"All God's Creatures
Great and Small"
All of God's creatures great or small have a right to live a joyous existence, something that we all take for granted.
In Genesis 1: 1,9-13, 20-23, 24-25 it saids 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 9 And God said, "Let the waters beneath the sky be gathered into one place so dry ground may appear." And so it was. 10 God named the dry ground "land" and the water "seas." And God saw that it was good. 11 Then God said, "Let the land burst forth with every sort of grass and seed-bearing plant. And let there be trees that grow seed-bearing fruit. The seeds will then produce the kinds of plants and trees from which they came." And so it was. 12 The land was filled with seed-bearing plants and trees, and their seeds produced plants and trees of like kind. And God saw that it was good. 13 This all happened on the third day.
20 And God said, "Let the waters swarm with fish and other life. Let the skies be filled with birds of every kind." 21 So God created great sea creatures and every sort of fish and every kind of bird. And God saw that it was good. 22 Then God blessed them, saying, "Let the fish multiply and fill the oceans. Let the birds increase and fill the earth." 23 This all happened on the fifth day.
24 And God said, "Let the earth bring forth every kind of animal - livestock, small animals, and wildlife." And so it was. 25 God made all sorts of wild animals, livestock, and small animals, each able to reproduce more of its own kind. And God saw that it was good.
God saw that His creation was very good. He saw that it was beautifully orchestrated and was proud of His creation. Today with global warming, pollution, habitat destruction, animal extinction, animal cruelty, can He be proud of His creation…..man??? Man is destroying everything that God created.
Statistics show that man has changed his atmosphere since 1700 charcoal, and later coal and oil, fed the growing fires of the Industrial Revolution. The carbon stored in these fuels was released to the air as carbon dioxide - a gas that traps heat in the atmosphere. Today, for every one of the more than 5.8 billion people on Earth, nearly six tons of carbon dioxide are spewed into the air annually. As a result of our activities, the atmospheric concentration of this heat-trapping gas has risen by more than 30 percent in the last 250 years probably contributing to earth's Global warming.
Today's alarming decline in species is the destruction, degradation and fragmentation of habitat due to our increasing human population and wasteful consumption of resources. Human populations virtually all around the globe are on the rise. All of these people require living space, clean water and food. Population growth is the ultimate threat to species and the ecosystems they rely upon, there are other threats facing species in the World. These threats revolve around the way we use the earth's resources and the consequences of that use. Human exploitation of our resources is the primary cause of habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation.
Charles Darwin showed that extinction of a species is part of the evolutionary process. But since the 1700s, humans have rapidly accelerated the rate of extinction because of population growth and resource consumption. Today, most of the world's habitats are changing faster than most species can evolve or adapt to such changes. The current global extinction rate is estimated at about 20,000 species per year, many times greater than the background extinction rate. Many biologists believe that we are in the middle of the greatest mass extinction episode since the disappearance of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago.
Currently, there are over 24,000 species that are endangered or threatened by human activities. Unless we do something quickly, they will disappear forever. Without them, Earth's ecosystem may very well crumble. By endangering wildlife, we are endangering ourselves.
Animals only kill to survive, but humans kill for sport. Man also abuses animals all over the world. Animals are used being as test subjects, living their short life in a lab, in tiny cages, with chemicals put in their eyes, ears, skin. Others are beaten and killed or left for dead. Some are left chained outside in the cold without shelter with or without food or water.
There are other examples of cruelty. For example in Korea and China, dogs and cats are consumed for food in restaurants and suffer severely during life and may then be roasted alive, slowly hung, electrocuted through the tongue or beaten to death before slaughter.
Also in China bears are surgically mutilated and "milked" each day for their gal bile. These animals endure the most appalled levels of cruelty and neglect.
In Spain it's customary to sell former greyhound racers to hunters who keep them only for the duration of the hunting season. The dogs are then killed, usually by hanging: those who were good hunting dogs die quickly; less competent dogs are subjected to a slow and more agonizing death, sometimes taking hours to die.
These are just a few of the many ways man is being cruel to animals worldwide. We must stop the cruelty of animals and their extinction, for it is a sin against God.
What you can do to help endangered species
Write Letters to your local representative. Tell them how you feel about the environmental problems of today. Tell them what you would like to see changed. Remind them how precious our earth is, and the diversity of species. Give suggestions on how to solve these problems.
Education So tell your friends, family, and neighbors. Teach them the meaning of the word extinction. Tell them what the future holds for them if species diversity disappears. How a wealth of knowledge, resources, and variety will vanish from our earth. How millions of undiscovered medicines, vaccines, herbs, foods, and lives will go with them. And urge them to join the fight to save our planet and its creatures.
Environmental Awareness Always be thinking of ways you can reduce consumption of environmentally harmful substances. Be conscious of the consequences your actions have on the surrounding ecosystem. Convert by example, encourage your family, friends, and neighbors to save resources too. Learn about conservation issues in your community or state... write your legislators and let them know where you stand on the issues. Teach children to respect nature and the environment. Take them on hikes, or camping. Help them plant a tree or build a birdhouse. Teach them by example.
Consumer Awareness One of the things we can do to help in the survival of endangered species is to not support the trade in products manufactured out of these species. Participating in this trade is even illegal and you risk being prosecuted.
Join/Form Organizations A simple but effective way to help endangered species to survive is by joining clubs that aim to protect and conserve nature and wildlife. look for local conservation groups and attend their meetings. Subscribe to magazines and newsletters. Ask them for more information on how you can help. And if there are no local clubs or groups around you, start one! Research on the topic and write to the bigger organizations for advice on how to run meetings and such. Start weekly or monthly activities, like planting trees or picking up trash. Start a recycling program in your local neighborhood. Start an ecology club at school, which will both help the world and earn you a merit on a college application! Remember - every little bit counts.
What you can do to help prevent cruelty to animals
Buy Cruelty Free goods Buy articles that are synthetic like non-leather shoes
Write Letters to your local representatives and congressmen. Tell them how you feel about the problems of cruelty to animals. You can also help by providing solutions to help these issues and requesting new laws be made.
Join/Form Organizations You can start by becoming a member of a Humane Society or starting your own group.
Become a Fund raiser From street collecting to car boot sales to a sponsored event, you can help raise money for an animal advocate's group or humane societies by organizing a fundraising campaign.
Become a Campaigner Campaigning can mean anything from writing a letter to your MP to displaying a poster and distributing leaflets.
Education Teach children to respect all animals and to be kind to them.
Make a donation to an animal advocate's group or humane society.
Become a school speaker Lots of people are interested in giving school talks but feel nervous about speaking in front of a group of youngsters. There are lots of groups that provide forward information you need to give an effective presentation.
Subscribe to magazines and newsletters. Ask them for more information on how you can help.
These are just a few ideas provided on how you can help endangered species and the prevention of cruelty to animals in the hopes that it will be an inspiration to everyone.
We must all put our little grain of salt and help to prevent exploitation of our resources, the destruction of habitats, the extinction of the animal populations of the world and cruelty to animals, for it will be the doom of mankind and the world. We must begin by changing our attitudes and start educating our children on these issues, for they are the future adults of this world.
"All creatures great and small, bright, perfect and beautiful, The Lord God made Them All". Let us give thanks for all the beautiful creatures God created for it saids in the bible "And God saw that it was good".
Links of Animal Protection Groups:
International Fund for Animal
Welfare
Animal Rights and
Protection Organizations
Pegasus Foundation
For Animals
YCA
Endangered Species
Resources