On a more serious note

I'm about to get on my soapbox, so if you're not ready then stop reading now. I read an article last night stating that pollution and fishing practices have brought about the extinction of the yangtze river dolphin. I felt very, very sad about this. In college, I did a research paper on river dolphins because being from Texas I had never heard of search a thing. I remember back then in 1992 reading that this particular dolphin might not make it to the 21st century. Turns out those people were right. There hasn't been an official sighting of one since 1999. And back then they thought the population was down to about 13 animals. I know everyone is up in arms about global warming, but there are many animal populations out there that are endangered just because mankind cannot find a way to co-exist with them instead of taking over their habitat, over hunting them, or polluting them to death. The yangtze river in China is so polluted that there are two other mammal species that are expected to become extinct shortly unless the people there can find a way to breed them in captivity. And it's not just foreign countries that are to blame. Now that this river dolphin is gone, the next most endangered species on our planet is the California harbor porpoise with population estimates of less than 250. These guys are on their way out due to fishermen using gill nets to catch fish. The porpoises get caught in the nets and drown when they're not able to reach the surface to breathe. So if you're good at writing letters or emails this is a good place to start. Write to a congressman or the President or Oprah! I'll try to be a little more lighthearted tomorrow.