Accustomed
to accolades and adoration, new age composer and performer Yanni was
presented the most extraordinary gift of a panda, given to him in
gratitude by the country of China. The
honor of performing in the Forbidden City required first meeting personally
with the Chinese Minister of Culture; which evidently went smoothly as the show
indeed went on and the Chinese now teach their children Yanni’s music. Although Yanni promptly named the animal Santorini, after the “most beautiful island in Greece” (his
native homeland), Yanni explains that the female panda is not kept at his home
but at an exclusive reserve in China, for she is an endangered animal.
In 2011 a
golden retriever named Yogi was awarded Valor Dog of the Year by the
United States Humane Society for saving his owner Paul Horton’s life after a
mountain bike accident. Regaining
consciousness but immobile, Horton talked a reluctant Yogi into leaving his
side to go for help, which the outstanding dog did; resulting in his Horton’s
subsequent rescue.
Established
as the world’s first national park in 1872 (although the National Park Service
(NPS) wasn’t created until 1916), Yellowstone National Park remains a treasured sanctuary
of ancient richness in both nature and cultural diversity through careful
planning and thoughtful management, unforeseen disasters notwithstanding. After a geological survey in 1871, Ferdinand Hayden
expressed the importance of allowing the area to remain “as free as the air or
water” offering little thought to the welfare of the prolific wildlife
population, a subject which would come to an alarming forefront when elk were being poached out
of existence and hungry bears
turned their attention to park visitors. Once the NPS had that under control it wasn’t
until the ‘Summer of Fire’ in 1988; when over 780 thousand acres burned with
hundreds of wildlife killed and all but a few displaced, that the NPS once
again had their hands full.
Meanwhile, due to practiced Predator Control both
in and outside the park, the Northern Rocky Mountain gray wolves had been
virtually eradicated within the boundaries of Yellowstone. 1995 saw the beginning of the wolf restoration
project when initially fourteen were reintroduced, inciting the onset of
exciting ecological changes such as increases in beaver colonies and elk populations. Additionally,
as the elk are once again on the move without as much time for browsing (thanks
to the wolves), the Willows along the streams are faring much better and the entire
ecosystem is once again flourishing.
Are you a fan of Yanni? How about that Valor dog? Had
you heard about the Yellowstone wolves?
