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Social & Emotional Learning (SEL)

When elementary students care for animals, they practice making decisions and create a positive classroom environment.

Courtesy of Mason Nichols

Our bearded dragon, in costume

When students first walk into some of the classrooms on our campus, they're greeted by bearded dragons, tortoises, tarantulas, hedgehogs, guinea pigs, and snakes. Immediately, students are intrigued and sometimes anxious.

Our campus and district believe in supporting students' social and emotional learning in a variety of ways. Using classroom pets to support the emotional needs of elementary students is a helpful tool for creating a positive and nurturing classroom.

Why Have Classroom Pets?
Courtesy of Mason Nichols
When they hear the phrase classroom pets, some teachers immediately shake their heads in disgust or disapproval. Classroom pets, however, give students the opportunity to learn responsibility, love, and how to take care of a living animal.

Before any student can handle one of the animals, our teachers first tell students they have to prove they can manage caring for an animal. The teacher has to trust the student, and this builds a positive relationship with the student. Then I tell students they have to become an expert on the animal. Some classes will read books from the library, while upper elementary students will research how to care for the animal(s) and read about their diet, habitat, and ecosystem.

In my classroom, I've had a hedgehog and a bearded dragon, two very different animals with very different needs. Our classroom duties include two rotating "veterinarian" jobs where students care for and handle animals. Prior to the job rotating to the next set of students, the "vets" have to teach other students about the care of the animals.

Social and Emotional Learning

Having animals allows students to care for something that has feelings. Many students learn to love these animals and ask to visit them years later. Students learn responsibility by feeding the animals the appropriate amount of food and managing their waste. Students read to the animals and learn to care for others with love and kindness. If a student is feeling anxious or upset, they can go to the animal's cage and watch the animal, and then practice some breathing exercises and regulate themselves.

Students can also make connections between their needs and the animal's, such as physical and emotional needs. At times, our bearded dragon can get nervous when a student he doesn't know picks him up. With patience and practice, he becomes comfortable being handled and petted. Students can recognize similarities to the dragon; if the dragon is feeling nervous, they recognize how our own bodies feel when anxious and can then support the animal.

Unfortunately, as with any living creature, an animal can become sick or die. If a pet becomes ill, we're able to show students connections between animals being sick and seeing a vet and humans seeing health care providers. Last year, one of our teachers lost one of the class's guinea pigs. She told the class what happened and how they all knew the guinea pig was sick and did everything they could to help it.

Some students shared funny moments they had experienced with the guinea pig; some coped by writing goodbye letters and drawing pictures. Parents supported us by printing pictures of the guinea pig and giving them to students to put throughout the classroom. While this was a very sad situation, it brought the classroom together and helped students support one another.
Courtesy of Mason Nichols
For some students, seeing an animal they don't come across often can produce anxiety. Within teaching boundaries, we reinforce student choices-if a student is interested in handling an animal, they can, after the proper education and training. Learning about the animal can help ease anxiety about the animal.

I had a student who was scared of the scales on the bearded dragon. After learning how the scales protect the animal, the student was less fearful and eventually learned to pet and care for the bearded dragon. Some students feel anxious and skeptical about holding a tarantula until they realize how fragile and delicate they are. Other teachers have had similar situations with snakes, and having students learn about the animal helped create respect in the student for the animal and eased anxiety.

Seeing how students interact with animals and care for them has encouraged parents to support the use of classroom pets. Most of the animals we have at our school are hypoallergenic, so most students can be around the animals easily. With classroom pets, students not only learn nurturing skills but also learn about life cycles and other science-related topics. When the tarantulas, bearded dragons, and snakes molt, for example, students learn about the process of molting.

With the use of wish lists and other resources within the community, teachers have been able to get supplies and food for the animals, typically without having to pay out of pocket, from local education agencies and organizations that provide grants and funds such as Donors Choose.

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How Classroom Pets Foster Social and Emotional Learning

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When elementary students care for animals, they practice making decisions and create a positive classroom environment.

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Killer Whales by Charnan Simon and Ariel Kazunas

Killer Whales: Scary Creatures by John Malam

Amazing Animals: Killer Whales by Kate Riggs

Killer Whale vs. Great White Shark: Who Would Win? by Jerry Pallotta

Whales by Seymour Simon

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SeaWorld says movie "Blackfish" is wrong about its killer whales

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An activist in the movie says orcas live longer in the wild. The marine park says that isn't so.

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I Want to Be a Zookeeper by Dan Liebman

Saving Animal Babies by Amy Shields

Who Scoops Elephant Poo? Working at a Zoo by Margie Markarian

Should there be zoos?: A Persuasive Text by Tony Stead

My Visit to the Zoo by Aliki

Zoo by Gail Gibbons

Out of the Lab Extreme Jobs in Science: Zoologists and Ecologists by Ruth Owen

Fur, Fins, and Feathers: Abraham Dee Bartlett and the Invention of the Modern Zoo by Cassandre Maxwell

What's New? The Zoo! A Zippy History of Zoos by Kathleen Krull

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There are fewer killer whales than there should be in part of the Pacific Ocean. Scientists want to know if pollution is hurting them or if they don’t get enough to eat.

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Built on a collection of 40,000+ popular, high-quality books from 250+ of the world's best publishers, Epic safely fuels curiosity and reading confidence for kids 12 and under.

Get Started

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online access fun thousands children great kids ebooks books

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Built on a collection of 40,000+ popular, high-quality books from 250+ of the world's best publishers, Epic safely fuels curiosity and reading confidence for kids 12 and under. Get Started

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Back to Animals

A zoo can be an awesome place to see animals first hand and learn about what they eat, their habits, environment, and all sorts of other interesting facts about animals. Another name for a zoo is zoological garden.

Today zoos are becoming better and better places for animals. In the past some zoos were somewhat cruel to animals. Placing animals in environments they were not suited for and often not keeping the animal's best interest in mind. However, today many zoos do wonderful work in animal research and take great care of their animals.

Photo by Ducksters

Some good things that many Zoos do today include:

Acting as sanctuaries for endangered animals. They provide a safe environment for animals that are being threatened by changes in the environment. Often zoos will work to breed and maintain endangered animal populations. Sometime animals are nearly extinct in the wild and the only place they survive is in zoos.

Education on wildlife. Zoos provide a great opportunity for us to learn more about creatures from distant lands.

Research on wildlife and how we can help animals survive radical changes. Zoos do veterinary medicine research as well.

Today's modern zoos house animals in enclosures that are similar to the animal's natural habitat. This can include buildings made for nocturnal animals where they are bright at night, so the animals can sleep, and dark during the day, so zoo visitors can see the animals moving about. Also, climates are controlled in some zoo enclosures for animals like penguins and polar bears. Many zoos have great open spaces as well where animals may graze together. Some zoos have an area where you can take a mini-safari or ride around in a truck or bus to hopefully see the animals up close.

Perhaps the most famous zoo is the San Diego Zoo in Southern California. Many modern zoo practices were pioneered at the San Diego Zoo. The largest zoo in number of animals is the Bronx Zoo with over 6000 animals. The largest zoo in land size is the North Carolina Zoo with 535 acres.

Photo by Ducksters

Seeing an elephant, giraffe, lion, polar bear, penguins, seals, or other incredible creatures at the zoo can be an amazing experience. Be sure to check out your local zoo and get the opportunity to see some awesome animals and learn more about nature.

Another great place to see animals, similar to a zoo, is at an aquarium. Most states have an aquarium where they display all sorts of fish and some sea mammals.More on endangered species:
Amphibians in Danger
Endangered Animals
How Animals Become Extinct
Wildlife Conservation
Zoos

Back to Animals

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Learn about the zoo. History and types of zoological gardens. List of Zoos with interesting animals.

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Built on a collection of 40,000+ popular, high-quality books from 250+ of the world's best publishers, Epic safely fuels curiosity and reading confidence for kids 12 and under.

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online access fun thousands children great kids ebooks books

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Built on a collection of 40,000+ popular, high-quality books from 250+ of the world's best publishers, Epic safely fuels curiosity and reading confidence for kids 12 and under. Get Started

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The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of zoos and aquariums in the areas of conservation, education, science, and recreation. AZA represents more than 235 facilities in the United States and overseas, which collectively draw more than 200 million visitors every year. AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums meet the highest standards in animal care and welfare and provide a fun, safe, and educational family experience. In addition, they dedicate millions of dollars annually to support scientific research, conservation, and education programs.

Leaders in Animal Care and Welfare

AZA is the independent accrediting organization for the best zoos and the best aquariums in America and the world, assuring the public that when they visit an AZA-accredited facility, it meets the highest standards for animal care and welfare. Less than 10 percent of the 2,800 wildlife exhibitors licensed by the United States Department of Agriculture under the Animal Welfare Act meet the more comprehensive standards of AZA accreditation. The highly trained professionals at AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums provide excellent care for more than 800,000 animals, making them the leading experts in animal care and welfare. Learn more about our accreditation standards.

Leaders in Conservation

Conservation is a priority for AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums and a key part of their mission to save species from extinction. Every year, AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums spend $230 million on field conservation alone, supporting projects benefitting more than 800 species in 130 countries. To date, the AZA Conservation Grants Fund has provided $7.7 million in support for 400+ projects worldwide. Read more about AZA's conservation initiatives.

AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums are leaders in the protection of threatened and endangered species. Through AZA SAFE: Saving Animals from Extinction, the entire AZA-accredited zoo and aquarium community is focusing our conservation science, wildlife expertise, and outreach to millions of annual visitors on saving species in the wild. The AZA Species Survival Plan® (SSP) program is a cooperative animal management, breeding, and conservation effort that works to ensure genetically diverse, self-sustaining populations of more than 500 species of animals.

Leaders in Conservation Education

As centers for conservation, AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums provide the public with essential connections to the natural world. More than 50 million visitors to AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums are children, making accredited zoos and aquariums essential to science and environmental education. AZA-accredited facilities train 40,000 teachers every year, supporting state science curricula with teaching materials and hands-on opportunities for students who might otherwise have no first-hand experience with wildlife. In fact, there is growing evidence that aquariums and zoos are highly effective at teaching people about science and connecting them to the natural world. Read more about our education programs.

Leaders in Professional Excellence

AZA is dedicated to providing our members with the resources they need to be the best in our profession. AZA facilitates cooperative animal care and conservation programs, hosts two conferences a year, offers numerous networking and professional development opportunities, and much more. Learn more about the benefits of AZA membership.

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About Us | Association of Zoos & Aquariums

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Members of the Association of Zoos & Aquariums provide for more than 800,000 animals in more than 100 countries. Learn more about AZA and our mission to provide animal care resources, opportunities to engage with wildlife conservation, and industry standards for member zoos and aquariums.

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Bei Bei (bay-bay) the giant panda is now over 60 pounds-and growing! But he wasn't always so giant. The one-year-old cub, which lives at the Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington, D.C., was about the size of a stick of butter when he was born. Cared for by zookeepers and his mom, Mei Xiang (may-SHONG), Bei Bei has spent the last several months going through a major growth spurt.

At birth Bei Bei was blind, furless, and weighed less than a third of a pound. Within 48 hours, white fur began to grow on parts of his wrinkly skin. Two weeks later, dark fur started cover the rest of his body.

Up until then, Bei Bei's mom had been cuddling with the infant almost nonstop to keep him toasty. But Bei Bei's new coat kept him warm enough to allow Mei Xhang to slip out of her den for food breaks. Mei Xhang was never gone for long though. Whenever Bei Bei called out, she quickly returned to nuzzle or nurse the infant.

Bei Bei is now in basic training, learning to come when keepers call to him. Next he'll master standing, lying down, presenting his paws, and opening his mouth on command-all actions that will make it easier for veterinarians and zookeepers to give Bei Bei checkups.

Before long the cub will stop drinking his mother's milk and eat nothing but bamboo. But even as he grows, he'll stay with his mom for another two years. By the time he's four years old, Bei Bei will weigh about 250 pounds. At that point he'll move to a panda reserve in China, where he'll enter a breeding program to help his species survive. No wonder this panda is such a big deal!
Text from "Exclusive: Watch Bei Bei the Zoo Panda Cub Grow Up" by Jennifer S. Holland for National Geographic News, adapted by Allyson Shaw, NG Staff

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See pictures and read about Bei Bei the giant panda cub on National Geographic Kids.

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Real sanctuaries are safe, comfortable places for animals to live after they've been rescued from not-so-nice places like circuses or laboratories. People can sometimes visit these sanctuaries, which is an awesome way to learn about and see animals without supporting businesses that hurt them, like roadside zoos or wildlife parks. Roadside zoos and wildlife parks use animals to make money. It's confusing because they sometimes call themselves "sanctuaries" or "rescues" to bring in more customers, because they know that people don't want to visit roadside zoos, but they're being dishonest when they do that.

It's important not to get these horrible places confused with actual sanctuaries. But how can you tell the difference? It's easy! There are a few simple questions you can ask about a place to figure out whether it's helping or hurting animals the animals who live there.

You can find answers to these questions by browsing a facility's website and social media pages (your parents can help):

1. How are animals housed?

Real sanctuaries make sure that an animal's living space is as close to their natural habitat as possible. Animals should live with others of their own kind so they can have friends. It's mean to keep them all alone in small, dirty pens with concrete floors and nothing to do-and you should stay away from places like that.

2. What kinds of activities do the animals get to do?

The animals' living area should have lots of ways for them to play and enjoy themselves! For example, there should be a large structure for chimpanzees to climb on, water for bears to soak and splash in, and large fields for roaming and exploring. Animals need these things if they're going to be healthy, happy, and comfortable.

Animals should also live with others of the same species so they can communicate with each another easily and form relationships and groups. In many sanctuaries, the animals who already live there help teach the newcomers how to get back in touch with their natural instincts and enjoy life again.

3. How big is the facility?

Animals should be given enough space to explore, roam, climb, and forage. And a real sanctuary NEVER takes the animals out of the facility to show them off.

4. Are visitors allowed to touch or hold the animals?

True wild-animal sanctuaries (with big cats, bears, primates, or wolves) NEVER allow visitors to touch or hold the animals, even babies, and that includes taking photos with them. This would be scary for the animals and dangerous to the visitors, too!

5. Where did the animals come from?

The animals who live there probably came from a place where they were mistreated, so they have a sad and painful past. The staff will want to share each animal's story so that visitors can learn about the various places that hurt animals (like laboratories, circuses, and roadside zoos). Real sanctuaries provide animals with a permanent home for the rest of their life. They NEVER trade, borrow, or loan animals.

6. Does the facility breed animals?

Sanctuaries NEVER breed animals, meaning that they don't make any of the animals have babies. Places that do breed animals are using them to make money-that's not right, and that's not a sanctuary.

7. What is it like to visit a sanctuary?

Most sanctuaries only allow very limited visits. Usually a guide takes people on a small tour of the place and doesn't let them walk around by themselves.

8. Is it accredited?

True sanctuaries are accredited by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries (GFAS), a group that makes sure sanctuaries follow strict rules to protect the animals who live there, like the ones listed above.
*****
All living, feeling beings deserve a comfortable place to live where people aren't always staring at them. A true sanctuary puts the needs and wants of the animals first. So if you care about animals, NEVER visit a roadside zoo or a wildlife park, and explain to your friends and family why places like that are bad for animals!

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8 Ways to Tell a REAL Sanctuary From a Roadside Zoo | PETA Kids

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Roadside zoo or animal sanctuary? This list will explain the difference-so you can figure out if a place is hurting or helping animals.

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This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

The N.C. Zoo is one of only two state-operated zoos in the country. While more than 60 percent of its operating budget comes from the state, all of its conservation, research and education programs - and even the animals exhibited at the park - are purchased with private funds raised by the North Carolina Zoological Society.

Karen Brown with the Zoo Society says the "Adopt an Animal" program features a list of animals that can be "adopted" for a year.

Those who "adopt" an animal get a certificate, a photo of the animal and a fact sheet about the species.

Funds raised through the program benefit the Zoo's Animal Enrichment Program, which allows the Zoo to pay for additional training for zookeepers as well as purchase treats for the animals.

Some of the most popular animals for "adoption" are the African elephant, the polar bear, the zebra, the giraffe and the chimpanzee.

For more information about "adopting" zoo animals, visit nczoo.com or call the Zoo Society at (336) 879-7250.

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NC Zoo's 'adoption' program benefits animals, zookeeper training

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The N.C. Zoo is one of only two state-operated zoos in the country. While more than 60 percent of its operating budget comes from the state, all of its conservation, research and education programs - and even the animals exhibited at the park - are purchased with private funds raised by the North Carolina Zoological [...]

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Smithsonian's National Zoo: We Save Species

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NYTimes - Smart, Social, Erratic in Captivity

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NYTimes - Smart, Social, Erratic in Captivity

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Orcas, known popularly as killer whales, are the subject of a new documentary that hopes to bring attention to problems they face in captivity. Credit Credit... Itsuo Inouye/Associated Press

Should some of the most social, intelligent and charismatic animals on the planet be kept in captivity by human beings?

That is a question asked more frequently than ever by both scientists and animal welfare advocates, sometimes about close human cousins like chimpanzees and other great apes, but also about another animal that is remarkable for its intelligence and complex social organization - the killer whale, or orca.

Killer whales, found in all the world's oceans, were once as despised as wolves. But in the last half century these elegant black-and-white predators - a threat to seals and other prey as they cruise the oceans, but often friendly to humans in the wild - have joined the pantheon of adored wildlife, along with the familiar polar bears, elephants and lions.

With life spans that approach those of humans, orcas have strong family bonds, elaborate vocal communication and cooperative hunting strategies. And their beauty and power, combined with a willingness to work with humans, have made them legendary performers at marine parks since they were first captured and exhibited in the 1960s. They are no longer taken from the wild as young to be raised and trained, but are bred in captivity in the United States for public display at marine parks.

Some scientists and activists have argued for years against keeping them in artificial enclosures and training them for exhibition. They argue for more natural settings, like enclosed sea pens, as well as an end to captive breeding and to the orcas' use in what opponents call entertainment and marine parks call education.

Now the issue has been raised with new intensity in the documentary film " Blackfish " and the book "Death at SeaWorld," by David Kirby, just released in paperback.

The film and book both focus on the 2010 death of Dawn Brancheau, a trainer, at SeaWorld in Orlando, Fla. She was dragged underwater by a whale called Tilikum, who had been involved in two earlier deaths.

The event led to two citations for safety violations by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration for an unsafe workplace, and an ongoing struggle over OSHA requirements that trainers be separated from killer whales. The most recent fine was in June, and SeaWorld is appealing both decisions.

Both the book and film argue that Tilikum's actions were deliberate and that his behavior was a result of the psychological damage of captivity, not just at SeaWorld but also at another facility where he was first kept. SeaWorld has said the death was an accident, not a deliberate killing.

Beyond the death of Ms. Brancheau and the arguments over how SeaWorld manages its many facilities lies a fundamental disagreement about whether killer whales, and other cetaceans - the group of marine mammals that includes whales, dolphins and porpoises - should be held captive at all.

It is reminiscent in many ways of the movement to put all captive chimpanzees into sanctuaries, which recently scored two major successes when the National Institutes of Health decided to retire most of its chimpanzees and the Fish and Wildlife Service proposed listing all chimps as endangered, raising new barriers to experimentation.

Image

Credit... Sandy Huffaker for The New York Times

But the situation for killer whales is different. There are many fewer in captivity - a total of 45 worldwide, according to the organization Whale and Dolphin Conservation - and thousands of people have come to love them partly because of the very exhibitions in marine parks like SeaWorld that disturb those who oppose keeping the whales in captivity. A great deal of scientific study of marine mammals has also been done in these marine parks.

But even some scientists who have worked with captive dolphins set orcas apart because of their size, their range of movement in the wild, and the close-knit nature of their social groups.

Diana Reiss of Hunter College, who has studied self-recognition in captive dolphins and who was not involved in the making of "Blackfish," said that the question of whether animals like bottlenose dolphins should be kept in captivity is important and should be discussed.

But, Dr. Reiss said, she does not see ambiguity about killer whales. "I never felt that we should have orcas in captivity," she said. "I think morally, as well as scientifically, it's wrong."

The animal in question, Orcinus orca, is actually the largest dolphin. Its name apparently came not because it was a vicious whale, but because it preyed on whales.

The species as a whole has a varied diet, with some groups specializing in fish eating, and others concentrating on seals. They have been known to eat penguins and other seabirds, occasionally squid and turtles, even a swimming moose or deer.

The males can reach 32 feet long and weigh up to 22,000 pounds. The females are smaller, up to 16,500 pounds, but live longer. While males average about 30 years and may reach 60, females normally live about 50 years but can reach 90. They live in family groups or pods, typically ranging from a couple of animals to 15, although they may temporarily join in groups of 200 or more.

They exist around the world, and subgroups differ in diets, behaviors and physical traits. One subgroup in the Pacific Northwest, called the Southern Resident population, is listed as endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.

Orcas can travel great distances. "They can go 100 miles in a day," said Lori Marino, an Emory University researcher who worked with Dr. Reiss and an activist, who appears in "Blackfish" and opposes keeping dolphins and orcas in marine parks.

Killer whales have complex brains, and the behaviors of different groups are so diverse that scientists talk about them as having different cultures.

The opposition to keeping them in captivity is based partly on evidence that they are smart, social and wide ranging. Those facts are not really disputed, nor is the principle that humans owe the orcas now in captivity a good life.

Opponents of captivity cite a number of physical and psychological problems, including repetitive behaviors, dental issues and attacks on trainers, like the one on Ms. Brancheau.

Credit... Sandy Huffaker for The New York Times

Yet opponents of captivity recognize that the animals, for their own safety, cannot simply be released into the wild, and so are not calling for SeaWorld or other marine parks to close. Rather, they say, they would like to see the parks keep the orcas in larger, more natural settings, something like sea pens - inshore areas of ocean that can be closed in by nets.

Naomi Rose, a whale biologist who is moving from the Humane Society of the United States to the Animal Welfare Institute, was a co-author of a Humane Society paper in 2011 opposing the keeping of orcas in captivity. She said creating sanctuaries for orcas is "highly feasible," and could and should be done by companies like SeaWorld, which has 22 orcas, nearly half of the total in captivity.

Merlin Entertainment, which owns amusement parks like Legoland and some Sea Life aquariums, mostly in Europe, has been exploring the possibility of a sanctuary for bottlenose dolphins with Whale and Dolphin Conservation. Cathy Williamson, the captivity program manager for the organization, said it had been "quite tricky" finding a location in Europe where a large natural area, a cove or bay, could be enclosed. Yet, she said, it is feasible to create "a very large netted area, so they're still in captivity, but they wouldn't be performing tricks for tourists." The same kind of sanctuary could also work for orcas, she said.

But both SeaWorld and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums say that such sanctuaries would be a solution for a problem that does not exist. The association has 222 members, 212 in the United States, including the SeaWorld parks in Orlando, San Antonio and San Diego.

The organization sets accreditation standards with requirements for the physical, social and psychological well-being of the animals. "That would be true for an orca, a tiger and a chimpanzee," said Steven Feldman, a spokesman.

But while the organization opposes the use of chimpanzees for entertainment, and joined in petitioning the Fish and Wildlife Service to declare captive chimpanzees endangered, it considers the jumps, dives and other behaviors that killer whales and other marine mammals exhibit at marine parks to be in the nature of education rather than pure entertainment.

"They're natural behaviors," said Paul Boyle, senior vice president for conservation and education at the association. "They're highly coordinated and people enjoy seeing them."

Christopher Dold, vice president of veterinary services at SeaWorld, argues that orcas at SeaWorld facilities already have "a phenomenal quality of life." SeaWorld and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums say that SeaWorld offers a high level of veterinary care and psychological enrichment programs for the captive animals.

They also say that research is being done there on cognition, behavior and the physiology of killer whales and other cetaceans that could not be done any other way. That knowledge, and the chance for the public to see the animals in action, Dr. Dold said, can educate the public and support the cause of conservation.

"That's why killer whales that connect with people in zoos every day are so important to us as a society," he said.

Dr. Rose, the opponent of keeping orcas in captivity, also points out that much of the science began in marine park studies. "The history is that our science is built on the backs of people who got their start in the public display industry," she said, adding, "It's an issue that our community doesn't like to grapple with" - one that she hopes to remedy.

At a meeting in New Zealand of the Society for Marine Mammology, Dr. Rose will be one of several co-authors presenting a paper about survival of captive orcas. She said it shows that captive orcas do not do as well as wild ones, and that changes in the care of the animals and an increase in the percentage of captive-born animals since 1995 have not improved survival rates.

The scientific community, she said, has some "hard truths" it needs to confront.

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Should some of the most social, intelligent and charismatic animals on the planet be kept in captivity by human beings? That is a question asked more frequently than ever by both scientists and animal welfare advocates, sometimes about close human cousins like chimpanzees and other great apes, but also about another animal that is remarkable for its intelligence and complex social organization - the killer whale, or orca.

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Whales and dolphins get bigger aquarium tanks

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Aquariums that put on shows, where whales and dolphins do tricks for visitors, are building bigger tanks for the animals. But many people say the animals belong in the ocean, not in fish tanks.

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Kids Nationwide Reject the Blackfish Agenda

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Kids Nationwide Reject the Blackfish Agenda

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When a kid in Malibu, California forced the rest of her classmates to miss out on a day at SeaWorld because she was misled by Blackfish, it made national news.

Ever since that girl forced the radical agenda of animal rights groups like PETA, The Dodo and others, they have claimed that children are rejecting accredited zoological organizations in favor of a debunked documentary.

However, we are learning this isn't the case, and in fact quite the opposite is happening nationwide!

Children of all ages are rejecting the radical agenda being shoved in their faces and asking for alternatives. Not only are they analyzing the source material the school is presenting to them, they're demanding they be allowed to think critically by hearing both sides of the issue, which is a victory for anyone interested in education.

Here we have a few stories of kids who are standing up to radical activists and demanding that they hear the full story and learn the truth:

Austin and Goliath in San Antonio, Texas

When one of Austin's teachers announced that they would be required to watch Blackfish in school, Austin stood up and demanded that they allow a SeaWorld trainer from SeaWorld San Antonio to come in afterwards to comment about the film.

The teacher responded, "We don't have time for that." Austin quickly countered, "Then we don't have time for Blackfish." The teacher agreed and the class was spared 80 minutes of out-of-context YouTube clips and propaganda.

Chris Brings Keiko to Texas

When Chris learned about the new book "Killing Keiko" by Mark Simmons, he went straight to his school's library. When he found out it wasn't available, but other radical animal rights books were, he kindly asked if "Killing Keiko" could be included. The librarians happily agreed and ordered the book. It is now available to all the students at his high school.

We have begun to learn that students in Florida, California, Idaho, Utah, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan and more are all requesting that their libraries stock Killing Keiko.

Nikki vs. The Debate Team in New York, New York

When Nikki learned that her debate team would have to debate "Pro: SeaWorld should be closed" she had to fight other class members to represent the "Con" which was to defend SeaWorld in the debate. After days of research and preparation, she ended the debate convincing numerous audience members from the rival school that SeaWorld does incredible good in the world and should NOT be closed!

These 3 stories are just the tip of the iceberg. There has been so much interest in SeaWorld's real story that SeaWorld has been piloting an education program that would allow their trainers to virtually talk with any classroom about the amazing animal care their animals receive.

It is a new era and children around the country are demanding that they get to hear both sides and learn the truth!

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Kids Nationwide Reject the Blackfish Agenda

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Kids of all ages are rejecting the radical agenda being shoved in their faces and asking to be allowed to think critically about the issues.

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Zoologist: Orcas will decline in wild | CNN

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Brooke Baldwin talks with animal trainer and zoologist Grey Stafford about the benefits of holding orcas in captivity.

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Copy of Cars of the future - Stephen Ornes - Info

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Copy of Charged cars that would charge - Emily Sohn - Info

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Copy of Ready unplug drive - Emily Sohn - Info

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An electric vehicle is a vehicle that uses electricity to move. Its wheels are driven by electric motors.

Electric vehicles were one of the first kinds that did not use horse or human power. Electric trains and cars were built in the 1830's, and in the early 1900's there were more electric cars than gasoline-powered cars. But cars powered by gasoline or diesel fuel become the most common kind of car for most of the last 100 years.

Electric vehicles have long been used in some special cases, such as forklifts used inside a building, golf carts, trolley bus or certain vehicles used around airplanes at an airport. Early in the 21st century people are using more electric and hybrid vehicles again as a way to reduce pollution and use less gasoline.

It is unclear who the first inventor was, but Ányos Jedlik of Hungary built a small model of a working electric car in 1828. In the 1830's Robert Anderson of Scotland, Professor Stratingh of Holland and Thomas Davenport, a blacksmith from Vermont all built electric vehicles. Davenport is said to be the inventor of the DC electric motor. In 1865, Gaston Plante of France made a better battery. In 1886, the inventor Frank Sprague of Connecticut made important changes to the electric motor.

Great Britain and France were early leaders in making better electric cars. Interest in the electric car in the United States grew after 1891 when A. L. Ryker built a three-wheeled electric car, and William Morrison built a six-passenger wagon.

The years 1899 and 1900 were the best years for electric cars in America, as they outsold all other types of cars ( steam, gasoline and diesel). One example was the 1902 Phaeton built by the Woods Motor Vehicle Company of Chicago, which had a range of 18 miles, a top speed of 14 mph and cost $2,000. (At that time, there were few good roads between towns, so most driving was for short distances). Electric cars could go as far as steam-powered cars and did not take 30 to 40 minutes to get started. Gasoline engines were smelly and noisy.

But then the internal combustion engine (that used gasoline and diesel) were greatly improved, and cars that used those engines could go much farther and faster than other cars.

Some people would make electric cars in their garages by taking out the engine and putting in an electric motor and batteries, but for a long time, no big car company made an electric car. Only in the late 1990's did big car companies start making electric cars again. The most famous was the GM's EV-1. Now interest in alternative fuel vehicles is growing.

Kinds of electric vehicles

Pure electric cars

These types of cars do not have any kind of internal combustion engine, but are driven entirely using electric motors, which gets its power in different ways other than an engine.

A fuel cell makes electricity from hydrogen. Hydrogen is very common, but hard to store. It can be made from water, but is usually made from natural gas. These cars are very rare, because there are not many places where one can fill up with hydrogen, and so not many are made. One of the few companies who makes fuel cell cars is Toyota, which has the Mirai.

A solar cell stores energy from the sun as electricity to make the car go. But the sunlight that lands on a solar car is not enough to make a full sized car move very fast, and cannot work at night unless it stores energy somewhere. There is a competition every year to see who can make a car that goes the farthest on only solar power.

A battery-electric vehicle (BEV) stores electrical energy in a big battery inside the car. The batteries get their energy from an electric supply outside the car, usually a electrical outlet like those in a house. It is the most common kind of electric car seen today. Many governments around the world are encouraging public places to install charging stations, which have a plug that can charge most types of plug-in cars. Companies that make BEVs include Nissan, which has the Leaf, and Mitsubishi Motors, which makes the i-miEV. An American company called Tesla is famous for making BEVs that charge very quickly, such as the Roadster (a sports car) and more recently the Model S.

Hybrid cars

A hybrid is a combination of two things. In this case, it is an electric motor, and another type of power, such as an engine. Because of this, hybrid vehicles are not true electric vehicles.

A hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) has both an internal combustion engine and an electric motor which drives the wheels. Usually, the electric motor is used when moving at low speeds and power from the internal combustion engine is used as the car goes faster. The engine get its power from gasoline, diesel, or any other kind of fuel, and can generate electricity which is stored in batteries to be used later with the electric motor. The battery is much smaller than that of a pure electric vehicle and even though the vehicle can go without starting the gas engine, it cannot go very far before the battery runs out of energy and the gas engine has to be started. The Toyota Prius is the best-selling HEV of all time, but many other companies around the world like Honda (with the Clarity), BMW (with the i3), and Ford (with the Focus) also make hybrid cars, some of which, such as the Honda Civic and Toyota Camry, come in both gas-only and hybrid versions. The hybrid version is usually more expensive because it has more parts.

A plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) is like an ordinary hybrid electric vehicle in that it has both an internal combustion engine and an electric motor. The difference is that a PHEV has a bigger battery that can be charged using a plug from an outlet, just like a battery-electric vehicle. This allows the car to go farther on electric power alone than a HEV before the gas engine has to be used. However, the battery is still quite small, meaning a PHEV most often does not go as far as a BEV on electric power alone. The Chevrolet Volt from General Motors and the Sonata by Hyundai are just two examples of plug-in hybrids, and Toyota also makes a plug-in version of its Prius, as does Honda with its Clarity.

A human electric hybrid vehicle (HEHV), in its simplest form, is a battery and motor put on a bicycle. The Twike is a covered vehicle that can hold two people. It can be pedaled, run from the battery, or both.

Other vehicles

There are many other types of electric vehicles. A trolley bus (also called a trackless trolley) uses overhead electric lines to power it. Many trains use a railway electrification system to supply power. A few high-speed rail lines use powered magnets in the track to move the train, in a system called ' mag-lev' (magnetic levitation). There are electric bicycles and motorcycles and some tricycles (trikes) like the Corbin Motors Sparrow, which was also seen in the Austin Powers movie Goldmember.

Most freight trains are diesel-electric. The locomotive has a diesel engine which provides electricity, and an electric motor which makes the wheels turn. In recent years, however, there are buses and trains that store their power in a battery or use some other source like fuel cells. These kinds of vehicles do not need wires.

Advantages and disadvantages
Advantages:
These vehicles use an electric motor, so they are very quiet, no smell and no pollution from exhaust gases that is why UK is considering stop sale of diesel, petrol and hybrid vehicles by 2035. They can even be used indoors, in tunnels and mines. Oil for gasoline and diesel is a limited resource - it will not last forever and is becoming more expensive. If the electricity for a battery-electric vehicle comes from a renewable energy source, like a windmill, solar cells, geothermal or hydroelectric, then it will not produce as many global warming gases.
Disadvantages:
Batteries do not store a lot of energy, and they are large and heavy, so the vehicles usually cannot go very far. It takes a long time to recharge a battery, sometimes many hours. Good batteries can be very expensive, and all batteries need to be replaced after a while. Most electricity in the United States comes from coal or natural gas, so an electric vehicle that is powered by electricity from one of these plants will still add to global warming gases.

Modern Vehicles

More electric cars are being made every year. Here are a few:

Tesla Roadster (a sports car, only sold for a short time, then replaced by the Model S)

Tesla Model S

Ford Focus Electric

Images for kids

In Spanish: Vehículo eléctrico para niños

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Cars can now be powered by gasoline or electricity - or both! In 2017, electric vehicles grew 54% worldwide to more than 3 million. The International Energy Agency forecasts that electric vehicles will grow to more than 124 million by 2030.

There are two types of electric vehicles (EVs):

Battery electric vehicle

Uses a battery to store electric energy that powers the motor

Charges battery by plugging into an electric power source

Can travel more than 200 miles on one charge

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicle

Powered by an internal combustion engine and electric motor that uses energy from an on-board battery

Plugs into electric power source to charge on-board battery

Can travel over 50 miles in all-electric mode and up to 400 total miles before refueling

Fun facts about EVs

EVs are better for the environment

Since electric vehicles can run on a rechargeable battery, they produce fewer emissions - the stuff that comes out of a tailpipe.

EVs are high performance and low maintenance

Vehicles powered by electricity are quiet and fast. They don't need to rev up an engine to get speed - they respond as soon as the driver hits the pedal. And EVs come with the latest in gadgets and digital perks, like an app to control the charging status.

EVs can charge at home

Driving an EV means you can charge your car at home. (No more freezing at the gas pump during the winter.) And, on average, it costs half as much to charge an electric vehicle than it does to fuel up a gas-powered vehicle.

What's next for EVs?

Longer distances

BEVs (electric-only vehicles) average between 60 and 120 miles per charge. Some luxury models can travel up to 300 miles.

PHEVs (gas- and electric-powered vehicles) can travel further. When the battery runs out of charge, they just switch to running on gas instead. PHEVs can run about 50 miles on electricity before switching to gas. They can get as far as 400 miles total before needing to recharge or refuel.

The electric range in EVs is improving and since 2011, it has been increasing at an average of 17% per year and 38 miles with each model update.*

In comparison, a traditional gas-powered vehicle can travel 300 miles or more on one tank of gas.

Most people don't need to drive over 40 miles on a typical day - and if they have a charging station in their garage at home, they can charge up every night.

Quicker charge times

Right now, charging an electric vehicle takes about eight hours. However, fast charging stations are getting more popular and can charge an electric car to 80% in just 30 minutes.

More places to charge

Gas stations are everywhere, but EV chargers aren't ... yet! That's starting to change as gas stations, hotels, restaurants, parks and communities are adding EV charging stations for public use. Having an EV charger can make a restaurant, or even a city, a more popular travel destination.

More options and lower prices

Right now, electric vehicles are more expensive to buy than similar gas-powered models. Even with the higher price tag, though, the fuel cost savings, reduced maintenance and other bonuses make it worth it. And more options and styles are on the way, too! There are over 50 styles available today, and there will be over 90 by 2020.

With advancements in technology and increasing benefits, electric vehicles will one day become the norm. Gas-powered vehicles will be a thing of the past.

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Since electric vehicles can run on a rechargeable battery, they produce fewer emissions - the stuff that comes out of a tailpipe.

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In January, one of the world’s major automakers, General Motors (GM), announced that it would stop selling gas-powered cars by 2035. The company says it will make more battery-powered vehicles. In March, Swedish automaker Volvo stepped up the timeline. It…

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What are the downsides to electric cars?

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What are the downsides to electric cars?

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Their batteries need rare metals
The batteries for electric cars use a lot of lithium, the lightest metal and the lightest solid element under normal conditions. Chile produces the largest amount of lithium (8,800 tonnes per year), with other big producers including Argentina and China, while Bolivia has the world's largest known reserves. Other metals used in electric cars include copper, cobalt, aluminium, nickel and sometimes manganese, along with conductive non-metal graphite. There are rich cobalt deposits in countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo, where it lies on the surface and is picked up by miners who include women and children. Cobalt is toxic to humans and most of these miners work with little or no protective equipment.

Lithium mine. ID 311592620© Gavinp101| Dreamstime.com

It has been suggested that we will struggle to create large numbers of electric cars in Europe in the near term, simply because we don't have sufficient access to sources of lithium to make the batteries and we don't have the factories to make them in either.
Making electric cars creates more emissions
To get a real idea of how much greenhouse gas is emitted during the manufacture of an electric car, you have to look at how its components are sourced and made. The raw materials for making the car have to be mined, and the process of mining creates a lot of greenhouse gases. Then the raw materials have to be refined before they can be used, which again emits more greenhouse gas. Then more greenhouse gas is emitted in the manufacturing process.

Of course the above is also true when manufacturing a petrol or diesel car. In fact, taking into account the whole production process, making a petrol or diesel car releases about 7 to 10 tonnes of CO2.

Making an electric car releases roughly the same amount of CO2, but then you have to add in the production of the battery. Estimates suggest that 150kg of CO2 are released for every 1 kiloWatt hour (kWh) of battery capacity. For an electric car to have a decent range (say 300 miles) between charges, it needs a battery that's at least 60kWh in capacity. This means that a further 9 tonnes of CO2 will be emitted during the making of an electric car, giving a total of 16-19 tonnes of CO2 emitted. So at this point, an electric car seems worse for the environment than a fossil fuel one.
They are only as green as their power sources
The environmental impact of an electric car can increase or decrease considerably depending on how the electricity that charges its battery is made. A coal-fired power station emits 800-850 grams of CO2 per kWh (recent estimates suggest this may be lower, at 650g per kWh), whilst a cleaner, gas-fired power station emits 350-400g CO2 per kWh. Using renewable energy, like solar panels or wind turbines, around 36g CO2 is emitted per kWh, taking into account the emissions created during their manufacturing process. So if a car is recharged using renewable energy, its negative impact on the environment is far lower than if it's charged using electricity from a coal-fired power station.
Electric cars can be expensive to buy
The purchase price of electric cars does tend to be higher than a petrol or diesel-engined version of the same car. But this is where the increased costs end. A 30 minute fast recharge from a dedicated charging point at a service station costs around £6 - not much more than it costs for a gallon of diesel or petrol and in some cases it's actually free. An overnight charge from a dedicated charging point installed at someone's home can provide around 100 miles of driving for about £2. Servicing of electric cars tends to be cheaper, as there are very few moving parts and no filters or oil to change. The most expensive part of an electric car - its battery - tends now to be highly reliable, and is covered by a long warranty or can be leased from the manufacturer. So looking at longer term ownership rather than initial purchase price, electric cars can actually be cheaper than their petrol or diesel counterparts.
You can't drive as far in an electric car
Although battery technology is improving all the time, this is a fact at the moment. The best electric cars now have ranges of well over 300 miles between charges. But many have a range of just 150 miles or less between charges, which means they are much more suited for use in cities and on short, local journeys, rather than for long-distance travel. And to recharge them, they need at least half an hour of charging at a dedicated, high voltage charging point - the kind you see at motorway services. Compare that with the time it takes to fill the tank of a petrol or diesel-engined car and the fact that many new cars can now go 500 miles or more between refills and it's obvious that fossil fuels still have a distinct advantage in this area. Using the heater or air con in an electric car will also have an impact on their range, and batteries hold less charge when it's cold.

‍
There aren't enough charging points
At the end of 2023, there were around 50,000 electric vehicle charging stations across 20,534 locations in the UK. By 2025, the number of sockets is set to increase to 80,000. This compares reasonably well with the 8,378 petrol stations currently open across the UK. But as noted above, filling a car with diesel or petrol takes a couple of minutes, not 30 minutes or more and many petrol stations have 4 to 6 pumps or more.

Many people get round this by having their own charging point installed at home. But that's not really an option for people living in streets of terraced housing where on-street parking means they often have to park their cars some distance from their house.

So as we shift to using more and more electric vehicles, we'll have to think about how we keep them charged up. The electric vehicle may become the new smartphone, the next device that's essential for getting us through our day that we have to keep charged up and ready for action.

The need to charge our vehicles could potentially cause problems. What if everyone plugs their car into a charger when they arrive at work at 9am, or when they get home at 6pm? How will the surge in demand be dealt with?

The problems of fossil fuels

Petrol and diesel are both made from oil - a black, gloopy substance formed from the fossilised remains of animal and plant life that lived and died under our oceans hundreds of millions of years ago. Oil contains compounds of carbon and when it's burned in a car's engine, along with being an energy source, it produces carbon dioxide (CO2), the most abundant 'greenhouse gas' in our planet's atmosphere. The concentration of CO2 in our planet's atmosphere has been increasing rapidly in recent years, and now stands at over 400 parts per million, while in 1800, it was at just below 283 ppm. The increased level of CO2 in our atmosphere, brought about by increased burning of fossil fuels, is now agreed by almost all climate scientists to be the cause of rapidly accelerating climate change and rising global average temperatures.

But what's also now becoming much clearer is that diesel cars, which in the 2000s were hailed as more environmentally friendly than their petrol counterparts because they produce less CO2, also produce far more NOx - oxides of nitrogen. These include nitrous oxide (N2O), or 'laughing gas', which is almost 300 times more powerful a greenhouse gas than CO2; nitrogen dioxide (NO2), which is a major pollutant and forms the brownish coloured component of smog; and nitric oxide (NO), which readily oxidises in the atmosphere to become nitrogen dioxide.

New rules to control pollutants in emissions have led to cleaner, more efficient engines. But as the VW emissions scandal of 2015 (or 'Dieselgate') showed, in some cases, new and supposedly greener cars are actually only cleaner when undergoing test conditions. Wider analysis of vehicle emissions has shown that many cars from a range of manufacturers actually exceed emissions limits by a large margin when being driven in real life, rather than under test conditions.

So it makes sense to look to alternatives to petrol and diesel powered vehicles. And fortunately, alternatives already exist in the form of all-electric and electric-petrol hybrid vehicles. There are around 975,000 fully electric on the UK's roads today. It is predicted that by 2030, this will have increased dramatically to 6.4 million.

But all-electric cars run on big batteries and of course those batteries need charging. And whilst hybrids use batteries to provide some of the power, they still use a petrol engine to provide some, or in some cases most of the power to drive the car. So just exactly how clean are they as alternatives to petrol or diesel cars?

What are the downsides to electric cars?

Their batteries need rare metals
The batteries for electric cars use a lot of lithium, the lightest metal and the lightest solid element under normal conditions. Chile produces the largest amount of lithium (8,800 tonnes per year), with other big producers including Argentina and China, while Bolivia has the world's largest known reserves. Other metals used in electric cars include copper, cobalt, aluminium, nickel and sometimes manganese, along with conductive non-metal graphite. There are rich cobalt deposits in countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo, where it lies on the surface and is picked up by miners who include women and children. Cobalt is toxic to humans and most of these miners work with little or no protective equipment.

Lithium mine. ID 311592620© Gavinp101| Dreamstime.com

It has been suggested that we will struggle to create large numbers of electric cars in Europe in the near term, simply because we don't have sufficient access to sources of lithium to make the batteries and we don't have the factories to make them in either.
Making electric cars creates more emissions
To get a real idea of how much greenhouse gas is emitted during the manufacture of an electric car, you have to look at how its components are sourced and made. The raw materials for making the car have to be mined, and the process of mining creates a lot of greenhouse gases. Then the raw materials have to be refined before they can be used, which again emits more greenhouse gas. Then more greenhouse gas is emitted in the manufacturing process.

Of course the above is also true when manufacturing a petrol or diesel car. In fact, taking into account the whole production process, making a petrol or diesel car releases about 7 to 10 tonnes of CO2.

Making an electric car releases roughly the same amount of CO2, but then you have to add in the production of the battery. Estimates suggest that 150kg of CO2 are released for every 1 kiloWatt hour (kWh) of battery capacity. For an electric car to have a decent range (say 300 miles) between charges, it needs a battery that's at least 60kWh in capacity. This means that a further 9 tonnes of CO2 will be emitted during the making of an electric car, giving a total of 16-19 tonnes of CO2 emitted. So at this point, an electric car seems worse for the environment than a fossil fuel one.
They are only as green as their power sources
The environmental impact of an electric car can increase or decrease considerably depending on how the electricity that charges its battery is made. A coal-fired power station emits 800-850 grams of CO2 per kWh (recent estimates suggest this may be lower, at 650g per kWh), whilst a cleaner, gas-fired power station emits 350-400g CO2 per kWh. Using renewable energy, like solar panels or wind turbines, around 36g CO2 is emitted per kWh, taking into account the emissions created during their manufacturing process. So if a car is recharged using renewable energy, its negative impact on the environment is far lower than if it's charged using electricity from a coal-fired power station.
Electric cars can be expensive to buy
The purchase price of electric cars does tend to be higher than a petrol or diesel-engined version of the same car. But this is where the increased costs end. A 30 minute fast recharge from a dedicated charging point at a service station costs around £6 - not much more than it costs for a gallon of diesel or petrol and in some cases it's actually free. An overnight charge from a dedicated charging point installed at someone's home can provide around 100 miles of driving for about £2. Servicing of electric cars tends to be cheaper, as there are very few moving parts and no filters or oil to change. The most expensive part of an electric car - its battery - tends now to be highly reliable, and is covered by a long warranty or can be leased from the manufacturer. So looking at longer term ownership rather than initial purchase price, electric cars can actually be cheaper than their petrol or diesel counterparts.
You can't drive as far in an electric car
Although battery technology is improving all the time, this is a fact at the moment. The best electric cars now have ranges of well over 300 miles between charges. But many have a range of just 150 miles or less between charges, which means they are much more suited for use in cities and on short, local journeys, rather than for long-distance travel. And to recharge them, they need at least half an hour of charging at a dedicated, high voltage charging point - the kind you see at motorway services. Compare that with the time it takes to fill the tank of a petrol or diesel-engined car and the fact that many new cars can now go 500 miles or more between refills and it's obvious that fossil fuels still have a distinct advantage in this area. Using the heater or air con in an electric car will also have an impact on their range, and batteries hold less charge when it's cold.

‍
There aren't enough charging points
At the end of 2023, there were around 50,000 electric vehicle charging stations across 20,534 locations in the UK. By 2025, the number of sockets is set to increase to 80,000. This compares reasonably well with the 8,378 petrol stations currently open across the UK. But as noted above, filling a car with diesel or petrol takes a couple of minutes, not 30 minutes or more and many petrol stations have 4 to 6 pumps or more.

Many people get round this by having their own charging point installed at home. But that's not really an option for people living in streets of terraced housing where on-street parking means they often have to park their cars some distance from their house.

So as we shift to using more and more electric vehicles, we'll have to think about how we keep them charged up. The electric vehicle may become the new smartphone, the next device that's essential for getting us through our day that we have to keep charged up and ready for action.

The need to charge our vehicles could potentially cause problems. What if everyone plugs their car into a charger when they arrive at work at 9am, or when they get home at 6pm? How will the surge in demand be dealt with?

What are the benefits of electric cars?

ID 48620414© Ifeelstock| Dreamstime.com

Electric cars are more energy efficient
An amazing advantage electric cars have over fossil-fuel powered ones is their efficient use of the energy you put into their batteries. An electric car converts between 75 and 95% of its available energy into motion. A fossil fuel car can only convert a maximum of around 30% of the energy stored in its fuel into motion. The rest is lost in heat and friction. So that's a big win for electric cars!
Electric cars have incredible acceleration
Whilst this might not be strictly considered a benefit, many electric cars are capable of phenomenal acceleration. This is because electric cars produce maximum torque at zero revolutions per minute (rpm) and can continue this pretty much through their rev range. It's what enables the large, seven-seat Tesla P90D to surge to 60 miles per hour in just 2.6 seconds when it's set in 'Ludicrous' mode! As of the summer of 2022, the Aspark Owl is the fastest-accelerating electric car available to buy, accelerating from 0-60 mph in just 1.69 seconds!
They can be really cool!
Electric cars can look strikingly different. Electric cars like those produced by Tesla and BMW look highly distinctive and they are filled with all kinds of exciting technology. Having driven an electric car, there is something pretty amazing about whizzing down the road with no noise except the wind and the tyres on the road.

The BIG benefit of electric cars

They are greener as soon as they start being driven
We have seen above that electric cars actually have a greater environmental impact than fossil-fuel powered ones when they are being made. But that balance is reversed as soon as a car starts being driven. When an electric car is being driven, it emits nothing. In comparison, a fossil fuel powered car emits CO2 and a collection of other gases and particulates.

The UK's Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) states that the average CO2 emissions for a new car sold in 2016 was 120.1g/ km, which is equivalent to 193.3g CO2 per mile. So if we discount the fact that most official emissions figures are considerably better than those achieved by drivers in real-life conditions, and if we were to drive 2016's average new car for 135,000 miles, it would emit over 26 tonnes of CO2 over its lifespan.

Using figures from TNO, the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research, the average compact car actually produces an average of 275g CO2 per mile in real-life driving. Using that as our benchmark and travelling the same distance, the car would emit over 37 tonnes of CO2.

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets the average annual emissions much higher, at 4.7 tonnes of CO2 per car driving 11,400 miles per year, which equates to 412g CO2 per mile! That typical American car would emit a whopping 55 tonnes of CO2 emissions to travel 135,000 miles!

With any of the above numbers, we need to remember that a further 6 tonnes of emissions are produced in the drilling, refining etc. of the fossil fuels needed to drive a petrol or diesel car for 135,000 miles. That's because the process of drilling for oil and gas releases around 57g CO2 per kWh of fuel produced.

To drive an electric car 135,000 miles using electricity coming from a mix of 80% fossil fuels and 20% renewables causes CO2 emissions of around 23 tonnes. To travel the same distance when the electric car is receiving its charge from 100% renewable energy will cause just 2 tonnes of emissions.
Car type Fuel type Total emissions, 135000 miles Electric 80% fossil fuel, 20% renewables 35-42 tonnes Electric 100% renewables 14-21 tonnes 'Real world' driving, TNO figures Petrol or diesel 50-53 tonnes US EPA figures Petrol 68-71 tonnes

Home charging is a popular option in the UK.
ID 317152868© Nathee Sanbooytho| Dreamstime.com

So even in a country with an energy infrastructure based around coal and gas-fired power stations, an electric car has much less impact over its lifespan. Given that most public recharging stations in the UK use 100% renewable energy, using an electric car here will create much lower emissions than a fossil fuel-powered car. People who have bought electric cars also tend to use 100% renewable tariffs to charge their vehicles at home, increasing the likelihood of lower emissions.

We can see the future (but it's not here yet!)

Photo: electric cars charging in Norway.
ID 113405046© Gvictoria| Dreamstime.com

A recent study by the University of Leeds which looked at the costs of owning petrol, diesel or electric cars over four years has shown that electric cars are actually cheaper when running costs are taken into account. In fact, pure electric cars bought in the UK in 2015 worked out to be 10% cheaper across four years than petrol or diesel cars of the same year. This is because electricity is significantly cheaper than petrol or diesel, whilst servicing costs for electric vehicles are minimal, as the engines are much simpler.

The news isn't so good for hybrid cars, which are normally a little more expensive than either petrol or diesel cars. Plug-in hybrids fared worst of all, with higher running costs than any other vehicles.

In the UK, sales of diesel cars have dropped significantly in 2017, with 30% less cars sold as a result of increasing awareness of the pollution caused by diesel engine emissions. Meanwhile, electric car sales increased by 37%. UK electric car sales could overtake diesels by the middle of 2019, according to the UK's Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit. However, there is a long way to go before electric cars become the norm. There are around 32.9 million cars in the UK and by the end of July 2022, some 520,000 of them were pure electric vehicles, along with 405,000 plug-in hybrids.

Steadily improving access to public electric vehicle charging points will likely lead to more motorists choosing to make the switch to electric vehicles in coming years.

The case for switching to electric cars is becoming increasingly convincing. Owning and driving one reduces an individual's carbon emissions considerably and it's obvious that in the future, personal transport will be electric. There are barriers to widespread adoption at the moment, but in the next few years, those barriers will get smaller. More manufacturers will begin developing electric and electric-petrol hybrid vehicles, more charging stations (both public and private) will be installed and improvements to battery technology will continue to reduce charging times and increase the range between charges for electric cars. So whilst many of us will be using fossil fuel powered cars for a decade or more to come, increasing numbers of us will be making a switch to an electric vehicle as the 2030s draw nearer.

The end in sight for fossil fuels?

In summer 2017, the UK and France announced that sales of new petrol and diesel engined cars will be banned from 2040 onwards. The UK has already brought this ban forward to 2030. So the end of personal transport powered by the internal combustion engine is already in sight. Chinese-owned carmaker Volvo announced this summer that from 2019 all of its cars will be either electric or petrol hybrid powered. Volvo's Chinese owners, Geely, plans to sell a million electric cars by 2025.

In 2020, electric cars are sought after with many models to choose from such as the MG5, the Volkswagen ID 3 and the original electric car that broke the mould - the Tesla.

London has introduced the Emissions Surcharge (commonly known as the T-Charge), which means that drivers of most cars built before 2006 now have to pay an additional £12.50 on top of the £15 per day Congestion Charge they already pay to drive in London's Congestion Charge Zone. Meanwhile, France's capital city, Paris has banned all vehicles made before 2000 from its streets in a bid to tackle pollution there, and has had a car-free day each year since 2015. It plans to ban all petrol and diesel cars from its streets by 2030.

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Electric Cars - What are the downsides to electric cars? | Better Planet Education

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Electric Cars - What are the downsides to electric cars? - Electric vehicles are becoming more popular. In this factsheet we explore why.

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Take a look at this photo. Remind you of anyone? Common Sense Media says that 43% of kids 8 to 12 now own a smartphone. Is that a good thing? Many young people tell TIME for Kids that smartphones help them stay in touch with their families.

But some experts advise caution. "Young kids are not particularly well-equipped to regulate their smartphone use," Julia Storm says. She's a digital-media wellness educator. Too much time on a device can affect kids' health and well-being. Should kids have smartphones? TFK asked some. Here's what they had to say.

COURTESY LAURA GAROFALO
John Garofalo, 11 Scarsdale, New York
There are a few reasons that kids should have smartphones. First, phones allow parents to get in touch with their kids easily. Parents can see their kids' location and pick them up if there's an emergency. Second is education. An app like Duolingo helps kids learn Spanish and other languages. YouTube can also be a learning tool when it's used appropriately. Finally, smartphones help kids communicate with friends. If you move away, you can still stay in touch. This happened to me when I changed schools. Now I can talk to my old friends while I make new ones at my new school.

COURTESY AIKO YANO
Yume Yano, 10 Foster City, California
Smartphones can cause addiction. A study by Baylor University found that college students spend about nine hours a day on their phones! Children are also vulnerable to addiction, because they're not disciplined enough to set limits. They can lose sight of their interests, dreams, and schoolwork. Studies show that smartphone use can cause anxiety, harm relationships, and even damage kids' eyesight. I'm not saying that kids should never have electronic devices. But they should also go outside, make art, and spend time with family. Why waste time on a screen?

COURTESY CYRA HUSSAIN
Alina Hussain, 10 Winfield, Illinois
My opinion is that you can have a smartphone, but too much time on it isn't good. Smartphones can provide entertainment, which we need. But this can be addicting. Watching videos online isn't the best use of your time. With effort, we're capable of amazing things. YouTube won't really help you achieve them. And looking at a screen for too long isn't good for your vision. But if there's an emergency, a smartphone lets you call your parents or the authorities. If you need to remember something, you can make a note. These are reasons that kids should have phones.

COURTESY EDUARDO DIEPPA III
Alejandro Dieppa, 10 Miami, Florida
I think kids should not own smartphones. Constantly being exposed to blue light from screens could be bad for their eyes. Smartphones can also distract them from school. And studies say that teens and young adults who spend the most time on social media are more often depressed than those who spend the least time on them. This might happen to kids, too. What about safety? Well, children should always be with adults, so safety is not part of it. With all the risks to schoolwork, health, and happiness, it's not worth it for kids to have smartphones.

COURTESY MELISSA EASTON
Logan Easton, 10 Mount Albert, Ontario, Canada
There are many good reasons that kids should have smartphones. The most important one is emergencies. Kids can call for help. Or parents can track kids by phone. Another reason is that kids can talk to their friends and family when they are feeling stressed. Or they can ask a friend to come over. And then there's the remedy for boredom: Kids could use their phones for games and other entertainment. Using smartphones lets us stay safe, communicate with friends, and have fun. Why wouldn't we want kids to have them?

COURTESY ANNETTE MCCANN
Emily McCann, 9 Pelham, New York
There are many reasons that kids do not need smartphones. First, they could get calls from people they don't know and get tricked into doing things they are not supposed to do. Some apps could leak kids' personal information. Kids might also be hurt by a mean comment online. They might not want to spend time with family and friends. And with a phone in their hands, they might not be aware of their surroundings. For example, when crossing a street. Phones can distract you from school, sports, clubs, and homework.
The Next Debate! Do kids need homework? Email your opinion to tfkeditors@time.com by December 30. Your response might be featured in an upcoming issue. *Submissions have been edited only for length and clarity. They are not intended to reflect the views of TIME for Kids. Ages are accurate as of the time of submission.

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Take a look at this photo. Remind you of anyone? Common Sense Media says that 43% of kids 8 to 12 now own a smartphone. Is that a good thing? Many young people tell TIME for Kids that smartphones help...

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Artificial intelligence is part of our everyday lives. It makes our smart devices work, and you may already be using an AI program in school. But advanced chatbots, like ChatGPT, are new. They are called generative AI. Ask a chatbot a question, and it will generate a whole essay. Some educators worry that chatbots could prevent students from learning on their own. Should students use AI to do their school assignments? We asked our TFK Kid Reporters to argue both sides of the case.
Dylan Patel, 13 San Diego, California
Artificial intelligence could revolutionize the way students learn. Many fear that chatbots can be used as a cheating tool. But safeguards are always being improved, and chatbots can be programmed to guide students through questions instead of giving them the answer. Chatbots can work with teachers, too. They can help teachers create data-driven lesson plans, to individualize student learning. Nobody has to fall behind in class! And AI tutors can provide 24/7 support for students. AI is here to stay. Either you move with the times, or the times will move without you!
Harper Carroll, 10 Boston, Massachusetts
Schoolwork should teach kids skills and develop their brains. While technology can be a useful tool, kids need to become competent at basic tasks independently. This is why kids learn how to do computation, even though calculators have existed for a long time. And it's why schools teach penmanship and spelling, when most adults write using computers. Kids' brains need to be exercised to develop, just like their bodies. AI may benefit adults, but it would be detrimental to children if they used AI before they mastered the building blocks of an education.
Alexa Oh, 11 Seattle, Washington
Teaching kids how to use AI can prepare them for our technology-filled future. According to a YouGov poll, most Americans think it's necessary for students to learn AI-related skills for their future careers. Using AI can help build the critical thinking and problem-solving kids will need. And it's better that students learn about AI's limitations now: its biases, its potential to spread misinformation, and the ways it could be misused. I believe that as long as it's done well, teaching AI in schools will change society for the better.
Ninis Twumasi, 12 New York, New York
We shouldn't introduce generative AI into schools, for a few reasons. First, chatbots and other AI programs are getting more and more advanced every day. Teachers might not know how to best integrate them into their classes. Second, think of the cost to schools. Many wouldn't be able to afford the latest technology, and that's not fair to students. And most of all, AI lacks the humanity and emotion that kids get from a teacher. That human connection is important. A chatbot just feeds students information. But teachers know how to help students retain information.
The Next Debate: Should students be rewarded for perfect attendance? Email your opinion to tfkeditors@time.com by October 13, 2023. Your response might be featured in an upcoming issue.
*Submissions have been edited only for length and clarity. They are not intended to reflect the views of TIME for Kids. Ages are accurate as of the time of submission.

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Artificial intelligence is part of our everyday lives. It makes our smart devices work, and you may already be using an AI program in school. But advanced chatbots, like ChatGPT, are new. They are called generative AI. Ask a chatbot...

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Artificial intelligence is part of our everyday lives. It makes our smart devices work, and you may already be using an AI program in school. But advanced chatbots, like ChatGPT, are new. They are called generative AI. Ask a chatbot a question, and it will generate a whole essay. Some educators worry that chatbots could prevent students from learning on their own. Should students use AI to do their school assignments? We asked our TFK Kid Reporters to argue both sides of the case.
Dylan Patel, 13 San Diego, California
Artificial intelligence could revolutionize the way students learn. Many fear that chatbots can be used as a cheating tool. But safeguards are always being improved, and chatbots can be programmed to guide students through questions instead of giving them the answer. Chatbots can work with teachers, too. They can help teachers create data-driven lesson plans, to individualize student learning. Nobody has to fall behind in class! And AI tutors can provide 24/7 support for students. AI is here to stay. Either you move with the times, or the times will move without you!
Harper Carroll, 10 Boston, Massachusetts
Schoolwork should teach kids skills and develop their brains. While technology can be a useful tool, kids need to become competent at basic tasks independently. This is why kids learn how to do computation, even though calculators have existed for a long time. And it's why schools teach penmanship and spelling, when most adults write using computers. Kids' brains need to be exercised to develop, just like their bodies. AI may benefit adults, but it would be detrimental to children if they used AI before they mastered the building blocks of an education.
Alexa Oh, 11 Seattle, Washington
Teaching kids how to use AI can prepare them for our technology-filled future. According to a YouGov poll, most Americans think it's necessary for students to learn AI-related skills for their future careers. Using AI can help build the critical thinking and problem-solving kids will need. And it's better that students learn about AI's limitations now: its biases, its potential to spread misinformation, and the ways it could be misused. I believe that as long as it's done well, teaching AI in schools will change society for the better.
Ninis Twumasi, 12 New York, New York
We shouldn't introduce generative AI into schools, for a few reasons. First, chatbots and other AI programs are getting more and more advanced every day. Teachers might not know how to best integrate them into their classes. Second, think of the cost to schools. Many wouldn't be able to afford the latest technology, and that's not fair to students. And most of all, AI lacks the humanity and emotion that kids get from a teacher. That human connection is important. A chatbot just feeds students information. But teachers know how to help students retain information.
The Next Debate: Should students be rewarded for perfect attendance? Email your opinion to tfkeditors@time.com by October 13, 2023. Your response might be featured in an upcoming issue.
*Submissions have been edited only for length and clarity. They are not intended to reflect the views of TIME for Kids. Ages are accurate as of the time of submission.

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Artificial intelligence is part of our everyday lives. It makes our smart devices work, and you may already be using an AI program in school. But advanced chatbots, like ChatGPT, are new. They are called generative AI. Ask a chatbot...

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Netherlands to ban phones and smartwatches in schools from 2024

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Mobile phones, smartwatches and tablets are to be banned from Dutch classrooms from January 2024.

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Schools phone ban: Government announces new guidance for schools in England

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Government says phones should be banned in schools in England, but it’s up to teachers to decide how.

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Wonderopolis-Why would you want an electric car?

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Wonderopolis-Why would you want an electric car?

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Do you ever dream about your future car? Maybe you'd rather drive a truck or SUV. There are many decisions to make when choosing a vehicle. New or used? or ? Not to mention the make, model, and color! Of course, when you're old enough to drive, you'll likely have to make another decision: Would you want an electric car?

Electric vehicles (EVs) are becoming more common each year. With more people concerned about carbon emissions and climate change, you can expect to see many more EVs on the road in future decades. With this comes many other changes. After all, EVs are quite different from traditional gas-powered vehicles.

If you've been WONDERing with us for a while, you may have read about vehicles. These are powered by a mixture of electricity and gas. Most cars can travel up to 50 miles on electricity alone. For longer distances, they on gasoline. That's the main difference between hybrids and EVs-electric vehicles on electricity alone.

What's it like to drive an EV? Today's drivers say there are a few things to get used to when switching to a vehicle powered by electricity. First of all, there's no gear or clutch. Instead, drivers use a simple to put EVs in park, neutral, drive, and reverse.

Since they're powered by electricity, EVs also apply full power as soon as the driver hits the accelerator . This may help them speed up faster than gas-powered cars, so drivers must adjust with this in mind. Additionally, EVs use regenerative braking. That means they slow down as soon as the driver lifts their foot off the accelerator . Drivers end up using their brakes much less.

There are many benefits of owning an EV. The most obvious is that EVs don't on gasoline. Many people prefer EVs because they reduce their carbon footprint. This also means drivers of electric cars don't need to stop at the gas pump-in the long run, this can save a great deal of money.

EVs are also low maintenance . For example, they don't need oil changes. The regenerative braking system also means their brake pads don't need to be changed as often. Many drivers also report that EVs feel more secure. This is likely due to the placement of the battery, which sits just below the seats. This helps keep the vehicle's center of gravity low.

Of course, there are also drawbacks to EVs. Their range is lower than most gas-powered or vehicles. Most EVs can drive over 200 miles on one full charge. At that point, though, they need to be plugged in. With limited charging stations in many areas, this could cause problems on long trips.

Drivers who want to charge their EVs at home also have to install charging stations, which can be a complicated process. Additionally, the batteries are expensive to replace. Finally, while EVs may save drivers money on gas and maintenance in the long run, the price of purchasing an EV is often higher than that of a gas-powered vehicle.

What do you think? Would you want an electric car? There are plenty of reasons for either choice. It's a good thing you have plenty of time to make up your mind!

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Do you ever dream about your future car? Maybe you'd rather drive a truck or SUV. There are many decisions to make when choosing a vehicle. New or used? or ? Not to mention the make, model, and color! Of course, when you're old enough to drive, you'll likely have to make another decision: Would you want an electric car?

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Today's Wonder of the Day was inspired by LAUREN from Winston-Salem, NC. LAUREN Wonders, " How does technology help us with almost everything? " Thanks for WONDERing with us, LAUREN!

What challenges do you face every day? Some kids have a hard time tying their shoes or being on time for the school bus. You might find it challenging to read the front board. Many kids have a hard time hearing their teacher from across the room. Others struggle with gym class activities.

All people have personal challenges . But you probably also have some special ! You might be a great writer or artist. Maybe you can do more cartwheels than anyone else in your class. Your talent could be listening or being a good friend.

How do you use your ? Many people enjoy using their to help others. Take your teacher for example. They use their special every day to help you learn and grow. Many other people use their special skills to help others with the challenges they face.

How about people who work in technology ? Many of them use their to make new devices that help others. Do you use any gadgets at school? Access to a device and the Internet can open up a world of learning. For many children with learning disabilities, new educational technology can help them learn.

And there are plenty more examples. Many smartphone applications help people face challenges . For example, money reading apps help people with impairments identify the value of the money they're holding. If your eyesight is limited, you know just how helpful that can be. It helps people use the right bills and make sure they get the correct change back.

Text-to-speech technology is also a huge help to many people. Kids use it to follow along with texts that are hard to read. Adults also use text-to-speech . They listen to emails and other important documents if they can't see them. Speech-to-text technology also allows people with limited hearing to read the words they can't hear.

Have you ever lost the use of a leg? Whether briefly or permanently, you know how useful wheelchairs can be. And they're becoming more advanced every day! Prototypes already exist for wheelchairs that can climb stairs. And scientists are even working on wheelchairs that can be controlled with just the mind. They'll read brain waves to find out exactly what their user wants them to do.

Voice technology already lets people control devices with the sound of their voice. You can find it in many products. There are voice keyboards, cars, smartphones, and many others. And of course, driverless cars can may improve transportation for people with and impairments . Many models of these cars are in testing and could be on the road soon!

What does the future hold for technology ? You might be amazed at some you'll see in your lifetime. Maybe you'll even come up with the next helpful device yourself! If technology isn't your passion, there are plenty of other ways for you to help others. All are useful-especially when they're used to help people face challenges !

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Today's technological Wonder of the Day could be life changing!

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Great Debates | Cell Phones in Schools: Empower Learning or Enforce Limits?

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Should schools ban cell phones, or can they be harnessed as powerful tools for learning? Let’s explore the debate.

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Reusable plastic bottles release hundreds of pollutants into water

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Scientists now have the tools to detect the chemicals that leach out of plastic and into your drink.

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Video: What really happens to the plastic you throw away

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Video: What really happens to the plastic you throw away

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Newsela | Instructional Content Platform

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Newsela is an Instructional Content Platform that supercharges reading engagement and learning in every subject.

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Keeping orca whales and other dolphins in concrete tanks is cruel and must be phased out.

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Learn more about the magnificent ocean predators, orcas, and their relationship with humans.

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The Whale Sanctuary Project | Back to Nature

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Virtually all of the larger captive cetaceans, particularly those from colder habitats (such as orcas and belugas), are held in concrete tanks, at least in North America. This type of wholly artificial enclosure appears to have significant negative impacts on the animals. For orcas, the impacts are especially overt and obvious: broken and worn teeth, diseases never found in free-ranging counterparts, shorter life spans, and most notably the collapsed dorsal fin seen in all males.

It's very expensive to build a bigger tank, so ironically these largest of captive cetaceans are kept in comparatively tiny enclosures. And it should be intuitive to realize that these wide-ranging oceanic predators will suffer when confined in such small spaces. Aside from the physical and physiological damage noted above, captive orcas are also abnormal behaviorally and socially, in ways that are harmful to the animals in the long-term.

A seaside sanctuary can be larger - almost all sea pen dolphinarium facilities are much larger than any tanks, and a sanctuary will be larger still. In addition, a seaside sanctuary will be more natural for the cetaceans in them in so many other ways: acoustically, water quality-wise, in terms of other species (plant and animal) sharing the enclosure with them. In a seaside sanctuary, cetaceans will be able to swim in a straight line for some reasonable distance before meeting a barrier. (Even in the largest known tank, an orca can swim only a few body lengths before having to bank and turn along the outer wall of the tank.)

Artist's rendering of seaside sanctuary as planned by the Whale Sanctuary Project.

They will also be able to dive deeper than in any known tank, which may be among the most important differences for them in a sanctuary. All cetaceans routinely dive below 30 feet in the wild, and most species might dive to more than 200-300 feet a few times a day. Yet no known tank is deeper than 30-35 feet. Given all the special adaptations these species have to allow them to dive so deeply, it should again be intuitive that never being able to dive as deep as they can will have negative impacts on the animals over time.

By their very nature, seaside sanctuaries are going to offer more choices, more challenges, and more stimulation to captive cetaceans. While cetaceans in sanctuaries will continue to be provided care, their human caregivers would, ideally, become less essential to their daily activities, simply because a seaside sanctuary will be more interesting than a barren concrete tank. I think what people often forget when considering the welfare and future of captive cetaceans is that in nature they do not need us. They are supreme in their natural habitat - top predators. We humans damage this independence and competence by confining these oceanic predators in tanks. Seaside sanctuaries cannot return that competence to them in its entirety, but they can give cetaceans an opportunity to regain some independence - or at least give them more control over their daily lives.

If seaside sanctuaries function as intended, eventually they will no longer hold any retired captive cetaceans. However, they will also serve as rehabilitation centers for stranded cetaceans, even during the period when they have 'retirees' as residents. And they will be able to serve this purpose in perpetuity.

We can't undo all the harm we've inflicted on cetaceans by keeping them in captivity, but by providing them with seaside sanctuaries, we can improve their quality of life. That is our goal.
Naomi Rose is a member of the Board of the Whale Sanctuary Project.

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The Benefits of a Seaside Sanctuary - The Whale Sanctuary Project | Back to Nature

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A seaside sanctuary will be more natural for the cetaceans in them in so many ways: acoustically, water quality-wise, and in terms of other species (plant and animal) sharing the enclosure with them. They will be able to swim in a straight line for some reasonable distance before meeting a barrier.