For many long centuries, animals and man have roamed the earth in a quest for survival.  Both hunted constantly to fill their needs for food, water, and shelter.  And as animals and man roamed the forests and plains, they came into contact with each other – first as predators and later as trusted companions and friends.  And as both of these species evolved through the centuries, so did their relationship to one another.  So today, let’s talk about service animals.  When you think of a service animal, you may think about dogs.  And you would be right!  However, we must not forget that there are many other service animals who continue to help mankind.  Can you guess some of them?  Well, I can think of horses, oxen, yaks, cats, and camels.  And then there’s elephants, falcons, mongoose, and even carrier pigeons!  So, let’s take a deeper dive into some of the wonderful service animals around the world.

The most long-lasting and popular service animal around the world is arguably the dog.  And you may wonder how the dog gained this honored position.  Well, we must go back 200,000-400,000 years ago when grey wolves, called “wolf-like canids,” roamed the Earth.  Man was evolving at this time and was hunting, building fires, and starting settlements in caves and wooden structures in the same areas as the wolf-like canids.  Man and canids started coming in contact with each other.  Maybe these canids attacked man and man hunted the canids.  They both acted as wary predators.  But slowly over time, the canids came closer and closer to man’s settlements in search of easy food – maybe scraps left around the fire or small animals kept in cages like pigs and sheep.  The canids slowly became more accustomed to the sight and smell of humans, and humans became more accustomed to canids, sometimes leaving out scraps of food for them to build trust or stop attacks. The canids and man started to form a symbiotic – or helpful – relationship: the canids would use man for protection against larger animals and for food, and man would rely on the canids to alert them to danger or nearby food and water sources. 

Over many years, some of these canids became more accustomed to, and friendly with, man while the others stayed wild as wolves.  These friendly canids produced offspring who were then raised around man. And man would treat these special canids with care and attention, slowly gaining their trust and training them to do tasks like hunting and retrieving, or guarding their homes and animals.  Over the centuries, the canids’ descendants became the domesticated dog breeds we see today.  Man then trained these dogs to be herd dogs like border collies and Australian sheepdogs, guard dogs like German shepherds, bird dogs like golden retrievers, hunting dogs like hounds and terriers, sleigh dogs like huskies, or mountain rescue dogs like Saint Bernards. On every continent, specific breeds of dogs developed based on the terrain, people, and needs in that area.

Ancient Egyptians revered dogs as hunters, guides, protectors, companions, and even friends in the afterlife.  Egyptian Pharaohs had their loyal dogs’ images carved on their tombs, a symbol of the strong bond they had formed with their trusted furry friends.

Monks in the Middle Ages trained their dogs to retrieve items and turn the spit on the fire while roasting their meat.

Then in the 1500’s, the first reported incident of a dog guiding a blind man occurred when a German physician saw a dog guiding a blind man around the streets of Nuremburg.  By the early 1900’s, man harnessed the incredible abilities of dogs – their intelligence, adaptability to training, and empathy – to become guide dogs for the blind, with organizations popping up in the United States and the United Kingdom.  

At the same time, World War I was brewing in Europe and dogs were sent into battle, doing everything from running messages between battle stations, carrying supplies, guarding equipment, and providing comfort to soldiers.  Later, during World War II, dogs were again called into service as messengers, guards, and companions, but also for digging tunnels and hunting for food in the jungles.  

More recently, service dogs’ abilities have evolved even further than hunting, herding, protecting, and retrieving.  They now provide hearing assistance for the deaf, mobility support for the disabled, medical alert notification for diabetics and epileptics, mental health companionship, search and rescue assistance, and end of life comfort.  People now use them during flights to curb panic attacks or to paw them when they are about to experience a blood pressure drop or a seizure.  The dogs fetch bottled water, pills, and blankets.  Support dogs lay on the beds of the sick and dying in hospitals offering love and comfort.  And dogs have been used around the world in numerous search and rescue operations, digging through rubble, listening for voices, and barking alerts.

Dogs have also become an invaluable resource to law enforcement, acting as police K9’s chasing and detaining criminals.  They sniff out hidden bombs, people, and substances.  And dogs have even been sent into space to test the safety of space exploration for humans, with Russia sending dogs into space 71 times between 1951 and 1966!

But even though dogs certainly take a large share of the service spotlight, there are many other wonderful creatures around the world helping man every day.  

Horses have been an amazing helper to man for many centuries.  In ancient Rome, they pulled golden chariots around dusty racetracks or into battle, their sturdy hooves thundering past at tremendous speed.  They plowed fields in humble hamlets or raced across plains carrying fierce Indians hunting buffalo.  They thundered hundreds of miles across the United States delivering mail for the Pony Express, and pulled carriages, wagons, and stagecoaches over multiple continents, delivering passengers, packages, and food.  They charged into brutal battles and raced through the night on historic rides by Paul Revere and Sybil Ludington.  European nobles trained their beautiful steads in the art of dressage – prancing and rearing in beautiful and artistic performances for fascinated crowds.  The mighty horse was once the most popular form of transportation before trains, motorbikes, buses, and automobiles came on the scene.  Today, they are still an important service animal to many people and communities, carrying people, food, and packages, working as law enforcement horses, competing in dressage, track races, and Olympic events, and even working as therapy animals in jails and hospitals.

Another very popular service animal is the cat.  For centuries, the cat has been honored or hated, depending on the time in history.  The ancient Egyptians honored cats as gods who offered protection against serpents, while other civilizations considered them the helpmates of witches.  In the last couple of centuries, cats have come back in favor as service animals due to their hunting skills and uncanny night vision.  They quickly eliminate rats, snakes, and mice from houses, streets, cities, and even battleships, thus curbing the spread of deadly diseases and keeping mankind safe and healthy!  I have even seen videos where electricians use cats to carry wires through tunnels since cats are so curious and love to explore dark caves and hidey-holes.

Of course, the amazing yak has been a helpmate to man in the Himalayans and other remote, mountainous regions for centuries.  Their large bodies, strong backs, and big lungs make them perfect for carrying heavy loads across large distances and at high altitudes.  Plus, their milk is a favorite ingredient in meals, just like we enjoy cow or goat milk.  Most climbers rely on yaks to help them reach tremendous mountains such as Everest and K2 and bring all their gear to base camp – everything from tents and food, to hiking gear and medical supplies.  If man had to do this all by himself, he would be too exhausted to hike the mountain once he reached it!

And just like the sturdy yak, mighty oxen have been helping man through the centuries, plowing fields, pulling wagons, and dragging heavy beams, bricks, and blocks across many continents on Earth, helping man to grow life-sustaining food and build amazing structures and monuments.

And we must not forget our fluffy, flying friends.  In the medieval ages, falcons were used by the nobility as hunting birds due to their incredible speed, strength, and eyesight.  Falcons were trained to hunt and retrieve rabbits, birds, and other small creatures to add food to man’s table.  And pigeons have been used to carry secret messages across many miles and through historic battles.  Man found that pigeons’ long flying ability and instinct to return home made them very useful when other forms of secret communication were not available – such as telegrams, letters, and phones.

Camels and elephants have been used in service for centuries in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.  They can travel long distances and their bodies are strong and sturdy, allowing them to carry heavy loads of supplies, timber, and men for thousands of miles across vast deserts, thick jungles, and high mountain ranges.  They have been used by kings, sultans, Bedouins, and common folk for transportation and load carrying throughout history and to this day.  

In Europe, Africa, and Asia, the wily mongoose is man’s best friend when it comes to the slippery, slithering cobra!  While most animals and people are frightened of cobras and their deadly bites, the mongoose has a natural component in their DNA that makes them resistant to the snake’s deadly venom.  Looking like a small cat or a large, furry rat, they are quick and agile with strong teeth and sharp claws – the perfect match for the striking cobra.  In ancient Mesopotamia – or Asia – the mongoose was revered as a god and prayed to for protection against serpents.  The mongoose has been celebrated for its life-saving abilities in stories and films from Disney’s “The Jungle Book” to Sherlock Holmes’ mystery, “The Adventure of the Crooked Man.”

I hope you have enjoyed this episode about animals who have served man throughout history.  If you would like to learn more about amazing animals, listen to our other episodes including: “The Midnight Ride of Sybil Ludington,” “Unsinkable Sam, the Battleship Cat,” “Jeep, the Flying Coyote,” “The Life-Saving Dog Sled Race,” “Bobbie, the Wonder Dog,” “Gunboat Judy: The Heroic Dog of WWII,” “The Horse’s Impact on History,” and “The History of Cats and Crows at Halloween.”  There is something for everyone, from dogs, cats, and horses to coyotes and crows!

I would love to hear from you and learn about the service animals in your life.  Do you have a special cat, dog, horse, or other animal?  What do you call your pet?  What are your pet’s special talents?  If you could have one service animal, what would it be and why?

The post History of Service Animals appeared first on Bedtime History: Podcast and Videos For Kids.

Two years tick by and P-22 and his siblings are thin and hungry.  The never-ending heat and drought have scorched the hills.  The prey has left.  They need to leave their territory in search of food and water.  To do so, they need to cross the busy freeway.  P-22 does not like the freeway.  It is noisy and hot and large boxy things race along it like speeding cougars.  In the past, any time he ventured close to the freeway, his mother roared and swiped at him with her mighty paws.  Now they are all inching down the hillside towards the freeway.  They stalk forward slowly, using the dry brush as cover.  If they don’t find food shorty, they will not survive.  Already, their ribs are showing through their sagging skin.

P-22 and his siblings stay close behind their mother as they reach the side of the freeway.  They crouch down in the dirt as the large boxy things blast by them at incredible speed.  In the distance, across the freeway, they see the dark ridges of far-off mountains.  On top of one mountain, P-22 can see lights like a bunch of stars fallen to Earth.  The stars are bright and much closer than those in the sky.  He feels as if he can race across the freeway and bound up to those stars.  P-22 wonders what a star tastes like.  Is it crunchy or sweet or meaty?  It looks like there are enough stars on that ridge to feed him and his whole family.  As if in reply, his stomach rumbles in anticipation.

Finally, his mother rises and slowly steps onto the freeway.  She looks left and right and twitches her tail.  She glances over her shoulder and growls to her offspring, then dashes onto the freeway.  Instantly, the young cougars bolt after her.  Suddenly, bright lights race out of the darkness and a loud horn shatters the night.  P-22 leaps ahead, racing for the opposite side of the road and the dark hills beyond.  He runs with all his might, losing track of his mother and siblings.  All he knows is that he must run to survive.  

When P-22 reaches the other side of the freeway, he cannot find his mother and siblings.  The big dark beasts continue to blast by with great gusts of wind, blowing fumes and ruffling his patchy fur.  He trots farther away from the smell and noise, seeking the shelter of trees up a nearby hill just like his mother taught him to do.  He hides in the bushes and settles down to wait, occasionally sending out a roar in hopes his family will hear him.  The hours tick by and he falls asleep, exhausted by his nighttime adventure.

He awakes alone.  He is hungry and thirsty.  Where is his family?  He does not know, but what he does know is that he needs to eat and drink.  He slowly creeps from his hiding place and slinks higher up the hillside in search of a jackrabbit, raccoon, or possum.  Anything to fill his rumbling belly.  Soon he reaches the top of the hill and stands overlooking the valley below.  The sun is rising and the boxy beasts continue to blast along the freeway. He looks for his family and emits a dry, croaky roar, but there is no reply.  He jogs off down the other side of the hill, farther away from the freeway and deeper into the trees in search of food.

And this is how P-22 fills his days, weeks, and months – searching for food at dawn and dusk, and resting in shade and hidden lairs during the days.  One day, he is out searching for food when he smells something strange on the wind, something he hasn’t encountered before. It smells salty and musky.  His ears and tail twitch nervously as he scans the nearby brush for a hidden predator.  Suddenly he feels a pinch of pain in his shoulder and a rustling of bushes behind him.  He turns to attack but his legs are growing heavy and his head is feeling dizzy.  As if in slow motion, he sinks down to the ground and rolls on his side.  In a few seconds, he is fast asleep.

He wakes hours later, groggy and confused.  The sun has shifted in the sky and is nearing the horizon.  It is almost dusk. He sits up and instantly feels something thick around his neck.  It emits a very low hum and occasional beeps.  This bothers him tremendously and he tries to scratch it off with his mighty back paws but it won’t budge. It feels like a snake around his neck and he wishes it would slink away, but it stays latched around his neck, never moving or biting, just beeping.  

Snake or no snake, he needs to eat and so P-22 roams the hillside and neighborhoods for food and water.  There is not much to eat in these new hills on the other side of the freeway.  There are lots of buildings and barking animals, hot streets and racing objects – nothing like the quiet hillsides of his first home.  There is much more noise over here and he has to hunt very carefully to get a good meal.  And he has discovered that the stars on this mountain ridge – the ones he saw years ago from the other side of the freeway – aren’t stars at all but blinking lights on large metal beams.  They are not food at all!  He doesn’t know what they are, but he likes to sit near them at night and scan the hillside.  Sometimes he gazes off into the distance, to the hills of his first home and loving family.  

Several years pass and soon these new hills are dry.  Rodents are scarce and water has evaporated from the canyons.  P-22 hasn’t eaten in days and is losing weight.  He needs to find something to eat.  Slowly, he creeps up a ridge towards a home perched above his lair.  He keeps his head and tail down, his powerful haunches inching him forward.  His large yellow eyes scan the hillside for any sign of movement. Closer and closer he prowls to the home.  And then he smells something – a mixture of sweet and savory.  He follows the scent and comes upon a small container of what smells like food.  Without thinking, he gulps it down in huge mouthfuls, finishing the meal in a matter of seconds.  Just then, a dog starts barking, alerted by the cougar’s presence.

P-22 dashes down the hillside and zig zags into the brush, coming to rest by his hidden lair.  He sits down and licks his paws before rubbing them across his whiskers.  A few minutes later, his stomach clenches and his insides rumble.  Something is not right.  The pain in his belly intensifies, turning into a fiery burn and P-22 rolls onto his side, letting out a low moan.  Soon he sinks into a fitful sleep.  In his dreams, he smells that salty-musky scent again and he feels himself floating on air.  He is moving – he can tell by the air brushing his whiskers – but his legs are not moving.  He hears strange sounds and senses light behind his heavy eyelids but he sinks silently back into a deep sleep.

When P-22 awakes from his dreams it is dawn and the air is cool.  He is inside his lair.  He does not know how much time has passed but he remembers feeling sick and then falling asleep.  He gets up slowly to start another round of hunting.

And so the years pass and P-22 sleeps, hunts, and lounges in the Hollywood Hills.  He is the apex predator on this small patch of turf high above the freeway next to the stars.  It has been years since he has seen another cougar and he wonders where they have all gone.  Is he the only one?

Then one winter night ten years later, P-22 is walking along a narrow road on the top of the mountain.  The evening is dark and quiet. Suddenly, he hears a roar and sees a flash of light.  He tries to jump out of the way but the roaring beast is too fast for him.  He feels a sharp pain and is thrown into the air, then tumbles down an embankment.  P-22 closes his eyes and fades into sleep.  The next day he wakes up sore and in pain.  It takes a long time to stand and make his way up the embankment.  He wanders aimlessly down the street, too tired and hurt to hunt.  His only option is to go towards the homes to find some food.  Shortly thereafter, he smells that salty-musky scent and this time sees several men standing across the street.  They aim a large stick at him.  He feels a familiar prick in his shoulder and a sudden heaviness.  He drops down on his haunches and rolls onto his side, quickly fading into sleep.  P-22 never opens his eyes again but in his dreams he is racing towards his mother and siblings.  He is finally home!  

This has been the story of P-22, a real mountain lion, or puma, who lived in the Santa Monica Mountains in California.   He was born in the western Santa Monica Mountain range around 2010.  His father was named P-001 but nothing is known about his mother.  At some point in his early life, he crossed two major freeways – the 405 and the 101 – ending up in the Eastern Santa Monica Mountains around Griffith Park and the Hollywood Hills.  His territory was very small – only 9 square miles – the smallest ever recorded for an adult mountain lion – and he found himself trapped alone in this populated area surrounded by busy freeways.  

During this time, local biologists had been studying mountain lions and in March 2012, they caught and sedated P-22, then attached a tracking monitor and collar on him.  They called him P-22 – the “P” meaning “Puma” and 22 meaning he was the 22^nd puma – or mountain lion – in their study.

P-22 became a minor celebrity as sightings of him roaming the Hollywood Hills were captured by photographers.  One man hid cameras around the hillsides and eventually captured a photo of P-22 near the famous Hollywood sign.  This iconic photo was then featured on the front of National Geographic Magazine.

In 2014 and 2015, P-22 was captured again by the biologists and treated for rat poisoning and mange.  He was released back into the Santa Monica Mountains where they continued to track him for the next seven years.  However, in December 2012, P-22 was hit by a car.  The biologists captured and evaluated him.  Due to the severity of his injuries, plus other life-threatening conditions including kidney failure, heart disease, and skin diseases, he was put to sleep.

In February 2023, a large blessing ceremony was held to “welcome P-22 back to his homeland.”  This event was attended by approximately 6,000 people, including celebrities, musicians, and politicians, as well as representatives from Native American tribes such as the Chumash and Shoshone.  Shortly thereafter, P-22 was laid to rest in a private location in the Santa Monica Mountains.

P-22 left behind an amazing legacy. He became an ambassador for animal conservation and the plight of California mountain lions.  He was dubbed the “Brad Pitt of mountain lions” and conservationists soon lobbied for the creation of a wildlife crossing over the 101 freeway.  This crossing would allow mountain lions and other wildlife to safely cross between the two mountain ranges, thus safeguarding these species and ensuring animal diversity among the two ranges.  This crossing broke ground in 2022 and is expected to be completed in 2025.

Additionally, P-22 has been the subject of books, TV shows, songs, and murals highlighting the Los Angeles lifestyle and the importance of wildlife conservation. His image is also being considered for a statute and a postage stamp.

Who could imagine that one mountain lion could impact California in such a large – and positive – way? 

What do you think of P-22 and his life in the Hollywood Hills?  Have you ever seen a mountain lion in the wild or at a zoo? 

The post P-22 The Hollywood Cougar appeared first on Bedtime History: Podcast and Videos For Kids.

Have you ever planned something, only to have things turn out completely different in real life? Sometimes, you spend hours, days, or even weeks planning something– maybe a birthday party, a Halloween costume, or a trip– only to have things change at the last minute. Sometimes, this change is disappointing and frustrating. Other times, you realize there’s an even better way of doing things. Either way, we all have to make changes to our plans sometimes, and no one knew this better than the subject of today’s podcast: Rachel Carson.  Rachel made many plans in her life, and many of them changed unexpectedly, for better and for worse. But she learned how to make the best of these changes, staying true to herself and, in the end, making the world a better place too.

Rachel’s parents had moved to their land near the Allegheny River, in Springdale Pennsylvania with the intention of selling it off piece by piece. This was one of the first plans Rachel witnessed unraveling. Her father, Robert, wasn’t able to sell many plots, and the family struggled to make ends meet on his salary as an insurance salesman. But, it did leave the land open for other uses–some of which would have a bigger, more important impact than money ever could have. 

The Allegheny River valley was a perfect place for a child to go exploring: rolling hills and lush forests turn from vibrant green in the summer to yellow, orange, and red in the fall, cut through with the wide, winding Allegheny River. And Rachel, Robert’s youngest child by far, was just the child to discover its natural wonders. Being the youngest in her family came with its advantages though. While her older brother, Robert, and sister, Marian, were at school, Rachel’s mother, Maria, took her on walks around the property. 

Maria was curious and intelligent. As a young woman, she had been a schoolteacher and taught piano lessons. Like many women in the late 1800s, she gave up her job when she got married, but she kept her sense of wonder about nature. She and Rachel would ramble around their land for hours. Maria would teach Rachel about the different kinds of birds. Naturally enough, Rachel caught her mother’s love of nature. She felt connected to every bird, animal, and bug, and would give each one she spotted its own special name.

Rachel also loved books, especially stories about the sea. Even though she’d never seen it, she was drawn to the descriptions of its power, wildness, and majesty. She decided she wanted to be a writer when she grew up, and she didn’t wait to get started! She began to write, sending her stories to magazines when she was ten years old. Two of her stories won prizes, and were printed in a magazine! 

But as Rachel grew up, she started to notice changes in her town and the surrounding area. And to Rachel’s way of looking at things, these were not good changes. A glue factory opened nearby, and the air was filled with the terrible fumes it let off. Two power stations were built in town. The water in the Allegheny river became polluted. Rachel mourned the loss of the pristine natural beauty she had explored from childhood.

But Rachel didn’t want to stay in Springdale forever. She wanted to go to college. Her parents supported her, but they didn’t have the money to pay for it. Fortunately, she was a good student and the Pennsylvania College for Women, in Pittsburg, offered her a scholarship. Rachel launched herself into her studies head first, grateful that this was one plan she could keep. She wrote for the school’s student newspaper and magazine – stories inspired by World War I battles and the oceans she had still never seen. Even though she’d still never seen it, her story gave such detailed descriptions of the ocean that readers felt like they were there, the rushing sound of the waves and salty air all around them!

It seemed that Rachel was well on her way to becoming a writer, just like she’d planned. But, once more, things didn’t go according to plan. In order to graduate from college, Rachel had to take one science class. Rachel chose to take biology – the study of living things. For someone who loved nature and animals, this made sense, but Rachel had no idea that the decision would change her life forever.

Rachel’s teacher, Mary Scott Skinker, was inspiring and energetic–excited to share her passion for science. Rachel soon learned that there was so much more to nature than she had even realized: that animals and plants and their environment were all connected and worked together in a delicate, complex system. Because of that one class–with that one teacher–she decided to get her degree in Biology instead of English. 

After she graduated, Rachel finally had the chance to see the ocean…Not just see it, but work with it! Her teacher, Mary Scott Skinker, helped her get a summer job at the Marine Biological Institute at Woods Hole in Maryland, part of Johns Hopkins University. Rachel spent the summer studying ocean creatures. Most days she was on a boat or at the beach, collecting specimens to study. Rachel loved this time. Her coworkers were a group of smart and welcoming scientists, and she called it “a delightful place to biologize.”

Rachel continued on to study at Johns Hopkins and got a Master’s degree. But soon after, she had to change her plans yet again–and not because she wanted to this time. She had hoped to continue studying and get a Ph.D., but her family was having trouble with money. Her family–brother and sister included–had come to live with her in Maryland while she was in school, and they were very close-knit. Rachel decided she had to find a job so she could help them out.

She eventually found a job at the US Fisheries Bureau, writing radio shows about different types of fish. A radio show about fish might sound a little dry, but Rachel was just the right person to make a splash with it (get it?). She had studied fish for her Master’s degree and had the writing skills to make her subject vibrant and entertaining. She also started writing articles about nature and the environment for newspapers. She exposed problems with overfishing in the Chesapeake Bay and chronicled efforts to conserve nature. 

Even though it wasn’t what she had planned, Rachel suddenly found herself in a position to combine her talents as a writer and a scientist. Eventually, she wrote a book about the ocean that became very popular, allowing her to quit her job and move to a cottage on the coast of Maine. But even though Rachel didn’t like fame and attention, she wasn’t going to fade into a quiet, unbothered retirement. She cared too much about the world and its creatures to ignore the problems humans created for it. 

Starting during World War II, Rachel became concerned about a new pesticide that the government was using. I won’t make you listen to me trying to pronounce the full name, but it’s usually called DDT. DDT was first used to kill mosquitos, which spread diseases like malaria, during the war. But after the war, the government started spraying it all over the eastern United States to kill moths, and people began to notice things in the sprayed areas. Bad things.

Fish and birds were dying at an alarming rate, and bigger animals, like dogs, cats, and even humans, were getting sick. Rachel wanted to write about the problems caused by spraying, but almost no magazine wanted to print such a story. In fact, most were printing stories about how great DDT was! The companies that made the insecticide had a lot of money and power, and they made sure their perspective was heard. 

Rachel didn’t give up though. She decided to write a book instead. She scoured government reports and academic papers related to pesticides. She found out that the substance didn’t just kill birds, it also made their eggshells weaker, so fewer baby birds were born. She found out it was linked to cancer in humans. These were hard years for Rachel. Her favorite niece, then her mother passed away, and then she had her own cancer diagnosis a few years later. She kept researching and writing through it all though. She had to make sure people knew the truth.

Finally, in 1962, the book, Silent Spring, was ready. Instead of publishing it all at once, the magazine the New Yorker printed it as a series of four articles. Rachel’s research was solid and her writing was persuasive and eloquent. The companies that made the pesticides were furious and tried to convince people that Rachel was wrong. But many scientists read the book and wrote reviews saying she had gotten it right. Rachel went on television to be interviewed about her work. The government began paying attention and even released a report that backed up much of what Rachel had written. President Kennedy’s administration said they would change the government’s policy on spraying pesticides. By 1980, DDT had been banned in the United States.

Sadly though, Rachel didn’t live to see the full impact of her work. She died of a heart attack in 1964, before much had really changed. In the 10 years after Silent Spring came out, the government passed laws that would protect people from dangerous pesticides like DDT. One law said that companies had to prove chemicals in pesticides were safe to use around people. The Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, was set up and began testing for traces of dangerous chemicals in the environment – air, water, and land. 

But more than changing how people thought about pesticides, Rachel Carson and Silent Spring changed how people thought about everything in the environment. Through her writing, Rachel helped people see that everything in nature – trees, fish, birds, even humans – is connected to everything else. Pesticides on plants or in water make animals sick when they eat the plants or drink the water. People could get sick from eating animals exposed to toxins like DDT, or breathing it in as it wafted through the air after being sprayed. Nothing in nature just stays put where you leave it — it becomes part of a system. People began to realize that they needed to take care of this planet. Today, Rachel’s legacy lives on with climate change activists and other environmentalists. When everything is connected, you can’t pretend that your actions don’t make a difference. You have to pay attention to how things affect each other in that web of people, animals, and the planet. And sometimes, like Rachel Carson, you have to change your plans in order to make the difference you want to see in the world.

Sources

Hile, Lori. (2015) Rachel Carson: Environmental Pioneer. Heineman Library, Chicago. 

Shea, George. (2006) Rachel Carson: Founder of the Environmental Movement. Blackbirch Press, Farmington Hills, MI.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DDT

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rachel_Carson

The post History of Rachel Carson for Kids appeared first on Bedtime History: Podcast and Videos For Kids.

But it doesn’t walk the earth, it swims in the ocean! It’s a blue whale! These animals can be over 100 feet long, and weigh about 200 tons. Its heart is the size of a small car!

I’ve been pretty fortunate to be close to some of these amazing animals. Once, when I was paddleboarding with my son, a mother and baby humpback whale were playing in the water not far from us. Another time, we were snorkeling and could hear their songs in the water all around us. We’ve also been able to see them up close during boat rides.

Whales and dolphins have captivated people for thousands of years. Blue whales usually stay in deeper water, but dolphins often play and jump near the shore, and you don’t have to go too far out in a boat in many areas to glimpse a whale. Their size, power, and, in some cases, friendly nature, seem to pique our curiosity. There are cases of whales and dolphins warning people of danger, even saving their lives. And for thousands of years, we’ve watched and wondered about these magnificent creatures. 

Whales and Dolphins in Stories

If you’ve been listening for a while, it probably won’t surprise you to find out that people have been telling each other stories about whales and dolphins for thousands of years. The Maori, the native people of New Zealand, consider whales to be kaitiaki, or guides for sailors. In fact, a whale even played a part in helping them find their homeland! According to Maori legend, Paikea was the favorite son of his father, the chief of their tribe in what is now the Cook Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. Paikea’s brothers were jealous of him, and one night he overheard them plotting to drown him when he went out fishing the next day. Knowing of the plot, he was able to get away in his canoe, but he ended up drifting at sea, not knowing which direction to go to get back. As Paikea’s hope began to die, a whale picked him up and carried him all the way to New Zealand! There, he started his own settlement and became a beloved leader. The movie Whale Rider follows a modern Maori girl who wants to be the chief of her tribe, following in her grandfather’s footsteps. When she is told a girl can’t become chief, she decides to prove herself by riding a whale, just like Paikea. 

Arctic Tribes and Whales

Various arctic tribes in Alaska, Canada, Greenland, and elsewhere, consider whales to be symbols of their way of life. They carve them into totem poles and have a long tradition of hunting them using traditional tools and weapons. Unlike the whaling industry that grew later, these hunters only take the small number of whales that the tribe will be able to use. 

Ancient Greeks and Dolphins

The Ancient Greeks were fascinated by dolphins. Their legends told of dolphins saving people lost at sea by riding them to shore. Ancient coins even show people riding dolphins. Dolphins were even said to have led a group of priests to the spot where they would set up one of most important religious sites in Ancient Greece, the Oracle at Delphi.

Jonah and the Whale

And of course, there’s the story of Jonah and the Whale in the bible. But did you know that this story is not only in the Christian Old Testament, but also the Jewish Torah and the Muslim Koran? In all three stories, Jonah disobeys God’s command to go into a city to preach about him. He boards a boat to run away, but soon the boat is caught in a storm. The sailors on the ship suspect that Jonah’s god is angry at him and causing the storm, so they throw him overboard. Soon, a huge whale swallows him, takes him all the way to the city where god wanted him to go, and spits him out on the shore.  

Whale Hunting

Although whales and dolphins are the helpers and even heroes of many folk stories, people haven’t always been heroes to them. Humans began hunting whales over 8,000 years ago. For people who lived near coastlines, they were a valuable source of food – one whale could feed a lot of people after all! Traditional hunting like this didn’t endanger whales, or bring them close to a point where there wouldn’t be any left. For a long time, people hunted from small boats with simple weapons, and took only the few whales they could use.

But by the 17th century, things were changing. Whaling, as whale-hunting was called, was becoming more sophisticated and more organized. And people were making a lot more money from it. Food wasn’t the main goal – people had found many uses for different parts of whales. The oil in the whale’s body could be used to lubricate machinery, and make oil lamps, candles, and soap. Sperm whales were especially valued: their bulbous heads alone could contain over 6 thousand pounds of oil! Baleen – the fibery material in many whales’ mouths that helps them catch their dinner of tiny krill – was lightweight and flexible, but strong. People used it to make the frames of umbrellas, mattress springs, and horse whips. 

Hunting the biggest creatures on Earth could be dangerous. Men would set out from a whaling ship in small rowboats, armed with harpoons that they would hurl by hand at these gigantic animals. Of course, most creatures do what they can to avoid being killed, and whales are no different. They could ram into the side of the boat or even lift the smaller boats out of the water by swimming up under them. Herman Melville based his famous novel, Moby Dick, on a real whaling voyage that ended tragically for the crew when a sperm whale attacked the ship, sinking it. In the novel, Melville imagines Captain Ahab, a whaler obsessed with getting revenge on the “white whale”, Moby Dick, who long ago bit off his leg. Ahab becomes so dangerously obsessed that he ends up losing his ship, his crew, and his life to the whale.

But whaling was big business in the 18th, 19th, and early 20th century. As I mentioned, whale oil and baleen had many uses, so whalers could make a lot of money. And, as time went on, people invented more sophisticated tools for hunting whales. By the early 20th century, some species of whale were getting dangerously close to becoming extinct. But technology kept getting better (or worse, if you think about it from the whale’s perspective). People invented harpoon guns, and harpoons that would explode when they hit the whale. They began using high-tech electronics and helicopters to track the whales. 

Whales can Sing?

People began to question whether we should be hunting whales at all by the middle of the century.  Some species were close to extinction – there were so few left that scientists warned that soon, there wouldn’t be any. Scientists also began to realize that whales are intelligent and complex. Many live in groups and cooperate with each other to hunt and stay safe. They communicate with clicks, chirps and, in some cases, whole songs! A Navy engineer named Frank Watlington first recorded the songs of humpback whales in the 1960s. He shared these recordings with some friends who were biologists, Roger and Katharine Payne. The group was so astounded by the songs, they wanted people to appreciate how amazing and complex these creatures are. So they decided to release an album of whale songs! People loved the whale songs – they’re actually very relaxing and melodic, and the record was a hit! In fact, one of the recordings was sent into space on a probe called Voyager – so someday in the far-off future, aliens might even be able to appreciate these gifted whale vocalists.  

Not only did people like listening to the whales, the record inspired many people to start caring about whales. They began to realize that if we kept hunting them, we’d lose these amazing creatures. People  began to organize and protest commercial whaling. Some even went out on boats, trying to get between whaling ships and the whales they were hunting. The movement even inspired a science fiction movie, Star Trek IV, where space travelers go back in time to the 20th century to rescue a pair of humpback whales who can save the future Earth. 

Freeing the Whales

Popular culture had an impact in this case. Commercial whaling was finally banned in 1986. Not all countries agreed to the ban, but most did. Japan, Iceland, and Norway kept hunting whales, though Iceland has pledged to stop by 2024.

But by this time, some whales faced a different kind of mistreatment. Many orcas and dolphins were used for entertainment at water parks around the world. Some were well-treated, but many weren’t. They were often kept in tanks that were too small, and water that was too hot or not salty enough, like the ocean water they normally live in. This made many whales sick. Again, it was pop culture, a movie that spurred change. The movie Free Willy came out in 1993. In it, a lonely boy befriends a captive orca named Willy. He realizes that Willy is sick and wants to live free in the ocean. 

The movie sends the message that these majestic creatures belong in the wild, but the orca actor, Keiko, who starred in the movie was anything but free. In fact, Keiko lived in a too-small, too-hot tank in a Mexico City marine park, and actually was sick. Fans of the movie were outraged and wrote letters and raised funds to help free the real Willy. Finally, five years after the movie came out, Keiko was released into the wild in Iceland. He was fitted with a tracking device, and lived until 2003, or about 25 years old. Wild male orcas often live up to 35 years, but Keiko was already in poor health and probably not well-prepared to live in the wild. Today, dozens of orcas are still held in captivity. They often suffer from health problems, and don’t live as long as their wild cousins. 

Watching Whales and Dolphins

The best way to see whales today is in the wild!  Many organizations offer whale watching trips that let humans see whales in their natural habitat. You go out in a boat to an area where wild whales usually hang out and wait for them to show themselves. Sometimes you see just glimpses of backs and tails as they surface for air.  Watching the water spout from their blowholes is fun!, But other times you’ll see them breaching or rolling in the water, playing and showing off. If you find yourself near the ocean, you can also just sit and look out at the water. If you’re patient and stay long enough, you might see a group of dolphins, or pod, jumping and playing offshore. Be sure to bring a camera and binoculars! That way, both you and the creatures you’re watching can enjoy the experience. 

Sources

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/feb/04/iceland-to-end-whaling-in-2024-demand-dwindles

https://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/5-8/features/oceans-the-great-unknown-58.html

https://wwf.panda.org/wwf_news/?13796/The-History-of-Whaling-and-the-International-Whaling-Commission-IWC

https://whalewatch.co.nz/our-people/indigenous-kiwi-and-paikea/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moby-Dick

https://wwhandbook.iwc.int/en/species/blue-whale

Gish, Melissa. (2012) Whales. Creative Education. Mankato, MN.

Sandstrom, Donna. (2021) Orca Rescue! The True Story of an Orphaned Orca Named Springer. Kids Can Press. Toronto.

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Do you have a special toy that helps you go to sleep at night? Maybe a bear, or a rabbit, or a penguin? Lots of kids have stuffed animals that help them feel safe and cozy at night. 

The scientist Jane Goodall also had a special stuffed animal when she was a child. Her story starts back in 1930s London, and it was her father who gave her the special animal. Its name was Jubilee, and Jubilee was a chimpanzee. Her father didn’t know it at the time, but chimpanzees would turn out to be a very important part of Jane’s life. As a grown-up, she would become a primatologist, a person who studies apes and monkeys. She would become one of the first people to study chimpanzees in the wild, and one of the first women in the field of primatology. 

Jane was obsessed with all kinds of animals from a young age, not just chimpanzees. When she was a toddler, she brought worms into her bed because she was so curious about them. Instead of getting mad when she found her daughter carefully watching her wriggly new friends, Jane’s mother told her gently that the worms couldn’t survive inside, and needed to be outside in the dirt. I don’t know, but maybe this is what made her father think that she needed a special stuffed animal to sleep with!

Living in the city, Jane didn’t have a lot of opportunities to watch animals. That’s why it was so exciting when she got to visit a relative’s farm when she was four. At the farm, she was given the job of gathering eggs that the chickens had laid. Being a very curious child, Jane wanted to know how the hens laid their eggs. She watched them pecking around the yard, but they never laid eggs there. She watched them going into the henhouse, but couldn’t really see them laying there either, but it was hard to see inside. She asked the grown-ups in her family, but they wouldn’t tell her either. So Jane hatched a plan. She knew that the chickens laid their eggs on special nests in the henhouse, so she decided to go inside, watch quietly, and wait. 

So one morning, that’s what she did. She crawled into the henhouse, covered herself in hay, and sat in a dark corner. Then she waited. And waited. And waited. For hours. The grown-ups had no idea where she was, and became worried.  As the day wore on and Jane didn’t come home, they started looking for her, calling her name as they walked all around the fields and surrounding area. 

But still, Jane waited and watched. Finally, late in the afternoon, her patience paid off: She saw a hen lay an egg! She burst out of the henhouse, hay stuck to her clothes and hair, shouting to her parents about her discovery. Fortunately, Jane’s mother again saw things from her daughter’s perspective. She sat down with Jane and listened while she told her all about her discovery, how chickens lay eggs. Jane’s mother realized that she had a curious, determined, and patient daughter, and wanted to support and encourage her. 

Inspired by the book Tarzan and the Apes, Jane decided at age 10 that she wanted to go to Africa to study animals and write books about them. At the time, most grown-ups around her thought this was a crazy idea. World War II was raging in Europe, and Africa was known back then as a “dark continent” because not many Europeans had explored it and it wasn’t easy to travel there. People also thought back then that adventures like the one Jane was dreaming of were just for boys. But Jane’s mother was not most grown-ups. As always, she supported her daughter. She told her that it wouldn’t be easy, but if she worked hard and took any opportunity that came along, she could do whatever she set her mind to.

As a young woman, Jane continued to dream of going to Africa to study animals. Her opportunity finally arrived when she was 23, and a friend invited her to visit Kenya. She moved back to her parents’ home and worked very hard for a whole summer to earn enough money to make the journey. Finally, she made enough to buy a ticket on a boat and make the first part of her dream come true: she was on her way to Africa.

Once she was in Africa, Jane met the famous anthropologists Louis and Mary Leakey. Louis was impressed by Jane and hired her to work as his secretary in Tanzania, where he and his wife were doing their own research. After a few years, he sent Jane to the Gombe Preserve in Tanzania to study chimpanzees. The second part of Jane’s dream was coming true!

But it wasn’t as simple as packing her bags and heading into the forest. As one of the first women in primatology, the British managers of the preserve thought that Jane wouldn’t be safe as a young woman working in the wilderness. They insisted that she bring a chaperone, or someone to look after her, even though she was a grown-up who had lived by herself before. Jane’s mother stepped forward once again to support her daughter and went with her to Gombe as she started her research. 

The forest was a thick tangle of trees, plants, and vines, and there were dangerous animals to worry about. Jane’s tools when she went out to observe the animals were basic: a notebook, binoculars, and some food. But if the managers of Gombe Preserve were afraid for Jane, it didn’t make a difference to her. Instead of being afraid when she went into the forest for the first time, Jane has said that she felt like she was “coming home” to a place where she belonged. 

Jane’s way of working with chimpanzees was unconventional for the time. At this point, she still hadn’t gone to college or gotten a degree, so she didn’t know how researchers normally did things. She gave names to the animals she observed, like Greybeard, Goliath, and Flo, instead of numbers. She would watch them quietly for hours, so they got used to her, and would sometimes even approach her. This allowed Jane to get much closer than any other scientist had before. 

But even though she didn’t do things the way a primatologist was “supposed to,” Jane’s methods turned out to work very well! With patience and perseverance, she was able to observe many things about chimpanzee life that no one had ever noticed before. She got to know each animal as an individual and saw that each chimp had a unique personality, a lot like humans. She observed them hugging, kissing, and patting each other on the back. They seemed to have human-like emotions too–to feel sad, happy, and angry. They seemed to love and show affection for each other. 

She also saw them making tools, which was hard for other scientists at the time to believe. Many of them thought that only humans made tools. She had seen chimpanzees use pieces of grass or sticks to fish termites out of holes in their mounds. They would also use rocks to pound open fruit. Child chimpanzees even have toys–they use vines to play tug-of-war!

After Jane had spent a few years observing chimpanzees at Gombe, Louis Leakey arranged for her to attend Cambridge University to earn a doctoral degree. So she went back to England for a while but returned to Gombe to continue her work there afterward. She set up a research center at Gombe where scientists still study chimpanzees today. And, just like she decided she would when she was 10 years old, she wrote several books on her experiences with the apes.

Dr. Jane, as people often call her now, still works on behalf of chimpanzees. She spends her time traveling around the world meeting and talking to people about how to help protect nature and animals. She loves speaking with young people especially and carries a stuffed monkey (not a chimp!) with her wherever she goes. She believes that young people can be very powerful and change the world if grown-ups just listen to them.

Sometimes, a person can make a difference in unexpected ways, and small actions can add up to bigger changes. Dr. Jane used her patience and determination, quietly watching chimpanzees for hundreds of hours, to learn things that no one else ever suspected. Now, she uses that quiet patience and determination to inspire others to have hope and work to make the world a better place. I’ll leave you today with a quote from Dr. Jane herself: “Each and every one of us makes a difference each and every day, and we have a choice: What kind of difference are we going to make?”

I hope Dr. Jane’s story inspires you to think about the things you can do to make a difference for the better!

Sources

https://www.janegoodall.org.uk/chimpanzees/chimpanzee-central/15-chimpanzees/chimpanzee-central/19-toolmaking

https://wiki.janegoodall.org/wiki/Jane_FAQ%27s

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane_Goodall

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Imagine you are hiking through the thick green mountains of Rwanda, a country deep in the heart of Africa.  It is wet and dark in the dense leaves, plants and vines and you and your team use machetes, which are large knives, to cut through the foliage as you make your way to your destination.  There is no path for you to follow, so you use animal tracks and signs.  Finally you cut through to an open area and stop in your tracks. Everyone goes quiet. Gorillas. Dozens of them lying around and frolicking in the mist. They are exactly what you have been looking for.

Tonight we are going to learn about Dian Fossey — an American woman who loved animals and grew up to become a famous zoologist, or someone who studies animal behavior.

Dian Fossey was born in San Francisco, California in 1932.  She grew up with her mother and stepfather and developed a strong love of animals at a young age.  She enjoyed horseback riding as a kid and teenager and she dreamed of becoming a veterinarian. A veterinarian is a doctor for animals.

Dian went to college in California and started studying veterinary courses, but decided to change and study occupational therapy instead.  Occupational therapy is a type of therapy that helps people who are injured or unwell to learn to use their bodies again.

After she finished college, Dian worked at a hospital in California.  She was offered a job as the director of a children’s hospital’s occupational department in Kentucky, so she moved there in 1955. In Kentucky, Dian lived on a farm and spent a lot of her free time with the farm animals.   

Dian had decided that she wanted to travel and see other parts of the world. And she really wanted to visit Africa.  So she saved up her money and in 1963, she traveled to Africa for the first time.  While she was there, she traveled to many countries, including Kenya, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and the Congo.  

In Africa Dian met a number of other scientists and researchers.  She was inspired by the work they were doing in different areas, including paleoanthropology, or the study of human fossils, and wildlife photography.  The wildlife photographers that she met were working on a movie about African gorillas.  They took Dian along on one of their trips to find the gorillas in their natural habitat.  A habitat is an animal’s natural home or environment.

When Dian first saw the gorillas on that trip, she became instantly in love with them.  She liked that they had individual personalities and were shy.  She wanted to return again to see the gorillas.

Dian went back home to Kentucky and met others who were interested in gorillas. She met a professor named Louis Leakey and together they made plans to conduct a long-term study on the gorillas of the Rwandan mountains.  

In order to conduct the research, Dian needed to live in Rwanda and so she moved there and spent her time living mostly in the mountains with the gorillas and watching them. She lived like this for four years until a war broke out and Diana had to leave to escape the war.

Dian continued to study gorillas and worked on getting a doctorate degree based on her research at Cambridge University in England.

In 1983, Dian published a book about her research and her experience living with the gorillas.  It was called Gorillas in the Mist and it became a best-selling book. The book was even made into a popular movie in 1988.

Unfortunately there were people who did not like Dian and the work she was doing.  Many people at the time tried to hunt gorillas and kill them, since they could get a lot of money for the gorillas bodies and parts.  Dian spoke out against these hunters or “poachers” and because of this many of these hunters did not like her.  They did not want her message of protecting the gorillas to be spread. 

Sadly, on December 26, 1985, Fossey was found dead at her Rwandan forest camp. She had been killed by poachers.  However, no one was ever caught or put in in jail for what happened.

Dian’s work with gorillas continues through an international research fund called the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund.  The Fund continues to operate and has expanded to other areas of Africa.  The Fund’s goal is to protect mountain gorillas and other endangered species in the gorillas’ habitats.

Dian Fossey is considered the leading researcher on the behavior of mountain gorillas.  She worked hard throughout her life to try to protect these animals from extinction and from hunters and poachers who wanted to kill them.  Dian’s love of the gorillas helped her to see them as highly intelligent individual animals.  And her passion for helping to save them made the gorillas lives better. 

From Dian, we can learn about the power of an individual to make a difference in the lives of other beings, including animals.  Sometimes one person’s interests and efforts can help save an entire species of animal.  She showed bravery in travelling to Africa and facing the dangers of the jungles and poachers who disagreed with her.  And her strength and bravery continue to inspire others. 

Is there a type of animal that you love?  Are there ways that you can learn more about these animals? Are there ways that you can get involved in caring for them?  Like Dian, you can make a difference in the lives of animals that you love.

The post The History of Dian Fossey for Kids appeared first on Bedtime History: Podcast and Videos For Kids.

Close your eyes and imagine you are riding down a river in a boat. The river is surrounded by swamp land. You hear bugs chirping in the trees and fish darting through the water below you. You are driving slowly, cautiously, watching the surface of the water for one of the largest, most ancient reptiles which rules these rivers — the infamous crocodile. At the front of the boat is the man known as The Crocodile Hunter. Behind him is a cameraman, who is filming the adventure. The Crocodile Hunter holds up his finger and you slow the boat’s engines. He points to the left and you look out across the river. Poking out of the water are two huge eyeballs and a long bumpy snout. Suddenly, The Crocodile Hunter dives out of the canoe and into the murky water. The cameraman films The Crocodile Hunter as he swims toward the crocodile and grabs it around the neck. You row closer as the cameraman continues filming. The Crocodile Hunter bursts from the surface of the river with the crocodile’s jaws trapped shut. Others in the boat help pull the crocodile onto the boat. The Hunter climbs into the boat and shouts into the camera “Crickey, we got one!” You have been witness to an amazing capture by the one and only Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin.

Steve Irwin was born in February 22, 1962 in Essendon, Australia. Coincidentally, he was born on his mother’s birthday! Steve’s father, Bob, was a herpetologist. A herpetologist is someone who studies reptiles. Steve’s mother, Lyn, was a wildlife rehabilitator. A wildlife rehabilitator is someone who helps animals until they are able to survive in the wild again.     

When Steve was 8 his family moved to Queensland, Australia, and his parents started the Queensland Reptile and Fauna Park, sort of like a zoo for reptiles. At the park Steve grew up around lots of reptiles and crocodiles. From a young age, Steve’s job was to help at the park, from cleaning to helping take care of the animals. Like his parents, Steve loved learning more about animals and taking care of them. On Steve’s 6th birthday his parents bought him a 12-foot python!

When Steve was 9, his father took him on a trip to the river to look for a crocodile they could capture and bring back to their park. Steve was so excited to track down his first crocodile. When they saw the crocodile, Steve jumped out of the boat and tried to grab onto it! With the help of his father, they wrestled the crocodile into the boat and took it back to their zoo. There they fed and took care of it. Many of the crocodiles they brought back to their zoo were ones who were causing trouble in neighborhoods or needed to be nursed back to health.

Steve was very adventurous. Often he’d wander off into the woods, climb trees, hunt down reptiles on his own and bring them back to his parents’ park. As he got older, Steve spent a lot of time relocating crocodiles. Crocodiles were relocated, because people were worried about them being near their homes. Over the years, Steve captured and relocated over 100 crocodiles! He became an expert at working with crocodiles and was known all over the world for his skills.

When Steve got older, he became the new owner of his parents park and renamed it the Australia Zoo. Many people loved visiting the zoo because of Steve’s personality. He loved being around animals and sharing his experiences with others. Steve was very funny and did wild things like dive into the water with crocodiles. In 1991, an American woman named Terri Raines was visiting the Australia Zoo. She saw Steve interacting with the animals and thought he was so funny and passionate about what he did. Steve saw Terri in the crowd and said he fell in love with her at first sight. Four months later were engaged and later got married. They had two children, a girl named Bindi, and a boy named Bob.

Terri followed Steve on his adventures and with the help of a cameraman began filming him in the wild as he wrestled and captured crocodiles. With the first videos they created a show called The Crocodile Hunter. Eventually, the show became very popular in over 130 different countries and reached over 500 million people. Steve work a tan shirt and shorts, spoke in an Australian accent, was exciting and said funny things like “Crikey!”

Steve did a few other shows about dangerous animals, but more than anything he loved to show people all of the interesting animals all across the world, so they would come to care about them like he did. He used his money to buy large areas of land to make sure the species that lived there would be safe. He once said of himself “”I consider myself a wildlife warrior. My mission is to save the world’s endangered species.” He donated much of the money he earned to helping save endangered species. An endangered species is an animal that is close to becoming extinct, which means they are all entirely gone. He also spoke out against poaching, which is killing animals illegally and killing animals that are endangered. 

Steve loved his two children and often brought them along on his adventures. He also started filming a show featuring his daughter, Bindi, called Bindi the Jungle Girl. 

Sadly, when Steve was on one of his adventures, snorkeling, and filming ocean wildlife, he was stung by a stingray and passed away. Many were shocked and sad to hear about what happened to Steve. He was a great inspiration to everyone who watched him. He taught others to care about wild species and what could be done to help save them.

Over the years, Steve was given many awards for his achievements over the years. His wife, Terri, and children have continued to run the Australia Zoo and many will remember Steve for his big heart and contagious smile. 

Like Steve, you can find something you are passionate about and do all you can to learn more about it and become better at it. Steve became an expert with crocodiles due to lots and lots of practice. Some skills are learned in books, but many skills are learned by doing. Think about something you are interested in and take the time to consider how you can make a plan to improve that skill. 

Like Steve, you care share what you are passionate about with others. As you do this, you can inspire others. This may mean sharing something you drew or something new you learned. Steve also cared deeply about those around him like his wife and children. Think about what you can do to show those around you that you care about them. 

Finally, take the time to think about the amazing world around you, all of the animals in it, and what you can do to keep it a safe place for them. After all is said and done, we share the world with them and need to make it liveable for them as well. 

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