Illustration inspired by the story of Kiribati, a group of 32 island in the central tropical Pacific Ocean that may soon disappear —or ‘drown’— due to the sea’s rising level.

 

The Republic of Kiribati is probably best known as being the first inhabited place on Earth to greet the new millennium. The stereotypical image of Kiribati is of classic pacific atolls, palm trees, coral reefs and people living a simple lifestyle, able to fish in abundant seas.

 

In addition this island nation is one of the most populated places on earth. Current estimates suggest around 110,000 people live here (on 800 square/KM), and half of these in South Tarawa - a chain of small islands, sharing a lagoon and coral reefs now linked by concrete causeways topped with a dusty road.  

 

"The outer island communities have been affected, we have a village which has gone, we have a number of communities where the sea water has broken through into the freshwater pond and is now affecting the food crops," says Kiribati’s president, Anote Tong.  

 

http://www.bbc.com/news/in-pictures-29029524

Illustration inspired by a bbc article reflecting on the recent rage in iice bucket-related videos and selfies posted on social media. The stunt is typically intended to raise money and awareness for the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Association.

The 64kg Great Dane had an affinity for chewing socks but no-one knew he was swallowing them whole, a spokeswoman from the animal hospital said.  The vets, who operated on the dog in February, said that it was the largest amount of socks they had ever pulled out of an animal.  

The dog, which recovered, has now won a prize for its strange eating habits. The top prize, however, went to a frog that ate more than 30 ornamental rocks from his cage. Judges also awarded other honorable mentions: to a kitten that ate a toy alien figure and a golden retriever that swallowed a light bulb.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-29073754

 

 

It’s no secret that tortoises are among the most resilient animals on Earth, perfectly adapted for life in natural environments that others would find inhospitable. But for one particularly tenacious pet tortoise, that hardy sense of survival allowed it to endure for decades in the most unnatural of places.  

 

Back in 1982, the Almeida Family was saddened to learn that their beloved pet, Manuela, a young red-footed tortoise, had gone missing. Their house was under renovation at the time, so the family just assumed that the slow-moving animal had slipped out through a gate left open by the construction crew — disappearing into the forest near their home in Realengo, Brazil. But they couldn’t have been more wrong.  

 

The true fate of their lost pet remained a mystery for the next 30 years, that is, until recently.  

 

Earlier last month, after their father Leonel passed away, the Almeida children returned to help clean out his cluttered storage room upstairs. As it turns out, Leonel was somewhat of a horder, so the room was jam-packed with things that he had found on the street, like broken televisions and furniture. Deciding it was mostly junk, the family set about moving it to the trash out front.  

 

But while son Leandro Almeida was making a trip to the dumpster with a box of broken records, a neighbor asked him if he was intending to throw out the tortoise that was holed up inside…

 

http://www.treehugger.com/natural-sciences/family-cleans-house-and-finds-pet-tortoise-went-missing-30-years-earlier.html

Illustration inspired by the amazing story of a mouse that lives with a snake. The snake refuses to eat him like all the other mice.

Illustration inspired by an article published on the BBC website stating that, according to a new study, when a snake climbs a tree, it squeezes the trunk up to five times harder than necessary. The research suggests that the animals place safety ahead of efficiency, making a fall as unlikely as possible. A tight hug instead.

...literally means: "Log Island"