The Wild Around Us

 

Exploring the World of Animals...

Animals give us enjoyment, affection, enrichment, enlightenment and entertainment.  Studying them provides us with information about the world around us and even gives us insight into our own physiology, evolution, history and humanity.  We’re so used to having animals  as pets, which implies ownership, and to see them at zoos, ’in captivity’, that the line between keeping an animal and keeping one captive or keeping a companion animal and keeping an animal as property can be blurred.  Our thoughts and opinions on the rights to the physical spaces we share with animals and our interactions and relationships with animals, both wild and domestic, are ever changing and developing the more that we study and learn.  How much intelligence and awareness do animals have and what kind of treatment and rights do they physically and humanely require?  What kinds of studies are done and what do we learn from them about wild and domesticated animals?  What impact do we have on the ecosystems in which wild animals live and the daily lives of domesticated animals, and what impact do animals have on our lives?  What do we really know about different animal species and what is important about different species that we can and should communicate through community outreach and education?  These are all things I think about and would like to explore and discuss on this page...