By now I hope you see the connection between my family, friends – I include humans here, even though some of them need some finishing school – and the environment. There’s no doubt that animals and people can get along and respect each other. This includes wild ones and domesticated ones – I should mention that I’m talking about animals as well. We all need clean air to breathe, clean water and unpolluted soil. Without these things, we’ll all perish. We’re all in this together – didn’t Al Jarreau sing about just that same thing?
The environment is not unlike a computer system. The hardware is worthless if the software fails. Those of you who curse your PCs know what I’m talking about. Any system that has a flaw means that soon problems will arise and it will have to be fixed. Plants, animals, humans and all the other pieces are necessary. If the tiniest creature becomes extinct, it could mess up the balance in the 77
ecosystem, thus threatening its very existence.
One great example is the macaw, which thrives in the rain forest. It feeds on a tiny nut that very few people can break open, even with a nut cracker, but the macaw knows how to get it open. It indulges in the fruit and some falls to the ground.
This in turn feeds other members of the jungle. The koala bear lives on eucalyptus plants. If this plant or the food for the macaw is wiped out, it could easily destroy many other species. Since some creatures are predators and other are victims, if there are too many deer or too many pythons, the balance could be upset and this could also have devastating effects on the earth. It may not take much.
Another tiny animal that flies is the butterfly, which lives a very short life. You can read about these delicate creatures in The Dangerous
World of Butterflies: The Startling Subculture of
Criminals, Collectors, and Conservationists by Peter Laufer. Their synergy with plants can’t be ignored since they, like bees, rely on flowers for nutrients while simultaneously playing a huge part in the existence and well being of that other organism.
The Blue Morpho is another designation for the blue butterfly. A 2004 movie for all to see is La
Mariposa Azul, whose title translates into the name of that species. Starring William Hurt as Alan Osborne, it is the story of Pete Carlton, a ten-year 78
old boy who is diagnosed with cancer. One of his wishes is to go to the rain forest to find the Blue Morpho. After hearing Osborne talk, he tries to convince the scientist to take him to the rain forest.
Alan mentions that it may be too late in the year, as well as the fact that he doesn’t handle children very well.
Eventually, Alan, Pete and his mother, Teresa, embark on Pete’s dream. The movie is a magical journey of hope and redemption, and you’ll have to watch it to see if they find the Blue Morpho.
La Mariposa Azul is based on a true story, and it might change your life.
As has been pointed out, animals are a great benefit to humans. I shouldn’t have to remind you of the work of Oscar and Boo earlier. But two-legged animals help to make the lives of pets and inhabitants of the forest better simultaneously. You could say that one feeds on the other, not unlike a crowd at a show and the performers. A more specific example of this can be found in the 2000
book by Anthony Guglielmo and Cari Lynn, The
Walrus on My Table: Touching True Stories of
Animal Healing. Anthony does this through massage and his clients are horses, walruses and even a shark. With that last creature, you have to be careful. Nevertheless, a bit of rubbing and soothing resulted in a horse that hadn’t won a race in some time becoming a winner again. The shark got a part 79
in Jaws XV – if you can’t count in Roman numerals, those two symbols after Jaws represents the number fifteen. The walrus and other animals were a great deal better after Anthony worked his magic.
80
81
82