Philip R.

Student - University of Central Florida

July 23, 2009

1. What interaction with an animal and/or nature in your life has had the biggest impact on you?

When I was younger, my Father rescued an Alligator from a local golf course here in Florida. Knowing that at the time the were endangered we and one of his friends played cowboy and somehow managed to tie it up without hurting it. My Father, Brothers, and myself helped release it into a local lake where other Alligators lived natively. I realized that while dangerous animals may pose a threat to modern civilization, their habitat should be just as important as ours and our mission should be to create harmony between the two.

2. Did you have a favorite place in the great outdoors during your childhood? How about now??

Yes, I did, and it's currently the same now. I live about 10 miles from the St. John's river here in Florida and I see an ecosystem that is incredibly diverse, beautiful, wild, but in danger.

3. As a former zookeeper, I would love to know what your favorite animal is, and why?

My favorite animal is the Gray Wolf because of their importance to the American ecosystem and the strong familial ties that their pack contains. They're a great example of how animals that do live in family groups interact and also contain a great example in canine behavior. With America being such a dog loving society, we need them to understand our own four-legged friends, but also to maintain a healthy ecosystem.

4. What do you think is the greatest environmental challenge facing us now, and what do you think will be the greatest challenge in the future?

I think the greatest challenge facing us now and in the future is the pressure on the environment for water. With population growing larger and larger the demand for clean water is growing as well as the need to dispose of waste and sewage. People want prime real estate and they either bulldoze massive amounts of wetlands or pump them dry in order to have luxurious homes here in sunny Florida. They cry when their houses flood from our monsoon like rains then cry when water prices sky-rocket because they have ruined all of the recharge sites. If we only planned ahead and built in sustainable, well thought-out communities, water wouldn't be such a commodity.

5. If you could give everyone one piece of advice regarding the environment and our natural resources, what would it be?

Put yourself in the animals shoes. Do you think we would enjoy people dumping chemicals and sewage into our water, killing our children for clothing, and ripping our homes out from the ground?