Rebel Girls Animal Allies: 25 Tales of Women Working with Wildlife
8 BELLA LACK ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVIST Bella flopped on the sofa Her eyes were wide and she was ready to learn Images of animals in the wild darted across the TV screen and a deep voice rose over the outdoor images She'd recognize that voice anywhere It was Sir David Attenborough and she loved the wildlife documentaries he made She grabbed a pen and wrote him a letter Something incredible happened David wrote back Every time His replies made Bella feel like her words mattered As a young girl Bella learned about animals that performed in circuses all over the United Kingdom Many lived in tiny cages and faced brutal training She couldn't stand it At first Bella felt small Circuses had been around forever and she was just a teenager But then Bella remembered the letters that had brought her so much joy What if she wrote a letter to lawmakers Bella sat down at her computer and started writing She imagined she was talking to someone like Sir David Attenborough and expressed how much she cared about the bears tigers elephants and other four-legged entertainers She begged the government to outlaw their acts Later she turned her letter into an online petition and asked her friends for help spreading the word They shared it with their friends who shared it with their friends Bella was blown away when 200,000 people signed it Less than a year later a new law passed It banned the use of animals in circuses in the UK Bella is more convinced than ever that her words matter She proved that no one is too small or too young to speak up when something is wrong BORN NOVEMBER 27 2002 UNITED KINGDOM
ILLUSTRATION BY EMMA PEDERSEN THERE'S NO WAY WE CAN GET PEOPLE TO CARE ABOUT NATURE IF THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY'RE TRYING TO PROTECT BELLA LACK
BINDI IRWIN TV PERSONALITY AND CONSERVATIONIST Bindi wasn't born in the Australia Zoo but she might as well have been The enormous wildlife sanctuary has always been her home Every animal inside it is like family to her She was even named after her father's favorite crocodile While at the zoo Bindi would run from habitat to habitat feeding koalas kangaroos snakes and turtles right from her hand and memorizing the name of every new joey pup and hatchling She squealed as she played with her best friend Maggie a magpie goose Bindi's father Steve Irwin was a famous conservationist with his very own TV show One day she wanted to be just like her adventure-loving dad Sure enough when Bindi turned seven she began filming her own show Bindi The Jungle Girl In it she and her family introduced audiences to koalas kangaroos macaws and more She showed off lizards in the outback spotted prairie dogs in the American West and fed grapes to her iguana at home Two years later she won an Emmy Award for the show Sadly when Bindi was eight years old her dad passed away while filming a nature documentary Though Bindi was heartbroken she was also determined to continue his legacy Bindi has worked as an educator tour guide and animal caretaker at the zoo feeding and caring for the animals including her most beloved wild friends echidnas While teaching children worldwide about the importance of preserving wildlife she is raising her own daughter in the same incredible enriching home where she grew up Bindi hopes that the next generation will love animals as much as her family and that her dad's enthusiasm for the whole wild world and her own will never be forgotten BORN JULY 24 1998 AUSTRALIA 10
ILLUSTRATION BY JOANNE DERTILI FROM THE MOMENT I WAS BORN MY WONDERFUL MUM AND DAD STARTED INTRODUCING ME TO WILDLIFE OUR CONSERVATION WORK HAS BEEN MY LIFE SINCE THE VERY BEGINNING BINDI IRWIN
