Up In Flames

Chapter 7

Pookie and I don't speak as we ride in the back of the truck. The last month and a half has been the hardest one I have ever lived through.

Just then, I noticed that another tree kangaroo behind us. He was staring at Pookie, which makes sense. Wait, he's staring at my kangaroo?

"Hey, are you staring at her?" I am surprised at how possessive I sound.

The guy looks at me as if I am in his way. "What's your problem? I'm only staring at nature's beauty." he retorts.

I glare at him. "She's a real animal, not just something you admire."

"Dude, that's deep. Are you like, in love with her or something?"

I blush. "Uh... uh... no. What are you talking about?"

He smirks at me. "Sure thing, bro. Whatever you say."

Pookie looks at me. "Is he speaking the truth?""Fine," I say, done hiding things.

"I...um... do like you. I...um, always have. So...yeah."

Pookie grinned at me. "I like you too, Frumble."

I nearly fell over in my cage. But then, I gained my composure. And I smiled at my friend, Well, maybe something more than that.

We don't speak as we pull into the reserve. I only knew this because of the sign:

HILLSBURY NATURE RESERVE AND CONSERVATION.

After a few short minutes, the doctors took the three of us out. The other tree kangaroos go one way with Dr. Nancy, as Dr. Gills carried our cages.

Different doctors examine us for injuries, and then we are placed into large, clean cages. They are outside, which makes me happy.

As I get used to my new surroundings, I hear a park ranger talking.

"Now, kids, next up I am going to present the tree kangaroo, or Dendrolagus. The tree kangaroo is a macropod, which is a type of marsupial, and is found in tropical rainforests around Central America, Africa, parts of Asia, and Australia. They are found mostly in the treetops, though it would be very hard to find one in the wild because they are endangered." the park ranger says. "Now, can anyone tell me why rainforests are so important?"

"I can!" the park ranger nods to a boy in the midst of the class. "Well, the rainforests are important because they contain many different types of medicines or substances used in medicines. Many scientists believe that there may be a cure for cancer hidden deep within the rainforest."

"I see you've done your research." the park ranger winks. "Nice job. Anyone else?"

This time, a girl raises her hand. "Well, the rainforest is home to almost all of the world's population, though I don't know the exact numbers."

"Good. To go further into detail, a four-mile section of the rainforest is home to about 1,500 species of plants (not including trees), 750 species of trees, 125 mammal species, 400 species of birds, 100 species of reptiles, 60 species of amphibians, and 150 different species of butterflies. Estimated, of course."

I hear the "oh's" and "ah's" of the crowd."Does anyone know how much of the Earth rainforests cover?" the ranger continues.

"Less than 6%!" the whole class chants, obviously having heard this many times before.

"Correct!" the park ranger smiles. "But, it is estimated that each second, we lose a section of the rainforest that is two football fields big. That means that over the course of one year, we lose about twice the size of Florida! If these rates keep up, scientists estimate that by 2060 there will be no rainforests left." What!? That's my home! "Do you know why they are being destroyed?"

Another boy raises his hand and says, "Many companies want to build their factories there. Also, with the human population growing, the cities are running out of room, so they cut down the rainforests so they could build their homes. Lastly, many forest fires- some natural, and some caused by humans- burn down the forests, despite all of the rain. Sometimes, there are droughts, like now, that cause many of these disasters."

"Perfect." the ranger compliments. "I couldn't have said it better myself. But, the good thing is WWF, where we are now, helps conserve these rainforests and the creatures living in them. Other companies, such as IUCN (International Conservation Union), CI (Conservation International), WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society), and TNC (The Nature Conservancy) help, too."

"Now, let's move onto another biome- the desert. Can you tell me how much of the Earth the desert covers?" I tune out after that, thinking about my home and all my friends. It could all be gone? Why do humans do this? What have we ever done to them? Even though I can't answer any of these questions, I know one thing: this needs to stop, and fast.

I was in great thought about my soon-to-be-destroyed home, when a cage was placed down next to me.

"I think she's better off here, where she can soak up the sun," I hear Dr. Gills say as he places a cage down on a table near me.

"Agreed," says another doctor. "Let's let her settled in." I can't see what was happening, but some people were setting up a new cage.

When they finally leave, I see an older tree kangaroo looking at me. She opens her mouth to speak.

"Son?"