My name is Nora, and I am a polar bear from Spirited Alaska, USA. In honor of the brand new year, the animals of our world would like to share some good news, warm wishes, and blessings with you. “We dogs are praying every day that there will soon be a vegan world! And we are doing our part to make it happen!” “Every day, we whales bless the ocean and fulfill our role in sustaining our planet.” My little cubs asked me to say “hi” and let you know that they are counting on you to do you part to save their polar habitat! “I know that 2020 is going to be a terrific year because I hear so much great news as I fly overhead!” “I live quietly in my burrow, and I didn’t know that so much was happening! This is certainly a Golden Era, and our world will soon be filled with abundance and peace. The future generations, both human and animal, will be living in a true paradise.”

Today, you will see what makes us ostriches such a unique and exquisite bird, and one to be treasured here on our loving planet. Our incredible eyesight is a great advantage for detecting anything suspicious. Although we can’t fly, we can sustain a running speed of over 50 kilometers or 30 miles per hour for more than an hour. We are the fastest bird on land and the speediest animal on two feet. We use our wings like a rudder, adjusting them to help us turn at high speeds, giving us a dainty running style that any ballerina would envy. Oregon State University, USA, has also seen the potential of our superior leg design and developed a stable, all-terrain bipedal robot. We lay the largest eggs in the world! In the Guinness Book of Records, the biggest recorded egg weighed 5 pounds and 11.36 ounces, or 2.6 kilograms. We can live for over 40 years, and are very adaptable, eating many types of seeds and plants, with the ability to travel long distances to forage for food.

Winter is the coldest time of the year, when the days are shorter and the nights are longer. It is a season of rest, and a period to conserve, rather than expend, energy. So, what is hibernation? It is like a long, deep sleep for animals and a time. Animals prepare to enter this state by eating a lot during the summer and autumn seasons to store fat to last them throughout the winter. Did you know that a pregnant American black bear could give birth during hibernation? She does not even need to wake herself to take care of her cubs. Instead, she can nurse her babies for months from the stored fat she has on reserve. Did you know that some animals in hot climates also undergo a form of hibernation? This is called estivation. Supreme Master Ching Hai spoke about the spiritual purpose of hibernation for animals during an August 23, 2009 lecture given in France. “There are some spiritual reasons. You see, because every day, animals, they’re also busy looking for food and taking care of their family, and so during wintertime, they take advantage of the natural cycle and they go into hibernation; they sleep in winter to recover their spiritual strength, apart from other things.”

Today we would like to share with you some amazing stories of animals who turned their selfless concern into loving action for the benefit of others. Let’s start with a cat named Kuu. Cat Assists Dog with Dementia. Cat Saves Baby from Danger. Dog Keeps Lost Child Safe and Warm. Cat Saves Caregiver from Fire. Dog Saves Family from Fire. Let’s now meet a bull calf named Oliver. Bull Calf gives Love to Blind Bison. Just like humans, we animals are beings that have feelings. There are times when each of us needs some support, and these are the opportunities for those close to us to let their nobility shine and give selflessly. I trust you have enjoyed today’s stories and are perhaps even inspired to lend a softer heart and a more generous hand to all of Earth’s inhabitants.

This year, 2020, is the “Year of the Golden Rat” and an exceptionally significant event as we return to the first sign of the Lunar Zodiac cycle! We are going to introduce some interesting Lunar New Year customs from several nations to our splendid viewers today. Around the world, more than a billion people celebrate the Lunar New Year and participate in various vibrant festivities. Within Korea itself, millions of people travel to be with family during this special time called Seollal or Korean Lunar New Year. Also, the breakfast on Lunar New Year day is traditionally rice cake soup or tteokguk. The act of eating this soup signifies that one is now a year older. What are some of the Lunar New Year traditions observed in China? People will put up spring couplets written on red paper inside and outside the home and conduct a thorough house cleanup, which represents replacing the old with the new. Also, after the meal, everyone comes together to usher in the New Year which also includes bidding farewell to the current year. This is a moment of cherishing the present time and welcoming the hopeful new year. It is called Tết and celebrated for an entire week! A notable tradition of the Aulacese or Vietnamese people is to thoroughly clean and then furnish their homes with all sorts of special decorations in anticipation of the most important annual event in Aulacese or Vietnamese culture.

Hallo, My name is Lucas, and I’m a vegan American pika from Jasper National Park in Alberta, Canada. There aren’t many other mammals in Canada or the US who can survive in mountains above the timberline the way we do. We are related to rabbits and hares, but we’re smaller. Our extraordinary hearing and eyesight allow us to be constantly aware of our surroundings and ready for unexpected events. Though maintaining separate homes, pikas like to live together as a group, so we can help protect each other. We are not picky eaters and enjoy a variety of plants, including different kinds of grass, sedge, bayberry, clover, thistle, and weeds. Some humans have begun to use our activity as an indicator of global warming in western North America. Other species that live in mountains can move up higher if the climate gets warmer. Pikas are already so close to the top that we would have nowhere to go. Please awaken your loving kindness, not only for American pikas, but for all of Earth’s inhabitants.

I’m Aina, a vegan miniature horse from magnificent Germany. People are more relaxed when they spend time with animals because we give unconditional love and do not judge them in any way. Research has shown that caring for animals increases overall human well-being in many respects. Dogs, cats, rabbits, horses, pigs and other species serve as therapy animals. Many agree that simply being around their dog companion fills their heart with a sense of happiness, contentment, and peace. Those with cat companions also express how much fun, peace, and happiness these amazing beings bring into their lives. Daniel is an Indian Runner duck and a registered emotional support animal. We beautiful and intelligent miniature horses also serve as therapy animals. We have aided many, including survivors of tragedies and disasters. Animals give tremendous love and can help meet people’s physical, behavioral, and emotional needs.

Today we will showcase several unusual relationships between animals that are very different from each other. In 2004, a massive earthquake beneath the Indian Ocean caused tsunamis that devastated the surrounding coasts. The high waters swept a hippopotamus family in Kenya down a river and into the ocean. The only survivor, a baby, ended up on a reef off the Kenyan coastline. They named him Owen and arranged for him to be transported to Haller Park, a Kenyan wildlife sanctuary. Owen was put in an enclosure that contained an Aldabra giant tortoise known as Mzee. The two began sharing food, swimming, and sleeping together, and sometimes Mzee would stretch out his neck so Owen could lick it. The next story rather reminds me of a fairy tale. One day in 2013, Mr. Berge and his German shepherd companion Tinni were taking a walk through the woods near their home. They came across an amiable red fox who Mr. Berge named Sniffer. Amazingly, the domesticated dog and the wild fox took a liking to each other.

There have been many stages in our evolution that contributed to our ability to fly. For example, we had to develop delicate wings, strong chest muscles, and several different kinds of feathers. Humans have long admired and envied our ability to fly. They have experimented and invented all kinds of means to duplicate what we do naturally in the sky. Since we birds are often far above the ground, we needed a number of adaptations to give us great eyesight. First, we have the largest eyes in the animal kingdom, relative to body size, which helps us to have very keen vision. From the outside, our eyes may appear small, but on the inside our eyes are so big that most of us cannot move them. Among warm-blooded animals, our ability to regenerate retinal neurons is outstanding. Scientists are trying to understand how it works, and believe there may be a way to unlock this ability in humans. If so, it would open the door to treatments for a wide variety of eye diseases.

Today, we will share with you about the bird species’ vocalizations, which include both calls and songs. Generally, our calls are brief and serve as alarms or to keep a flock together. Our songs are longer and more complex and may serve as signals of courtship. The songs are also more melodious. Both chicks and human infants build sound templates in their brains by listening to their parents’ voices. Then they start to strengthen their vocal muscles by making nonsensical sounds. In the last stage, young birds will practice the same tune thousands of times and compare it with the template they memorized until they achieve a perfect match. Our vocalizations are made possible by a voice organ, unlike any other. The organ that birds use to vocalize is called a syrinx, and it is lower down, just before the windpipe enters the lungs. The syrinx has two sides, which our most-gifted singers can use to simultaneously produce high-frequency and low-frequency sounds, plus at different tempos and volumes. For us birds, the better we can vocalize, the more likely it is that we will have fulfilling lives.

Gold-colored animals are relatively rarer, so they are admired by humans, just like the precious metal! Regarded by some as the world’s most beautiful equine, our breed is famed for our toughness, resilience, and endurance, in addition to our legendary speed and intelligence. Some of our breed looks as if they had been dipped in gold! Another animal with a radiant, golden coat is the Golden Retriever, which is one of America’s most popular dog breeds. A domestic cat known for having a golden coat is the ginger cat or tabby. The golden jewel scarab beetle of Central America is one of the world’s most brightly colored insects. The goldenrod crab spiders, native to North America, make flowers such as goldenrod and daisies their home. The Panamanian golden frog is a type of toad. This species is cherished by Panamanians and is the national animal. Banana slugs are often bright golden yellow and sometimes spotted with brown blotches, thus resembling a ripe banana.

The name “orangutan” is originally from the Malay and Indonesian word, “orang,” which means “person,” and “hutan,” that translates as “forest.” So, the name orangutan translates to “person of the forest.” We are considered closely related to humans, as we share 97% of human DNA. We are also considered a Great Ape, along with gorillas and chimpanzees. An orangutan’s lifespan is around 40 to 45 years in the wild. Orangutans are one of the most intelligent primates in the world, ranking even above chimpanzees and gorillas. Orangutans are well known as the “gardeners of the forests” as we help to shape and preserve the lush rainforest areas of Borneo and Sumatra. Being the largest arboreal animal, our fruit-eating diet and how we travel through the greenery makes us excellent seed dispersers. Sadly, orangutan populations are quickly diminishing. The main reason for this is oil palm tree cultivation! Our land is being rapidly cleared for oil palm tree plantations. Changing temperatures, wildfires, and rain are altering the areas where we search for food. Climate change also plays a large role in the destruction of the orangutan habitat.

I am Alvin, a vegan chamois from the magnificent Swiss AIps. Our distinctive features are a whitish head, black markings below the eyes, and a pair of hooked horns. Originally, we chose the rocky and rugged mountains as our habitat to avoid predators. This also explains why chamois became fast runners and high jumpers. By nature, we have very good eyesight and a keen sense of smell. In the wild, we normally have a life expectancy of 15 to 17 years. Nowadays, we are threatened by other kinds of human activity, as well as the climate crisis. Please allow me to point out that the underlying problem we face is human greed. For example, even though certain chamois subspecies are protected under the European Habitat Directive, that doesn’t stop some individuals from hunting illegally. And even though the United Nations has called for an urgent reduction in meat consumption - to address both the climate crisis and human health problems - some people still deny the facts and continue to eat animals.

One of our distinguishing characteristics is a tuft of brown hair that grows from the base of our horns to our forehead. Then we have what looks like a white letter X across the bridge of our nose and around our eyes. We addax have a stocky build, similar to horses. Our diet is 100% plant-based. Although males are dominant in many species, we have the highest regard for our females. But due to habitat loss and humans’ inconsiderate activities over the years, our population in the wild has been drastically reduced. Humans must understand the impact that their values and lifestyles have. Each person who changes to a plant-based diet generates a wave of positive and benevolent energy that touches all living beings on the planet. Supreme Master Ching Hai is a cherished champion of compassion for us all. She tirelessly conveys to the world’s citizens that killing and eating animals are acts of fundamental immorality.

We are nocturnal and spend most of our time in the trees. We walk on all four limbs, slowly and silently. If we are spotted, we hide our face under our arms or stay still like a statue on the branches. That's why the Indonesian people named us malu malu, or the shy ones. The most prominent feature of us slow lorises is our big round eyes that point forward, providing excellent binocular vision and depth perception. We also have an excellent sense of smell. We are the only venomous primate in the world. We are predominantly solitary. In other words, we like our company. We have “grooming claws” to comb our dense fur and our loved ones. Like other animals, grooming is a way we interact with one another. We emit different sounds and each one has its own meaning. We slow lorises are on the brink of extinction due to the illegal pet trade and habitat loss. I would like to ask you this: please do not take us out of the wilderness, and please help protect us and save our beautiful home.

With our round cheeks and wide smiles, we quokkas have been dubbed one of the cutest animals on our planet. We are covered with short, very course and thick, grizzled brown fur with lighter parts underneath. Our relatively short tail has very little hair, but our feet are very hairy! On our cute and lovely face are a big, black nose, a pleasing mouth, and a pair of charming black eyes. In 2013, quokkas were given the title of “The Happiest Animal in the World” by American news website HuffPost.Com, because to humans, we always seem to be smiling. Our cutest chubby-cheeked smile can range from a tiny beam to a toothy grin. It is not that the structure of our mouth or jaw makes us have to smile. It is our cheerful nature. Our biggest threat is deforestation, which reduces our habitat ranges and food sources. Climate change, which affects the vegetation and rainfall, is also a threat to us. We urgently call for global action to stop the destruction of natural habitats and the adoption by humans of the sustainable vegan lifestyle.

We crabs come in all different sizes and colors, with other diverse characteristics, and have been known to survive in all sorts of living environments. Crabs that climb trees are so diverse it would probably take humans years and years to discover us all. The coconut crab is classified by your scientists as a hermit crab and is the largest land-living and tree-climbing crab in the world. We usually live in sand burrows we dig ourselves. Normally, our lifespan is between 30 and 60 years. We are able to climb up as high as 6 meters quite easily. Caribbean hermit crabs have a lot in common with coconut crabs. For example, they live on land and females go to the ocean to lay eggs. Another kind of tree-climbing crab is the one that lives in mangroves. Mangroves are the perfect environment for such crabs to live in and develop. One common characteristic shared between all tree-climbing crabs in mangrove areas is that they do not live far from the sea. We tree-climbing crabs truly cherish our lives and plea with humans to have compassion, never eat us or other animals, and protect our habitats.

In this two-part program, we will showcase some of the species that live the longest. They are blessed with what is called “biological immortality.” We lobsters are one of those species! Researchers believe that the secret our longevity is an enzyme called telomerase. It protects the ends of chromosomes from shortening and losing some Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) when cells divide. Another species that exhibits “biological immortality” is the naked mole rat. Aside from their defenses against cancer, naked mole rats have two ways to keep their bodies young. Number one, they can withstand high amounts of oxidative stress. Number two, they have high levels of chaperone proteins that stabilize the correct folding of other proteins. As far as we know, Greenland sharks have the longest lifespan of any vertebrate species on the planet. One possible explanation is their extremely slow metabolic rate. Giant tortoises are world-renowned for their long lives. The scientists noted that compared to the mammals, the tortoises had more immune system-protecting gene copies - 12 to be exact, while the mammals only had one. These genes assist the body in neutralizing infections.

In today’s show, we will discuss four animals that are also extraordinary in terms of their ability to survive. They are also known as water bears, which comes from the way they walk. Aside from their tiny size and ubiquity, what stands out about tardigrades is their durability. The physiological response that enables tardigrades to be so tough is called cryptobiosis. It is a reversible suspension of metabolism that is achieved by different means, depending on the circumstances. A hundred years seems like a long time, but it is a blip in the life of the glass sponge. Glass sponges are sea sponges, but they’re different from other sponges and how their bodies are built. With a nod to the being’s regenerative ability, a very small freshwater invertebrate was given the same name. Biologists have discovered that hydras have an endless supply of three types of stem cells. These cells are biological raw materials, capable of continuous division and differentiation into any type of cell needed. Turritopsis dohrnii is a species of small jellyfish. When threatened by environmental stress or injured, they can revert to their infancy and start over again. They undergo a process called cellular transdifferentiation by which one type of cell is converted into another.

Be kind to Animals Week has been observed in the first full week of May every year since 1973. Although it started in the US, this a celebration of compassion that all of humanity can participate in. Our two-part program will feature Supreme Master Ching Hai’s wisdom about how animals bless humans, as well as exemplary stories about some of these incredible furry friends. Supreme Master Ching Hai has revealed the real purpose of animals’ existence on Earth. “They really come to help mankind. They know everything because they are very psychic; they are very more inside. They eat a little bit; they’re satisfied, it’s finished. They rely absolutely on the Divine for protection and food. So they’re always in contact with the Divine; they are truly angels, protectors of humans. So animals are truly a treasure for humans, yes, really precious gifts that God has bestowed upon us so that we can feel a little bit happier in this lifetime.” When God created us animals, Hes gave human beings their best friends. In return for a little affection and care, we secretly radiate blessings of wellness, happiness, and unconditional love.