Human and animals 1

Silk comes from the silkworm, the caterpillar of the silk moth. Silkworms eat a tonne of mulberry leaves to make 5kg (11 lb) of silk. Strong animals such as horses, donkeys, camels, reindeer and buffalo are used to pull agricultural equipment and carts, and to carry people. Elephants drag heavy logs, pit ponies once drew trucks in coal mines, and dogs – usually huskies – pull sledges. Guard dogs (and even guards geese), police dogs and sniffer dogs (to detect drugs) are widely used. Sheepdogs, hunting hounds, retrievers and guide dogs for the blind are among the best known, but other animals, such as monkeys, can be trained to aid the disabled. Search and rescue dogs help to find missing people, lost walkers and climbers, and earthquake victims. Less well – known human helpers include pigs used to find truffles and cats kept by the British Post Office to prevent mice from eating the mail! Animals kept as pets also provide millions of people with companionship.