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, 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.

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.”

On today’s program, we will show you some examples of animals assisting other animals, regardless of their species. Macaque Monkeys Adopt Stray Puppies. In January 2016, people in the southern Indian city of Erode observed a macaque monkey caring for a little stray puppy. She acted like a mother, defending him from unfriendly dogs and removing fleas and dirt from his coat. The loving bond between the two animals melted many people’s hearts. It certainly seems true that love knows no borders. Many times, when there is an animal in need, another animal will provide assistance without hesitation. Our next story demonstrates the compassion of a dolphin for two stranded whales. A big hip, hip, hurrah for all the noble animals featured today! We are very proud of what you have done and you truly are excellent examples of your respective species’ inherent kindness.

My ancestors were wild donkeys who lived in Africa 6,000 years ago. We are genetically related to Nubian wild asses and were domesticated to assist with transporting food and goods. We can also adapt to all types of terrain. Our long, narrow hooves enable us to walk steadily on rugged trails. This allow us to sometimes join rescue operations in mountainous areas. Being social animals, we closely bond with other donkeys. Cleanliness is valued by us and we assist each other in grooming. With a strong instinct for self-preservation, donkeys stay away from danger. That’s why we're often considered stubborn when actually we're only following our instinct. We can be your most loyal and reliable companion once you have earned our trust. By nature, we’re gentle, kindhearted, loving, and brave in the face of challenges. For thousands of years, we've generously served humanity by offering our labor and tirelessly working hard.

We chipmunks are the smallest members of the squirrel family and are known for our burrowing habits and love of nuts. We are identified by our pudgy cheeks, bushy tails, and white and black stripes that run down our backs. We can come in various shades of brown, yellow, and gray fur. Chipmunks like to be alone and we normally ignore one another and are only seen in pairs during the mating season in spring. In short, like hermits, we like to keep to ourselves! As we are not very social, each chipmunk has his or her own burrow. Chipmunks construct expansive underground abodes which can be between 3 to 4 meters in length, with several well-hidden entrances. Though chipmunks like staying in forest areas, we’re also comfortable in other settings, like urban spaces. You can find us in city parks, around hedges, and in backyards. We are quite flexible and can adapt to a wide variety of living surroundings!

Surge is a UK-based group, Surge's noble goal is a new era in which all animals are free from suffering, oppression, and violence. Surge's team focuses on promoting plant-based living as this is the path to bring all animals peace. With these combined efforts, in September 2018, London Fashion Week became 100% fur-free! Another well-known organization which promotes veganism and the banishment of fur is the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA. PETA has adhered to a simple principle since its inception, "Animals are not ours to experiment on, eat, wear, use for entertainment, or abuse in any other way." Also, we shouldn't forget about Mercy for Animals (MFA), a Shining World Compassion Award recipient, that is striving to construct a compassionate food system by reducing animal suffering and ending the exploitation of animals for food.

Do you know that December 10th is our day, International Animal Rights Day? In 1998, the organization Uncaged launched, on the same date as Human Rights Day, the first-ever International Animal Rights Day. Uncaged was founded in 1993, by Angela Roberts and Lynn Williamson and is now known as the Centre for Animals and Social Justice (CASJ). which acts as a voice for animals by carrying out pioneering research and furthering just animal treatment by promoting reforms that could better our welfare. Another UK-based group called Surge. Surge started “The Official Animal Rights March” in 2016 that has since become an annual event held not just in London, UK, but also around our world. The gathering’s purpose is to spark vegans everywhere to speak up for the animals and become active in driving positive change in their local communities.

“December 4, 2012, will be the first-ever Wildlife Conservation Day. Our goal is to inform more people about this global conservation crisis. Attacks on elephants and rhinos are multiplying at an alarming rate. Species around the globe, such as tigers in Asia, are endangered. By some estimates, the black market for wildlife trafficking is rivaled in size only by the illegal arms and drug trade. The slaughter of endangered species robs communities of income from tourism, reduces biodiversity, encourages corruption, and undermines good governance.” In addition to elephants, rhinos, and tigers, dozens of other endangered and threatened species are victims of wildlife trafficking. As today is Wildlife Conservation Day, I’d like to suggest six things you can do to honor it….

Thanksgiving Day is an annual national holiday in the United States and Canada. According to the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), more than 46 million turkeys are killed annually for Thanksgiving. Can you believe that in the 21st century, some human beings are so insensitive to suffering and brutality? There are so many plant-based food options you can explore for your celebration of gratitude. If you truly want to express your gratitude for God’s blessings with a feast, I would suggest that killing my kind for food, or any animal for that matter, is totally inappropriate. So, it’s time to break from that old tradition and try something new. And one of those is to Adopt Turkey instead of eating one.

I’m sure you have heard numerous stories of how people have demonstrated great courage and compassion in saving thee lives of others. We animals can also feel the pain and needs of those around us, be it animal or human, and will try and help in any way possible. Here are some tales of brave animals in our world! Sally the tabby cat in Melbourne, Australia, and her human companion Craig Jeeves, narrowly escaped a house fire. “She jumped on my head and sort of like was screaming at me and woke me up; otherwise, I wouldn’t have got up,” Craig said. Most of his house was lost to the blaze, and the fire department said it was lucky Craig got out in time. Animals help and save others out of our inherent good nature and ask for no reward. Even though we look a bit different than you, we cherish and respect life just like humans.

Today, we are going to learn about other common issues, such as lessening the pain of a swollen paw, taking care of a heatstroke case, dealing with broken bones, and stopping external bleeding. A swollen paw may not be a serious or dangerous issue, but it could make us feel uncomfortable as it’s a very sensitive body part for us. The strong sun rays could cause heatstroke in any dog. So how do you ensure a doggy avoids heatstroke? As we grow older, our bones may not be as strong as before. The risk of falling and fractures also becomes higher. It’s essential to learn how to manage or stop the blood flow before your animal companion receives the necessary treatment at the animal clinic.

Even though we axolotls are actually salamanders, some people somehow got into the habit of calling us the "Mexican walking fish." We have a distinct appearance with a wide head, lidless eyes, and a long, tapered tail, as well as four limbs with tiny digits at the ends. The six feathery branches on our head - our most noticeable feature - are external gills for respiration. Probably our most fascinating feature is our ability to heal and regenerate. If we have any nicks or wounds, they will close up without any scar.

It’s a good thing to celebrate. The Ching Hai Day is not only my day. It’s your day. It’s everyone’s day. “Ching Hai” is actually not just my name. It’s a name given, and it symbolizes the Pure Ocean of Love. That is in your heart, in everyone’s heart, in all beings’ hearts. And you can see that through some of our animal shows. You can see how animals, they treat humans with utmost love, devotion, and help, assistance, as much as they can, whenever they have a chance to do it. And they also treat each other kindly, lovingly, charitably. So these are all members of Ching Hai’s Day.

There are many other transparent animals in the ocean including the sea salp, glass sponge, transparent sea cucumber, ghost shrimp, glass squid, glass octopus, transparent-headed barreleye fish, juvenile surgeonfish, sea angel, sea walnut, and more. Research shows that these majestic beings play an important role in removing the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Scientists found one swarm of salps covering 100,000 square kilometers of the sea surface and consuming up to 74% of the carbon-containing plants on the surface per day. The salps’ waste is heavy and sinks and this particular swarm sent up to 4,000 tons of carbon daily to the seabed.

Speaking of flying, that brings me to the cute nickname you all have given my kind. While our scientific genus name is grimpoteuthis, the nickname we have most popularly come to be known as is the “Dumbo octopus.” That name is based on the fictional character “Dumbo” from the 1941 animated Disney film of the same name. Humans should consider us octopuses as royalty as well, for we too have blue blood! Scientists already known that we octopuses are quite smart. They know we can find our way through mazes, figure out problems, and even remember the solutions to those problems. We can take things apart for fun, and researchers have also realized that each octopus has a distinct personality.

Animals bless humans invisibly and physically. Assistance dogs selflessly aid the disabled with their keen hearing, superb sense of smell, and ability to detect danger. They also protect and guide people whose vision is impaired. When they return to the surface to breathe, the cetaceans may release waste matter containing much nitrogen and iron into the water. These elements, with the addition of sunlight, are what phytoplankton need for their development. The humble bees and other insects are indispensable for conveying pollen, thus ensuring viable fruit and vegetable crops. So you can see that on land as well as in the water and air, the animals all have a specific purpose to fulfil. You can benefit the planet so much just by preserving the animal inhabitants and letting them do their crucial work to keep our globe safe and beautiful.

One of the reasons October 2nd was specifically selected as “World Farm Animals Day” is that it coincides with the birthday of one of the modern era’s greatest practitioners of nonviolence, Mahatma Gandhi - the “Father of India.” Gandhi once said, “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated,” and, “I hold that the more helpless a creature, the more entitled it is to protection by man from the cruelty of man.” As we take this opportunity to contemplate the meaning of World Farm Animals Day, we call on humanity to be aware that all beings should live as equals and be treated with respect.

I called out, "Who's there? Do you need any help?" by barking at the drain, and pulled on the leash to let my walker know I wanted to get closer. She was surprised at my peculiar behavior but kindly followed me anyway. When we looked through the drain cover, we indeed saw a kitten trapped underneath. Because I was the one who discovered the trapped felines, everyone started calling me "Harvey the Hero." Now, I’ll tell you the best part of the story as far as I’m concerned. I am happy to report that all three kitties have been adopted!

So, conventional medicine has its uses, but to treat chronic ailments and give them a quality of life, that’s why it’s called integrative because I combine my conventional experience with my alternative treatments and that’s called integrating the two. The laser is also great for skin infections, really bad skin infections, arthritis, and pain, pain anywhere. Dr. Raj’s website states: “Like plants absorb sunlight through photosynthesis, cells in the body absorb laser energy that stimulates the body to release pain-relieving compounds and are energized to participate in the healing process.”