Hello there Audience. It's CEO Cloon here with an Earth Day message. I wanted to share with you the ways I have decided to help the Earth:
1) I eat my Num-Nums off the same plate every day
2) I recycle my Num-Nums cans
3) I play with the same toys over and over...(theese can get quite boring, but I digress...)
4) I am trying to invent a "green" Clooneymobile that runs off catnip fumes or marmot droppings (more on theese one at a later date...)
5) I'm planning on painting Headquarters "green" (the Assembly Line Elves will have to do this at night when my Human is sleeping so there are no objections...)
and:
6) I want to raise awareness for tiger conservation...(Don't you think my CEO outfit looks similar to a Zoo Official or Wildlife Officer?)
So without further delay, I'm going to tell you all a little story about tigers...First of all, are there any tiger fans out there? Can I see a show of paws? Excellent, excellent...all paws in the studio Audience are raised. Well, I have some very exciting news...Last year, my Human went on a Tiger Walk at the Australia Zoo (Steve Irwin's Zoo) where she spent time with this little lady above, a 2-year-old Sumatran tiger named Kaitlyn.
Kaitlyn was born in Indonesia and some of the Big Cat Handlers from the Australia Zoo went to her and started to care for her when she was just 2 weeks old. When she was 3 months old, she was brought back to the Australia Zoo along with her brother Bashii and her sister Maneki. According to her zoo profile, she is the "troublemaker" of the group but my Human said she was very well behaved on the walk.
The walk took place early in the morning before the Zoo opened. My Human was met by Ben, one of the Zoo Photographers, and taken in a little cart to the tiger enclosures and walking trails at the back of the Zoo. She met up with 3 Big Cat Handlers (Dave, Shane and Kassie) and the beautiful Kaitlyn. My Human got to spend over half an hour walking with the tiger, holding her tail, patting her back and having some excellent photos taken of the two of them together. She said the tiger was interested in smelling grass and trees, watching birds and lying in mud. One of the Handlers found the tiger the above stump/tree root which occupied her for a bit.
Since my Human is a cat lover and also has been fascinated by "big cats" all her life, she said this Tiger Walk was one of her dreams come true and one of her most memorable life events. My Human is also a big fan of Steve Irwin and the Irwin family and to be able to spend time with a tiger at his Zoo was also very special. She said that the Handlers were all very nice, professional, loved working with tigers and are very involved in tiger conservation. In fact, the cost of the Tiger Walk went straight back into tiger conservation.
Now gather around even closer felines...I've got something very sad to tell you all. Tigers are critically endangered and there are fewer than 4000 left in the wild. And for our lovely Sumatran tigers like this little lady, there are fewer than 400 left in the world. If the tigers aren't helped now, they will face extinction within the next 10 years. So, perhaps more of us felines and our Humans can spread the message about tiger conservation. More information is available at:
In closing, I leave you all with:
...for the Earth, the world events, the tigers, the kitties who need purrs for health...and finding loving homes and for the Easter Bunny to bring you plenty of Num-Nums (tip: leaving out fresh lettuce and carrots may increase your chances)...