National Geographic Kids Chapters

by Elizabeth Carney

  Suddenly, Cloud starts to bark. She sits, just as she was trained to do. This is Cloud’s signal. She smells a dolphin.

  Then Chris sees it! A dolphin lies on the beach ahead. Chris calls for help. When a stranded dolphin is found, experts always come to the rescue. They can take the dolphin to the special hospital if it is sick. They can get it out to sea if it is well. If there are a lot of stranded dolphins, they can gather volunteers to watch over the dolphins until they can sort things out.

  There’s a chance the dolphin has already died. Even so, it is good that Cloud found it. Scientists can study the body. They can see if the dolphin had any diseases. They can find out what it ate, how long it lived, and how many calves, or babies, it had. They can also tell if pollution hurt the dolphin or if it had ever been hit by a ship or caught in fishing gear.

  By learning information about a dolphin that didn’t survive being stranded, experts might be able to prevent strandings from happening again. If they can figure out the problem, they can try to fix it.

  Chris steers the boat closer to get a better look at the dolphin on the beach. It’s alive, but shark bites cover its body. It needs help fast! Even though the dolphin’s condition isn’t good, Chris praises Cloud. He gives her a treat. She did her job perfectly. Soon the team of experts arrives. They take care of the injured dolphin. Cloud and Chris hurry back to the dock.

  Cloud has found six dolphins and whales in trouble. She once even smelled a stranded pilot whale from half a mile away!

  Since Cloud has been such a success, Chris and Beth are planning to put more dogs through the training program. Two German shepherds will follow in Cloud’s paw prints. Beth plans to provide dogs to people who look for stranded dolphins and whales in other places, too. Many organizations have shown an interest in having a dolphin-finding dog of their own.

  Beth is also thinking about other animals that dogs could help rescue.

  (photo credit 3.1)

  Whale of a Job

  Cloud might be the world’s first dolphin search and rescue dog. But she’s not the only pup to lend whales a helping paw.

  Scientists at the New England Aquarium have been studying right whales. The easiest way to study them is to collect the whales’ scat, or poop. The stinky stuff floats on the top of the water for about an hour before sinking. That’s where Fargo and Bob come in. These dogs are trained to ride in research boats. They bark when they smell whale poop. Thanks to these dogs, scientists are learning more every day!

  Manatees and sea turtles can get stuck on beaches too. Could dogs be trained to help those animals? Beth thinks so. But it would be too confusing for one dog to learn multiple animal smells. So for now, Beth and Chris are working just on dolphin and whale rescue.

  Chris hopes that his new dogs will be natural friends to dolphins like Cloud is. He remembers the day of Cloud’s final lesson. Chris took Cloud to a marine park so she could learn the difference between sick and healthy dolphins.

  “Where are the dolphins, Cloud?” asked Chris.

  Cloud ran to the dock and sat down. Two dolphins popped up from the water. Cloud, with her pink tongue dangling, leaned in for a kiss. It was almost like the dolphins knew that Cloud was their friend.

  The dolphins followed Cloud’s every move. As Cloud walked up the dock, they swam along beside her in the water. When she turned back, they were still right beside her. And Cloud seemed as interested in the dolphins as they were in her. She stayed and watched them play for hours.

  Chris grinned. “If I were to leave you alone, you might move right in with them!” he teased. One thing is certain: Man’s best friend has room in her heart for dolphins too.

  KASEY: MONKEY MIRACLE WORKER

  Kasey helps Ned unscrew the cap from a water bottle. They make a great team. (photo credit p2.1)

  Ned’s life changed forever when he injured his spinal cord in a car accident. (photo credit p2.2)

  Chapter 1

  A LIFE CHANGED

  The day that changed Ned Sullivan’s life started like any other. Ned was a college student in Arizona. He worked at a big sports magazine. It was the perfect job for a sports fan. Ned got good grades and was looking forward to one day working in sports full-time. Then, in the blink of an eye, his world changed. Ned was in a car accident.

  An ambulance came and rushed Ned to the hospital. Doctors saw that his brain and spine were badly hurt. They were very worried.

  Doctors called Ned’s family, who lived across the country. His mom, Ellen, came right away. She wanted to help him get better. Ned needed to be around family. The doctors said the best hope was for Ellen and Ned to fly back across the country to Boston, Massachusetts, where his family lived.

  Ellen and Ned made the trip on a special plane that has equipment for medical emergencies. The flight went well. Ned was home where he needed to be, but he was still in bad shape.

  Ned needed the help of a machine just to breathe. He couldn’t move, talk, eat, or drink. The only way Ned could communicate was by blinking his eyes.

  The doctors got Ned a spelling board. The board lists the letters of the alphabet. Ellen would touch the letters. When she touched the letter Ned wanted, he would blink. Then they would find the next letter in the same way. Slowly, the words built a sentence.

  Ned could tell people what he needed using the letter board, but it took a long time. He asked his mom for more help.

  Ned worked hard to get better. But his doctors still worried that he might never speak or breathe on his own again. They told this to Ned and his family. Then one day something amazing happened. Ned started breathing on his own.

  It’s a miracle! Ellen thought. If he can learn to breathe again, might he be able to do other things some day?

  The doctors were also excited to see what else Ned could do. Ned’s family took him to a special hospital. Many experts on these types of injuries worked there. Plus, the hospital had all the right equipment to help Ned with his treatment.

  At the new hospital, Ned had to work harder than he ever had. Ned tried to learn how to speak again. He practiced trying to move his arms and legs. He learned how to control a special wheelchair by sipping and puffing into a straw.

  Ned had to relearn how to do things that most people don’t think about when they do them, like getting out of bed, dressing, bathing, and eating. He had to do them without using his arms or legs. Ned’s progress was slow and difficult. But sometimes, a breakthrough would happen.

  “Hi, Mom,” Ned cheerfully said one day after months of silence. Ned’s voice didn’t sound the same. His words came out slowly. Ned didn’t like that, but his Mom didn’t care. She cheered with joy. Ned could talk again! Soon after that, Ned could swallow soft foods. Then he could move his hand a little bit. Ned was finally starting to get better.

  After almost a year in hospitals, Ned’s doctors said he was ready to go home. This made Ned’s mom very nervous.

  What if he needs me but I’m not in the room? she thought. How will I be able to care for him?

  Ned’s doctors had an idea. They suggested he get a helper at home.

  What can a helper do for me that my mom can’t? Ned thought. But the doctors weren’t talking about another person. They were talking about a dog!

  There are places that carefully train dogs to do things for people who need help. The dogs can open doors and fetch things for them. This might be just the answer for Ned! But Ned didn’t like this idea. He told his Mom he didn’t want another dog. His family already had two goofy mutts at home.

  “We have dogs,” Ned said.

  Ned’s mom accepted his answer.

  (photo credit 4.1)

  Staying Safe

  Things like biking, diving, and playing on a playground can be great exercise and lots of fun. That’s important for your health. But it’s also important to remember to use the right safety gear and follow the rules. Most spinal cord injuries occur in people between the ages of 16 and 26. Risky things like running around the po
ol, diving into shallow water, and biking without a helmet are often to blame. You can lower your risk by knowing what to do. Follow playground and pool rules. Always wear a helmet when you bike or skateboard.

  But she still worried about him. She thought that Ned might need some cheering up. He had made great progress in getting better. Still, all of his hard work did not seem to make him much happier. Then Ellen had an idea.

  “Hey, Ned, didn’t we once see something on the news about trained monkeys?”

  Ned shot her a look.

  “I’m serious. Remember? Maybe we could look into that.”

  Ned wasn’t buying it.

  The very next day, Ned’s sisters, Maddie and Anna, went to an assembly at their school. The topic was safety. The students learned about safe habits, like wearing helmets and seat belts. There was a special guest: a working monkey named Ayla. She was trained to help people who couldn’t do things for themselves.

  Maddie and Anna rushed home to tell their mom and Ned about Ayla. Ellen couldn’t believe it. She had seen something about monkey helpers. Could this be the answer they were looking for?

  Ned didn’t want to get his hopes too high.

  “Maybe,” he said.

  Kasey when she was just a baby. She had to wait 15 years until she could attend monkey college. (photo credit 4.2)

  Chapter 2

  MONKEY COLLEGE

  School was easy for Kasey. She sped through her lessons with ease. Plus she was friendly with all the other students and with the teachers, too. But Kasey wasn’t a regular school kid. She was a monkey. And her school was called Monkey College.

  Monkey College trains capuchin (sounds like KAH-POO-CHIN) monkeys to help people. It is run by a group called Helping Hands. The capuchin monkeys have perfect fingers and toes for using tools and holding things. They can unscrew the cap of a water bottle, put a disc in a DVD player, and flip a light switch.

  Kasey had gone to school for three years. She could pick up and return dropped objects. She could turn the pages of a book. She could even scratch an itch. She was the perfect helper for someone who couldn’t use his or her arms and legs. Someone like Ned.

  Just like a child, Kasey started learning even before she started school. When she was young, she lived with a human family. There, Kasey got used to the noises and activities that are a part of living with people. This is a very important step in becoming a service monkey.

  Around age 15, Kasey was ready to go to college. Like human students, Monkey College students must pass from one grade to the next. Each grade is a little bit harder than the one before.

  Kasey’s first classroom was a plain room called the Cubicle. Here Kasey learned to copy her teacher. “Monkey see, monkey do” was the name of the game. Kasey earned a tasty treat every time she did exactly what the teacher did.

  Megan Talbert was one of Kasey’s teachers. She used a baby toy for one of Kasey’s lessons. Talbert put plastic rings on a small post. They looked like colored doughnuts. Kasey watched what Megan did. Now, it was her turn. Kasey slid the rings down the post just like her teacher. Megan gave Kasey a spoon of peanut butter. It’s one of her favorite foods and served as a reward. “Nice work, Kasey!”

  After about a year, Kasey moved to the B Room. Megan went with her. Here, Megan sat in a wheelchair to get Kasey used to it. She did jobs, like pouring a glass of juice, step by step. Kasey learned each step. Then she learned to put all the steps together. Megan also taught Kasey to follow a light pointer. Someone who couldn’t point with her fingers could point at something by holding the pointer in her mouth. Then Kasey could get the object the light pointed to and bring it back to the person.

  After a year of lessons in the B Room, Kasey was ready for the highest level. It’s called the Apartment. This classroom looks like a home. It’s an important step in monkey training because it’s like the homes where the monkeys will be sent to work.

  Kasey and her classmates loved it. They wanted to open all the doors. They wanted to climb all the shelves. They wanted to search through drawers.

  All of the monkeys were allowed time to play and explore. But they had to learn what was a toy and what was not. They had to learn when it was time to work and when it was time to play. They also had to be potty trained.

  In the Apartment, Kasey learned to help people by being their arms and legs. She learned how to wash a person’s face and scratch itches. She pushed up eyeglasses when they slipped down Megan’s nose. She put Megan’s hand on the wheelchair’s armrest when it fell off. Now, Kasey was a true helper monkey. She was done with school, but there was one important thing left: Kasey needed a person to help.

  Megan got a letter from Ellen. She asked Helping Hands for a helper monkey for Ned. The letter said that Ned was part of a big family in a busy home. There were two young girls and two dogs that barked a lot. Older, college-age children were always coming and going. All those things could scare a monkey.

  There were good things too. Ned was a young man. He could make friends with a monkey and stay friends for life. Ellen would be home all day. She could help take care of a monkey. The most important thing was that Ned was a hard worker. He put a lot of effort into learning to talk better. Learning to move his arms and legs was difficult, but he tried hard. He never missed a doctor’s appointment. Ned was a person who would be very thankful for a monkey’s help.

  Megan decided Ned should have a monkey. Then she had to choose which monkey would be best for Ned. Like people, monkeys have different personalities. Some monkeys are quiet and calm. Some monkeys are shy. Kasey was bossy, but she was also very friendly and outgoing. Kasey would like Ned and Ellen’s busy home.

  Megan took Kasey to Ned’s home. Then she spent a week teaching the family how to care for Kasey. Megan helped them set up Kasey’s cage in Ned’s room. She gave them all of Kasey’s toys. Kasey’s favorite was a black coin purse that zipped open and shut. Megan showed Ellen how to make Kasey’s meals: monkey chow, seven times a day.

  Finally, it was time for Kasey and Ned to begin working together. Everyone was excited. It was time for Ned to see what Kasey could do.

  (photo credit 5.1)

  Calling All Capuchins

  Monkey College teaches only capuchin monkeys. Capuchins are very smart. They weigh just six to nine pounds (3 to 4 kg). They are so small they can hitch a ride on a wheelchair.

  Capuchins are part of the family of animals called primates. This family includes apes, humans, and all monkeys. Capuchins come from South America. They live for about 40 years. That’s four times as long as a dog. A helper monkey can stay with someone much longer than a dog can.

  Kasey has helped Ned recover far beyond what anyone imagined. (photo credit 5.2)

  Chapter 3

  MIRACLE MONKEY

  “Kasey, come. Sit,” Ned asked. Kasey gave Ned a bored look. She hopped up on the coffee table to flip through a magazine instead.

  Ned felt sad. Why doesn’t she like me, he thought.

  Before Kasey arrived, Ned and his family couldn’t wait to meet her. They thought it would be like getting a new puppy. They thought Kasey would jump into their arms. They thought she’d hug them and kiss them, and they would all love each other right away.

  But the family was forgetting one important thing. Monkeys aren’t like dogs. They’re more like people. Imagine walking into a house full of strangers. You wouldn’t be everyone’s friend right away. You would take your time getting to know everyone.

  Monkeys are the same way. They watch people. They study how people act. Kasey needed time to get used to her new home. Megan had seen this happen many times. She asked Ned to be patient.

  “She’ll come around, Ned. Let’s try it again, with peanut butter this time.”

  Megan attached a holder for peanut butter to Ned’s wheelchair. Ned could bend his finger just a little. That way he could scoop the peanut butter and give it to Kasey.

  With a peanut butter prize, Kasey obeyed. She leaped into Ned’s lap
and licked her sticky reward. But seconds later, she was back on Megan’s shoulder.

  “It will take time to make friends with Kasey,” Megan told him again.

  Kasey wasn’t always doing what Ned told her to do. But Ned still couldn’t take his eyes off her. She played with her toys. She flipped through a book. She zipped and unzipped her purse. At meals, she twirled with excitement, her black fur puffing up.

  Having a monkey is a lot of work.

  Feeding, washing, and cleaning up after Kasey was hard for Ned’s mom. This is like having a three-year-old with five arms! Ellen thought.

  Slowly Kasey started to feel at home. She helped Ned more and more. She would get Ned a bottle of water, put a straw in it, and hold it to his mouth. She fetched things quickly. She stayed on his lap after gobbling her peanut butter.

  One day, Ned’s arm slipped off the wheelchair armrest. Kasey hurried over to put it back without being asked. Another day, Kasey dragged a notepad and pencil onto Ned’s lap. She loved to doodle. When she was finished drawing, she put the pencil in Ned’s hand. It was like she was saying, Now it’s your turn.

  Soon Kasey was watching Ned just as closely as he was watching her. Kasey learned how much Ned could move. When Ned asked her to get the television remote, she brought it back and held it slightly out of Ned’s reach. After Ned stretched for it, Kasey put the remote in his hand. She wrapped his fingers around it, just like she was trained to do.

  Kasey repeated these steps with any object Ned asked her to get. In time, Kasey started bringing things to Ned’s weaker right hand. She would tap them on his leg, make Ned reach, and then give him the object. Ellen couldn’t believe her eyes. This little monkey was making Ned work a little harder every day. She was helping Ned get stronger.