A note about The Cuddlywumps Chronicles

This blog is written and maintained by Miss Cuddlywumps, a fluffy-tailed calico cat who is both classically educated and familiar with mysteries. She receives creative input from the Real Cats and clerical assistance from She of Little Talent (old SoLT, a.k.a. Roby Sweet). Comments or complaints should be addressed to Miss C rather than to old SoLt (Ms. Sweet). Ms. Sweet accepts no responsibility for Miss C's opinions.

Friday, December 30, 2016

Words with Webster (Extinction) and Friendly Fill-Ins for December 30

Words with Webster: Extinction

Cheetah in profile
The iconic and majestic cheetah. Now that is a cat. But cheetahs could disappear
forever unless humans act to protect them.
Photo credit: Zoological Society of London.

Hello, all. Webster here, coming to you from near the Christmas tree.

Words with Webster badgeThe cat world got some shocking and upsetting news this week when Panthera revealed a study showing that just 7,100 cheetahs remain in the wild. The study’s authors want the cheetah’s status to be changed from “Vulnerable” to “Endangered” on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The cheetah has been driven out of 91% of its historic range, the study says. This is a big problem because cheetahs do not stay in one little place; they get around, and so they are often not in protected areas. In Zimbabwe, the cheetah population has plunged from 1,200 to no more than 170 in just 16 years. That means 85% of Zimbabwe’s cheetahs have been lost in that time.


This is a population headed in the wrong direction.

No more cheetahs means no more cheetah cubs.
Photo credit: Zoological Society of London.
And so, I choose “extinction” as our word for this week. It means
the act of making extinct or causing to be extinguished :  Quenching, Suppression, Extermination, Destruction, Annihilation.
Once a species is extinct, it is gone … forever. The thought of seeing this happen to a species as iconic as the cheetah is distressing. I hope the humans out there will work together to find a way to make sure this does not happen.

Read more about the study here, and check out this infographicfrom Panthera.


Friendly Fill-Ins

 And now, on a lighter note, it's time for Friendly Fill-Ins. from 15andmeowing and McGuffy’s Reader. They are a fun way to learn a little bit about the authors of the blogs you read. The first two questions, answered by old SoLT, are from Ellen of 15andmeowing, and the next two, answered this week by Real Cat Paisley, are from Annie of McGuffy’s Reader.
Friendly Fill-Ins button

Old SoLT’s answers
1. The highlight of my Christmas was spending time with my family.

2. My New Year's resolution is … well, I don’t really do resolutions, but I am in the process of getting my office more organized and hope to keep it that way (stop laughing!). I also got myself a new guitar for Christmas and plan to learn to strum a few songs (again, stop laughing!).

Real Cat Paisley’s answers
3. This year, 2016, was a nice year, except there was too much politics among the humans. Cats don’t have politics, which is one reason we are superior. Also, somewhat unfortunately, our family got a new dog.

4. Next year, 2017, I promise to try to get along better with the dog (and if you believe that, I’ve got some oceanfront property in Arizona I’m looking to unload on the cheap!).


7 comments:

  1. So many animals lost in my lifetime alone. I wish my dogs would resolve to get along. It would be a lot quieter around here. Happy New Year.

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  2. Go for it, with learning guitar! My husband is a guitarist and I both admire and respect musicians. Me? I play songs, too...on the radio, etc. Yeah, not creatively gifted in the musical arena. Happy new year!

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  3. I hope something can be done to help Cheetahs, they are beautiful creatures. Thank you both for those great answers to the fill-ins. I think it is wonderful your Mom is going to learn the guitar. The only thing that made me laugh was you being nicer to the dog :) Have a great weekend! XO

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  4. It is sad that the cheetahs population is declining!

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  5. I hadn't heard that about the cheetah population but it's heartbreaking :(

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  6. I am looking forward to putting politics behind us for 2017. Since it is not an election year, it should be relatively peaceful in that respect. Have a Happy New Year.

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  7. It is always so sad to lose a species. The cheetahs are such beautiful creatures and their babies are just adorable! It seems this world is bent on killing all of God's creatures, baby humans, the elderly, the animals. It is very sad all around, no sanctity of life.

    I can only hope and pray that a miracle happens and the cheetahs are saved. They are too beautiful to lose.

    Have a very happy, safe, and healthy New Year!

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