Life with Dylan

Author: Michelle

  • Happy first day of Spring!

  • Did you know 16,000 plants and animals are endangered?

    This number may shock you or seem too high, but it is accurate. We may read more about the bigger, more popular animals, like the rhinos and tigers and elephants, but these are just the tip of the iceberg. So may species are endangered and need our help. From the smallest butterflies who are dying from pesticides to the large polar bears whose home is melting away and everyone in between.


    According to San Diego Zoo Global,  to date, they have reintroduced 33 species back into the wild including: mountain yellow-legged frogs, 5 species of reptiles, 17 species of birds, and 10 species of mammals. In many cases, these efforts have meant the difference between extinction and survival. 
    This, my friends, is why we feel so strongly about supporting San Diego Zoo Global Wildlife Conservancy.
    It’s not just about going to see the animals at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park – we go to witness first hand the breeding programs at work. 
    The San Diego Zoo is so much more than just a zoo – it is physical proof that together, we are making a difference.  
    Join me and thousands of others who are helping to bring species back from the brink of extinction by becoming a Wildlife Conservancy HERO. Together we can do more.   

  • How you can make a difference and have fun at the same time

    So often I hear people say that they don’t know how to help or they don’t have the time to do a big fundraiser.  They say the small amount they have to give wouldn’t make a difference, so why bother. Well, this is where I usually get on my soapbox and start talking about how one person can make a difference and that you don’t need to give thousands of dollars to help save endangered wildlife or the habitats they live in.

    My family is by no means wealthy. In fact, for many years we lived paycheck to paycheck – just barely getting by. However, I always managed to do something to make a difference, even if it was only recycling the cans and water bottles we used. It was better than them ending up in a landfill right? As I learned to stick to a budget, I was able to give more monetarily. Still not a lot, but something. It felt good to give and know that I was making a difference and helping to save an endangered animal. I taught these values to my son and as you may know, he has become quite the little philanthropist.

    Making a difference in the world can be fun too – Just get creative!

    Dylan currently has three different San Diego Zoo Global fundraisers going on and I was getting very confused with what money went where, so we grabbed some jars (re-purposed from our kitchen), some mailing labels and our Sharpie pens. Not only do the jars make it easier to keep the money separated, but they make us smile and look pretty darn cool on the counter!

    Cans for Critters is a recycling fundraiser that will help Dylan meet his conservation requirement for Cub Scouts. All the money he gets from recycling gets put in this jar for the critters.

    Animal Care Wish List is a monthly list of wishes from the keepers at the San Diego Zoo and San Diego Zoo Safari Park for the animals. Sometimes it’s feeding the animals, buying special toys for animal enrichment, or helping the conservation projects around the world. This jar collects all of our spare change and pays for monthly items on the wish list.

    I Read for Wildlife is the latest and greatest fundraiser where Dylan has promised to read 1500 pages of fascinating animal facts in 100 days. Money from his sponsors or that he has raised gets put in this jar.

    Now that you see how easy (and fun) it can be to help endangered species, what will you do to make a difference? Will you start a fundraising jar?

    Remember, there is no time limit and no rule that says you need to raise thousands of dollars. Find something that you are passionate about and start saving your spare change. Coins add up quickly and many items on the Animal Care Wish List cost less than $10.

    EVERYONE can make a difference – YOU just need to pick a day to start – Why not TODAY?

  • Sunset Sunday – The magic moment

    Sometimes it’s not the golden hour that makes a sunset so memorable, but the short magic moment when the sky appears to be glowing and everything else becomes a silhouette  That moment just before the sun fades away – the magic moment between day and night.

    Have a fantastic week and don’t forget to take time to watch the sunsets.

  • Tiger cubs celebrate their 1st birthday at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park

    Hard to believe it has already been a year since these two adorable tiger cubs pounced their way into our hearts … Happy 1st Birthday Conrad and Thomas!

                              Photo courtesy of San Diego Zoo Safari Park – June 26, 2012

    You have grown into two very handsome young tigers and I know your Dad Utan is looking down on you with so much pride. Enjoy those tasty bloodsicles I’m sure you will get today. 


  • Reading for Wildlife update – Saving animals one page at a time

    Well, tomorrow will be day 50 of Dylan’s adventure – The half way point to reaching his goal of reading 1500 pages in 100 days to raise money and awareness for wildlife.

    If you follow us on Instagram or on Facebook, then you have seen the pictures, video clips, and tidbits of his journey that we have documented.

    Dylan has finished two of his selected books and started his third book today. So far he has read a total of 750 pages – Right on schedule. He has been very good about reading at least 15 pages a day, or if he has a lot of homework, he makes up for days missed by reading more on the weekends.

    Dylan reads in bed …

    Dylan reads on the treadmill …
    So far Dylan has raised $290 from sponsors, but he still needs $210 to reach his goal of $500. 
    It only costs $5 to sponsor one day of reading – the price of a fancy cup of coffee. 
    If you can, and if you would like to help Dylan on his journey of Reading for Wildlife, please visit http://donate.sandiegozoo.org/goto/DylanFryer where you can sponsor him with your tax-deductible donation. 
    This is Dylan’s latest video from yesterday. You can see more video clips on the YouTube channel. 

  • An open letter to my son

    I have noticed a change in you recently and I believe that I had something to do with it. You have seemed a little calmer and a little less agitated when I ask you to do something. The tone of your voice isn’t always sarcastic when you talk to me.

    You say please and thank you. You give me a hug for no other reason than to say I love you Mom. In general, life has been much happier in our home.

    I began to notice these changes about the same time I started being there for you. Not that I wasn’t there for you before, but I realized that there is a difference between being in the same room working on the computer and just being there on the couch. I have spent very little time on the computer since my ah-ha moment, which means much less time telling you to wait a minute. Social media can wait – you can not.

    Ten years have already flown by and I find myself wondering where the time went. When did my little boy grow up? Then I think, oh yes, he grew up when I wasn’t watching – When I wasn’t there.

    Those days and nights when I was too busy writing a paper for school, or too busy meeting a deadline for my editor, or writing a blog post that just couldn’t wait another day.

    The times when Facebook and twitter took priority over you – That is when you grew up.

    For the past few weeks I have been able to relax at night. Flip through a magazine or work on a crafting project and be there for you – be there with you. We can talk or read together. I watch you play a game on the Wii and when you say mom, watch this I can. Or when you want to share something that you just read, I can listen to you.

    I’m here Dylan. For real this time, I am here.

    Here to watch you grow up.

    Here to listen to you.

    Here to spend quality time with you.

    Our weekends will be filled with less chores and errands – and more time together taking pictures, going on adventures, exploring nature, and of course lots and lots of zoo trips.

    It scares me to think that the next 8 years will fly by just as quickly, if not quicker, than the last 10 years did. My baby will be 18 years old before I know it and I don’t want to miss any more than I already have.

    I love you Dylan.

    Love,
    Mom

  • Tigress Danai

    My son the budding photographer had to show off last week with this amazing picture of Danai. The crowds were surrounding the glass, but he just scooted his way through the people, right up next to the glass, and took this beautiful portrait. Just one of the advantages to being a child at the zoo. (Yes, I am envious of my son.)

    Read more about Danai and how we met her in the post Our tiger encounter at the San Diego Zoo.

    Photo credit: Dylan Fryer – taken at the San Diego Zoo during Discovery Days Cool Cats. 2013

  • Sunset Sunday – Beautiful Beginnings

    I have always loved sunsets, but I think I appreciate them more when I see a sunset through the lens of my camera. Deciding to take a picture of the sunset every month for a year as part of our family bucket list has turned out to be a great learning experience as well as a fun project. I’ve learned to watch each stage of the sunset – appreciating the changes in light and color of each one – from the very beginning to the very end when the sun is completely below the horizon.

    The bright orange sky was my favorite part of a sunset for a long time, but now I’ve come to love the beginning of a sunset. That moment when the sun is just starting to set and the sky is a mix of blue and orange. That moment when you know it is going to be an amazing sunset – the beautiful beginning of what’s to come.

    Have a fantastic week and don’t forget to take time to watch the sunsets.

  • The day we helped save the Northern White Rhinos

    It is no big secret that we love wildlife and want to do everything we can to help save all endangered species. While choosing just one is not an easy task, we do have favorites – animals that have touched our hearts and will forever have a special place within them. For Dylan and I these animals are the tigers and rhinos because we have connected with them on a personal level.

    One of the ways we love helping save endangered animals and creating awareness about the animal is to symbolically adopt them. We have adopted many animals from the San Diego Zoo and Safari Park, as well as some from World Wildlife Fund. We consider the adopted animals part of our family and carefully select who will be adopted next. One animal in particular that we want desperately to help is the Northern White Rhino. Every time we visit the San Diego Zoo Safari Park and see Nola, I can’t help but feel a sadness that one day she won’t be there anymore – yet at the same time I feel blessed to have known her since many people will never have the opportunity to see a Northern White Rhino in person.

    Imagine my surprise and my joy when I saw a post on Facebook telling me that I could adopt a Northern White Rhino from the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Africa.

    Not just any rhino, but I could choose which rhino I wanted to symbolically adopt and help care for. As much as I wanted to adopt a rhino in my name, I knew that this would mean so much to Dylan – and it would make the perfect Valentine’s Day present.

    I chose to adopt Fatu who is a 12 year old female living at the conservancy with her mother Najin. Fatu is one of the four Northern White Rhinos who was translocated from the Dvur Kralove Zoo in the Czech Republic on December 20, 2009 to the Ol Pejeta Conservancy.

    Fatu has been observed mating, which gives us all hope for the future of Northern White Rhinos.

    I gave Dylan the adoption certificate before school on Valentine’s Day and I don’t think I have ever seen him so excited. Knowing that there are only 7 Northern White Rhinos left in the world today, we are now directly helping to care for one of them. We are making a difference.

    Helping Rhinos is based in the United Kingdom and is proud to say that 100% of every donation received ends up where it is needed most – in the field protecting the rhinos! Along with the adoption certificate we received this picture of Fatu and several fact sheets about the rhinos.

    Fatu’s horns were cut down to ensure she remained safe during the translocation and to hopefully deter poachers. Her horns will grow back because they are made from keratin – just like our fingernails. They have no medicinal value.

    Today is the day to make a difference because tomorrow may be too late. 

    If you would like to help care for these beautiful animals, you can adopt a Northern White Rhino from HelpingRhinos.org just like we did. I can’t tell you how important it is to keep hope alive and continue to spread awareness about the plight of the rhinos. 2012 was a very bad year for the rhinos and I’m praying that 2013 will be better. This chart from Helping Rhinos shows the most current numbers.

    Want to learn more about the Ol Pejeta Conservancy? Did you know they are famous for their conservation work with endangered species and are the largest Black Rhino sanctuary in East Africa? For more information about Ol Pejeta, including how you can visit the conservancy, please visit www.olpejetaconservancy.org