Animal moms are compassionate and caring, thinking nothing of sacrificing their health and safety to defend, nurture and raise their young. Their wholehearted dedication to their babies deserves our utmost admiration and appreciation. Hens are exemplary brave mothers and very mindful of their chicks’ safety. During a rainstorm, if there is no shelter, momma hen will spread her wings and let her babies stand under them. She doesn’t care that she gets completely soaked at all!

Dr. Kang believes the best parenting style for today’s youngsters are the “dolphin parents” who strike a balance between the two previously mentioned extremes（“tiger parents” and ”jellyfish parents”）. Similar to dolphin mothers in the wild, dolphin parents are collaborative and have rules and expectations, but they also encourage independence and creativity. Did you know dolphin mothers are superheroes? They do not sleep for a whole month after they give birth to a calf! Do you know why?

In fact, I truly hope everyone can be loving and compassionate to all beings, every week of every year! And being vegan is the best way to start showing your gentleness and compassion to animals. Animals are more than just wonderfully intelligent. They are selfless, loving and devoted friends, as well as parents and spouses. No matter what species, if you give them love and respect, they will love and protect and help you in so many ways, both visibly, and invisibly.

Celebrating Be Kind to Animals Week May 5-11, 2019.Animals are loving. Animals are noble. They are fun! They are just like us. Animals are great! In honor of Be Kind to Animals Week, I invite you to join me in watching a few heartwarming clips of my fellow animal friends.

I’ve heard many people say, “Aww, he’s so adorable!” But if you really want to see how cute a chinchilla can be, you should check out my cousin BuBu. She has lots of photos and videos on Facebook and Instagram. Our super-soft fur is what we are famous for, but it is also the reason why we have almost become extinct in the wild. I’ll bet you’ve never seen a chinchilla in the wild. There are a few reasons for that. Number one: When was the last time you climbed over 3,000 meters? Number two: How well can you see in the dark?

Now, the common misconception is that those needles must be dipped in medication, steroids, something. And I say, no, no, no, they’re just stainless steel needles. There’s no magic here. There’s no medicine. When we put the needles in the acupoints, that’s where the action actually starts to occur. Oftentimes when a patient has the acupuncture, it does have a calming effect, and most clients will report that for the rest of the day or the next day, their pet is more quiet than usual.

Over the years, I’ve had a number of patients(animals) who have come in where they either couldn’t walk at all or were having a lot of difficulty walking. And through acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine, I was able to get them back up and walking again to the point where they were enjoying life again. I also have some patients that are dealing with chronic kidney disease, chronic liver disease. They’ve done quite well on acupuncture. Acupuncture, a branch of Traditional Chinese Medicine, is an ancient form of treatment that originated in China thousands of years ago.

How do animals know when it is spring without calendars? They generally look for cues in the environment to perceive the change in season. During winter, the days are shorter and colder. As the season transitions to spring, animals detect that the days have become longer and warmer. What an intelligent way to distinguish between season! It is not only humans that feel more enthusiastic and animated at the beginning of spring. Do you know that animals sense the excitement of this period too? Birds, insects, squirrels, chipmunks and even deer catch the spirit.

Early in the morning, we sing spectacular songs awakening the stillness of the forest. Singing is very rare in mammals and, outside of humans, some say we produce the most complex songs of all land mammals. Song-bouts usually last about 10-30 minutes. Our songs reveal the singer’s sex and individual identity.

We are considered one of the most elegant antelopes because we have superb balance and grace while eating. Our strong hind legs and wedge-shaped hooves enable us to stand erect and reach branches that are more than two meters above the ground. In African folklore, my kind of animal is often referred to as “the Queen of Humbleness.” Gerenuks like me have been around for more than 7,000 years. You can see us in some ancient Egyptian art.

Many people think that culture is a characteristic only found in human societies. I am thrilled to tell you that modern scientific research shows that animals including primates, cetaceans, birds, fish and insects also have traditions that are transmitted across their social groups and to new generations. We animals that live in a community are just like humans, having our norms, traditions and cultural practices that characterize who we are and help us to adapt to our particular ecological niches.

Symbiosis is the interaction of two different organisms living together, usually with mutual benefits. There are many examples of symbiosis in our world’s diverse ecosystems, one of which is the leafcutter ants and their special crop. The original farmers on earth are thought to be the leafcutter ants. They have been intensively farming fungi in the tropical rainforests of South America as early as 60 million years ago. These ants forage for vegetation, not intending to eat it as food, but to munch the leaves into a pulp for fungi to eat which are the real source of nutrition for the ants.

Guanacos and vicunas are the wild camelids of South America. Guanacos are experts at communicating through body language. After they haven’t seen each other for some time, they greet one another by standing nose to nose and waggling their tails horizontally or in a U-shape. The vicuna is the national animal of Peru and part of the Peruvian coat of arms.

We alpacas are truly the grace bestowed by the Earth Goddess, Pachamama on the Andes. Our soft-padded feet minimize our impact on meadows. After we graze, the grassland is usually in good condition. We are here to demonstrate a virtue and a need to keep in harmony with Mother Earth. We alpacas are also very social. We live in herds with our families and friends and feel stressed if we are isolated from our community.

Traditionally, the people of Mongolia have called us “takhi,” which means “spirit” or “worthy of worship.” Mongolians consider my kind of horse to be holy and that we are their messengers to be gods. Ganbaatar means “steel hero.” You can imagine that horses like me are not only strong but swift. When we run untethered and unconstrained across the Mongolian landscape, it is a spectacular sight to see.

According to the lunar calendar and the Chinese zodiac, we are now in the Year of the Pig. Do you know much about us? Pigs are very jovial, intelligent, peaceful, social, and easygoing animals. In Chinese culture, we pigs are viewed as being honest, pure-hearted, and easily contented. Our chubby faces and big ears are signs of fortune. Therefore, pigs are a symbol of wealth and good luck.

We want people to rekindle their relationship with animals and to experience the contact with animals as something fulfilling. If that can be achieved, people’s behavior will change, and animals will be more appropriately cared for. The plan for the future is to create a place where humans and animals can meet. And so the people who come to us for counseling, or just want to visit our animals, will have the opportunity to experience a heartfelt connection ̶ with other humans and also with the animals.

When we are in hibernation, our body temperature falls from our normal 37.2 degrees Celsius to as low as 2.77 degrees Celsius! To minimize our energy expenditures, our heart rate reduces to four to 10 beats per minute, and our respiration rate may drop to two breaths a minute. Our body weight gradually decreases, and we may lose as much as half of our mass by February.

We animals have many seen and unseen abilities ̶ such as giving individuals timely assistance during dangerous situations as well as helping with everyday tasks. Though we may not speak any human language, our pure, unconditional loving qualities can transcend communication barriers and bring much happiness and meaning into people’s lives. We have the honor to profile several animals on our program who have heroically aided or saved people or other animals because of the true love in their hearts!

Animal companions give us lots of love and joy. Did you know they also convey precious gifts that can soothe our souls and correct the course of our lives? Today, we have the honor of presenting two special vegan therapists from Germany who have studied the subject extensively. In our interview with Andrea and Matthias Oppermann, we will discover some little-know aspects of our animal friends.