The puppy was whimpering.
Luke couldn’t be afraid anymore. The puppy needed him.
“You’re going to be tough one day,” he said. “Tough as a tiger.”
A great name for a puppy.
Tiger leaned closer.
What had Dad said? “You may not be happy at first. But…you’ll see.”
Luke said it aloud to Tiger.
He had friends now. Tori and Omar.
Mitchell would be home soon. And there was Alex, who never stopped talking…
And best of all, Abuelo.
Luke heard Benita singing. “I have a dog. Her name is Sweet Pea.”
Sweet Pea? Wow.
Luke patted Tiger’s head. “Let’s count. Then we’ll fall asleep.”
“Elephants, hippos, jaguars.”
Tiger closed his eyes.
“Pumas…”
Luke closed his eyes too. “Meerkats…”
He loved this place.
He really did.
MORE ABOUT WILD ANIMALS
SPIDER MONKEYS
These are the largest of the monkey groups. They’re the only ones that don’t have thumbs—maybe with those long tails, they don’t need them.
They bark like dogs and neigh like horses.
They’re endangered now because their homes in the rain forests are being cleared. They’re also hunted for meat. Zoos are helping them stay alive.
GIRAFFES
World Giraffe Day: June 21.
A baby giraffe is called a calf. It runs with its mother when it’s only ten hours old.
Giraffes grunt and snort. They snore, hiss, and moo. When the mom whistles for her calf, it mews back.
Every giraffe has different spots. But they all have four stomachs.
In the wild, many babies don’t live to grow up. Zoos give them safe places to live.
WHAT MITCHELL LEARNED AT CAMP TO HELP WILDLIFE
Keep your cat indoors. Five million birds are killed by outdoor cats every year.
Put a birdbath in your yard. Fill it with water every day.
Plant a tree for birds to nest.
Help clean parks and outdoor spaces.
Don’t pull dandelions out of your lawn. Bees love them.
