International Homeless Animal Day

                International Homeless Animal Day was started in 1992. The purpose is to bring attention to the countless homeless animals that run the cities and rural towns. Keeping the public aware of the overpopulation of animals is important so the public will want to help with this problem. So far, it has been pretty effective.  

                All 50 states, The District of Columbia, over 50 countries, and 6 continents celebrate this growing problem. In doing so, millions of dogs, cats, and other homeless animals lives have been saved or made better. Some of the activities done are adopt-a-thons, spay/neuter clinics, microchip clinics, speeches from council members, and help from vets and human officers. The groups like ISAR also partake in rallies, dog walks, open houses, ceremonies, live music, raffles, and games.

 

                ISAR hopes to put an end to the killing of innocent animals just because they cannot find room to fit in someone’s life. Millions of dogs, cats, puppies, kittens, rabbits, birds, and other pets lose their lives every day. The third Saturday of August is when International Homeless Animal Day takes place. This day emphasizes just how important it is to get your pet spayed or neutered. Not only is it bad because it displaces babies, but because it is cruel to the mother and offspring if they cannot be properly taken care of.

                Puppy mills are another big problem Homeless Animal Day wants to bring attention to. Keeping mothers in small cages to give birth to a litter over and over again is what a puppy mill does. Those puppies are then put in small cages themselves until they gotten rid of or die. The living condition of these mills are retched and not suitable for a healthy, happy life. Getting animals out of these places and into loving homes is the number one mission.

                This day is also to bring awareness to animal abuse. Some animals may have a home, but not a good one. Being beaten for little things they do wrong or being starved and dehydrated. The organization provides presentations on how to tell if an animal has been abused, and who to get ahold of to make sure it doesn’t happen again. This may mean eviction and relocation of the animal in a better home.

                Ways you can help out would be to foster animals. Go to your local shelter and ask what animals are on the kill list. Taking these animals to your home for just a little longer until they find their forever homes could potentially save their life. If you are thinking of adopting, don’t go to a pet store. Go to a shelter, get an old cat or dog and make their couple years or months the best you can. Celebrate International Homeless Animal Day, adopt a dog, foster a cat, sign petitions to end puppy mills, relocate a lost pet, and help make the world a better place. This day has saved millions of animals lives and will continue to do so if the awareness stays high.

Threats to Coral Reefs

The largest coral reef on this planet is The Great Barrier Reef. Keeping it, and all the other reefs clean is a huge problem. Although humans do a lot to damage the reef, we aren’t the only hazardous things. Natural threats cause a large problem also. Hurricanes, cyclones, other natural disasters that tear up seaweed, anemones, stony corals, reefer rocks, and other habitats. Invasive species, and even coral eating starfish are creating huge damage to the coral reefs.

When coral gets sick, it turns pale, just like we do. It is a living, breathing organism. As humans, we have lots of waste. So where does all of it go? Well a quote from nemo is “All drains lead to the ocean.” Every time you wash your hands, flush something down the toilet, or drop something in a watershed, it will find its way to the ocean. So be aware. Other human devastations include things like oil spills, and over fishing.

The worst oil spill happened in the first Gulf War. Iraqi forces opened up oil valves to slow down the charge of American troops. In doing so, it caused the largest oil spill in history. About 240 million gallons of it spilled into the Persian Gulf. Corals could not handle this large change in their homes and many didn’t survive. It also affected the wild life that uses the corals as homes. Killing many of the fish, octopus, sea snails, reef sharks, eels, sea stars, crabs, shrimp, etc.

As for natural threats, hurricanes, cyclones, and invasive species are the main problem. Just like a hurricane can tear apart our houses, it can ruin the oceans reefs too. Corals are ripped out from their foundation and killed, left to float across the ocean and die on the sea floor. Objects are also carried into the ocean and thrown into coral reefs. There are even predatory starfish that kill coral. If the population of these starfish rises, more and more of the corals are being eaten, destroying the reefs. Although they do not eat an entire coral, they damage them, causing them to get sick and eventually die.

The reason it is so important to keep coral reefs thriving is because they are homes to millions of species. Without them, we would find that many of those species would go extinct. If not extinct, changed, in order to survive. Not only can we help the already damaged coral reefs, but we can help save future reefs. Conserving water, riding bikes or walking, using organic fertilizers, planting trees, and spreading the word are all good ways of putting a positive vibe to coral reefs once again. The goal to strive for is to return them to their original state. Beautiful, healthy, and plentiful.

Overall the reason for damage to coral reefs are natural threats and human threats. We can’t really control nature but we can get rid of human pollution. Signing up for a reef restoration group is a good way to learn more about reefs all over the globe, and how to save them.