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Winner of the Postcards to Protect Competition
 Friends of the National Zoo is
proud to announce the winner of our “Postcards to Protect”
contest celebrating their Sumatran tiger cubs, born on May 24. Megan
Seymour, age 12, of Fairfax, Virginia, was recognized as the contest
winner at the tiger cubs' public debut on September 2. Megan's postcard
featured sketches of the three cubs and a wonderful poem titled
“Through a Tiger's Eyes.” Megan and her family enjoyed a
behind-the-scenes visit with the tiger cubs: Guntur, Melati, and
Maharani, mom Soyono, and dad Rokan, before the cubs' names were
unveiled at their public debut. Nearly 20,000 votes were cast in July
and August to chose the cubs' names.
In addition to the tour, the Seymour family also spent two nights in
Washington, D.C., courtesy of the Omni Shoreham, and received a Zoo gift
bag. This competition sponsored by Save The Tiger Fund and ExxonMobil
received 80 entries from children from 19 states and the District of
Columbia. We thank all of the children who participated for their
fantastic, creative entries. The entries will now become part of a
traveling exhibit at the Centre for Environmental Education in India to
educate children on the threats that tigers face in the wild.
Through a Tiger’s Eyes
By Megan Seymour, Age 12, Fairfax, Virginia
Morning mist hung in the air;
A reminder of the sunrise
The streams babbled
Tropical birds darting and chirping
The constant hum of the insects
The jungle heart beating
Yet it held its breath
As out of the crowded foliage
Stepped a tiger
It paused a moment...
To breathe and think...
Maybe we should do the same...
The tiger silently crept away
It walked around
Listening, watching...
Maybe we should do the same...
If we did, would we notice?
Notice the gaps of missing trees
Notice the money in our pocket
And the fur over our shoulder
Notice the game we shot
And the food they don’t have
If we were tigers, we’d notice
What’s a tiger’s life like?
Maybe it’s something like this...
The deafening roar of my home being destroyed
Doesn’t hurt my ears as much as my heart
Running, sprinting, desperate to get away
Bullet shots pierce the air
My eyes are wide with fear, I’m exhausted
I barely manage to escape
Man is shooting my prey
Longing food, I hunt their livestock
I’m chased away, again with the guns
Survival is hard, but I find food for my family
We search for a new home
Survival is hard…
Life through a tiger’s eyes
Most important after noticing
Do something
Some Other Great Entries
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