Happy Mother’s Day! Please enjoy these amazing animal mums and their adorable babes.
1. Humpback Whales
Research has found that mother humpback whales and their calves communicate to each other through soft squeaks and grunts (cute!), which are much quieter than other humpback communications. Whale mums rely on sound and hearing to communicate with their calves, which is why it’s critical we stop Big Oil company Equinor from conducting thundering seismic blasts in the Great Australian Bight.
2. Elephants
Elephant mums are typically pregnant for up to two years, and breastfeed their little ones until they’re two or three! Elephant families also have a matriarchal head, meaning that an older elephant mums rule the herd. What bosses.
3. Orangutans
The orangutan has the longest childhood dependence on the mother of any animal in the world (even more than elephants!) because there is so much for a young orangutan to learn in order to survive. The babies nurse until they are about six years of age. After all of that nurturing, orangutan mums and babies are sometimes separated due to forest destruction, which is why it’s so important to end dirty palm oil.
4. Polar Bears
Polar bear mums are fierce protectors. They keep their cubs close by and ‘clack’ at them when they wander off too far. They will fight off predators – even larger male bears – and sometimes hide cubs from danger when fleeing danger. Heartbreakingly, polar bear mums have been seen protecting dead cubs, refusing to leave them even when threats emerge. Polar bears’ habitats are changing due to climate breakdown. Together we must call on decision-makers to call this crisis what it is: a climate emergency.
5. Humans
This one we all already know: human Mums are amazing! Around the world, mums are working together to protect their children’s future from climate damage.
Don’t forget to thank your mum today – or if you are one – Happy Mother’s Day!
