Comics have been a big part of print and now digital media for a very long time. They are a very unique way of presenting stories and messages to people who don’t like to read long books or novels. A comic combines both text and images to convey ideas about day-to-day life and even fantastical storylines. Even a topic as serious as endangered animals can be presented to people in a satirical and informational way that makes it easy for them to digest the message. That is why it is very important to create comics that talk about threatened animal types and help the readers realize what needs to be done to save at-risk animals.
What are Endangered Animals?
In 1973, the US Endangered Species Act was introduced which essentially allowed institutions and even individuals to start a petition to classify an animal species as endangered. This term basically means that the particular kind of animal is very vulnerable to complete extinction if its habitat and other factors are not taken care of. Many living organisms, including plants, are on the very long list of those that are in this category.
Due to the importance of this issue, many students these days are taught about ways to help animal species survive and thrive. Students are often asked to write an essay on endangered species of animals to better understand the threat. This is great since students are the lawmakers of the future and will be able to make better decisions when it comes to animal protection if they are exposed to the problem at an early stage. However, in today’s digital world, another great idea is to create a cartoon on the topic that could be made widely available to people around the world.
Why Make Comic Strips?
An animal conservation comic can help spread the message much more widely than a written research paper. Our newer generations are becoming more and more reliant on social media which exposes them to image-based information. So, if comics were helpful in delivering ideas before, they could end up being more useful now when children don’t read as many books. Comics that showcase problems associated with real life can help children and young learners relate more to the issues presented and make the information more digestible. That is why knowing about some top comics related to the issue of endangered animal types is important.
Some Great Comics About Endangered Animal Species
Endangered Species Superheroes
In this book, a teenager by the name of Lindsey who works at the wildlife sanctuary of her grandfather helps defeat the evil villain who is bent on destroying her grandfather’s work. Luckily, Lindsey has the help of her superhero animal friends who happen to be endangered. This is one of those comics that are really good at showcasing the connection a human being can make with an animal if they treat them with love and respect. It also brings these animal kinds into the view of young children who may not know about them otherwise.
Frank and Ernest
One of the best comics that talk about this issue in a very comical and cute way are the strips created by Bob and Tom Thaves, titled Frank and Ernest. These two are part of a threatened animal kind and they have a conversation in a single image about their state. Like in this strip, one of them is talking about being no longer a part of the threatened species list as a good thing but at the same time, it’s a very bad thing too. While it may sound funny, it’s actually talking about the fact that we only care about those animal types that are threatened. As soon as they are deemed ‘safe’, we stop caring about them and go back to our old ways.
Dilbert
Created by Scott Adams, Dilbert is a collection of comics created around the topic of threatened animal types. The artist has a very unique style in which he draws his comics. Going about their life, the people in his comics highlight the issue in various ways. In one strip, he shows a group of corporate people sitting in a meeting and talking about finding oil in a remote area while saying that the drilling they do would have no impact on the at-risk animal types there. The very next image in the strip shows a drill going through an animal. Such comics are an excellent way to show the world how our leaders actually treat a lot of these issues when it comes to money vs. animal and plant life.
Conclusion
As you can see, comics can be a very good way to draw people’s attention towards the issues of animal cruelty and safety, especially when it comes to species that are at risk of being extinct. If more and more people work on similar works, there may come a day when our next generations are so involved in the preservation of animal habitats that we end up saving those species that are threatened. Until then, we can support such comics and try to spread the word as much as possible so that every individual can play their part in the process.
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