Carol Greene - I Love Our Animals

OUR EARTH, OUR ANIMALS Do you know why animals are important? Some animals help trees and flowers grow. Others give us food and clothes. And some animals help us by being our friends. Learn why animals are so important to everyone, and how we can care for them. Also, discover how YOU can help save our animals every day!
"THESE EASY BOOKS SHOW YOUNG PEOPLE HOW TO CARE FOR OUR EARTH." About the Author Carol Greene is the author of over 100 books for children. She has worked as a children's book editor and a teacher of writing for children. Animals live in all different parts of the world. It is large or small or middle-sized. It is wild or tame. It is alive and beautiful. What is it? An animal.

Elephants, whales, and ladybugs are animals. So are birds, fish, frogs, turtles, and spiders. Scientists know of around 2 million different species that we share the earth with. They guess there may be as many as 10 million species living on earth. Each animal has a place on the earth. Each does something.

Each is important.

A hummingbird drinks from a flower. Birds and bees help spread seeds and pollen so new flowers can grow. Animals are important because they help nature. Bees carry pollen from flower to flower. Then the flowers make seeds, and new plants grow.

Birds carry seeds from place to place and help new plants to grow. Squirrels bury many nuts to eat later. Sometimes they cant find all of them. From these lost nuts, new trees grow. Animals help the soil. When they die, their bodies become part of it.

Worms dig tunnels in soil and help it get air. Animals help people, too. We get food from some of them. From cows we get milk, butter, and cheese. From hens we get eggs, and from bees we get honey. People also eat the meat of many kinds of animals.

We get clothes from animals, too. We use wool from sheep and leather from cattle. We use silk from silkworms. Many years ago, people wore furry animal skins to keep warm. Some people still do. Others say we dont need to wear furs anymore.

Animals help people by getting rid of pests. Cats catch mice. Ladybugs and other insects eat pests that harm crops. So do birds and bats. People ride animals such as horses, donkeys, and camels. These animals may pull or carry things, too.

Some animals help in special ways. Dogs lead blind people or sniff out hidden drugs. Animals also help people by being their friends. People keep many kinds of animals as pets. Animals are important because they help in many ways. But most of all, they are important just because they are.

Each animal is alive. Each is beautiful. The earth is home for each and so each is important.

A beekeeper checks on his bees and their honey. Guide dogs like this one are trained to help blind and visually impaired people cross streets and around obstacles. This bird is covered in oil from a spill in the ocean.

Many people dont care about animals. They are the worst enemy that animals have. Wild animals lose their homes and even their lives because of some people. People cut down the forests where some animals live. They drain the water from wetlands where others make their homes. People put all kinds of things into rivers, lakes, and oceans.

Oil, trash, and pollutants kill fish, birds, and other animals. Pollutants are harmful things left over after burning or making something. Pollutants in the air and litter on the land can also kill animals. An animal can swallow a balloon and choke. It can get caught in a six-pack holder and starve. Countries have set aside places for wild animals.

These are called refuges. It is the governments job to take care of the refuges and keep the animals safe. But sometimes governments let hunters kill the animals. They let people cut down trees and dig mines in refuges. Then the animals are not safe. People harm tame animals, too.

Some farmers crowd their animals together in dark, smelly places. They tie them so they cannot move around. They take baby animals away from their mothers. Other people dont take good care of their pets. They forget to give them food and fresh water. They leave them outside in the rain and cold.

Some dont take their pet to the vet. They never play with them. They forget to love them. People like this should not have pets.

Many pet owners do not care for their animals the way they should. We need to make sure that refuges keep animals safe.

These zebras live in a refuge in Africa. People need to remember that the earth belongs to animals, too. People must take better care of the earth. They must stop cutting down so many forests and leave the wetlands alone. They must stop spilling and dumping things into the water. People can keep the air clean.

They can stop littering. They can tell governments to take better care of refuges for wild animals. Farmers can be kinder to their animals. They can give them better places to live. People can take care of pets and treat them as friends. They can make more laws to protect animals.

Many groups are working to get such laws made.

Take care of your pets. A vet can help them stay healthy. You can help animals. Here are some things that you can do.

• Keep the earth clean.

  Pick up litter when you can. Dont let balloons get away. Cut six-pack holders apart or ask an adult to do it. You might save an animal!

• Feed the birds all winter. Dont stop, because they will count on your food. Put out water for them in summer.
• Dont squash harmless insects.

  Help them to a safe place.

• Learn about your pet and what it needs. Choose pets from animal shelters