1 . A baby giraffe, called a calf, can stand up and walk about an hour after it comes into the world. At least, it should be able to. That wasn’t the case with Msituni, a giraffe born at the Safari Park. The very day Msituni was born, her front legs were bending improperly, making it difficult for her to stand and walk.

Dr. Kinney, the wildlife care specialist at the park and his team recognized the problem and reacted quickly. They realized Msituni would need medical treatment. First of all, they decided to bottle raise Msituni because her injuries prevented her from staying with her mom. The care team aimed to reduce long-term joint damage, and do their best to ensure Msituni has a long, healthy life.

With the information from the detailed 3D imaging of Msituni’s legs, the care team determined that specialized orthotic braces(矫形器)should be able to fix the position of Msituni’s legs. However, her size made finding supports for her legs very challenging.

The solution came in partnership with Hanger Clinic, a nationwide provider of orthotic braces. While the company focuses on care for humans, the company’s experts asked Safari Park wildlife care staff for advice. Together, they made a pair of orthotic braces for the calf. They wanted to enable Msituni to lie down, stand, walk, and run like a healthy giraffe.

Finally, the treatments were a success. After about two months, with Msituni’s legs correctly positioned, caregivers were able to remove her leg braces. Today, Msituni can be found playing with the rest of giraffes in the Safari Park.

“It was worthwhile to use problem-solving skills to help wildlife,” said Dr. Kinney. “To address the challenges that wildlife faces, we need to work together.”

3 . Around six weeks ago, Kaileen came running into the house, just getting off the bus from school. She was excited about a story about homeless pets because of Hurricane (飓风) Katrina and all that was going on to help them. She said that this information came from her animal newspaper (your KIND News). Kaileen has a great love and compassion (同情心) for animals, so her excitement did not surprise me. Her next ideas, however, did. She said that we should go around right then to our neighbors and collect all their change to send to the animal shelters (保护所).

I thought this was a school project, but in fact, it was not. This was what Kaileen wanted to do on her own! Well, it warmed me all over. To see your child so willing to help others just lets you feel that maybe you had done something right in raising (养育) her.

Anyway, I told her to make a card and send it out to our neighbors first. With the help of her older brother, Kaileen soon made a lovely card that asked our neighbors to help these pets by giving their spare change. She gave them a few days and a date she would come by to pick up any donations (捐赠).

Well, I had to go out and buy a donation box. Kaileen collected $279.50!!! I just thought you would like to know how KIND News had touched a little one’s heart and given her the idea to show her compassion for animals. Thank you — we really enjoy your paper.

4 . Shaw began losing his sight as a young man and had difficulty holding jobs due to his failing vision.     1     But Shaw said he couldn’t bear to part with a dog and adjust to a new one, perhaps several times in his life.

Finally Shaw heard of a program about the tiny guide horses. Shaw learned that the horses are clean, friendly, and easy to train. They can be housebroken and learn to live in an urban setting, but they are best suited for suburban or rural homes.     2     This would enable Shaw to have the same guide companion for most of his life.

Shaw immediately applied to be and was accepted as the first person to receive a guide horse. He went to the Burlesons’ farm to begin his training.     3     “It’s like it was meant to be,” he said.

As part of their training, Shaw and Cuddles learned to cross busy streets, step onto stairs, and find doorknobs and elevator buttons. Cuddles even showed his ability to step in front of Shaw and block him, to prevent him from walking into a dangerous situation.     4     When walking inside, Cuddles wears two pairs of tiny sneakers to prevent him from slipping on smooth surfaces.

    5     They toured the crowded streets and attractions of New York City. They visited the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, and even rode the subways. They got along without any difficulties and passed the exam successfully. Shaw is confident that Cuddles will change his life for the better. Years ago, he never would have imagined himself owning a guide horse. Sometimes, however, it is the less obvious choice that works out for the best.

Since 2015, Shanghai Disney Resort (迪士尼度假区) has been carrying out monthly bird-watching activities in its Wishing Star Park. Over the past eight years, more than 120    1     (kind) of birds have been observed in this park. Such bird-watching activities have been held in Shanghai for more than 20 years. A team of hundreds of people    2     (regular) takes part in these activities. Many visitors also go to wetland parks in    3    they can take many pictures of birds.

7 . Working Together to Save the Sea Turtles

Florida has some of the best beaches in the world. Thousands of people visit the state to enjoy the sand. But these beaches are also home to five species of sea turtles. A major problem is facing these interesting creatures.     1     So how do Floridians protect these special animals?

Some volunteers and researchers in Florida take direct action to help the turtles. They look closely at the sand to find the fin (鳍) marks the mother sea turtles left there.     2     When they’ve figured out where the eggs were laid, they mark the area off so that no one disturbs the eggs. They also collect information about the nests and tracks to help people studying sea turtles.

These are not the only Floridians taking action to help protect these creatures. Florida’s government has passed laws to save the turtles. One of these laws is “Florida’s Marine Turtle Protection Act”. This law prohibits anyone from disturbing or destroying marine turtles, nests, or eggs.    3    

Another way Floridians work together to save these creatures is through organizations like the Sea Turtle Conservancy. The Sea Turtle Conservancy helps people take steps that will help reduce the threats that put sea turtles in danger. For instance, bright lights on buildings near the beach can negatively impact sea turtles. Baby sea turtles usually hatch on the sandy beach and head to the ocean. When there are bright lights coming from the other side of the shore far from the ocean, the baby turtles get confused.     4     To help save these turtles, The Sea Turtle Conservancy works with property owners to make lighting in their buildings sea turtle-friendly. They also encourage Florida residents to turn off their lights at night if they live close to a beach.

    5     Sometimes, turtles mistake plastic bags for jellyfish. They eat this trash and die. Florida residents can volunteer for beach clean-ups and make sure to pick up their own litter. They can also vote for state leaders who want to protect the sea turtles’ habitats. Every individual in the community has the power to make a difference!

Most gardeners will probably say gardening is good for you. According to a study, people who garden have a       1     (healthy) diet, get more exercise, and feel less stress. Researchers studied the benefits of gardening in shared community gardens       2       people work together. They suggest gardening may reduce stress because it exposes people to nature, while community gardens also provide       3       (chance) for social interaction. Therefore, they hope the results will encourage doctors and government leaders to regard community gardens       4       a vital part of the public health system.

10 . Episodic memory (情景记忆) allows humans to revisit past personal experiences in their minds, and it was once thought to be a special skill of humans. Although there are still arguments about the extent of this type of memory in non-human animals, scientists have proved that creatures like rats and dogs can pass tests that are developed to assess episodic memory over the past two decades. “Curiously, there is a lack of research investigating dolphins’ episodic memory,” University of Cambridge cognitive (认知的) scientist James Davies says. Therefore, this surprising fact encourages him to fill this gap.

The team used “where” and “who” questions in their research, each on a different test. Each dolphin was first trained to retrieve a ball from the water, and then trained to get a ball by approaching a person holding it in front of them while ignoring an empty-handed person standing at a different spot. During this training, the locations were randomized (使随机化) and the person holding the ball differed each time, so that those details were irrelevant to learning the retrieving behavior. Then, for the tests, the dolphins were asked to retrieve the ball as they had learned to do, but after 10 minutes, something changed-this time, the ball couldn’t be seen, as it was now behind one of the two people’s backs. In the “where” tests, the ball was hidden in the same spot as in the training, but both people had been changed, while in the “who” tests, the locations of the people changed but the ball remained with the person who’d had it previously.

Eight dolphins went through each of the two tests, separated by at least 48 hours. All the dolphins got it right in choosing the correct spot on the “where” experiments, and seven achieved success on the “who” experiments.

Kelly Jaakkola, a psychologist, says that based on their cognitive skills, dolphins are a good candidate for having episodic-like memory, and this study goes really far in showing that. She also says, “The more we look for such capabilities in non-human animals, the more species we’ll likely find them in.” She adds, “An exciting question is therefore ‘Where do we draw that line? Which animals do have it, which animals don’t, and what sort of cognitive or neurological or social characteristics do those animals share? ’ That’s going to be the fun part of the game.”