AROUND THE WORLD WITH LEAH.

Although 11year old Leah McKenzie lives a very intersting life at Pakuratahi Animal Sanctuary, where all the animals are safe and cared for. She is very aware that a lot of animals around the world are not so lucky. Join Leah on her misson to become more aware and to find ways to help the creatures that are in need around the world!

 What you eat could be killing the Orangutans

"OK, you know junk food is really bad for our bodies, so eating healthy food should be an easy choice for us to make. But eating junk just tastes sooo good.

Well what you probably didn’t know is that junk food is also bad for our environment.

By eating junk food we are killing the orang-utans and even our planet. This may shock you but its true!!

Have you ever taken the time to read the ingredients on the label of the junk food you eat?

If you do then you will see that most every one of those products contains PALM OIL. It seems harmless enough but it is not, and here is why.

Every year hundreds of thousands of hectares of precious rain forest are burnt down to make way for palm plantations. This is to provide the palm oil for your junk food as well as many many other products. The tragedy is that as the orang-utans and other endangered species loose their habitat (their homes) they stray onto the new palm plantations where the workers are paid a bounty to slaughter them.

It is said that we are loosing 10% of the rain forest every year, which means in ten years if we continue as we are, the orang-utan and their friends will be extinct.

If you think about it we are at threat too. How will the world’s ecosystem survive without our precious rainforest – often known as the lungs of the earth?

So there you have some food for thought.

You know that fruit and other healthy foods are better for you body, now you know that eating healthy is vital for you planet!"

How can you help?

• Read labels and try to avoid products with unsustainable palm oil in them
• Tell every one you know to do the same