Wild COP27 is almost half-over

Posted by Drittens.

Right now Kim, Pinky, Daisy, and I are attending Wild COP27 (Nov 6-18), Land Animals section. This is the first time I’m attending and it’s a lot crazier than I had expected, borderline terrifying actually. I’m not used to having to interact with Polar Bears and large owls, so several times in the past few days I’ve been close to freaking out. It’s all very educational though, we’re all learning a lot and we’re glad we made the journey here. Some of the data and perspectives we’ve heard during sessions have really forced us to reconsider some of the things we put into our latest videos (the environment and ecology videos I was finishing up right before coming here), which means I may have to re-record or edit some parts when I get back to the desert. It’s sad that the people version going on in Sharm el-Sheikh won’t hear any animal perspectives, or even have any (human) animal representatives present. I know that there are scientists and activists at human COP27 but it’s not the same thing.

This morning an elephant became so upset watching a recap of one of yesterday’s Egyptian sessions that she tore a large video monitor off the wall and trampled it. Everybody ran out of there so quickly. Funny to say, though - at the moment it was happening I also ran out of the room because, well, ANGRY ELEPHANT - but at the same time i felt like, “Yes! Thank you!!”

I bet no one at the Egypt COP27 will be smashing TVs.

~d.

We received a message from "The Cockroaches"

Posted by Pinky.

We happen to be in the middle of a severe, worldwide drought, and it’s affecting us here in the desert, too. Well this morning when I woke up and started getting ready to make breakfast, I found a small note taped to the coffee pot:

Good morning Cats,
It hasn’t rained for such a long time.
So there’s no water to be found at all outside.
We have been coming indoors to look for drinking water.
Lately every night we drink the last few drops of water in your coffee pot after you wash it.
But three nights ago the small cat started putting a lid on the coffee pot.
Now we can’t get into the coffee pot.
Ants can fit under the lid but we cannot.
The ants are still drinking.
We need water too.
Is it fair that the ants can continue to drink water but we cannot just because we are somewhat larger?
Why are you kind to ants but you don’t accept us?
Actually ants and us cockroaches are cousins.
Same like bees.
Water is a sacred right to all living creatures.
Please remove the lid every night before your bedtime.
We’re desperate.
Thank you,
The Cockroaches

My first reaction was, “Gross. We have cockroaches walking around in the coffee pot every night??” My second thought was, “Okay, I don’t want anybody to be thirsty, but do we really have to live with these guys?” I don’t know - I think we need to have a meeting to discuss what to do about this. ~pinky

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Posted by Kim: Hey! Wait a minute! Are you really not going to address the larger question here? Is this normal - receiving a handwritten note from a bunch of cockroaches? And which pen did they use? And tape? Which roll of tape did they touch???

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Posted by Pinky (Aug 20 update): Yesterday, Drittens, Kim, and I decided to write the roaches a reply. We left it next to the coffee pot at around 11pm:

Hello Cockroaches,

We (cats) will leave a small bowl of water on the ground, just outside the front door every night. In return, please do not walk around in our coffee pot or on other kitchenware. Is this acceptable?

Also, Kim wants to know “Do ‘The Cockroaches’ have internet?“

Your neighbors,
cats

As of this morning we haven’t received a response, and it’s hard to tell if anyone drank from the water bowl we left outside. ~p.