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Imagine if you were an animal... Your feet touch the soft earth. The world is the same, but you are now different. Gone is the familiar sidewalk, the short trip tot he market for food, the sounds and smells of your world. Tilting your head skyward, your ears slowly follow the call of an eagle overhead. Your human form could not detect what you, the cougar, now hear clearly -- the crack of a twig, the movement of a deer in the forest. Your heart begins to race, and your nostrils flare as you catch the scent of prey -- the chance to eat and live for another day. In a heartbeat, the chase is on, as you chase your prey through the forest. Your feet tear into the soil, and claws scratch the hard rock, as powerful muscles drive you forward. Your long tail keeps you balanced as your body waves in and out of the thick trees. You draw closer to your prey -- knowing that your life may hinge on the outcome of this chase. You can hear the rapid breath of your prey; you can smell its scent. The pulse of life pounds through you, senses alive, as all your efforts are focused on the chase. But as quickly as it began, it is over. You are swift, buy your prey also runs for its life. You have traveled countless miles, and not eaten for days. And you are still hungry.
Life as a bee is definitely very busy. You are constantly on the move, from sun up to sun down, as you search for flowers and their nectar. Gathering the nectar is necessary for your hive to survive. You are one of thousands of bees and the hive is your life, your safety. As a bee, your flying skills are amazing, your endurance incredible. The food you eat gives you seemingly endless energy. But the world is full of challenges for one so small, and, as often as not, many animals compete for the same space and the same resources. Even the safety of your home is uncertain. Today it is the honey in your hive that will attract and feed a bear. In moments, what took the colony a season to create is gone, and the colony is scattered. Life for you is a daily struggle to survive, and today you must begin anew.
Your body cuts through your fluid world, moving with a speed and agility you human form cannot know. You are a dolphin, alive in the great expanse of the seas. Feel the exhilaration as you rocket high in to the air, to slice back into the water with barely a ripple. This world is far different than the one above you - and presents its own challenges. Nature has given you almost a sixth sense, an ability to feel the movement of animals around you, through minute vibrations in the water. All around you is life of every imaginable size. Your gaze meets the eye of a giant, a humpback whale. Your ancestors, and the ancestors of this whale, have explored these depths for generations. Unlike your human form, you must rely on speed and agility to find your food in this vast world. And the supply is rapidly dwindling.
Wild adventures can be found everywhere. And life as a frog is filled with challenges. To even live long enough to grow legs is a big accomplishment -- most tadpoles never the chance to see adulthood. Home in the wetlands may seem comfortable -- cool water, lily pads to float on, plenty of yummy insects to eat. But a frog also shares its habitat with many other living things. The wetlands are also the hunting grounds for snakes, birds and even alligators. In a moment, the safety of a sunny lily pad can become the site of dangerous predation. Your life depends on your senses and your ability to react instinctively. Yet your instincts and senses cannot protect you against the greatest threat of all -- the destruction of your habitat. As a frog, you are an important indicator of the health of plant Earth. Your skin, so beautifully designed to allow you to take in moisture and air, also absorbs the toxins that humans put in the environment. And you cannot survive in a poisoned world.
Imagine if you could become a wise owl. Feel the freedom of flight, the wind in your feathers. Fly throughout the cities, the buildings. Is there a place for you? For other living things? Will you see past the familiar, past the comfortable and into a world that is struggling to survive? We may look at the world around us, but looking and understanding are different things. With new ways to see, will we see what the wise owl sees -- that people and animals share the same place, that we all have the same needs? If the wise owl asks us, "do we have the wisdom to understand?" what will our answer be? People often make it difficult or impossible for other animals and plants to survive. We all have to make room, not just for people, but for all living things. Let's help, not hurt, the environment.
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