World Animal Day 2017 Facts from the author Lauren St John + review of her book Kidnap In the Caribbean

It's with great delight that I write this post for World Animal Day on 4th October 2017! It's put up before the day so you know about it ^u^ I think the day is about celebrating animals, highlighting the wonders of the animal kingdom which we live our lives with, showing our support and love for the thousands of creatures. I have a pet cat, Belle, 

Cute & fluffy!!! Frequently forgets tail is attached, enjoys running circles in the bath

and two zebra finches, Tomoya & Zack.

Extremely talkative, almost useless at nest building

 My family also have some fish. I love them all, and love most cute and fluffy animals, as well as a one or two who I think are cute but most may disagree: 

Crocodiles! I adore the babies who are perfect replicas of their parents.

Bats! I think they are absolutely adorable creaturs, clever, have great method of finding their way around the world.

This post is highlighting animals, especially endangered ones who need extra support from us, on a request from the charity Born Free. You can find out all about them on their website. I was asked if I wanted to review one of their children's books. I had a look, and was very happy to find one from a favourite author, Lauren St John, Kidnap in the Caribbean. 

Book summary

From Cornwall to the Caribbean, 11-year-old ace detective Laura Marlin comes face to face with pirates, sharks, criminal masterminds and an erupting volcano in her second mystery adventure, from award-winning author Lauren St John. 

Laura cannot contain her excitement when she wins a trip to the Caribbean for herself and her uncle, Calvin Redfern, especially when her best friend, Tariq, and her three-legged husky, Skye, accidentally find themselves on board too. But when they dock at Antigua, they discover that Calvin Redfern has vanished, and Laura and Tariq are about to be kidnapped by the fearsome Straight A gang. Dramatic escapes, an erupting volcano and a race against time to stop the deadly undercover 'Marine Concern' make Laura's second adventure every bit as exciting as the first.

Nayu's thoughts 

Now I've read this book in the past, it's awesome because Laura is so headstrong and gets in heaps of trouble which isn't her fault. I managed to run out of time to reread it, but take my word it is incredible! There's plenty of action and terrifying moments where I truly didn't think Laura (the heroine) would be able to get out of danger. This series sort of reminded me of the Enid Blyton Adventure series which sometimes involved the children going on wild adventures (on boats and off them). Lauren fits a lot of important issues into her books, which certainly made me think about a lot as a reader, but never taking away from the enjoyment of the thrilling story. It's definitely a major peril kind of read, one that you'll want to set a few hours aside for. I'm in love with Laura's Husky! A 10E/10E read from me. 

Find out more on Lauren's website.

Suggested read

Check out Lauren's other books including The Glory by Lauren St John (Young Adult, 10E/10E, short 'n' sweet review)

Below is what I'm really excited about in this post. I approached Lauren to see if she could write a feature to go along with this review because I've said hi a few times in the past while fangirling over her many books (a lot reviewed on this blog, so simply search Lauren in the search bar in the right hand side menu and you should find them). She is currently mega busy with writing deadlines, (you can do it Lauren!) but she gave me a fact sheet which she'd created a while ago in association with Born Free (I think). The figures are pretty much accurate for now, and it's super interesting so enjoy! I added the pictures (had issues transferring from the pdf), and in a few places wrote a note or two on my opinon.

Please forgive the formatting change for the article - I don't know why it did that and I can't seem to remedy the font spacing! 

Endangered Marine Species The Facts by Lauren St John 

Sharks

 

Jaws has given sharks a fearsome reputation as man-eaters, yet in the past five years no more than four people have died each year from shark attacks. Sharks cause fewer deaths than lightning, dogs or falling coconuts. Compare that to our treatment of sharks. We slaughter 70–100 million a year, mostly for shark’s fin soup, one of the world’s most expensive delicacies. Boat crews often slice off the fins of living sharks and toss them overboard to die a slow, painful death. Up to 10 million kilos of shark fins are exported every year to Hong Kong, a trade hub, which then sends them onto China, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Taiwan. In the UK, shark meat is sometimes sold as ‘rock salmon’ in fish and chip ships. 

 In July 2010, Hawaii made it illegal to possess, sell or distribute shark fins, but it might be too little, too late. Scientists fear that threatened shark species like the Porbeagle, Dogfish, Oceanic Whitetip and Scalloped Hammerhead will be one step closer to extinction by the time CITES (Commission for the International Trade in Endangered Species) meets again in 2013. 

What you can do: Don’t ever order shark’s fin soup at a Chinese restaurant or ‘rock salmon’ in a fish and chip shop. Ask your family and friends to consider joining you in boycotting shark products.  

Tuna

Alantic bluefin tuna is among the most critically endangered species on earth. Between 1970 and 2007 the Atlantic bluefin tuna population declined by an estimated 82.4 per cent in the Western Atlantic alone. The tuna is a slow growing fish that can take up to twelve years to reach maturity and only spawns every two or three years, making them particularly vulnerable to extinction. Yet when did you last see a sandwich shop that didn’t sell tuna sandwiches? The black market in tuna alone is believed to be worth over $7 billion a year. Over 80 per cent of captured bluefin tuna ends up in Japan, where it is mostly eaten raw as sushi. In 2010 a single tuna weighing 512lb was sold for $178,000 at Tokyo’s Tsukii fish market.

What you can do: Stop eating tuna and consider asking your parents and friends to do the same. Ask your school or local sandwich shop to stop serving tuna fish

Nayu: Um, I do eat tuna, but I buy tins which say it's from a sustainable source and dolphin friendly (caught in a way that doesn't affect other animals) which I believe is ok, but everyone has the freedom to make up their own mind.

 

Dolphins

A few years ago a BBC survey showed that swimming with dolphins is the activity most people want to do before they die. Across the world, dolphins are suffering horribly to make this dream come true. In places like Japan and the Solomon Islands, wild dolphins are captured and sent off to marine parks across the world. Many of these dolphins die on the way, and the ones who don’t are often kept in swimming pools where chlorinated water burns their eyes and skin. Think about how red your eyes are after you’ve been in the swimming pool. Now imagine chlorine burning your eyes and blistering your skin twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week for ten or twenty years. That’s what some dolphins experience. In the ocean dolphins swim up to 50km a day and live in big, social groups that spend hours every day hunting. In captivity, they are confined, bored, abused, made to perform ridiculous tricks, and fed dead fish, all so someone can say they swam with a dolphin.

What you can do: Refuse to visit any facility that keeps captive dolphins. If your dream is to swim with dolphins, wait until you have the chance of swimming with them in the wild, in situations where the welfare of the dolphins is paramount. Better still, content yourself with observing them from boats on tours that respect the dolphins’ space and freedom.   

Nayu: I've recently seen a show on BBC about this. I can't remember what it was called, and it wasn't just about dolphins, but it was horrific to view and this practice must be stopped.  

Marine Turtles

Six of the seven species of marine turtle are endangered, and yet illegal trade in meat, leather and eggs from these animals continues. In 2009, enforcement officers seized 849 sea turtles from a Vietnamese farmer who was planning to sell them for their meat and shells.

What you can do: If you’re travelling and are offered souvenir turtle’s eggs, leather or shells, refuse to buy them and contact the authorities. Sponsor a turtle family through the Born Free Foundation: www.bornfree.org.uk

Seahorses  

The illegal trade in seahorses for use in traditional Chinese medicine is on the increase. In July 2010, a single seizure in Beijing turned up 100 kilos of freezedried seahorses. The legal trade is also a matter of grave concern. An estimated eighty nations trade in 24 million seahorses annually.

 What you can do: Never buy any seahorse product, legal or illegal.

Nayu: These are one of my favourite sea animals becaus they are beautiful and fun to watch on wildlife programs. I've loved them ever since I was little.

Seadragons

Leafy and Weedy seadragons are very rare and highly prized by collectors. If you own an aquarium, boycott any shop that sells them and refuse to buy them. 

For more information or advice on how to sponsor marine species or raise money for them, contact the Born Free Foundation: www.bornfree.org.uk