A tsunami swept the shores of Indonesia in December of 2004 claiming countless lives. This tsunami also brought gigantic ocean waves up to the shores of Kenya. There, a family of hippopotamus was carried into the sea. Only one baby hippo survived that horrific day.
The baby hippo was named Owen after the rescuer who risked his own safety for its rescue. Owen was then sent to Lafarge Ecosystems in Mombasa, Kenya as his new home. After being released, Owen immediately rushed into a 130-year-old tortoise named Mzee just like a baby hippo which has found its mother. The funny thing is that Mzee eventually accepted Owen and two never left each other’s side. The two would then spend their time together in a pond. Sometimes they could also be seen walking together, Mzee walking slowly behind the more energetic baby hippo! The sad day arrived when Owen was eventually relocated to a larger pond where he is now with other hippos!

Hachiko The Loyal Dog

Perhaps, there would never be any dog story that captured my heart like how Hachiko did. Hachiko was an Akita dog born in Akita Prefecture in Japan.  Hidesaburo Ueno, a professor at the University of Tokyo, took Hachiko as his pet in 1924. During the life of Ueno, Hachiko would wait for him at the end of each day in the nearby Shibuya Train Station. This continued for more than a year.Then a fateful day in May 1925 happened. Professor Ueno died and never returned to the train station where Hachiko was waiting. What was so touching is that Hachiko, for the next nine years, never failed to wait at the end of each day at the Shibuya Station for his master to arrive.

The people who had seen Hachik? and Professor Ueno together each day in the past brought Hachik? treats and food to nourish him during his wait. Hachiko died in March 1935 and was found in a street in Shibuya. This story shows how loyal pet dogs could be to us. Today, a bronze statue stands in the place where Hachiko waited for Professor Ueno in remembrance for his loyalty to his master. Every year on April 8, a solemn ceremony of remembrance at Tokyo’s Shibuya railroad station honors Hachiko’s devotion for Professor Ueno. A flock of dog lovers turn out to honor his memory.

Naturally, cattle raisers are raising a howl because if the plans of the EPA is approved, the EPA gets to go into farms and cordon off areas where the lizard may be found. This will affect the business of cattle raisers and not in a good way. 

However, while there are two sides to a story, in this case, there are 3 sides to the issue. Even oil and gas production could be hampered with this kind of government action. If the energy companies cannot operate 100%, the prices of their products will increase because the demand will surpass the supply.

Obviously, the Obama government would or should want to meet somewhere in the middle because all parties have a legitimate issue. Causing private citizens and energy companies to start panicking is not going to solve the problem. Last April, there were meeting held to discuss the problem with all parties involved. Not much was resolved or discussed during that first meeting because tempers and emotions ran high. Ranchers believe they take care of the environment because not doing so would run counter productive to their livelihood.

US Representative, Steve Pearce says, “People are economically stressed. Everyone knows it has the potential to be devastating to the economy (referring to the lizard).”

The EPA has no intention of railroading the decision and there will be plenty opportunities to hear the facts. A decision must be reached by the end of the year. But as the spokesman for EPA, Tom Buckley says, “The politics of all this won’t affect the decision of whether or not to list. It will solely be made on the biological information and what we might receive during the comment period.”

Reference: Illustrated Encyclopedia of endangered animals.