The Galápagos Islands, part of the Republic of Ecuador, are an archipelago of volcanic islands distributed on either side of the equator in the Pacific Ocean surrounding the centre of the Western Hemisphere, 906 kilometres (563 miles) west of continental Ecuador. The islands are known for their large number of endemic species and were studied by Charles Darwin during the second voyage of HMS Beagle. His observations and collections contributed to the inception of Darwin’s theory of evolution by means of natural selection.

Dear Joan,

My, it has been a long time, hasn’t it? It seems like yesterday that we last met. I hope you and your family have been doing well. I’m sorry for not having been able to call you. As you may have heard, I had been quite busy with the wedding preparations for Diana. She married a boy by the name of Charles and he’s a real gem of a person. He’s very polite and gallant. The wedding was last month here in Ontario on July 25. The bridal shower was on the 16th and it was great fun. It would have been wonderful had you been able to attend both. Diana was disappointed that you couldn’t make it, but understood that your son, David needed you to tend to him because of his injuries. Right now, Charles and Diana are still on their honeymoon in New York City and will return next week. Maybe you can come by and visit then.

What else? Ah yes, Brian is well. He graduated from high school and has been accepted to the University of Quebec. He’s very excited about this and will be pursuing a Bachelor’s of Science degree in chemistry there. After that, he plans to get his Master’s degree in chemical engineering. John and I are both proud of him and want to support him every step of the way.

Even though Brian is excited, he is a bit nervous about having to travel so far from home where he’ll be alone. He’s never lived on his own before and he’s afraid that he won’t have us to lean on. I reassured him that we are merely a phone call away and that he should be just fine. Yet as a mother I can’t help but feel a little anxious myself. He also wants to get a job so that he doesn’t have to rely on us for money. However, I told him that he needs to find a balance between work and his studies. He assures me that he will.

We are planning a farewell function for Brian next week on Saturday and would love for you to attend. All of us miss you and Brian would love to have a chance to say goodbye to you. We hope that you will attend. Please let me know so that I can make arrangements.

We’ll touch base,

Megan

A. The adorable animal that looks like a teddy bear, the polar bear is the only bear considered to be a marine mammal because it depends upon the marine environment for survival. Polar bears spend most of their lives on sea ice, which they use as a platform to hunt their favourite food: ringed seals. A keen sense of smell is key to the polar bear’s success as a hunter, and these bears can detect a seal’s breathing hole in the ice from up to a kilometre away. Additionally, polar bears are opportunistic as well as predatory: they will consume dead fish and carcasses of stranded whales and eat garbage near human settlements. They have no natural predators and knows no fear of humans, making it an extremely dangerous animal.

B. Its long body, neck and skull distinguish it from other types of bears. They have a water-repellent coat that insulates them from the cold air and water. In fact, the fur keeps them so warm that adult males can quickly overheat when they run. In addition to 2 layers of fur, a thick layer of fat helps keep the bears warm. A polar bear’s body fat can measure up to 11.4 cm (4.49 in). Polar bear paws are ideal for getting around in the Arctic. The male, which is much larger than the female, weighs 410 to 720 kg (900 to 1,600 pounds). It grows to about 1.6 metres (5.3 feet) tall at the shoulder and 2.2–2.5 metres in length. The broad feet have hairy soles to protect and insulate as well as to facilitate movement across ice, as does the uneven skin on the soles of the feet, which helps to prevent slipping.

C. In Canada, polar bears can be found from James Bay to northern Ellesmere Island, and from Labrador to the Alaskan border. Churchill, Manitoba, on the western coast of Hudson Bay, is one of the three largest polar bear maternity denning areas in the world. Canada is one of five ’’polar bear nations,’’ along with the United States (Alaska), Russia, Denmark (Greenland) and Norway. Residents of Churchill, Canada share their streets with the largest land carnivore in the world. Owing to this a lot of stories float around in the town, like opening the drapes to a noise and seeing a bear looking back at you through the window. Such is everyday life, particularly during October and November, in this small town.

D. Apart from these real life encounters, there are many other stories that have been passed down from generation to generation. They view the Polar Bear as a mystic creature that is very spiritual in nature. It is one of the animals they show the most admiration for among their culture. Some of these stories talk about the Polar Bears covering their noses with their paws while hunting. There are also many stories and legends that involve human souls coming to visit their loved ones in form of Polar Bears. As a result, you will see that many cultures have quite a bit of respect for these grand creatures. A terrific family film called the Golden Compass, is based on this theme. It is a screenplay that has been based on a best-selling Novel by the same name.

E. Not given in any of the above paragraphs.

Humans, being the superior species, have taken the liberty of utilizing everything on this planet, including animals. Today, animal testing is a topic of discussion with questions being raised about its ethical standing. Robert says, ’’Since the beginning of humanity, animals have been used to serve human needs as food or clothing. From being offered as sacrifice to deities to being part of research process, I do not see any reason why it shouldn’t be done. Animals do not have the cognitive ability or moral judgment that humans do and because of this they have been treated differently than humans by nearly every culture throughout recorded history.’’

’’It’s not like we are torturing them. Today, animal research is highly regulated and there are a lot of laws for the protection of animals’’, says Dr. Drake. He adds, ’’Well, if you look at it this way, animals are also benefitting from this process. They are cared for by veterinarians and experts. These people really love the animals. There isn’t any brutality going on.’’

However, many people are against such research as they claim it to be inhumane and unnecessary. ’’Animals are sentient beings who can feel all kinds of emotions. This is why locking them up in labs for their whole lives to live a life of pain, agony and solitude is highly immoral. These voiceless beings have every right to life as we do, yet they are put through painful procedures which are not even going to benefit them’’, says Carol, a volunteer with PETA. ’’How this barbaric behaviour is acceptable to some horrifies me. They claim that the process is ethical and highly regulated by law. This is all bogus’’, she adds.

’’I do not understand why people claim that animal research is necessary when we have plenty of studies that prove otherwise. Animals are different from humans on so many levels. What works on them may not work on us. There are several studies that prove that animal testing is a wasteful expense because animals do not get the same diseases that we do. This makes the results of such experiments misleading’’, claims Gideon.

’’Why not test on human cells? That is a promising prospect. It has shown great results and is cruelty free’’, says Nadia. She adds, ’’But instead of looking for more such alternatives, people are to set on using animals as they think they have every right to do so. Who said that we own these animals? This is insane.’’