Even though Kim & I don’t  have any pets, we still love animals. Growing up, my family had a dog until I was around 7 or 8 years old. I know that pets can be a lot of work and I can’t say that I’d really want to have that kind of responsibility now.

However, over the years we’ve had many unforgettable animal experiences while traveling around the US and the world.

A few years back we visited Florida with the main purpose being to swim & kayak with manatees.  This was an incredible experience which I’d love to do again when Lucas learns how to swim. We went on what I call Our First American Safari in Custer State Park where we also had some fun Hanging with the Burros. Kim and I have also visited Africa a couple of times where the trips were pretty much all about the wildlife. There are many more experiences I am leaving out but you can check out My Top 5 Animal Encounters.

While we do visit the zoo from time to time, it’s really not a place that I love going to.  I would much rather see animals in their natural habitat or support animal rescues or sanctuaries (like some of the things listed above).

Outside Magazine had an article with some rather sad and disheartening news.

The World’s Largest Elephant was Poached in Kenya, killed with a poison arrow.

I’m not going to write about the details of the story. If you’re interested, you can read about it here.

After reading the article it made me wonder- when Lucas is older will there even be any elephants in the wild left on earth? Or will there be mountain gorillas left in Congo, Rwanda or Uganda?

Better yet, will these amazing creatures disappear in my lifetime?