Have you ever gone snorkeling and seen hundreds of fish, coral and sea plants? Have you even had the luck to see a Hawaiian green sea turtle? Have you seen the beautiful Hawaiian monk seals on the beach? We know
Have you ever gone snorkeling and seen hundreds of fish, coral and sea plants? Have you even had the luck to see a Hawaiian green sea turtle? Have you seen the beautiful Hawaiian monk seals on the beach?
We know that Hawaiian animals are becoming endangered. They might disappear like 11 other animals that have gone extinct the last couple years, including a tiger species (the Balinese tiger, also known as Bali tiger in Indonesia, one of three extinct subspecies of the tiger) and the white rhinoceros (also known as square-lipped rhinoceros, largest existing species of rhinoceros).
Our coral reefs, too, are being destroyed by just a bit of sunscreen, pollution and buildings erected along the beach.
You might wonder why coral is so important? The Earth has to have a food chain to keep everything balanced. If there weren’t any animals there won’t be plants, and vice versa.
If you would like to help our native Hawaiian animals like the shearwaters (long-winged seabirds), turtles and other native species, here are a few tips.
w Pick up your trash and throw it in a trash can.
w Reuse your plastic cups.
w Don’t use Styrofoam. It will not decompose.
w Reduce use of chemicals used on lawns and even in your home. The chemicals can wash into our ocean. Choose biodegradable products.
w Make sure to volunteer at beach clean up days and if you see trash on beach, throw it in the trash can!
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Dolores O’Rourke is 9 and lives in Kapaa. The daughter of Dave and Ana O’Rourke is a fourth-grader at Kapaa Elementary School.
Leilani Kass is 10 and lives in Kapaa. The daughter of Sonja and Andy Kass is a home-schooled fifth-grader at Myron B. Thompson Academy.
