RIF's "I Love Animals" Writing Contest

Grand Prize Winner:
Emily A.
Age 10
Fairhope, AL

They Deserve Better

Why do we need animals and plants? Well, for one thing, the world would be less beautiful and wonderful without them. Every time a plant or animal goes extinct, some beauty and wonder goes with it. Just like that.

Everything depends on another thing, including (or maybe especially) humans.  If one thing goes, another thing goes...then another...then another. Imagine all the animals as blocks in a pyramid with humans at the top. If all the animal blocks fall out of the pyramid, the humans will go too. If you take away one block it will not make much of a difference, neither will fifteen. If you take away hundreds or thousands, humans will not survive. 

Every day, the homes of thousands of animals are lost and the animals go with them. Many animals live in trees. Trees and other plants supply us with oxygen.  The more plants we lose, the more animals and oxygen suppliers we lose. These are some very good reasons why we need to take care of animals.

Animals need homes, just like people do. They need places to live and find food. Trees and plants supply both food and homes for animals. People are destroying animal habitats by destroying forests and building cities and polluting. 

Animals need food and water. When people throw trash on the ground it gets washed into the sewer by the rain and eventually poured into the ocean. By throwing trash on the ground, they are also polluting forests and other places that are homes to animals. Another polluting problem that people cause is spraying insecticides on crops. When they do this, the poison stays in the soil for quite a long time. This makes it hard for moles and other ground-dwelling creatures. Also, when it rains, the toxic soil gets washed into rivers and poisons fish. Chemicals dumped into rivers by factories kill lots more fish. Sometimes the fish are not poisoned enough to kill them. The poison just stays in them. When birds, like pelicans, eat them, they get poisoned. They may not die at first. They may have to eat a lot of poisoned fish before they die.  However, they do die!

Stellar sea lions are dying because they have to eat poisoned fish. They are already in enough trouble! These beautiful creatures are amazing and graceful. I have seen them many times in the oceans of Alaska and at the aquariums. I love to watch them fly through the water. I would like them to be around when I have my own children.

Another way that people harm animals is that they make clothing and other things out of animal skins. Some animals that are already rare are hunted because of that.  Selfish people want them as trophies to hang on their walls. Some people think it is more important to look "nice" than it is to have beautiful living creatures. There are many other materials they could use! 

So, to help endangered species, I am not going to pollute or buy things made out of animals. I am not going to buy animals as pets unless they were raised as pets. If fewer people buy wild animals and things made from animals, the people who trap them will stop because they are only in it for the money. 

When I grow up, I am going to help animals. Animals need help and they mean a lot to me! I hope others will do the same. 

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