Our catch phrase is on its way.

Dear Fellow Earthlings,

My pet turtle Midori (The Japanese word for “green” is “midori”.) is facing many challenges related to the destruction of Earth’s ecosystem.

For one thing, due to the strict policies airlines have regarding the transporting of living things, I have been unable to take Midori to the United States, where – as a North American slider turtle – she rightfully belongs. Here in Japan, she is an “exotic species” and, therefore, should not be given access to any place in Japan to live. You see, Midori and her kind are destructive creatures if allowed to live in Japan. They decimate local turtle populations as well as those of other forms of wildlife indigenous to Japan.

So how did Midori get here? She (or, perhaps her ancestors) were brought illegally to Japan within the last 70 years or so. She ended up as a “classroom pet” at my daughters’ elecmentary school. As Midori grew, she showed a nasty disposition toward people who poked at her with their fingers – and ended up biting a boy. This prompted a teacher to ask my younger daughter to remove Midori from the school grounds and to place her in a pond about two kilometer’s distance from the school.

My daughter was only about 8 or 9 at that time, but was fully aware that Midori should not be released into the wild in Japan since Midori was not an indigenous animal. So, some 25 years ago, Midori arrived at my home in Japan and has been a wonderful pet – and friend – ever since.

She longs to breed, but I will agree to let her do so only if we get her “back” to the eastern part of the United States where she can mix with her own kind. The biological clock is moving. In fact, Midori’s veterinarian here in Japan says it may already be too late for her to produce young.

Due to global warming, I was able to get Midori to start hibernating only today (January 1st). Here in Yokohama, Japan, where Midori lives, winter just isn't winter, with daytime temperatures rising to 15 degrees Celsius and night time lows falling only to about 7 or 8 degrees Celsius. I found it necessary to “ice down” her hibernation box so as to facilitate her entering into a physiological state amenable to hibernation.

Thus, we see that not only people, but also animals are being affected by globalization and by global warming – and that crossing borders, in search of a better chance for survival, can be impossible or nearly so.

Last year I tried unsuccessfully to carry the hibernating Midori from Japan to Oregon but was stopped at Narita Airport. Getting Midori out of Japan and into a more “truly natural” environment is thus still one more task that I need to accomplish in 2016!

Steve Walker Earthsaver and Jingles Creator

© 2013 Steve Walker, The Jingles-The Japan Foundation for English Pronunciation, Summit Enterprises.