Yippppeeeeeee!!! I'm off…Flying again! Gliding through these beautiful clear skies, diving for fish in the open blue sea...aah! What a life!

My name is Sam. I am a Stork. I am flying south for the winter. On my journey, I pass through the Sinai Peninsula. My family and I do this every year between August and December, along with a lot of other birds. Stopping in the Sinai is one of our favorite parts of the trip.

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The Sinai is a magical place. It is like paradise on earth and every year I look forward to flying here. But lately things haven't been so good. You see, the secret got out that the Sinai is a great place to be and over the years more and more tourists have come here. I am happy that people are interested in seeing this part of the world.

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But because of all of the extra people, they have had to build more roads, more hotels and more stores. This has lead to a lot of pollution in the land and the water and a lot of garbage. Without meaning to do it, they have turned the place into a big mess.

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My family and I just couldn't take it any longer. It got so bad last year that we almost died!!! But thank goodness, Dr. Jim came to our rescue. He took us to his special hospital called the Sinai Wildlife Project. Every year Dr. Jim and his friends rescue thousands of sick and injured animals. Many of them are endangered species. His hospital is the only one like it in all of Egypt!

It is a good thing Dr. Jim found me. After a short stay in the hospital, I was as good as new! The work he and his friends do is very important. If it weren't for them, I wouldn't be flying here today. Thanks Dr. Jim!

Sam the Stork

Founded in 1982, the Sinai Wildlife Projects is a non-profit, volunteer organization. Operating in association with the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency and the Egyptian Department of Parks and Protected Areas, Sinai Wildlife Projects works to preserve the natural ecological balance of the area and to initiate community based environmental development programs in South Sinai. For more information contact: Dr. James Dinsmore D.V.M. (a.k.a. Dr. Jim) President-CEO Africa Region swp@sinainet.com.eg Click image for larger view