Each morning we read the news and each morning we get upset about how we humans treat our planet. We can’t change those global issues, we can only try to make a small difference starting with ourselves. We tend to go one step further and address behaviour that we witness in our little world (e.g. anchoring in coral, disturbing bird colonies, treating remote places as a free all-you-can-eat buffet, disrespecting local customs, polluting, etc.). Doing so we have made some enemies. Well, we don’t really care as it we don’t want to be friends with people who disrespect mother nature anyway. We have also made friends with people who are well-meaning and acted just thoughtlessly 
Just an example: Last month I had a doctor’s appointment and was horrified to see 5 guppies (little, very hardy fresh water fish) in a tiny vase displayed in the waiting room. Of course I couldn’t keep my big mouth shut and brought up the issue with the doc. She was flabbergasted, the fish had come with the office and she hadn’t given them much thought, so I explained the basic set-up of a fish tank. When I went back two weeks later, the guppies were swimming in an aquarium. A tiny victory, but a big deal for the guppies.
I think it DOES make sense to speak up for issues we care about. I hate it when people say that one person can’t make a change so they have an excuse to not even make an effort. If everybody tried just a little bit, there might still be hope.
2022
01
May
Making friends and enemies
Last modified on May 1st, 2022
1 comment
Diana Naindenel says:
May 2, 2022 at 4:57 am (UTC 0)
Hi there
Well, done, Birgit!
Yes, I know exactly what you mean. And it takes a little bit of courage to open the mouth. But in the end, caring for a suffering animal is worth a lot more
Serveral years ago i contacted a travel agency (travelworldwide.ch) who recommended “swimming with dolphins” in some of their hotels. I contacted them immediately and within ONE afternoon, this comment was attached to the adds, offering that kind of animal abuse:
Recommendation: Due to animal welfare considerations, we advise against supporting the dolphinaria of this hotel. Use the opportunity to kindly inform the management after your stay that you would prefer to observe dolphins in the wild.
So, yes, only one person CAN make a difference! Never give up – for the animals!