Have you ever heard of laughter therapy? Laughter therapy is an approach that is used to lift people’s moods and reduce stress and anxiety. While people might enjoy things like laughter yoga, laughter groups, or even clown doctors, many people have their very own comedians in their homes. These natural comedians are quite simply our beloved animal-people family members who keep us chuckling and giggling with their antics, play, and gregarious affection.For any of you who have ever brought an adorable dog- or cat-person baby into your home, you will know that their antics and playfulness lift the spirits. Humans also seem to take great delight in the playfulness that occurs between different types of animal-people. The play between smaller and larger animal-people especially seems to spark a lot of chuckles in humans. Beloved animal-people family members often bring connection and harmony to the family through their comedic actions.As you’ve learned, animal-people can indeed laugh. We animal folk can also express our humor in various ways such as wagging our tails, grinning, hopping, dancing, wiggling our bodies, and interacting with you in cheeky ways. Bird-people family members may also make you chuckle in their own ways.People also derive so much joy and laughter when they relate stories about their animal-people companion’s escapades, unique personalities, and special moments to other people. Consider this story and the laughter that ensued when Supreme Master Ching Hai told the story of Her dog-person companion, Benny.Supreme Master Ching Hai has spoken about the divine nature of animal-people, and it may surprise you. “The animal-people come to this planet with a special role. Many of them are able to bring down divine power from Heaven, or love, just through their presence because they are very connected with the Divine at all times. Some, like horse- and rabbit-people, can protect their human caregivers from negative influences, or boost them with good health, good luck, even material fortune, joy, or spiritual upliftment. They watch out for us quietly and humbly send blessings our way. Some of them are from higher levels of consciousness; they only came down in animal-people form to help humankind or other beings on Earth.”

Today’s program celebrates Mother’s Day by presenting examples of how animal-people mothers channel God’s Love toward their offspring. In all cultures and circumstances, mothers deserve our eternal appreciation. They do their best to take care of their young ones, even if it means sacrificing their comfort. They strive to protect us, nurture us, and teach us how to get by in the world. Animal-people mothers display great noble qualities, tirelessly keeping an eye on us and giving us their all to ensure that we develop into healthy adults. Mothers can also be playful. During a blistering heatwave in British Columbia, Canada, a mama bear-person visited someone’s backyard swimming pool with her kids. She must have known how much fun they would have and watched as they frolicked. But ever cautious, she led them away over a fence before they overstayed their welcome. The sacrifices that mothers make are countless and mostly unspeakable. Taking care of their offspring is always their top priority. Throughout Supreme Master Ching Hai’s time in Amoura, She encountered many examples of animal-people mothers’ dedication. She describes some of them in Her bestselling book “The Noble Wilds,” including the story of a swan-lady named Pitu. To quote Master’s lyrical account: “Pitu would pluck her silky feathers To inlay the nest softer. Day and night, rain or shine She protects her nestlings as her life.”This devoted dog-person mom had keen intuition about whom she should ask for help. When heavy rainfall threatened to drown her babies in their birthplace, she found the best person to assist with rescuing them. Mothers are so in sync with their young! They are always standing by, like guardian angels. When an elephant-infant toppled into the deep end of a pool, Mama and Auntie wasted no time coming to the rescue.I can think of no better way to close than to share one more poetic quote from Supreme Master Ching Hai's book “The Noble Wilds”: “Oh! The love of a mother. What else can one say! Only the heart feels sympathy And the eyes feel moist!”

All lives on Earth are important and meaningful. Saving a life is worth whatever it takes. We have heard many stories of individual humans helping animal-people in need of assistance. Such love in action can inspire us to show kindness toward our co-inhabitants. But there are times when a successful rescue requires more than what one person can do. Today’s program will share examples of collective efforts to protect precious people from the animal kingdom.In Almaty, Kazakhstan, a pitiful dog-person was stranded in the middle of a canal. That’s when strangers at the top spontaneously joined the effort. They grasped each other by the hand to form a human chain and pulled the rescuer and the victim up to safety.On a cold winter morning in the United States, motorists noticed that a herd of elk-people was in trouble. Soon, a crew of 30 to 40 volunteers was using chainsaws and other tools to clear a liquid pathway to the shore. But the elk-people were unable to move on their own. Rescuers had to use straps and ropes to pull all 13 of them out of the water, one at a time.In the summer of 2000, a cargo ship sank off the coast of South Africa, leaking 1,300 tons of fuel into the ocean. Approximately 20,000 individuals were oiled, and the same number were at risk as toxic pollution drifted toward their habitat. More than 12,000 volunteers from local and international organizations came together for the largest animal-people assistance project ever attempted.On July 7, 2009, during an interview with Irish journalist Ben Murnane about the global climate situation, Supreme Master Ching Hai suggested the best way for humans to live. “We are the so-called civilized, intelligent, superior species – the human race. Shouldn’t we reconsider how to act with befitting manner? That is, to protect, love, and preserve the life of our co-inhabitants, the animal-persons, the environment. These certainly are recommendable, noble and proper actions. Just be veg, go green, do good.”

The nonprofit organization American Humane initiated Be Kind to Animals Week in 1915. It has been observed at the beginning of May every year since 1973, promoting more compassionate relationships with all animal-people. Let’s participate by sharing some heartwarming stories about selfless human beings who came to the rescue when someone from another species was in a desperate situation. Climate change and other environmental catastrophes caused by humans have impacted the well-being of us animal-people, making it harder for us to live in peace. When a natural disaster occurs, it’s not only humans who suffer; we animal-people do too. In July 2021, as a terrible wildfire burned through 14,000 hectares of Russia’s Chelyabinsk region, firefighters saved a terrified deer-person baby who was crying for help. Such benevolence is like a precious jewel that we will always treasure.An additional aspect of kindness to animal-people is respect for the vast oceans on Earth. In June 2020, near the Italian island of Lipari, a sperm whale-person’s tail was helplessly entangled in a discarded net. Researchers from a local conservation association discovered the struggling cetacean-person and contacted the Italian Coast Guard. It took about two hours for rescue divers to slice away the constraining cords completely.“Whoever saves a single life is considered by scripture to have saved the whole world.” This famous quote from the Jewish Talmud applies perfectly to all these saviors of our precious co-inhabitants. We offer our compliments and deep appreciation for their noble deeds. The world does indeed need saving at this time, and perhaps it will require all of humanity to embrace such righteousness. On October 18, 2009, there was a conference with Supreme Master Ching Hai at the 61st Frankfurt Book Fair in Germany. She made the following emotional appeal to the audience regarding the correct way for humans to live their lives. “We have to create Heaven; otherwise, we don’t have it. That’s all I can say. We have to protect others; otherwise, we cannot expect protection. We must live as an honorable, dignified, worthy being that’s called human – the crown of the creation.”

Please allow me to present a brief introduction to the different species of tapir-people. We all belong to the genus “Tapirus” of the family “Tapiridae.” My kin are found only in Southeast Asia, and most people call us Malayan tapir-folk. In addition to Malaysia, there is habitat for us in Indonesia, Myanmar, and Thailand. There are three other species that live in Central and South America. Their common names are Baird’s, South American, and mountain tapir-people. Since we have been on Earth for 20 million years and our physical characteristics have remained pretty much the same, some scientists consider us living fossils. A newborn tapir-person baby can weigh between 7 and 8 kilograms and arrives in a special birthday suit that will likely put a smile on your face. Brown and beige stripes along the torso, with white polka dots spread over the face and legs, create an adorable impression. As we are herbivores, our rainforest home provides everything we need for nourishment, such as leaves, fruit, grasses, tender shoots, and aquatic plants. With our active lifestyle and healthy vegan diet, we can live to be about 30. Our way of eating also contributes to the biological diversity of our wide-ranging territories. During our travels, we distribute seeds and recycle nutrients that help maintain the ecosystem, ensuring a continuous supply of food and shelter. To come back to reality, I regret to inform you that we are facing the possibility of extinction – not only those of us here in Southeast Asia, but our tapir-cousins in Central and South America as well. For example, my species, “Tapirus indicus,” is on the Red List of Threatened Species published by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). I must say there are some very kindhearted individuals, however, who created a website for us in 2008 and declared April 27 to be World Tapir Day each year. Please join them in saving us, which will benefit the rainforests, and then the planet will have a better chance of withstanding the consequences of climate change.

Our scientific name – “Leontopithecus rosalia” – refers to two things: the hair that surrounds our face and its bright reddish-gold color. The brushed-back mane definitely enhances our appearance, and we can even make the hairs stand on end to make it look bigger if necessary. An adult golden lion tamarin-person can weigh between 500 and 700 grams, with a body that’s between 15 and 25 centimeters long. However, our fully extended tail adds another 32 to 40 centimeters to our total length. Our four paws resemble hands with long fingers, and instead of flat fingernails, we have sharp claws.Golden lion tamarin-people are very family-oriented. A core group usually consists of a mating pair and up to six children. Larger troops mark the boundaries of their territory with scent and guard it from outsiders through patrols and vocalizations. In 2018, the government of Brazil made August 2 National Golden Lion Tamarin Day.If you factor in other issues like hunting and fires, it is no surprise that by the early 1970s, our population in the wild was fewer than 300. Their actions led to the creation of Poço das Antas Biological Reserve, the first nature park of its kind in Brazil and a haven for us. And another beneficial tactic was pursued: expanding our habitat by planting trees and securing greenwood corridors between disjointed patches of forest. Altogether, the number of golden lion tamarin-people living in the wild reached a little over 3,700 by 2014.At the end of 2016, there was an outbreak of yellow fever among humans in southeastern Brazil. The epidemic spread toward areas previously part of the Atlantic Forest, and by 2018 it reached us in our habitat. Oh, it was terrible! We lost a third of our population before scientists developed a vaccine to protect us. We could save a lot more trees if the vegan diet became the law of the land and no more animal-people were raised for food.In addition to National Golden Lion Tamarin Day, the Brazilian government has given us two other honors. We were featured on a postage stamp in 2016, and we adorn the reverse side of 20-real banknotes.

Fossils show that tarsier-people existed in many parts of the world 45 million years ago! Currently, our three subgroups reside mainly in Southeast Asia. The Philippine tarsier-people are considered some of the smallest primates on Earth. Weighing 80 to 160 grams, and 8.5 to 16 centimeters in height, an adult is close to the size of a human palm, and our babies the size of a human thumb.Do you know where we derived the name “tarsier”? Look at the peculiarly long ankle bones we have. They are tarsals, hence our name. The most prominent feature of tarsier-people is our eyes, which are very large relative to our body size. Our ears rotate like satellites so that we can hear any movement coming from all around us.Apart from our enormous eyes and exceptional ears, we have other unique physical features, such as our thin, rough fur colored gray to dark brown and our thin, furless tail with a tuft of hair at the end about twice the body length. We tend to be quite chatty and love communicating using different vocalizations like loud calls, whistles, trills for long-distance communication, or emotional expression.Under natural conditions, our life span is 24 years, which contrasts dramatically with the 2 to 12 years we would survive in captivity. It was due to God’s Grace that Carlito Pizarras realized our plight! Over 30 years of caring diligence led to Carlito becoming an expert on tarsier-people.Carlito was joined in his noble mission by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and by the Philippine government, who declared the tarsier-people as national protected animal-people. Finally, having recognized the preciousness of the tarsier-people, a local community established The Philippine Tarsier Foundation, a green and sustainable sanctuary where Bohol’s exclusive primates can continue to be protected and preserved. The Philippine tarsier-people were even given a new scientific name “Carlito syrichta” in recognition of Carlito’s lifelong contributions.

Today I would love to tell you about how we fish-people sing. And our repertoire extends beyond just using our voices. Much like humans might clap, snap their fingers, and produce a variety of different sounds in song and celebration, so do we people of the fish kingdom. We fish folk may sing together in chorus or deliver solo performances. During group performances, it’s almost like a maestro directing many different fish-people to sing in harmony.The catfish-people can also make their own sounds. Some families of catfish-people make a squeaking sound by rubbing the spines of their pectoral fins along the grooves on their shoulders. Here are some more unique fish-people whose sounds may surprise you. And one species of the Terapontid-people family makes a distinct buzzing type sound which has been compared with the buzzer in the famous “Operation” board game. We use different parts of our bodies to make different sounds. One cool thing we can do is to make a drumming sound. Many of us can do this using our sonic muscles that are near our swim bladders. And just as humans like to hum, so do different types of fish-people. The plainfin midshipman fish-people, who are sometimes called the “California singing fish,” can hum for at least up to two hours in order to attract female companions when they want to start a family.We ask that you leave us off your plate, and eat a healthy vegan diet instead. Please love us and protect us. Our message is simple: “Please open your hearts. Please go vegan, keep the oceans clean, and let all of us aquatic beings live in peace and harmony.” We are ever so grateful when Supreme Master Ching Hai speaks out on our behalf. “Fish-people eating is very depleting to planetary ecosystem. They have proven that overfishing of sardine-people has resulted in many dead zones. Because they are there for some reason. They are there for the ocean, give life to some other kinds of species or cleaning the environment. Whatever the species that God has left on the planet, they have work to do.”

As you can see from my delightful, miniature features, dik-dik-people are some of the daintiest antelope-citizens of the African continent! My species is one of four varieties in the genus Madoqua. I am a lad from the Kirk’s dik-dik group, which resides in the acacia savannahs of Kenya and Tanzania. Then I have three sets of cousins − Guenther’s dik-dik-folk, Salt’s dik-dik-gentlepeople, and the silver dik-dik-clique – who all inhabit the thick bushes of the Horn of Africa, mainly in Somalia and Ethiopia. Indeed, we are some of the smallest members of the antelope-kingdom, standing only 35 to 45 centimeters in height with weights ranging from about 4 to 8 kilograms. We are smaller than many dog-people companions! To be sure, our petite size plus incredible agility and extreme cuteness are the trademark characteristics of dik-dik-people. Did you know that we also have a talent for whistling? We do this whenever we are alarmed to alert our neighbors.Instead of forming large groups, we prefer to live in pairs and enjoy the company of our one true love. Once a couple has established its territory, the mama can bear a single offspring twice per year, at the beginning and end of the rainy season. She takes responsibility for feeding her baby while both parents provide protection and instruction in the ways of the world.Sadly, I must report a few tragedies we have endured in recent years. Of course, life on Earth is never completely free of trouble, but it seems that the biggest threat facing us now is people. For example, vast swaths of countryside have been destroyed due to human-caused climate change. Even more heartbreaking for us is the loss of loved ones killed for their skin and body parts. Some consumers want accessories and jewelry made from our bones and horns. Many others are interested in suede gloves and bags, but this is a terrible injustice.Fortunately, the tide is turning, and innovators with compassionate hearts are working tirelessly to develop vegan leather alternatives. An increasing variety of stylish, durable and affordable products are now available, unstained by the suffering and death of innocent beings. This trend brings tremendous hope to my fellow dik-dik-people and the entire animal-people kingdom.

Dr. Balcombe has extensive knowledge about many species of us animal-people, including how we feel pain. “Vertebrate animals, animals who have backbones, which is mammals, fishes, birds, reptiles, amphibians, they all clearly have brains, minds, emotions. They have the same kind of living systems that we have, and science shows this. With respect to pain, the fact is that animals will, if they are in pain, they will seek and take pain-relieving drugs if they're given the opportunity.”“We need to stop poisoning the planet. And we need to respect them, and treat them in ways that are compatible with the continuation of life. And most of them don't harm us. And, if we disappeared, they would do, continue to flourish, they would do fine. But the opposite is not true: If flies disappeared, we would have to go too, because they help run the planet. They’re a critical part of the ecology, the balance of life. They’re pollinators. The food we eat, it’s not just pollinated by bees, it's also pollinated by flies, and wasps, and other insects.”When you take a moment to really appreciate the beauty of nature - right down to the smallest insect-people, there comes a sense of awe. The insect-people are truly intelligent and skilled in so many ways. “Flies and other flying insects can get around remarkably well, and they can maneuver, they can land upside down, some of them. They can fly backwards, they can hover. So, I marvel at their physical skills. I also marvel at their organization, like the ant colonies, for instance, which all have their roles. Everybody knows their place. They’re remarkably adaptive and they’re amazingly flexible, and they're very opportunistic. These are all qualities that I think we show in some ways.”We can all work together in harmony – human beings, animal-people of the land, the sky and the water, as well as the insect-people. We each bring such unique gifts to the world. And we are all earthlings, so it would benefit all of us to take care of each other.

Dr. Jonathan Balcombe is a distinguished British biologist with a PhD in ethology. He has authored numerous books and scientific papers on animal-people’s inner lives and behavior, as well as animal-people protection. When speaking of us animal-people, he says: “As science continues to make new discoveries about animal minds and feelings, I hope it strikes a chord for more considerate, ethical treatment of animals.”In his book “What a Fish Knows: The Inner Lives of Our Underwater Cousins,” he reveals the amazing facts that will change the way we think about fish-people. “There are some fishes who actually look after their eggs, and their young, for several weeks. So, it was very devoted parenting. This is something that people need to be aware of, that these animals have social lives. They have cares, and woes, and worries, and concerns, and stresses, and happiness and pleasure. They have a rich experiential physical and emotional life like we do.” “Studies have been done showing that a fish, for instance, who gets stroked, who gets caressed, gentle caresses on the skin, they like that, and it makes them feel much less stress. So, these kinds of experiments show that these animals have emotions, and have pain, and have stress, and we need to treat them accordingly.”“Far and away the most animals we harm are to eat them. And we're talking about tens of billions of land animals, especially chickens. And, in case of fishes, we're talking about hundreds of billions, and possibly over a trillion every year. And, not only the numbers are high, but the conditions they live in are really appalling, especially if it's factory farms or aquaculture operations. So the conditions, and the short lives, and the methods of killing them, are all pretty horrible. And it's all to feed us.” Dr. Balcombe proposes the vegan diet as a solution to this very real problem that all of us earthlings are currently facing because it not only affects us animal-people, but the destruction of the environment is also affecting humans.

My species is originally from northern Queensland. With a body length of approximately 60 centimeters and a wingspan of 1 meter or more, we are the largest of all 18 kinds of cockatoo-people on Earth. Our cheeks are surprisingly red! What's more, these patches of bare skin are automatic mood indicators and sometimes change to pink, beige and even yellow. Some of our favorite habitats are eucalyptus woodlands, gallery forests, and dense savannas. Our diet consists of leaf buds, seeds, nuts, and fruits.When our lives reach the phase of wanting to start a family, our males manifest a unique talent. Since we cannot dig spaces for our nests, we must find tree trunks that have already been hollowed out – preferably off-vertical and skyward-facing. So, cockatoo-guys take responsibility for this and begin to search by fashioning drumsticks and tapping on selected parts of trees. Some of them snap off part of a branch with their powerful beak and then trim it so that it's close to 20 centimeters. Others choose to use a hard seed pod, which they may modify. Either way, they grab their tool with one foot, start to knock and listen to the sound, which can carry up to 100 meters. They say it is the only known example of nonhuman drumming using prepared sound tools.When researchers later analyzed the footage, they realized that the percussive sounds were not random but rhythmic, meaning they followed a regular pattern, just as with human music. Not only that, but each drummer also had their own style and cadence. Palm cockatoo-people are monogamous, which means couples remain faithful to each other. For young cockatoo-guys, then, this drumming on trees is more than just finding a suitable place to build a nest. It's about attracting the love of their life!If we are precious to some of you, and you understand how we benefit fruit-bearing trees by dispersing their seeds, please do what you can to protect our habitat.

Speaking of food, we are herbivores. Humans tend to think that we eat fish-people, but that’s certainly not the case. We view ourselves as simple family folk. So you can imagine our surprise when human beings started to study us and began to call us “eco-engineers” and “a keystone species.” Essentially what we do is build dams. The biggest beaver-people dam known to humans was found in Alberta, Canada. A whopping 850 meters long that took over 20 years to build! Our eating habits also conserve the environment. We remove branches and trees to eat and also to build our dams while leaving the roots of the trees healthy to allow them to hold soil and re-grow with dense foliage. We beaver-people have been increasingly researched in recent years, with humans admiring us for our positive effects on the environment. What they’ve noticed is that the beaver-people’s dams have raised water levels and formed wetlands. The dams even help store carbon and thus reduce greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. In 2019, two beaver-persons from Scotland were introduced to an area in Cropton Forest of North Yorkshire, England. The project was named Slowing the Flow. One major outcome is that the beaver-people slowed the flow of the water. This can be particularly helpful in preventing flooding which happens when the water enters the land too quickly for the land to absorb. In 2014, humans introduced beaver-people to Placer County when the Doty Ravine project began. They projected that it would take ten years for streams of water to cover the land again, but it only took three years for the beaver-people to achieve this. Instead of spending US$1-2 million, only US$58,000 was spent to ready the land for the beaver-people who did all the work very efficiently. Researchers have found that fires burn on average three times less in areas where our dams are situated. Recently, a film has been released featuring our important environmental work. The film is called “The Beaver Believers” and it covers all aspects of why we beaver folk are an asset to any natural habitat, especially one that has water scarcity issues.

“We are always broadcasting, which means we are always sending and receiving at the same time. What happens in our household, whether we’ve had a bad day, a good day, any kind of day, that we’re just having a day, we are broadcasting, so we are somewhat picking up on our animals’ stuff, but they are certainly picking up on our stuff. And so, what we want to become is aware of what we’re sending. It’s when we don't pay attention to them, and they build, that our animals really go oh-oh.” “If my intention is to help this animal, then the animal will already start to feel that and relax into it. One of the modalities that I teach is called EFT - Emotional Freedom Technique. And that is a technique that is used as the acupressure points. And so it brings the nervous system down.” At the Communication with all Life University, Joan’s students learn about supporting us animal-people in great depth. “And when I include in performances, sometimes people come because they have a service animal that’s not working out, like the dog got scared, or things like that. So that’s a really important place for us to be able to help. We can help before surgery.” “I always say I'm here to empower others. So that together we can give voice to those who can’t speak for themselves and ultimately heal the planet. There’s lots of ways that animal communication can really, really help and change a household.” Joan understands what truly causes suffering to billions of land animal-people and aquatic animal beings. Hence, she has been vegan for approximately eight years and was vegetarian for a very long time before that. “I don't want to eat another soul. You know, I don't want to cause harm. So, for me, especially doing this work, there’s just no way. But I think that through the school, oh, you know, we definitely bring it up, and you can’t get away from it. I mean, it's the modern slavery, right? And I really hope that people start to make friends with cows and chickens and pigs and geese, and sheep.”

Ms. Joan Ranquet is an American animal-people communicator, an author, and the founder of the Communication with all Life University. “So the way that I teach animal communication is telepathy, which is the transference of pictures, words and feelings. Basically we've been doing telepathy since we were born. And as we learned language, we started to let go of our understanding of the pictures, words and feelings. But our animals, they're all communicating with each other telepathically. But the real way that they are communicating to each other is through telepathy. And so, once we have a basic understanding of telepathy, then we are able to communicate, get a sense of what they're sending us.” “I was very aware of being super connected to horses, to the dogs, and cats and even plants. In 1989, I got a horse, and she was absolutely my soulmate horse. I loved her more than anything in the world. So, she was really like my spiritual teacher.” Joan found that communicating with Pet One during that time was very important, especially as she was undergoing surgeries. Joan had been learning interspecies communication and ways to open herself up to this capability through an animal-people communication teacher, and from insights she gained from a Native American. Their telepathic communication became invaluable once Pet One ascended to Heaven, leaving her baby in Joan’s loving care. “One of my stories that I tell in my book is, this woman came to me with two dogs that were grieving. And the dog told me that he wasn't grieving, and he was sad but that he was also really worried about the youngest daughter, that she was really struggling with her homework. And when they got the daughter tested, they found out she was dyslexic. She got the help she needed and the dog was fine. They can see what we're struggling with, and can help us release that.” “And when we start to recognize those souls individually, the world will start to look at things like being kinder and being more vegan. So, I feel like they're really, leading the charge here for us to be better humans.”

As an icon of Ethiopia, we Grevy’s zebra-people are also called the “Imperial Zebra.” We zebra-people belong to the genus Equus. We are close relatives of both the horse- and the donkey-people, and, along with the plains and the mountain zebra-people, we make up the world’s only three species of black and white striped zebra-people. We Grevy’s zebra-people are natives of Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia, and are the rarest species of the zebra kingdom. Our extraordinary thick, black striped fur isn’t just so that we can tell each other apart. There are also many other benefits to having such an extraordinary coat. Recent research has found that the patterns of our stripes can confuse fly- and other insect-people, which helps to keep them away so they don’t bother us! They also help to regulate our body temperature by reflecting more than 70% of the incoming radiation from the bright African sun. Like all zebra-people, we Grevy's zebra folk can run fast with our long, slim legs and our hoofed feet. In fact, we can run up to 65 kilometers per hour, and can even outrun a fully grown lion! We have very keen eyesight as our large, long head is endowed with binocular front vision which enables us to spot movement from a great distance. As a natural vegan, we feed mainly on grasses and sometimes on bark, fruit, and leaves.It is disconcerting to see our Grevy’s zebra-people registered on the Red List of Threatened species, as our population has dwindled to less than 2,200 in the wild. A big concern for us is that much of our habitat has been lost due to deforestation, so that the land can instead be used for animal-people livestock raising. The increased presence of these horrific facilities has also affected our water resources. To make things worse, we are hunted for our meat, our skins, and for so-called medicinal purposes. We love our families just like humans love theirs. We hope humanity will respect and treat us as your good co-inhabitants of Earth and take the necessary action to protect and save us.

Allow me to start by introducing myself. As I’ve mentioned, I am a proud hyrax-person. We have different “nationalities” of people from the hyrax kingdom, such as the rock hyrax-people, the bush hyrax-people and the tree hyrax-people, and we live across Africa and in some areas of the Middle East. As you can see, compared to humans, we are quite short in stature. We range from about the size of a large rabbit-person to the size of a house cat-person. Sometimes we are called the “rock rabbit”-people. And while we are on the topic of history, one of our claims to fame is that we humble people are mentioned in the Holy Bible. Human-people are now of the opinion that the word “coneys” in the Bible refers to the hyrax-people. In Proverbs 30:24 it is written: “They are gregarious, and ‘exceedingly wise.’” I hail from the tree hyrax-people, who prefer to spend our time in trees. We live in forests and areas where there are plenty of trees, such as coastal dunes and rainforests. One of our special abilities is being able to camouflage quite well with tree bark due to the brownish-gray color of our fur. As happy herbivores, some of our favorite foods are twigs, fruit, and delicious leafy goodness. We aren’t as social as our cousins the rock hyrax-people, who tend to live around rocky areas. We are nocturnal, so we prefer to be awake during the nighttime. They form large communities with up to 80 individuals, and live in the crevices of rocks and boulders. Unlike us, they are active during the daytime. They love to sunbathe and soak up the warmth of the sun. Speaking of stories, our most recent claim to fame is that we hyrax-people were represented in the Ice Age Continental Drift movie. And they did make us look quite adorable, don’t you think? I implore you, if you do happen to come across any of my people, please treat us with respect and kindness. We would greatly appreciate this kindness from you and thank you in advance, sending lots of love your way in appreciation for your caring hearts.

Our first story is about our kind and intelligent dolphin friends, who have been known to protect humans and other marine beings throughout history. Off the coast of Ireland there was a swimmer from County Londonderry, who was stranded in chilly waters for hours while trying to swim back to the beach. He was too exhausted to swim, and also suffered from hypothermia. At that time he noticed a pod of dolphin-people surrounding him. As it was getting dark, it was hard for the human rescue team to locate him. The activity of the dolphin-people alerted and helped them to find the man in time. Fortunately, he was still conscious and made a full recovery after being rushed to hospital. The following story is about a parrot-person in Australia, who saved his human companion from a house fire, even before the smoke detector alerted him! Supreme Master Ching Hai: “Joyfully present the Shining World Hero Award to Eric the parrot-person, plus US$1,000 for vegan goodies, with love, admiration and appreciation. May you and your family members always be shielded by God’s protection and blessings.”In April last year, Astro, an American pit bull terrier-person from Texas, was recognized as a hero for his bravery. He saved his human companion’s life by alerting nearby people that his caregiver was having a medical emergency. Supreme Master Ching Hai: “Happily present the Shining World Hero Award to Astro the pit bull-person, plus US$1,000 for vegan goodies, with respect, love and gratitude. May God bless you and your family always.”On a freezing winter night in Ontario, Canada, in 2019, a passerby spotted a dog-person with baby cat-people in a ditch by a rural road, covered in snow. The Pet and Wildlife Rescue shelter in Chatham-Kent was alerted and immediately rushed to the scene. Upon arrival they found the stray dog-lady cuddling five abandoned newborn baby cat-people to keep them warm. The dog-lady and cat babies were brought to the shelter. Finally, let’s hear a remarkable story of how a small cat-person saved the life of an 84-year-old man. Supreme Master Ching Hai: “Lovingly present the Shining World Hero Award to Fluffy the cat-person, plus US$1,000 for vegan goodies, with hugs, kisses and gratitude. May the Divine always look after you and your family.”

Now, let me share with you a few more secrets of our Draco kingdom. With a tail slightly longer than our flat body, we are about the size of a common gecko-person - just small enough to fit in the palm of a human hand. We have a set of six elongated ribs, equipped with loose folds of skin on each side which are like wings when unfurled. That, gracious viewer, is our “patagium.” It is our people’s special gift from Mother Nature - the secret design which empowers us to soar, and glide majestically through the tree-lined skies.Besides granting us our special power of gliding and camouflage, we Draco lizard-people’s patagium also serves a third role as an important badge of our individuality. Every Draco-person takes pride in the unique, opalescent pattern of scales on his or her patagium. No two are alike, just like human fingerprints!We Draco lizard-people have a societal structure whereby males only inhabit one or two trees, which we defend with valiant honor, but females can freely travel around. We men have a flap in our throat region called a “dewlap” which serves as an effective communication device. Shining with a rich, vibrant yellow, it is highly visible and can be flashed in fast and slow sequences, much like Morse code signals. Zooming out to the bigger picture of this beautiful planet which we all cherish so much, the Draco kingdom people offer quite a contribution: foremost, perhaps, as a catalyst to the imagination of our human co-inhabitants as the “little dragons” at the forefront of so many legendary tales! Moreover, Nature’s ingenious blueprint for our graceful, wing-like patagia may have inspired scientists and engineers to develop the first gliding devices, perhaps even as far back as the time of Leonardo da Vinci! On a more practical level, we Draco-people also carry out the important, God-given task of maintaining the equilibrium of the world’s precious forests and ecosystems.