "Vulnerable" to "Critically Endangered". 

According to WWF, "They certainly are one of the most trafficked mammals in Asia and, increasingly, Africa. Pangolins are in high demand in countries like China and Vietnam. Their meat is considered a delicacy and pangolin scales are used in traditional medicine and folk remedies to treat a range of ailments from asthma to rheumatism and arthritis. All eight pangolin species are protected under national and international laws but that is not stopping the massive international illegal trade in pangolins, which has increased in recent years because of growing demand. Based on reported seizures between 2011 and 2013, an estimated 116,990-233,980 pangolins were killed, which represents only the tip of the trade. Experts believe that seizures represent as little as 10 percent of the actual volume in pangolins in illegal wildlife trade."

Oh and to add to that, they are threatened by habitat loss, too. I wish there was a happy way to end this post, but unfortunately, I don't think there is. If you'd like to help, you can always check out World Wildlife Fund and click "How You Can Help", and you can learn more here and here. Don't want to read? I've got a video for you then: 

As always, thanks for reading! 

Movie Review/Dose of Disney: The Jungle Book

The other night, I finally got out to see Disney's The Jungle Book. It. Was. Amazing. I'm not even sure where to start! 
Let's start with the music. The original animated film got so many wonderful songs stuck in our heads, like "The Bare Necessities" and "I Wanna Be Like You". These two were redone in a way respectful to the original, but in a new upbeat fashion. I was, however, disappointed that "Trust In Me" appeared only in the credits. In this movie, the talent was phenomenal. Of course Bagheera will always be my favorite character, but every other voice actor was perfect too, from Kaa to Baloo to King Louie (even though I'm not sure Christopher Walken's best role is a singer- yet still better than Iago). The actor who played Mowgli just blew me away, and I'm excited to see him in more movies hopefully soon. 

It was really nice that they expanded the story a bit. Very similar to how they gave Cinderella and Prince Charming more of a family history in the live action Cinderella, here Mowgli is shown how he comes to the jungle. There is also a larger focus on the wolf pack, which is only appropriate to the theme of family and friendship throughout the movie. Not only was it fairly accurate to the original animated movie, but it also included some references to other Disney darlings. As in The Lion King, there is a stampede in a gorge (Simba's down there!), an evil big cat villain with a physical scar, and said villain falls to a fiery death while trying to attack the hero. There's also a bit of Tarzan sprinkled in, especially with all of the Mowgli-runs-on-tree-branches scenes, and I can't help think Baloo's quest for honey is in homage to Winnie the Pooh.

Conservation-wise, the movie has a pretty obvious message: man destroys. But even deeper than that, man doesn't always destroy on purpose, it often happens from their carelessness. We can see the metaphor in Mowgli running through the forest with a torch and accidentally setting acres of woods ablaze. That's something we can all learn from. 

In conclusion, this is a great movie about love, family, and belonging, that keeps to the old story but adds in new ways. I think all Disney fans, young and old, will love this film. 


Thanks for reading everyone! 

Creature Feature: Giraffes

Today's tall topic: giraffes. An iconic part of Africa's megafauna, giraffes are a beloved animal in the eyes of many. And why? Let's look at a few reasons.

First off, their necks. The most distinguished feature of their anatomy makes them instantly recognizable by people of all ages and background. They can be up to 6 feet long and weigh over 500 pounds alone. That's like having a Siberian tiger hold up your head. Males will compete by swinging their necks against one another, in a display called necking. 

How about those patterns? Giraffe spots are unique to each individual, just like zebra stripes and human fingerprints. There are several subspecies of giraffes, nine to be exact, and they can be distinguished by the characteristics of their patterns.

Lastly, let's talk about their food. Using their insanely long necks, a giraffe is able to reach higher leaves than other animals. Not only does alleviate competition for food sources lower to the ground, it also allows the giraffes to have sole proprietorship over those high-up goodies. As if a giraffe didn't have enough length, they can also extend their 18-inch tongues, which are a blue/purple/black color to prevent sunburn.

Unfortunately, giraffes are being featured here not just because they are cool, but because they are also an animal we need to look at conserving. As of right now, the giraffe is species of least concern according to the IUCN Redlist, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't be concerned. Just like other animals in Africa, giraffes are not exempt from poaching. Poachers find a giraffe an easy target with their obvious silhouette and docile nature. They are killed for their hide, meat, tails that are used as bracelets, and brains that are used as a desperate and false cure for HIV. We tend to pay a lot of attention to elephants and rhinoceros when talking about poaching, but we cannot forget about other animals as well. They are also suffering from destruction of their habitat. Even if their immediate territory is not being destroyed, much of Africa's wildlife is hurting from habitat fragmentation, too. 

We're going to start seeing the results of all this in a very big way. Already, Rothschild's Giraffe is down to approximately 240 individuals. The overall population has seen a 40% decline in the past 15 years. To put that in perspective, 40% of the human population is 2.7 billion people. Take the number of people living in China and double it. Then poof all of those people off of the planet. Needless to say, this decline should not be taken lightly.

You can always check out the Giraffe Conservation Foundation to help! Thanks for reading everyone! 

News Review: McDonalds and More

It's a Royal Shame
In a recent trip to India, Prince William and Princess Kate visited Kaziranga National Park to spread awareness about conservation. William is very outspoken about his passion for wildlife conservation, supporting and campaigning for organizations such as United for Wildlife and Tusk, so it only makes sense that he would include conservation in his trip. However, the couple learned that an adult male rhinoceros was poached just hours after their visit. 

Plastic Recycling at Home 
At Precious Plastics , they want everyone to recycle plastic. Themselves. This young man has designed a series of machines to recycle plastic products in their very own homes. Pretty awesome if you ask me. Especially since experts now say that there will soon be more plastic than fish in the ocean. 

The Golden Arches Going Blue
Speaking of fish, if you care about the health of the ocean, you're familiar with the Marine Stewardship Council. Their little blue emblem let's you know if the seafood you're picking up in the store is sustainable. Well, now McDonald's will be making sure all of their fish has that little blue emblem! McDonalds is one of the largest single buyers of fish in the US, so to me, this is quite the victory! 

Tiger Numbers on the Rise
To end on an even happier note, according the the World Wildlife Fund, wild tiger numbers are growing for the first time in 100 years. That's grrrrrrreat! 

Thanks for reading everyone!