Years ago, 34 to be exact, I wrote a book to support children in growing their feelings vocabulary, i.e.: to strengthen their EQ, or emotional quotient. The word, respect, is a foundational word, learned by example during childhood in the home, school, community or globally. Children who are respectful and kind to animals are more likely to demonstrate that practice to humans. What’s obvious while watching any of Bob Poole’s films about elephant behavior is that animals have emotions.

A few signs of showing respect for animals:

*Join organizations that go to court on behalf of non-human animals to give them freedom.

*Become educated about the harmful effect on the wolf pack, after the killing of an alpha female.

*Do NOT feed the wild animals when you visit a national park. Observe them in their natural environment, learning from and respecting their existence.

*Participate in eco-tourism, particularly wolf-tourism, and learn how it brings economic abundance to the state. Then ask yourself, “why doesn’t Idaho adopt a mindset shift?”

A few signs of showing a lack of respect towards animals:

*Taking a selfie near a bison in a national park.

*Destroying an animal’s habitat – it’s actually called their HOME.

*Snatching an infant chimpanzee from its mother to spend its entire life in a lab, in the pet industry or for personal entertainment.

*Reducing the wolf population in Idaho from 1,340 to 500 wolves over a period of time

Ivy Prep Learning Academy says that, “If you want your child to not only be aware but become passionate about managing the health of our planet, respecting animals is a good start!”

After the Idaho Fish and Game Commission unanimously adopted the wolf management plan, mentioned above, the question, “What are we teaching our children?” is dire.