Animals - Their importance to humans.

When you look outside your window in the morning with a cup of something hot in the morning, what do you see and hear if you live in the suburbs?
Most of the time it is children and dogs that you hear and see. Sometimes you would even hear the birds in the trees during the warmer months. But what does this have to do with why animals are important you might ask?

Well it all comes down to history. In the early days of human history, man hunted the animals that roamed free for food and clothing. Man also used the animal bones as early tools to make things that were useful for themselves as well as adornments for their bodies.
As man was nomadic and traveled after the animals in order to provide food, they were never long enough to grow any of their own crops to sustain them in the months while the animals were not around. In some instances man befriended wolves in a mutually beneficial relationship.

This might have been the first domestication of wild animals that we know about. Since those times, man learned to domesticate other animals like sheep and cattle to provide a constant source of food one man settled down in a specific area and learned to grow their own crops.

Since those times humans developed new technologies that do not require the use of animals for growing crops and transport. Now days they are only seen to provide food and companionship. But they still have an important role to play in our modern society.

Dogs, cats and horses still have a place with humans. We created this bond between man and animal for mutual benefit and although in many cases we do not use them in the fashion that they were domesticated early on, they still provide a vital function in our lives.

Dogs provide companionship and are also a security measure. Dogs are also the only animal that is willing to put his own life in jeopardy for the sake of a human life. Is that not worthy of human love, care and protection.



Cats help to keep rodents and other small animal numbers under control. These rodents, because of all the waste that we produce help to recycle nutrients back into nature that would have otherwise gone into landfills. Without being controlled by cats and other animals, their numbers would get out of control and overrun the human population. Some of these rodents also carry diseases that are transferable to humans. Some of these diseases have the capability of wiping the human race off the face of the earth.

With the help of animals, humans managed to develop as a race to get to where we are today, so please do not forget to take care of your companion animals. They are not there to be abused nor are they there just for entertainment. We are not entitled to mistreat animals, they helped us when we needed them, we must be willing to reciprocate by being there for them when they need us.

Have a great day.

Save the environment for future generations

As the environment becomes degraded due to things like deforestation, destructive fishing practices and pollution, impacts on people's lives and livelihoods mount. For example, forests protect soils. When trees are cut down the top layer of earth, that is vital for growing food, is washed away by rain or blown away by the wind. Yes, this undermines important habitat for beloved and necessary species such as impressive gorillas and spectacular birds, but it also translates into food shortages that cause malnutrition in children and jeopardize maternal health. When children are hungry and mothers are dying, people turn to acts of desperation including the slashing and burning of more forests. This cycle is in no way sustainable, but it puts food on the table today. Similarly, water is increasingly hard to find and when it is found it is often contaminated. Rivers carry pesticides, silt and sand and human waste downstream and when the river meets the sea, dead zones erupt wherein no plants or animals survive. But contaminated water is also killing children and is, in fact, the second most common cause of death in children under the age of five.

The collapse of food and water supplies is driven not only by local actions but also by changing climactic conditions. And let's be clear, the term "changing climactic conditions" is not a futuristic sci-fi fantasy buzzword. It is a here and now reality for billions of people. Right now I am sitting in the middle of Kenya's rainy season and, simply put, there is no rain. When the dry season comes, there is often flooding. Seeds do not grow where they have always grown and farming practices that have always worked do not work anymore. Food and water shortages grow longer, less predictable and more calamitous.

It is not all doom and gloom. There is a tremendous amount of opportunity and there is a growing assemblage of organizations who understand and work toward finding solutions for the interconnected problems of poverty and environmental degradation. Some of these are environmental organizations or organizations focused on the protection of species. The aforementioned David Sheldrick Wildlife Center finds and fixes baby elephants but also works with communities to grow new forests to protect food sources for children. The Jane Goodall Institute, long loved for its important work with chimpanzees, knows that supporting the human condition is mission critical.

Just as importantly, there are development organizations that were established to fight poverty and increasingly understand that in order to be successful, the environment must be safeguarded. Heifer International is a spectacular example of that. Finally, there are sustainable, thoughtful businesses that know environmental work and community empowerment are one and the same. The Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust was formed by the folks at the beautiful, sustainable ecolodge, Campi ya Kanzi. They understand that cervical cancer screenings and new primary school classrooms are necessary right alongside anti-poaching and carbon credit programs.

What can you do to support these efforts? Find organizations that understand the solutions for poverty and environmental degradation are interconnected and support them with your money, your time, your effort. Future generations matter. Long-term sustainability matters. But we will not win the long game if we do not recognize that protecting the lives of children today matters more. It makes us better people. It makes us better environmentalists.