God Save The King!
And his kingdom!
~ * ~ Coloring pages 2018 ~ * ~
~ * ~ Home ~ * ~ Fun with paints ~ * ~ More Fun ~ * ~
~ * ~ Coloring pages: 2018 Jan-Mar ~ * ~ 2018 April-May ~ * ~ 2018 June-Aug ~ * ~ 2018 Sept-Dec ~ * ~
~ * ~ 2017 ~ * ~ 2019 ~ * ~ 2020 ~ * ~ 2021 ~ * ~ 2022 ~ * ~
I had stumbled upon the original site promoting White Lion the Movie from 2010 and linked it, but the domain has since expired so I removed the link. It had some cool extras. You missed it. ;p I love behind the scenes stuff, often more than movies. I'm the type forever curious about the workings of things, the "why" and "how", the creativity and energy that went into the end product. ...Like enjoying the journey as much as the destination, sometimes more. There's a facebook page for it that's still up and has the trailer for it - go check it out quick! ^_^ It's a good family movie and has the original Thor in it, so it's worth it to watch even just to see our fav' lions in action. ^_~
I also stumbled upon this hilarious gem: The Lion and The Unicorn nursery rhyme song. It's lol to me because of my characters here, so maybe it's not that funny to others... I'm sharing anyway. ^_^ (I did plan to do a Unicorn for king page eventually, just haven't fit it in yet. Maybe I'll do it for over Christmas vacation. ;)
90 to 60 in two days. ...blah. What happened to spring and autumn?? We rarely get real ones anymore... Well, multiple days of 90F with high humidity makes it hard to function - why this is late. ...Mostly. ;p
This week, we have a very serious, very important matter that may shock and upset you... Please, don't read further if you are of delicate constitution.
...still reading? Okay... I hope you can handle it... *deep breath* Here we go... Cacao trees (where chocolate comes from)... *sniffle* are... *gulp* in danger. ... I warned you it was horrible. If you have nightmares tonight, don't blame me. ;p
I knew cacao trees were native to rainforest habitat, but I never really thought much about it from a crop perspective - and sure didn't realize, til now, that production is in such decline. The best cacao grows best in shade in the tropics - in rainforests, which are disappearing. Advocates are helping farmers turn around the propaganda of clear-cutting for this crop. By using the existing forest, it saves time, money, labor, AND rainforest and the creatures that inhabit it, which, in turn, saves us. Life is a cycle - start pedaling! ^_^
September 13 is International Chocolate Day. Find great info and charts about cacao at Santa Barbara Chocolates. Video about how cacao tree farms help lemures. IUCN article about cacao production and restoring rainforests.
(...and note: I do not support genetically modifying food sources. It is never as good, or safe, as the natural state, and cause more problems - not solutions. Nature has the solutions, we just need to listen and work with it instead of against it.)
Video for Save Vanishing Species stamp
The extra 2 or 3$ you pay for them goes to the
Multinational Species Conservation Funds.World Rhino Day is Sept22. The last male northern white rhino died earlier this year. There are only two old females of the species left. If you're new, check out The Guardian's article from March.
Extinction is happening all around us. When governments won't work with us, don't throw in the towel - we can work around them. This is everyone's planet: We don't need the government's permission to save it. ...Though, it's nice when they don't work against us.
"Do what you can with what you have where you are." (-Theodore Roosevelt) There will always be naysayers and pessimists. It's not about who they are: It's about who you are. We need more people to not only say "enough is enough" but to actually "be the change you wish to see in the world". (-Ghandi) Be an overcomer.
Like Kevin. ^_^ And Rodney Nombekana, who had a great photo perspective for rhino preservation in 2016. And the many companies, Cities and States who are implementing their own programs to help the environment, with over 3,500 having also joined We Are Still In.
Oct2 is World Farm Animals Day, and apparently created by extremists who believe we should all be vegetarians? Not linking to that. Living around here, I'm sure you know: Not all farms, or farmers, are evil. Not all farm animals are abused or "forced to live in their own feces, never seeing the outside". Sure, I care about the ones that are, but I don't believe in extremism: It does more harm than good. Yet, I like farm animals having their own day of recognition. Without them, we wouldn't have pizza, cakes or cookies, warm wool blankets and lots of other foods and things to wear that you normally don't think about as being "from a farm animal". So, take some time this week to think about it, and if you live on a farm or near one, show them some love!
Lion farming is a totally different issue that you may not be aware of (here's a recent article from Conservation Action). I've talked about needing to end the abusive cub-petting and canned "hunt" industry, and lion farming's sole purpose is to feed that industry. Yes, lion farms are one kind of farm I will be happy to see stopped. So, for World Farm Animals Day, think of how you can help end lions as being one. (...like supporting Kevin Richardson Foundation ^_~)
Oct 1 was World Habitat Day, which is about human habitat, or homes, but I feel it should raise awareness that we need a healthy habitat as a whole - a healthy environment around our shelters. Oct 4 is World Animal Day to raise awareness about animal welfare, and I believe the two issues go hand in hand as good stewardship.
"I recognize the right and duty of this generation to develop and use the natural resources of our land; but I do not recognize the right to waste them, or to rob, by wasteful use, the generations that come after us." - TR
Don't be a thief: Save lions! ^_^ Seriously, by changing our ways to minimize contamination and retain balance in the ecosystem, being better stewards, it literally makes our own living space healthy and balanced - and more productive! Restoring lions and coexisting in their habitat would be a precedent, and cat-alyst ^_~, worthy of the King of Beasts. It can be done.
Check out just a couple of examples: Nature: Asia's Wandering Lions ; NatGeo video about Warrior Watch
A few years ago, I got stung one too many times by those aggressive little monsters that like to nest in the ground. Now, I keep reacting to new things that I never reacted to before. (I could make a whole site about how annoying it is. ;p) Well, the past couple months or so, I've been increasingly reactive to something to the point of being sensitive to light and dizzy. Couldn't figure out what it was, so it was building up in my system. I just power through most symptoms, but my tongue even started swelling. That was a scary new one.
*drama music* Tragically, it turns out to be a new allergy. To soy. Tragic, and devastating, because (horror of horrors) CHOCOLATE uses soy to help keep the cocoa and cocoa butter from separating. Even lovely dark chocolate. Chocolate is my only vice! So horrible! I'm going to go console myself with some chocolate. ...Oh, wait... ;_;
(Soy-free chocolate is out there, but it's more expensive. Though, I did find that Nestle's dark chocolate chips don't list soy, and they're not too much higher than generic brands. Whew!)
...If you see me walking along with a Calvin-in-the-dinosaur-museum grin, my mind is likely brewing some mischievous page like this... ^_~ (Love Calvin & Hobbes comic by Bill Watterson. And looking for a link, I realized there's some similarity to a certain someone who also gets pounced on all the time. lol)
2018Oct10
This just came to me this morning. I've often felt that way too many people refuse to acknowledge the big picture, "We're all Earthlings!"; but this morning (as political rallies go on in the nearby city), suddenly it popped into my head like this, and I was like, Wow! I'll probably use it on a coloring page, eventually, but I didn't want to wait to share it. ^_~We're all Earthlings; and without the Earth, we're all just lings: Left In No Good State.
- godsavetheking.neocities.org
Predator "sanctuaries" are different than predator "farms". Sanctuaries are about protection - hence the name, as "sanctuary" means "a place of safety".When you're older you can volunteer at places that care for animals. Skip ones that endorse cub petting, photos with cubs, or walking with young lions or other predators. No matter how cool to do it might seem, you don't want to encourage that industry.
Volunteering at local animal shelters will give you an idea of what's involved in caring for large numbers of animals, and what happens to ones there aren't homes for. If you live near, or can travel to, a wildlife sanctuary to volunteer, make sure it's a credible sanctuary and not a breeding farm.
If you want to go abroad: At the Kevin Richardson Wildlife Sanctuary in South Africa you'll get to see lion poo up close and personal. ^_^ Even though the enclosures are large, they still keep them picked up as well as scrub the water troughs and shelters (Feed, Clean, Repeat!), like you might do for your stock, pets or shelter animals, only on a much larger scale and with more safety protocol. You could even help with feeding, fence repair and camera traps, and there's "volunteer enrichment" (as Kevin puts it ;) of accompanying sanctuary lions on their enrichment walk - safely in a vehicle.
...Ah, if unicorns could get passports... ; }
Oct 23 is International Snow Leopard Day. They're still vulnerable, and way cuter than painted lions. ...fluffier, softer fur, cutsie round faces, way longer oh-so-cuddly tail... *snicker* Here's an interesting tidbit: A regular leopard, which prefer warmer climates, was seen in snow leopard habitat.
PBS only has full eps on their site temporarily. If you're a WQED member, the episode links will still work for you, so I'll leave them. If not a member, you can still check out their Autumn Watch New England site for extras.
2019Feb6 update - Kevin shows black leopards aren't "pure" black, either. ^_^
I love the change of seasons. ^_^ Did you catch Autumn Watch on PBS? (3 1hr parts) Lots of great nature, as well as some captive animals happily giving a paw - or tooth ^,^ - to help teach about their wild counterparts.
...Who knew cute little squirrels could be so violent! O,O I know they can be uppity, but I don't think I've ever seen any all scarred up like that before. Maybe it only happens where feeders bring them unnaturally together. (in last third of part 1)
Flying squirrels in the middle of part 2 might give you a good giggle. ^_~ And with the skulls of a grey fox and coyote, you can see really clearly how predator top and bottom teeth nest with each other (Kevin on hyena teeth) - unlike our blunt teeth that meet almost flatly.
In part 3, they mention Connecticut is promoting wildlife corridors for coexisting with bobcats and meet with bird guide artist David Sibley, who quoted, "A drawing is a picture of our understanding. If you don't understand something, you can't draw it." What I discovered, in my own experience, is that drawing animals helps you understand them better. I didn't realize how strange rhino feet are until I went to draw them, that painted dog and antelope ears are huge, or that many lions are actually dappled. Try it! You can discover things about animals that you hadn't thought about just watching them.
A week every year, starting the first sunday of Nov., is Animal Rescue & Shelter Appreciation Week. Thanks to all rescue and shelter workers and volunteers! ^_^
Besides obvious thoughts of our favorite Sanctuary in South Africa ^_~, I'm also going to bring up another one I like (and which I think Kevin's site actually has mentioned before, so maybe you've heard of it). I grew up watching Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom, and they now have a YouTube channel with new videos, including one about The Wild Animal Sanctuary in Keenesburg, CO. I came across them awhile ago and loved their elevated walkway idea. In Wild Kingdom's video of them, I see a lot of other great features. The animals they shelter are rescued. ^_~ So, while the original intent of this animal holiday seems to have been meant for domestic pet rescue and shelter, let's share the love with all animal caretakers. ^_^
ok, this is tidier... and more fun. ^_~
uh, yeah, someone racing through town almost hit me, again, wednesday afternoon, at the same intersection. This guy was nice enough to stop, instead of racing by without a care like drivers of the last two incidents there, but he had the bad attitude of "You're on a bike! You shouldn't be on the road!" ... I got a bit riled. People probably think I'm some rowdy person, now. ^,^
He also quite obviously had no idea that my arm sticking out was a left turn signal. When I learned to drive, we were taught the same exact signals to use with your arm out the window if your turn signal wasn't working. Yet, even if you weren't taught these simple signals, I don't see how one can't figure out a left arm sticking out to the left means a left turn. Here is a handy link to a nice illustrated page of official hand signals. ...and I will try to remember to take a different route to avoid maniacs whipping off 89 and racing up behind me... ^,^
Oh, and I don't think these are residents being so careless. Most people around here are very courteous! Thank you!
I like Kevin's kind of traffic much better. ^_^ ...but if this kind of traffic ever comes up behind me, I hope I'm in a vehicle. ^,^
They were showing previews of Super Cats part 3 and, "Hey, I know him!" ^_^ If you watch it, you'll see some familiar lionesses. They've also done experiments like this for a British channel show. Big Cat TV? I think that's what he called it when he mentioned it. I don't get that channel, but I've seen clips. Great stuff. ^_^
Yep, I was pretty sure: He had linked one of them on his youtube channel. The Big Hunt Experiment. - They'd done it before, and the lions had gone all out, flattening the decoys as if leaping at living prey. So smart, here they remembered and went for them just in case but weren't fooled this time. ^_^
Aha! I found the first one! I'd seen it on the Smithsonian Channel. ^_^
PBS/nature only has full episodes online free temporarily, now only WQED members can view them. You might be, so I'll leave the links. If you're not a member (I'm not ;_;), there are clips of the episodes on their YouTube channel: Inside Look: Super Cats ; fishing cats ; clouded leopards ; lots of different cubs ; deadliest cat ; tigers ; experiment with Livy and Ginny.
PBS has the Super Cats miniseries on their site for members:
Super Cats - part 1 , part 2 , part 3
"To know someone, here or there, with whom you feel is an understanding in spite of distances, or thoughts unexpressed... That can make of this Earth a garden..." - Goethe
Did you hear the thunder-snow last night? (nov9) I've heard of it and seen clips here and there, but this was my first time witnessing it in person. Snowing away then a big flash of lightning and some thunder. Isn't nature awesome? Always something new for us to experience. ^_^ No time to draw a page for it, I'll just share this photo I managed to get of some pretty scenery today. I wanted to share about thunder-snow. Oo! Someone nearby caught one on video about 6am Nov10. ^_^ (The bolt I saw here was about midnight I think, before that one.)
...If I didn't know there were others out there just like me, my enjoying a long walk on days like this would make me wonder about myself... ^,^ ...about 6" or more of snow, still coming down, alternating with stinging hail, cold, windy, grey... People actually stopped to see if I needed a ride, because, surely, no one would willingly be out on foot in it. Thank you, kind people! But I am some weird person who thinks it's invigorating to be out in all kinds of weather. (lol kinda' like Calvin's dad, except I don't have anyone to tease with it) ...if you saw people chasing me up the street with shovels, all I'd said was, "It's a beautiful day!" ^,^ It was really cool out there: A lot of trees are still full of autumn-color leaves, the white snow really setting them off (so pretty!), and many had fallen on top of the snowy landscape making it look like sprinkles on a cake everywhere!
Nov 16 is International Day for Tolerance. ...though, some people make it incredibly hard these days for their own lack of it... ^,^
It's really meant about people tolerating each other, but I'm extending it to encourage people to tolerate wildlife - and I'm not the only one who sees it goes hand-in-hand: Pope Francis, for one, said, "Our indifference or cruelty towards fellow creatures of this world sooner or later affects the treatment we mete out to other human beings." ... So true. It's a mental state, and we need to change our mentality as a society to be nurturing and not apathetic or abusive. There's a song by Toby Mac that says, "Speak life." I love that. - Don't tear down others. Build them up, instead: Speak life into others, and you speak life into our world.
What better animal to use for Tolerance Day than the wonderfully clever honeybadger, another misunderstood ferocious little beastie. ^_~ My introduction to them was the old NatGeo documentary Honeybadger: Raising Hell (Stone Hills Wildlife Sanctuary in Zimbabwe), and I love this clip BBC has from Masters of Mayhem.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
(If you have food allergies: I feel your pain. ^.^)Aha! I found the first part of the lions hunting decoys: It was Smithsonian Channel youtube I'd seen that on. ^_^ You see a later "hunt" in Super Cats part 3.
AND... Hmm, it seems "Super Cats" is the same show BBC Earth made called "Big Cats". Couldn't find full video of theirs, but I'm pretty sure they're the same thing... They aired it early in the year, so maybe Nature licensed it? Why change the name? Anyway, trying to find something else, I came across this article where the crew that filmed it talks about what it took to get those great shots.
AND ;p It's "Killer IQ" where they did some experiments with lions and hyenas. Check out Smithsonian Channel's site for cool clips of it.
Have you ever seen birds, deer or dogs attacking their own reflections thinking it's an invader or rival? Deer and duck decoys are used to attract them (and sometimes are attacked by other animals ^^), so we know many animals recognize representations of animals they've seen before. Our favorite lions recognized ones they hadn't seen before. ...Now, what I wonder is if they would recognize a predator decoy as a predator and react differently... ^_~ - Oh, wait! Animatronic lions were used for the fight in White Lion... ah, but their reaction to them was staged. What about decoys in a natural setting they just happen upon? Hmm ^_~
Ever have your animals lick you when you're sweaty? They like the salt in it - even Kevin has experienced this with sanctuary animals. Well, I also found clips of the documentary I mentioned on my Lion Rocks page, where animals - even elephants! - go into caves for the salt deposits. I saw it in a set from Reader's Digest called Amazing Underground Secrets, but apparently it's another originally made by BBC crew? Dunno' (it's 10yrs old). BBC Studios has a bunch of clips on YouTube: other animals go into cave for salt ... elephants go into cave ... "elephant salt mine"... ^_^ Isn't that awesome? Nature's so cool. - They even made a playlist that plays 6 related video clips in a row for you, including clips on how poachers and predators use this phenomenon to their advantage.
~ Aww, Ishca passed away. Even though not featured a lot, she was one of my favorites, seemed like a bright nurturing soul. Glad she was rescued to live safe and happy at the Sanctuary. Love and prayers to Kevin and her caretakers. ~
Just like one animal shelter can't go it alone, we can't expect Kevin and his sanctuary to personally save every abused lion out there. If his sanctuary took in every rescue case, the care they can provide would suffer. - and I think our fav' lions would object to their enclosures getting smaller and smaller. ^,^ Quality of life would go out the window and defeat the purpose.
I promote them to inspire others (and aren't they inspiring? ^_^) to join together in this, to add their own efforts to creating solutions. I can't directly do anything myself: So, I made this website and paint rocks to spread awareness, because somebody out there can do what I can't. - Is it you? ^_~
In this recent video post, he brought up something that has been on my mind for a long time: When captive lion breeding is banned, what's going to happen to all those lions on the breeding farms? Their owners only have them for breeding profits and won't want to carry the expense of seeing to their needs until they die naturally. (Remember, they cannot simply be released into the wild.) Perhaps, some of the farms can be turned into sanctuaries or refuges, but trustworthy, dedicated people need to step up to do it, and others yet need to financially support such enterprises. ...Perhaps adoptions could fund the care of some..? I had a whale as a teenager... ^_~
It's certainly something to give a lot of thought to, and to keep in mind as something that needs addressed along with shutting down the industry that created them.
Don't forget Christmas cards. ^_^ Sorry, if you've used those before, but I haven't made new ones this year. ^^
Oh! And, being buck, and soon doe, season, please encourage any hunters you know to, please, be conscientious if they still use lead shot to either bury any guts with lead shot in them, or take it out with them and dispose of properly; so eagles and other wildlife don't get poisoned by eating it and accidentally eating the lead with it. Thanks! You may have seen in the news (or on my site ;) before, but here's a .pdf color brochure with good info on how it affects eagles and how to help.
Dec 4 is International Cheetah Day.
There really are "King Cheetah". It's what they call cheetahs with a unique color variation that makes their spots so much bolder that they run together into stripes. It's similar to what makes some leopards black. I believe I saw somewhere that there are less than ten in the wild - that are known about, anyway. The New York Times had an article on some tabby cats having the same mutation as king cheetahs, but it's gone now. Active Wild has a photo of a king cheetah in their cheetah info. ^_^
I think this scene is in some of the Nature shows intros, but I couldn't find it so had to do it by memory: I just love the bit of the mother and baby monkey sitting on a branch. The baby moves to take off, and the mother's hand flashes out to grab his leg, totally unfazed, as if she'd done that many times before - doesn't even need to look. Makes me laugh: That was my mom and us kids. ^o^
I couldn't find a clip of that to link to, but, if you need a giggle, you can check out this squirrel feeder at BBC Earth Unplugged.
Unicorn for King
No More Extinction!
^_^Look what I found on Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom YouTube channel. Loved Marlin Perkins! ^_^
"We brought back no trophies. Our only trophy was knowledge - not antlers over the fireplace; and knowledge, surely, is the richest prize Man can seek in the wild kingdom."
I'm so glad I had that show as a kid. I don't remember specifics, like that quote (in fact, I even always remembered the show as just "Mutual of Omaha" ^,^), but something more than just interest was seeded. So glad there are so many others today continuing the sharing of ethics and keeping the fire burning.
If you've missed Kevin's posts about a great new film coming out, Mia and the White Lion, check them out now, along with this article from Monaco Reporter, where he recently attended the premiere of the film. Keep an eye on his social media feeds to know when it'll be in the States. ^_~
If you haven't yet, try the Christmas-themed pages from last year.
Merry Christmas
&
Happy New Year!
My gold at the end of the rainbow. ^_^
~ * ~ * ~*~ * ~ * ~
Be a steward of the Earth.
~ * ~ Coloring pages: 2018 Jan-Mar ~ * ~ 2018 April-May ~ * ~ 2018 June-Aug ~ * ~ 2018 Sept-Dec ~ * ~
~ * ~ 2017 ~ * ~ 2019 ~ * ~ 2020 ~ * ~ 2021 ~ * ~ 2022 ~ * ~
~ * ~ Home ~ * ~ Fun with paints ~ * ~ More Fun ~ * ~
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, others will print a page or two at no charge. ~ 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 perfect, but they print/copy fine. I make the printable images to be around 8x11 inches to fill a sheet of regular letter-size paper.]
Please Support:
Kevin's brother is great, too:
Rodney Nombekana's instagram
Nombekana Safaris on fb
Derek & Beverly Joubert:
Life's Lessons From Big Cats
Wildlife Films site
see previews of their films for NatGeo
and other work for big cats
