A Dream for a Better World

Finless porpoise has been listed as the protected animal in China as well as in the world. The whole body of finless porpoise is lead grey or gray. As the animal dies, the body color would become black. Finless porpoise’s head is obtuse and forehead bulges forward. The head of finless porpoise is short and it is like in round shape. Finless porpoise also has small eyes which are not obvious. There are irregular grey spots on the abdomen part. Among all similar species, the main feature of finless porpoise is that the animal does not have dorsal fin. Finless porpoise often live around the sea area which is the junction part of fresh water and salty water. In addition, finless porpoise can also survive in lower reaches of rivers as well as lakes. In foreign countries, people have found the animal in Indian Ocean, South Korea and Japan. In China, finless porpoise has been traced in Bo Sea, Yellow Sea, East Sea, South Sea, Yangtze River and Hong Kong. In Yangtze River, finless porpoise is found in Yichang and Dongting Lake.
Finless porpoise likes staying alone and occasionally, a group of 2 to 3 of them also stay together. However, a record shows that about 87 finless porpoises lived together once. Finless porpoises can eat various foods but they mainly live on fish. Sometimes, they eat shrimps and cephalopods. Finless porpoise could send out two kinds of acoustic signals which are high-frequency signal and low-frequency signal. As they explore the surroundings or look for food, they give out high-frequency signals. Low-frequency signals are continuous. Finless porpoises are able to live in the environment of different temperatures ranging from 4℃ to 20℃. When some large ships go by, finless porpoises like following them and swim fast. If they are scared, they would dive into the water for 8 to 9 minutes.
From the mentioned above, we can see that finless porpoise is a kind of aquatic animal and its survival is closely related with water. However, the environment of seas, rivers and lakes has seriously deteriorated during recent years. Changes of natural environment, drawdown of water level, deterioration of water quality, rivers and lakes silting and decreased bait have posed terrible threat on finless porpoises’ breeding as well as survival. In addition, people also hunt and kill finless porpoises continuously. In such case, the quantity of finless porpoises in Yangtze River and Dongting Lake has decreased rapidly. It is estimated that there are no more than 2000 finless porpoises in China at present and the number is still becoming smaller day by day. Although finless porpoise has been listed as a kind of protected animal in China, protection of the animal is the urgent work for human beings. Therefore, people have set up natural reserve near to Yangtze River and start to engage in research for breeding the animal artificially. Nowadays, people are improving the awareness of protecting finless porpoises. Anyhow, we have a long way to go for the long-term work.

Koala bear lives in Australia and it is not only the national treasure in the country but also the unique, precious and original arboreal animal. Body length of koala bear is about 70cm to 80cm. Grown-up koala bear weighs 8kg to 15kg. Koala bear is docile with lovely body and the body hairs are thick and soft. Koala bear has a pair of big ears and flat nose. The lovely animal does not have tail because the tail has become its “cushion” due to long time evolution. Therefore, koala bear could sit in the trees comfortably for a long time. Koala bears spend most time staying in trees even they are sleeping. In addition, koala bears also rarely come down to drink water because they can get enough water from eucalyptus leaves which are the main food for the animal. As the land in Australia is barren so there are not many nutrients ineucalyptus leaves. In such case, koala bears could not obtain much energy. Naturally, they have to move as little as possible to save the energy. Koala bears like sunshine very much so they often keep still in the trees. During daytime, koala bears often rest in trees and as night comes, they start to come down to look for food. Koala bears are particularly about food. There are more than 300 kinds of eucalyptus trees in Australia but they just eat 12 of them. A grown-up koala bear could eat about 1kg eucalyptus leaves a day. Eucalyptus leaves are juicy and scented so koala bears also could give out spice.
The distribution area of Koala bears depends on the quality of their habitats. Remarks, which can be ignored by human beings, made in trees can distinguish various koala bears’ nests and Koala bears are able to immediately know whether the trees belong to them or not. Even as a koala bear has been dead for more than 1 year, other koala bears will not come to its domain. From the mentioned above, we can see that any moving or destroying of trees would cause serious results for the survival of koala bears. In addition, open land is also the threat for the precious animals because they can suffer from attack from dogs, traffic accidents, malnutrition and disease. At present, forest degradation caused by people has posed terrible threat on their survival. The koala bear foundation in Australia says that the quantity of koala bears has decreased rapidly in recent years due to people’s unreasonable activities. What is worse, the global gets warmer and warmer. In such circumstance, the precious animal can be extinct within 10 years. In the year 2006, there were about several million koala bears in Australia. But the latest survey shows that there are only about 43,000 koala bears in the world. As for the worrying situation, measures for protecting the animal are urgently needed. In addition, as people try to approach them, they have to follow points below. First, people should keep quiet when watching koala bears. Second, people can not pat glass or use flash lamps when they stay with the bears. Third, people can not disturb koala bears when they are sleeping.

Green sea turtle is a kind of reptilian in the sea and it lives in the sea most of the time. Even so, green sea turtle still maintain some habitats of their ancestors along with evolution, for example, they have to lay eggs on the land. Green sea turtle is the largest hard shell sea turtle and the carapace can be up to 153cm. There are scales on green sea turtles’ heads so the heads can stuck when they draw back. In such case, green sea turtles can not put heads under the shell completely. Body length of grown-up sea turtles is up to 120cm to 150cm and it takes 10 to 20 years for small ones to grow up. Green sea turtle is a kind of large migratory sea turtle. They hunt for food in regular region and lay eggs in another place. Green sea turtles mainly live on seaweeds and occasionally eat fishes, molluscs as well as arthropod so much green pigment has accumulated in the body. Consequently, the name of green sea turtle comes into being. Unlike other kinds of sea turtles, green sea turtle is the only type which often enjoys sunshine on land. Females green sea turtles lay eggs every 2 to 3 years and it takes 15 to 50 years for them to be able to produce eggs. In addition, they can only successfully lay eggs on land with temperature above 25℃. As for distribution area of green sea turtles, they scatter in tropical and subtropical sea. They can dive into water of depth up to 100 to 200m.
At present, green sea turtle has become an endangered animal for there are only about 200,000 female ones in the world. Green sea turtles’ lifespan is no shorter than that of human beings and it also takes decades for them to grow up. As the natural environment has become worse and worse, the animal encounters various challenges for survival. Like many other animals, green sea turtles also have high economic value. The skin can be used for leather, the shell can be made of medicine and the meat is edible. In such case, people’s hunting and killing are not beyond expectation. As people catch fishes, they often catch green sea turtles together. So the quantity of the turtle has naturally decreased. Some hunters sell green sea turtles to religious believers for releasing. In fact, it takes several months or half a year for sellers to send the turtles to religious believers. As they are released, they are dead. In addition, in order to conduct construction, people exploit land on beaches. Therefore, green sea turtles’ breeding area is destroyed. Some tourists also throw waste plastic bags on beaches at random then green sea turtles eat them as food by mistake. Some other tourists even turn them over for observation, which poses serious threat on their survival. Green sea turtles almost do not have any natural enemies except human beings. Although people are forbidden to hunt the animal, people’s cruel hunting still continues.

Green peacock has a formal name called pavo muticus. Green peacock is one of the giants among all kinds of birds with the body length ranging from 1m to 2m. The weight of most green peacocks is about 6kg so it is also named “6kg” in Hushui, Yunnan province. But the weight for some larger ones is up to 7.7kg. Male green peacocks and female ones are similar in shape but the latter do not have the tail screen. As for green peacocks, people like their tail screen best for those feathers are quite colorful. The length of the feathers are 2 times of that of the body. People have always been making feathers of green peacocks as decoration since ancient times and they also create some dance according to the elegant gesture of green peacocks.
A male green peacock often has several wives and they move around in a group. In early morning, green peacocks come to the bank of rivers quietly and clean their beautiful feathers. Then they start to look for food. At noon, the sunlight is strong so they have a rest. Several hours later, they come out to seek for food again. Green peacocks mainly live on seeds, berry, rice and seedlings etc. Sometimes, they also eat some insects. Green peacocks often perch upon tropical and subtropical broad-leaved evergreen forests with altitude lower than 2000m. they especially like to move around in jungle, grassland, forest and other open areas. Green peacocks are good at running instead of flying and they are very alert.
Green peacocks originate from Thailand, Vietnam and Burma. In China, people can just find them in west, south and middle part of Yunnan province. In the past, people have found the beautiful bird in other regions of Yunnan but they have been extinct in those regions. As secondary deciduous monsoon forest and evergreen monsoon forest on which green peacocks depend have been destroyed, and quantity of them and their distribution area have decreased. At present, people could just find them in 17 to 32 counties in Yunnan with the total quantity of only several hundred. In southeast part of Tibet, the number of them is less than 100. More areas where green peacocks live are shrinking. In addition, a small number of people also hunt for green peacocks because their feathers could be make of beautiful and expensive clothes as well as decorations. Nowadays, artificial breeding for green peacocks is very common and the government has also categorized the bird as an animal under China’s level one protection. In such case, green peacocks, to some extent, could escape some misfortune. However, green peacocks’ survival encounters another kind of threat. Appendix hepatitis, also called trichomoniasis is a fatal killer for the bird. In 2007, a person who cultivated green peacocks found that green peacocks could die after they suffered from the terrible disease. Fortunately, people are able to find the treatment. Compared with some other animals, green peacock is luck y due to the feasibility of artificial breeding. Even so, protection for green peacocks is indeed necessary.

When people need money, they always to turn to relatives and friends for help and borrow money from them. And some can borrow money from banks through some ways. However, some other people have to choose usurious loan if they cannot get money by the two methods above. Although, they have known that they have to take great risks. Usurious loan nearly can be found in all countries.
In recent years, usurious loan has become a terrible social problem in Japan especially when the financial system entered into a vicious circle. In the year 2002, the police uncovered more than 222 companies and shops which provided usurious loan without license and they found that about 158.48 billion Yen of interest which was forcedly paid and 140 thousand people who suffered from usury. In the first half year of 2003, more than 1660 thousand people were involved in usury. A housewife from Osaka borrowed 15000 Yen from a shop which provided usury and the shop asked her to pay the interest of 100000 Yen. Afterwards, the interest became more and more and she was unable to repay it. Then the shop always sent people to her house and imposed threat on them for money. Finally, the elderly housewife could not bear the pressure and threat and committed suicide, leaving the testament of the crimes committed by the shop. Another man, who wanted to set up a company and he borrowed money from a company providing usury could not repay the money because various reasons. At last, his house was taken always by the company.
Economic depression has lashed all aspects of the society in America including people’s normal life especially those who make payments for their houses by installments. More and more American people cannot repay the house loan then they turn to payday loans with very high interest. Some experts said that such kind of loans would bring more risks and some criminal cases therefore occurred.
In China, usurious loan is also common. Many people have lost families even their life because of usurious loans. Usury can be found in many rural regions and in recent years, it has become more and more. According to some survey, usury and commercial capital operators and local evil people combined and they bullied the poor people together. During the spring time, farmers do not have enough money then they have to purchase fertilizers on credit. In such case, the suppliers would raise the price. For example, a bag of fertilizer was sold up to 200 RMB but the real price is just 80 RMB. When farmers cannot repay the money on time, they would take away farmers’ property but the latter cannot do anything. In addition, some bad people lure people to take drugs. In order to get drugs, those people have to borrow usurious loans and tragedy occurs consequently.
As for usurious loan, governments in all countries also have taken some pressures but usurious loan could not disappear. Instead, it seems to become more and more. How to solve the problem? Who knows? But we can just try our best to persuade people not to borrow usurious loans.

In Marburg, a small beautiful and tranquil town located in north part of Frankfurt, many historic sites can be found. However, the town has attacked people’s eyes due to a kind of fatal virus instead of wonderful scenery. In August 1967, a staff working in the lab suddenly suffered from high fever, diarrhea, vomiting, bleeding, shock and circulatory failure and the town became unharmonious. Next, the same virus also appeared in Frankfurt and Belgrade. According to the statistics, about 37 people suffered from the unknown disease and 1/4 people died. After 3 months, scientists found that the virus came from monkeys. But when scientists wanted to do more research for the virus, it disappeared. 8 years later, the same virus was found in South Africa. Before scientists knew the virus, another similar virus called Ebola killed 280 people. Ebola was like a ghost and people could not take any pressures for it.
Actually, Ebola is a name of a river in north part of Democratic Republic of Congo. The virus killed many people from 55 villages which were located along the river so it was called Ebola virus. After 3 years, Ebola killed some hundred of people in Sudan and disappeared thoroughly. Scientists have made research but Ebola is still a puzzle for human beings. At present, medical scientists can just estimate that Ebola is similar with AIDS. In the year 2000, Ebola virus appeared in Uganda and doctors could diagnose at least 10 people who suffered from the virus every day. In Lacorre, prevalence of Ebola virus was out of control. 80% people who visited doctors said that their family members died of Ebola virus. Some doctors were also infected with the terrible virus. All in all, all people in the place were in panic. Fortunately, human beings have researched the components of the virus which was listed as the same grade as AIDS. But people can not find out the solution. Ebola not only appeared in Africa but also attacked people in America. In the year 1989, Ebola virus arrived in Washington of USA. In a lab, some macaca mulattas from Philippine was infected by the virus but no people died of the virus because the Ebola virus from Asia could not threat people’s life.
Ebola virus comes to human being every few years. After it has taken many people’s lives, it disappears thoroughly again. No one knows where the virus hides after it has killed people and no one knows where the first victim is infected with the virus. In the year 2003, Ebola virus arrived in Congo again and local people thought that it was caused by supernatural power. They killed 4 teachers who were considered as the source for Ebola virus.
In modern times, terrible virus and disease seems to be very from our life. As industrial pollution has become more and more terrible, more than 300 insects which can resist medicine in the world and some mutation of virus also occurs. Who knows when some fatal plagues would come to people next time?

Satellite images in the year 2005 displayed that Baltic Sea has become the largest dead sea in the world because of great reproduction of seaweeds. According to the report from USA National Geographic website, marine life in Baltic Sea is facing up with terrible threat. Seaweed reproduction has not only badly affected the existence of other marine creatures but also created the vast dead zone in Baltic Sea. In addition, the area of dead sea is enlarging. Peter Westman, a Wildlife expert from WWF said that since some laws had been issued in the year 1970, the ecological environment was improved greatly because some harmful substances such as DDT, PCBs etc were forbidden to discharge into the sea. However, Baltic Sea is facing up with another serious threat. Seaweed has changed the sea into dead sea where fishes can not live in the sea due to terrible eutrophication of sea water. Peter Westman said that rapid reproduction of seaweed in a small area was very normal but in Baltic Sea, the reproduction increased unexpectedly. He also indicated that much agricultural effluent with phosphorus and nitrogen was discharged into the sea and they provided abundant nutrients for seaweed reproduction. When it is raining, fertilizers in farmlands are taken into the sea and actually, sewage treatment system near to Baltic Sea also discharges pollutants into the sea. At present, there are about 10 vast dead zones in the world and 7 of them can be found in Baltic Sea. Great seaweed reproduction has badly affected the whole ecology in Baltic Sea.
Peter Westman said that people over hunted sea cod which lived on seaweed in Baltic Sea so seaweed grew rapidly. In addition, sea cods often live in deep sea and as the area of dead zone enlarges, there is smaller and smaller space for sea cods. In fact, overhunting has caused a vicious circle. Some seaweeds are toxic and when fishes or swimmers touch them, they can suffer from diseases. In addition, intensive seaweed can produce germ. Peter Westman told people that when other fishes entered into the zone where sea cods live, they could not adjust to the environment so their quantity had not increased in past years.
At present, in the global conference during the world water week organized by Stockholm International Water Institute, the organizer has introduced the terrible situation in Baltic Sea to others and showed pictures of Baltic Sea. Those pictures have fully displayed the Baltic Sea has been swallowed by vast area of seaweed. In the conference, all participants agree to work together to save Baltic Sea led by the European Union but they are not optimistic about the saving plan. An expert from Denmark said that it was too late to save the sea. The formation of Baltic sea is less than 10,000 years and it is the largest light salt ocean in the world. Once the unique ecosystem is destroyed, it is very difficult to recover. Some experts say that the situation of Baltic Sea can not be changed and what we can do is to try our best to reduce pollution.