Today marks two special occasions of note.

The first is Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Birthday and is celebrated as an American holiday as Martin Luther King, Jr., Day of Service.  For many people, it's a day to focus on nonviolence, peace, getting along with those with whom we share the planet.  For pantheists, that generally includes not only humans, but non-human species as well.  

From Wilderness Watch's Twitter account, we are reminded of this quote.  The question is, will we ever learn?
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​Secondly, it's Penguin Awareness Day.  For more info on these fascinating animals, click here for National Geographic's video on Antarctica's city of 400,000 King Penguins. 
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​Today is World Rhino Day.  Join others in celebrating and protecting these interesting creatures that share our planet.  Read this article to learn of one person's interaction with and reaction to a special rhinoceros named Sudan.  

What I Learned Documenting the Last Male Northern White Rhino's Death

​"When we see ourselves as part of nature, we understand that saving nature is really about saving ourselves."

The slaughter of this species, as the writer puts it, is largely based on a superstitious belief in the curative power found in the rhino's horn (which actually is just made of keratin), combined with human greed.  As sad and angry as that may make you, just know that there are many people working towards saving and protecting the rhinos as well, people who believe in the beauty and necessity of diversity, people who know we are all interconnected 

The above image is from the worldelephantday.org website.  Today is World Elephant Day when we come together not only to celebrate these amazing creatures, but also to protect them and their habitats.  There's some good information there, and there's even a place where you can pledge your support for a world that protects them.  There are lots of interesting things to learn and know about elephants. 

​Check out this tweet from BBC Ideas to see four things we can learn from elephants.  One of the most notable things is their family life.  What a nice world it would be if they could be left in peace to live with their families, raise their babies, mourn their dead, and thrive on this planet that is theirs, too, without being harmed by humans for their ivory, for entertainment, etc. 

Jane Goodall also shared an opinion on this day regarding the ivory trade still carried on by Canada.  Click here to read her article. 

Today is, indeed, World Lion Day.  According to this National Geographic article showing beautiful photographs of lions, "They've lost 90 percent of their population in Africa and Asia in the last 75 years, mostly due to conflict with humans, poaching, and trophy hunting."

In addition, check out this link for worldlionday.com to learn more about these amazing big cats and what you can do to help save them.