God Save The King!
And his kingdom!
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Was hoping to keep 2017 all on one webpage, but ended up with so many bonus coloring pages that loading started to lag. So, I've split it into two. Remember, in November, I added many links in previous info spots to related materials. So, if you haven't already, check out the earlier 2017 postings to see if there's anything you might be interested in checking out.
}crackle{ *crackle* >crunch< }crackle{
Up here in the northern hemisphere, autumn has been in full swing; but down in South Africa, where Kevin's Wildlife Sanctuary is, it's spring. That doesn't mean their seasons are the same and just opposite of ours, though. South Africa's winter is very dry (with NO snow *gasp*), and their summers are rainy. They pretty much have "the dry season" and "the wet season", while we have four very distinct seasons in the northeast U.S.
Protecting habitat saves vulnerable plantlife as well as animals. Check out our PA Conservation of forests.
Jaguars in the U.S.?
Did you know? I didn't, so this was quite interesting to learn. Jaguars used to roam from South America straight up Central America into North America. So few are left in the U.S. that many thought they were hunted to extinction here, but there are still rare sightings of them in southwestern States. There are varying reports of just how many are left, and some assert that they're just visiting from Mexico, but all sources seem to agree that only less than 10 now roam the U.S.
Their habitat has become so fragmented that if they get cut off from the Central American population, it will be the final end of our jaguars. Other wildcats and animals are in similar danger as their habitat and ranges suffer increasing disruption. Unless we intervene with ourselves, we will lose more than we gain.
This is neat, and it has chocolate in it ^_^ : Jaguar Bedtime Story
Another big cat that likes to swim.
Give Thanksgiving a chance!
Holidays are getting way too commercialized - except for Thanksgiving! It barely gets a spot on the shelf (or yard) anymore. Which is really surprising, considering how much people love to eat. You'd think a day dedicated to feasting would have a lot more grandizement.
From what I can find: Among big cats, lions are second only to cheetahs in speed and are among the top 25 fastest animals. Flying animals are the fastest, so if we only count running mammals, lions are in the top ten. Snow leopards don't live in great open spaces like lions, so don't have a lot of call for running like that and have developed other talents...
Did you know? Not only a great force behind National Parks and Wildlife Refuges, it was President Theodore Roosevelt who declared playgrounds and town parks were as important to children as schools and should be numerous throughout our towns and cities. Could you imagine life without them?
There's a difference between hunting and killing for the sake of killing. President Theodore Roosevelt's good name is being abused by some of the latter kind of "sportsperson", simply because "he hunted a lot". Leaving alone the fact that the animals he hunted were not endangered and were very much more numerous in his time, President Theodore Roosevelt was very against killing just for the sake of killing. On his hunting explorations, he thoroughly studied and fully appreciated the wildlife and habitats and later published books of his experiences and observations. He was very outspoken about our need to protect and conserve nature. He would never have participated in, nor approved of, shooting captive lions or the decimation of species for trophies.
The Theodore Roosevelt Association site is a great place to learn more about him and his ideals.
The Almanac of Theodore Roosevelt has lots of clips to watch.About lifting the ban on elephant trophies (or any other such ban): Supporters claim the hunting of the elephants is to curb overpopulation in those areas and they're "just trying to help". What do they need a trophy for then? People, please, wake up. If they need the promise of a trophy "to help", then they're not doing it for anyone's good. Now, donating the $50,000 or whatever fee and not killing anything would be helping "out of the goodness of their heart". That money could be used to relocate the elephant to an area that needs the genetic diversity. Wouldn't that be a greater trophy? To be able to say you were involved in safely catching and moving a great, big, huge elephant and introducing it to a new area? Do they have the courage and skill to do it without the elephant getting a scratch? I challenge them. Killing things is easy. Keeping them alive and protected takes real men.
The Guardian happens to have an article about an organization moving elephants.
{ President Roosevelt wasn't the only, or even the first, president to support or create national parks. I plan to touch on other key people later. There's so much out there and only one me! }
I'm not sure wild snow leopards eat fish, considering their ranges seem to be mostly rocky mountains without fish-filled water sources. Wild lions, too, aren't portrayed as enjoying the occasional fish, so I don't believe they bother with "small fry". Kevin has given his leopards "pilchards" (sardines/fish), and they LOVE it. Other big cats (and little ones ^_^) are well-known for loving fish. So, I'm sure if snow leos or lions were presented with one, they'd love it, too. The oils in fish are good for their coats and give them a healthy feel and luster. (People use corn oil for the same benefit in horses, and I've used corn oil on dry food, as well as fish oil-based hairball remedy, for good coats in domestic cats.)
Relation to Thanksgiving: Not many people realize that fish was served at "the first Thanksgiving". Not everyone likes fish, so I'm not surprised turkey became the preferred main dish. (That's something to be thankful for, right there. ^,^ *doesn't like fish*)
2019Feb5 update - Kevin Richardson Foundation posted Jan29 with a link to a small article about lions on the Namibian coast enjoying a marine diet. I thought it'd be great to add here. ^_^ It didn't mention if they catch / eat fish, but they do eat seals and cormorants (a sea bird).
There's lots of long pages about the extinct unicorn, but The Guardian has a nice little article that won't make your head spin.
Why a unicorn?
I've always been fascinated with the prospect of unicorns - and not as a mythical creature with magical powers. Many early explorers came across animals they described as unicorns. It means "one horn", so, technically, anything with one horn is a unicorn. (You may have also heard "monocerous".) This happened often in exploration of Africa and included bulky rhinoceros as well as delicate gazelles and others. Species with two horns sometimes get one broken off while sparring with rivals. Imagine being on foot, in days without our mass of information, and seeing just a glimpse of a foreign animal like this. It'd be hard to know exactly what you'd seen, but you did see something with only one horn, so...
Did you know unicorns are also in the Bible? Some protest it meant oxen, but those have two horns; and oxen are happy to plow our fields, while the unicorns in the Bible would do no such thing. There is evidence that there was such a one-horned animal in Eurasia that is now extinct. It did not have magical powers, sorry.
If you don't believe in unicorns, that's great; because that's the point: Another reason that came to light with me for using a unicorn is that lions and other animals of today may become to future generations nothing but fantastical myths, like unicorns. I would like to keep them real. Can you imagine being called crazy, because you believe in lions?
I had a very close call, tuesday (Nov28). A driver not paying attention to the road in front of her skimmed by me with barely inches to spare. With God's grace, I saw the vehicle suddenly coming in my peripheral vision with enough time to realize it was not slowing down (for the stop sign OR me) and to take a quick step back, avoiding becoming a smear on the pavement. Whew!
Drivers, PLEASE respect that you are operating a lethal weapon. Stay off your mobile devices and Pay Attention! Surprisingly, this happened at a quiet intersection, but Country Fair is the most dangerous place for walkers, here (UC): Drivers are so intent on whipping in front of tractor-trailers to get into the parking lot that they don't check whether it's clear or not. Trying to save a few seconds by not waiting, they're not only risking causing an accident on the road, they're risking running people down. I'm not the only one that's had near misses there, and some have been children. I think a child's life is worth waiting for a safer opening. (I think MY life is worth waiting! ^,^)
Lions really can damage cars. Just look at what Kevin's naughty boys have done: Gandalf vs G Wagon ~ Vayetsi vs GoPro team's car
THANK YOU to the majority of drivers going through town that have happily stopped to let us cross and who watch when entering or leaving parking lots. You rock!
Just a quick sketch to promote one of the cutest lionesses: Kevin auctioned off a t-shirt "air-conditioned" by Ishca. One of my favorite videos is of the two of them when they were younger. He fell asleep next to her, and next thing you know, she's got this adorably bright curiosity in her eyes and starts poking at him. All I can guess is that he must have started snoring, and it absolutely fascinated her. So precious! (I'm pretty sure that's Ishca in the video, but even if it's not, it's still precious!)
Ishca is a leucistic lion, or "white lion", which are not albino but actually a pretty, cream color. [auction over - they raised over $400, yay!] When he does those, remember: It's not that you're bidding on a t-shirt, it's about competing to donate the most and getting a ripped t-shirt in thanks. ^_^ Um, a very special "air-conditioned by Ishca", or by another lion, shirt. ^_~
Sometimes I have to struggle to get one out, but times like this pages just flow out of me one after the other and I can't keep up with myself! I love it! (There will be lots of bonus pages to keep you busy over Christmas vacation. ^_^)
I got inspired this morning to make a wildlife Christmas card you can color and personalize - or leave it for the person receiving it to color. Some have probably already sent their Christmas cards out, but who wouldn't love to get more? I've designed it so that you can fold it in thirds and mail it in a business-size envelope. I originally envisioned the Santa scene on the outside, but it doesn't matter which one you use as the cover.
* No reindeer were injured in the making of this card. ^_~
* I didn't invent "one-unicorn open sleigh". That's been around for over 30 years.
Okay, so I believe that since you are coming to a website whose main focus is predators, which eat other animals, that my drawing Santa's reindeer all gobbled up would not traumatize any of you. Yet, I got to thinking that the people you send them to might not appreciate our humor... So, here's one where the reindeer are fine and enjoying a little ride... ^_~
...now, the question is..: Can lions run faster than a mythical unicorn pulling a sleigh full of reindeer..?
Feeling discouraged by how it's looking for our own wildlife with the government now undoing generations of protections that truly great men and women had put in place for us, I needed a giggle. So... last week, as a joke, I sent this for the Lion Whisperer's fanart friday... ^,^
"I used a Pokémon #2 pencil on ordinary sketch pad paper and inked with a marker-pen. ... I'm not passionate about drawing, but I love being a creative smart aleck and recently found drawing to be a wonderful outlet. ^_^ Oh, and am passionate about saving lions and wildlife. Yeah, yeah, that, too. ;p"
and: "...please don't feed me to the lions"... ^,^
They haven't replied... Not even a little pat on the head, "Oh, that's very lovely. ...Don't quit your day job."... ^,^ Nothing. They've always responded to emails within a day or two, even though they must be very busy over there, so I'm like, "I don't think they're very amused with me..." I must try harder! ^_^ (Well, maybe they found the site and are busy coloring... ^_~)
I've had an image in my head for awhile (like when I do the Snow Leopard for King campaign pages ^,^) that when they get wind of this site, it'll be "unicorn: the other white meat". (That will be a bonus page over Christmas. ^_~) And I giggle, of course. Totally unrepentent. But... I started thinking maybe they think that making fun of how precarious lion existence is now and that campaigning to elect another King of Beasts in his place isn't very funny... So, remember page 7? Well, I was going to save this for over Christmas, too, but I'm so excited about it that I can't wait that long and think this might make it up to them: I have this great idea for saving lions... one cow hide at a time.
Blows my mind. Been wanting to do this page from the beginning. No time like the present, considering a recent post by Kevin (he's so much more diplomatic than I am ^^). Apparently a number of people were horrified (9_9) by a previous post which part of had lions putting a zebra with a broken leg out of its misery. They probably are the unfortunate type of people who think their food "comes from the store". I don't get how you can be so disinterested in the planet that gives you life. Well, those people certainly weren't interested in lions, or nature, or educating themselves, like you are.
...soo glad I made that card with Santa's reindeer gobbled up, now... ^_~
I hope you all know that milk comes from cows, eggs come from chickens, and any meat you eat comes from an animal that was killed to provide food for you. This is the cycle of life. Since you're here, I believe you're among the enlightened who know this and are interested in, and unafraid of, knowing more about nature. You rock!
So, think about this: Humans want meat from just healthy animals, but predators go after the sick, lame, old, weak. They help keep the herds full of strong individuals so that they will thrive. When we hunt, we go after the best and strongest, taking them out of a herd's gene pool. I'd say animal predators do a better service for the ecosystem than we do.
Lot's of fun to keep you busy over Christmas vacation:I don't care for primates. Oh, sure, they're cute and funny, but they can get really cheeky, cannibalize each other, and throw their poo at you. And that's just the humans. (lol ;p) A friend of mine likes monkeys, so here's a page on endangered ones. Seems the greatest threat to all monkeys is habitat loss through deforestation, but some are hunted extensively, too.
Lion tamarins get their name from their lion-like manes. There are four subspecies, all of them endangered. I think they're the smallest of the primates, getting only about a foot long (a bit over two feet with the tail) and weighing only around one pound (the same as a can of veggies). Unlike other primates, their tails are not prehensile - that means they can only use it for balance, not for holding onto tree limbs. Their babies are TINY.
Try this link for a video of them at Smithsonian's site.
Albino means there's a lack of any pigmentation. Albino eyes are red or pink, because the iris has no coloring to cover the blood vessels behind them. (White animals with blue eyes are not true albinos, but actually leucistic.)
Leucism is a partial loss of pigmentation, causing fur or hair to be lighter in color and not necessarily stark white. They can be white or simply lighter than normal. This has shown up in a strawberry leopard (which, why is it called "strawberry"? I've always wondered... It's more like orange marmalade...), and cream colored "white" lions, as well as other animals. We have a blonde squirrel in town, here.
Melanism is where there is extra pigmentation, giving us variations like black leopards. Where I lived before, there was a family of grey squirrels with black ones in it. You don't need to go far to witness unique color variations in wild animals.
Here's another great idea for saving lions.
Peace on Earth!
...Would it be contrary to smack people upside the head while saying that..? ^,^'
Gingerbread cookies are great - as long as they're made right: Without applesauce and not so spicy that you lose your sense of taste. I love the creativity of making gingerbread house scenes, but not all the sugar that needs to be eaten. So, drawing cookie scenes is a nice alternative. I had envisioned a gingerbread house scene, but this is what came out. ...animal cookies in my home meet gruesome ends... ^_~
*Instead of icing gingerbread cookies, try putting white chocolate chips in the dough. Form a log, chill it, then slice for nice round cookies. You could also place white chocolate chips on top of hot cookies, let them get melty, then spread like icing. (Real white chocolate has cacao butter in it, but the fake stuff works, too.)
Why Christmas? is a pretty neat site with information on how Christmas is celebrated in lots of other Countries. It doesn't specify about Christmas trees in South Africa, but other sites say most people there do put one up (usually artificial). I don't think of Africa as having evergreens like ours, so this was interesting to me.
From what I find online, many South Africans go caroling, string up lights, have feasts and enjoy many of the same Christmas celebrations that we do - and Father Christmas fills their stockings. Also like here, they are diverse and so have people who celebrate differently or not at all. One of the biggest factors is that it's summer in the southern hemisphere when Christmas comes, so they will often have their feasts outside (and many barbeque).
We were taught to always send thank you notes. Here's a lion and snow leopard one you can use. Like the Christmas card ones I did, it's made so that you can fold it in thirds and put it in a business-size envelope.
And thank YOU for your interest in learning more about nature! You rock!
"Polar bear in a snowstorm" is something my older brothers did to me when we were little. They took a plain white piece of paper and put a black dot in the middle. (Weren't they precious?) I thought it'd be fun to share the joke with you, but that's not much to color. So, I framed it for you with a fun maze.
Now, when you do the joke to others, you can put the dot on a piece of white paper and ask if they know what you drew; or you can tell them you're going to draw a polar bear in a snowstorm and then put a dot on the paper. ... And then giggle hysterically, because you are so adorable. ^_~
(We could call this: "Polar Bear in Erie". ^,^') Let's strive to make 2018 a really good year! ~* Happy New Year! *~
later note..: Did anyone ever figure out the maze was a trick? Since they do well on both, the polar bear could ignore the ice or water paths and go straight to the food. ^_~
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Coloring pages may be printed from here and made copies of for non-profit, free-of-charge use only. ~ Don't have a printer? Out of ink? Libraries are typically happy to print things like this out for you. Some may charge a small fee, but the one here will print two pages at no charge (last I knew). ~ Please do not hotlink to or use my images on other websites. Simply direct people to my homepage: godsavetheking.neocities.org , thanks! Plant seeds!
[I'm not a professional and have limited resources/access; so the image quality isn't very 'clean' on some - has smudging from erasing, but they print/copy fine. I make the printable images to be around 8x11 inches to fill a sheet of regular letter-size paper.]
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