Tag Archives: endangered species

Pandas by Edwina Smith

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Way up in the mountains
Bamboo forests grow
Swaying to the seasons
Of rain, mist and snow
Only found in China
Elusive and so rare
Fur of black and white
Coats the Panda Bear

Majestic yet reclusive
He minds his own affairs
Pandas do not hibernate
Unlike other bears
Blending into shadow
He cannot be seen
Marking trees with scent
Tell others where he’s been

Large head and jaws to match
Makes easy work to chew
Food of the forest
His diet is bamboo
A type of little thumb
Coming from the wrist
Holds down tasty shoots
Which he can’t resist

With pupils of a cat
He sees well by night
Black fur ‘round each eye
Shades from bright daylight
Strong legs made for weight
Keen ears and sense of smell
Nature’s gifts such as these
Have served him very well

Sadly it came to pass
They became too rare
Action must be taken
To save the Panda Bear
The task awaits but where to start?
Many never knew
Much at all about this bear
Except they eat bamboo!

China’s first to take the lead
And saw what must be done
Now ‘Endangered’, chances slim
The challenge must be won
Other nations joined the quest
Sharing knowledge gained
No effort would be spared
Since very few remained

How to save these precious bears
And care for tiny cubs?
Many zoos around the world
Are conservation hubs
Bamboo forests were restored
Progress showed its face
Numbers slowly rising up
But Pandas set the pace!

Our world adores the Panda
A symbol of good will
Their future now assured
By hard work and skill
They fill each heart with pride
And joy beyond measure
May Pandas always be
China’s national treasure.

Photo from Pexels by Snow Chang

What’s A Saw For? by Celia Berrell

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A Sawfish has a flattened jaw
which points its mouth towards the floor.
That saw-like snout we can’t ignore –
but what’s that awesome saw-snout for?

A Sawfish wouldn’t roar or snore,
but could it use that saw to gore
or dig and poke prey near the floor,
could that be what that saw-snout’s for?

A Sawfish snout has scores and scores
of electronic sensing pores
detecting fish-food no-one saw
when water’s muddied more and more.

So now we know that saw’s contour
is something Sawfish will adore.
It helps them catch small fish galore.
And that’s what Sawfish snouts are for.

Photo from Pexels by Shuxuan Cao

October 4th is Sawfish Day. Sawfish numbers are sadly declining. Nowadays, sawfish are only reliably found near Florida USA and around northern Australia. Sawfish, like their shark relatives have a skeleton made of cartilage rather than bone. Question: how can you tell the difference between a sawfish and a sawshark? Answer: by looking at its gills. Sawfish gills are underneath their body, next to its mouth, while a sawshark’s gills are found on the side of its head.

Poem of the Day

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Orang-utan Crying

by Ken Williams

 

Forest wakes,

Brand new day.

Mother stretching,

Orang-utans play.

 

Little-ones rolling,

Little-ones tumbling.

Little-ones swinging,

Little-ones fumbling.

 

A sudden rumbling,

Looks of worry.

Engines roaring,

Little-ones scurry.

 

Forest falling,

Can’t find cover.

Little-ones scampering,

Can’t find Mother.

 

Engines blaring,

Forest bare.

Trees smouldering,

Nothing there.

 

Engines ceasing,

Mother enraged.

Trucks retreating,

Little-one’s caged.

 

Sun setting,

Forest dying.

Earth shattering,

Orang-utan crying.

 

  • Highly commended in  the 12th Kathleen Julia Bates Memorial Writing Competition. For full results click here.