African Cats: Earth Day 2011

On April 22, 2011 audiences will be given the chance to peek into the lives of two families of African Cats simply trying to survive in one of the wildest places on earth: the African Savanna. It’s as if Disneynature has brought my favorite childhood movie, “The Lion King,” to life for us all to witness on screen. Directed by Keith Scholey and Alastair Fothergill, this epic story “features Mara, an endearing lion cub who strives to grow up with her mother’s strength, spirit and wisdom; Sita, a fearless cheetah and single mother of five mischievous newborns; and Fang, a proud leader of the pride who must defend his family from a once banished lion” (Disney).


On the surface, this may appear to be a simple nature documentary; however, at its roots this movie strives to educate the audience on the need to preserve the African Savanna. For example, if you go see “African Cats” during opening week, “Disneynature will make a donation in your honor to protect lions and cheetahs and the land they call their home” (Disney). Specifically, “Disneynature will contribute $0.20 per ticket to the African Wildlife Foundation for the Amboseli Corridor project […] (April 22-April 28) with a minimum of $100,000 pledged to this program” (Disney).

Unlike humans who build a home and usually remain there for the duration of their lives, the big cats of the African Savanna know no boundaries. The lions, cheetahs, and leopards of the Savanna cannot comprehend the boundaries of a National Park; therefore, they tend to travel between protective areas through “corridors.” Corridors are pertinent to these roaming kings and queens of the Savanna because they connect different territories and hunting grounds frequented by the big cats for both habitat and food. Furthermore, by protecting the African Savanna with the African Wildlife Foundation you not only protect Africa’s big cats but also the African elephants, zebras, giraffes, and elands (antelope).

The African Wildlife Foundation works tirelessly to ensure the continued existence of all African Savanna wildlife, yet help is still needed! So, on Earth Day 2011, go see “African Cats” in theatres and know that you have helped make a difference in the conservation of the African Savanna and its wildlife.

Update: Shark Conservation Act Passed!

In reference to my September 27, 2010 post concerning shark fin soup, the International Fisheries Agreement Clarification Act (H.R. 81) was passed by Congress on December 21, 2010 and signed into law by President Barack Obama on January 4, 2011.The primary purpose of this bill is to ban the despicable act of shark finning in U.S. waters. The most important diction in the bill is the “fins-attached” policy. For example, if fins (including the tail) are discovered on a fishing vessel not still attached to a shark then it is evidence of wrongdoing.  This is an enormous victory for all organizations in support of this bill, but especially a victory for the sharks getting dangerously close to the consequences of low populations.

Organizations in support of H.R. 81:

Monterey Bay Aquarium

Humane Society of the United States

Animal Welfare Institute

Ocean Conservancy

National Coalition for Marine Conservation

OCEANA

Born Free USA united with Animal Protection Institute

According to Oceana’s blog, The Beacon, Sharks are especially vulnerable to pressure from human exploitation due to their slow growth rate and low level of reproduction. The Beacon goes on to explain that “Many shark populations have declined to levels where they are unable to perform their roles as top predators in the ecosystem.”

For more background information on Shark Finning, please visit my previous post here.