The Goodnewspaper The Animals Edition

When I moved into my first grown-up apartment, where I finally had an entire wall above my desk to decorate, I displayed a colorful print by artist Adam J. Kurtz on my wall. It read: “It's not all sunshine and rainbows, but a good amount of it actually is.” At Good Good Good, we're big anti-toxic positivity buffs. We don't believe in burying our heads in the sand; we believe in determined optimism, actionable hope. Something I have definitely said when describing my job is: “It's not just puppies and kittens.” But… a good amount of it actually is. Good Good Good's founder, Branden, will tell everyone a million times over that when he started the Goodnewspaper, he didn't want it to be full of the feel-good fluff that plays…

IFAW (the International Fund for Animal Welfare) has spent over 50 years sticking to its animal rescue principles of “rescue, rehabilitate, release, and secure,” spanning over 40 countries to protect and save animals in need. To do this takes a massive amount of creative problem-solving. Take, for instance, the Mobile Dolphin Rescue Clinic (MDRC) in Cape Cod – a dolphin ambulance affectionately called “Moby”. The ambulance is different from your average weewoo wagon, custom-built with soft foam mats and a mini mobile clinic that transports and rehabilitates injured, sick, and stranded dolphins (and other marine mammals like porpoises, whales, and seals) on the Massachusetts peninsula. The goal of any IFAW mission is to quickly care for an animal and release it back into its natural ecosystem, so having an on-the-go…

After two decades of negotiations, members of the United Nations have agreed on an international high seas treaty, which will protect biodiversity in international waters – roughly two-thirds of the planet's oceans. The treaty will confront biodiversity loss, pollution, and climate change – a promising step toward 30x30, a major land and marine conservation commitment that hopes to protect 30% of the planet's land and oceans by 2030. Right now, most global waters remain heavily unregulated, meaning it's nearly impossible to agree between governing bodies to find ways to deal with plastic pollution, overfishing, and more. With the treaty, however, four main objectives aim to mitigate this barrier: the establish ment of large-scale protected areas (like national parks for the ocean!), commercial regulations, equitable access to resources and research across…

Lolita, an orca whale – who was initially called Tokitae or Toki – was captured nearly 50 years ago at the age of four from her home in the Salish Sea and brought to the Miami Seaquarium. For decades, she performed for visitors and lived in an 80-foot by 35-foot tank. (Orcas can grow to be 32 feet long). Lolita was finally able to retire from exhibition last year, and after mounting efforts from animal rights activists fighting against the captivity of dolphins and whales, the Seaquarium has agreed to move her back home. Along with the efforts of groups like Friends Of Lolita, another key player was part of her freedom: an NFL owner-philanthropist, Jim Irsay, the owner of the Indianapolis Colts – and lifelong whale lover. A generous…

GOOD Do your research to learn more about the threats marine animals face. While there are countless resources out there, you may want to start by reading “The Sea Around Us” by Rachel Carson. BETTER Donate to nonprofits dedicated to the protection of marine biodiversity and habitats. We'd recommend local conservation groups in your area or global organizations like IFAW (ifaw.org) or Oceana (oceana.org). BEST Take action! Whether you join a beach clean-up crew, contact your representatives about adopting the UN High Seas Treaty, or opt out of using those pesky plastic straws, you're helping out.…

Dr. Cherice Roth, who is both a Black woman and a veterinarian, woke up at 3 a.m. one day, wrote “What is a real doctor?” on a sticky note, and fell back to sleep. The next morning, she wrote the first draft of her children's book in 30 minutes. The book, aptly titled “What's A Real Doctor?” follows her real-life sons as they explain to their friends that their mom is a “real doctor,” but her patients are just a different species. Her second book, “What Does A Real Doctor Look Like?” adds on to the initial myth-busting of her first page-turner. In this edition, the main character admits: “I want to be a doctor, but I don't think doctors look like me. Do they?” In a kid-friendly, accessible format,…