LOVE FOR LIVING ANIMALS
Author Mona Sabalones Gonzalez
Main Photographer Elizabeth Barrett
“The question is, are we happy to suppose that our grandchild may never be able to see an elephant except in a picture book? “– David Attenborough (epigraph)
The writer of this collection of essays tells engaging stories of endangered animals, vividly, lovingly, and with passionate concern. It started as a series initially written for Pressenza. The author says, writing the stories “took me on a voyage that was totally unexpected. In sum, I learned that every problem of every animal that is on the brink of extinction can only be blamed on humans. It also made me grateful for every conservationist in the world who loves animals, insects, fungi, plants, corals, and other living things and is passionate enough to give their life to the work that they do.” (page 3, Prologue, Love for Living Animals)
While she wrote each story, she says “I’m reminded of how mindfully God created this world, and how mindlessly we’ve treated it. We haven’t shepherded this planet well. But in the beginning, everything was right. We must work intentionally to handle each ecosystem dutifully. The challenge is strong and the work is hard…” (Page ii, Dedication, Love for Living Animals)
With permission from Pressenza to collect all that she had written and publish a book, the reader will find 24 essays, with each piece dutifully and carefully researched, that bring each animal to life and accompanied by photos. The book contains three major sections, covering birds, land animals, and water creatures.
On the back cover…
As you read about each endangered animal whom our children and grandchildren may never again see alive, well, and happy, contributing their fair share to our planet’s web of life, each one paints “a picture of an endangered animal, helps us to know more and get acquainted with animals that inhabit our world. They hope to rekindle care and concern, to remind us of what each animal can do to make our world a wonderful place to live in. They are precious and should be conserved for future generations. Mindlessly destroying environments and habitats for “wealth and prosperity” is a form of violence which could very well ricochet with unwanted consequences”. (page 1, Foreword, Love for Living Animals)
The Foreword further states, “Doing one’s share to shed light on this brings out the human being’s capacity for kindness and for loving life in all its manifestations, a sensibility much needed if we wish to contribute towards a world of peace and non-violence. The work of the many conservationists in this field is vital and of utmost importance. But perhaps, these essays that were first posted and circulated on the Pressenza platform, can do their share in helping us remember the importance of caring for all the living things in our planet, Earth.”
Read what Beting Laygo Dolor, Editor at Philippine News Today and CNN Philippines, and Victor Jeffery, CEO/Publisher Global Integrated Media LTD have to say…
And, read the stories of “those animals that are slipping through our hands like sand on the shore…a rare animal that only leaves behind its excrement has given us a jewel, a clue to its presence, an idea of the path where it regularly wanders, and something about its biology. And who knows, maybe one day we’ll see that animal that left its dung behind, frolicking in the wild, when we least expect it. (page 4, Prologue, Love for Living Animals)
A portion of earnings from this book will be donated to Pressenza International Press Agency in furtherance of journalism for non-violence, peace, and humanity. Mona Sabalones Gonzalez’s book, Love for Living Animals, is now available at:
https://central.com.ph/bookstoreplus/authordetails/957/
https://www.central.com.ph/bookstoreplus/products/AAD962/
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