Our blog & news: Get involved to help wildlife

 
 

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world;
indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." 
Margaret Mead, American anthropologist, 1901-1978
 


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Category: Help a species

  1. Good news for spectacled bears in Peru

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    There’s good news for spectacled bears in Peru from the World Land Trust!

    Locals in the Amazonas Department have successfully expanded a reserve in one of the most biodiverse ecoregions in the world.   It’s essential for spectacled bears and critically endangered primates.


    Originally 8,155 acres were envisioned but the community owned area has been enlarged by 21,530 acres! 

    This was made possible by Natureleza y Cultura Peru and World Land Trust supporters such as Puro Coffee.  Well done and thank you to them!  The reserves now protects 64,700 acres in what is a key biological corridor.

    130 flora species and 29 mammal species call the area home, and there are 65 avian species as well.

    The success of this project just shows how important it is to have local communities steer conservation efforts and how vital it is to involve them at every stage.   The communities manage the land, and NCP give them training and support in such areas as reserve mapping, fire prevention and tourism.  The area is rapidly being turned into agricultural land so you can see how important this development is.

    Find out more about the Peruvian milestone to add 21,500 plus protected acres to spectacled bear country!

    Find out about the Action Fund here. #Nottoolate

  2. 34,051 acres saved in Ecuador!

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    There’s good news from Ecuador, brought to us by the World Land Trust and their partner Naturalez y Cultura Ecuador (NCE for short). 

    The Santiago Municipal Reserve was officially declared early this month.

    It’s is an important expansion of vital habitat for species, covering 34,051 acres, and it’s a link between two national parks.  Essentially it’s expanded the Sangay-Podocarpus Connectivity Corridor which spans 1.4 million acres as well as parts of the Podocarpus-El Condor Biosphere Reserve.   WLT and NCE work here, too.



    However the protected land doesn’t stop there.  North of the aforementioned connectivity corridor, there’s a 200 mile long area of reserves and national parks.  They like along the eastern Andes, connected by the Llanganates-Sangay Biological Corridor which is managed by Fundacion Ecominga, another WLT partner.  So the network of protected areas now covers about 4 million acres.

    The most recent acquisition of 34,051 acres was partly funded by donations to the World Land Trust’s Action Fund.   The idea behind the Action Fund is that the World Land Trust can respond rapidly to any need to purchase land.

    This purchase is an excellent example of the Action Fund at work and how important it is to be able to move fast in conservation.

    The forests and grasslands would have faced cattle ranching and timber chopping, but thanks to the efforts of supporters like you and me, they have been saved.   Scientists have already recorded 344 plant species, 152 species of birds, 57 amphibian species, 47 mammal species and 11 reptile species.  They all call the area home.

    Their home was saved just in time!

    Visit the World Land Trust's website here

  3. The 21 For 21 Initiative – make an impact on 21 conservation projects with only £21!

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    Explorers Against Extinction have a remarkable way to mark 2021.

    They are championing the work of 21 conservation projects around the world, many of which are small projects that have been badly hit by Covid-19 in 2020.  They are calling this initiative 21 for 21 and all the fundraising and donations this year are going towards it.

    Firstly, a bit about Explorers Against Extinction:

    It is a registered working name of The Real World Conservation Trust, a UK registered charity.   There’s another working name called Sketch for Survival. Their mission is to promote the conservation of rare and endangered species and the protection of their environments;  to advance the education of the public in the conservation issues around rare and endangered species and the threats to their environment; and to help local communities impacted by proximity to rare species benefit from their protection.


    Do a charity challenge or get creative for conservation or simply donate to help!

    About 21 For 21

    There are 21 projects and you can nominate a specific project from the 21 For 21 Directory to fundraise for or split your fundraising across several or all of the projects.  There are some UK projects but equally there are projects overseas – and this will help raise awareness of the work they are doing. 

    In each case, human activity is the biggest driver of destruction so this amazing initiative gives us all the chance to really and truly contribute to worldwide conservation from our homes – just £21 will support the 21 projects, unless you prefer to focus on one or a couple, for example.  So this is a very exciting chance to really make a difference while sitting at home!

    You could help sun bears in Borneo

    The 21 For 21 Projects are:

    1. Seagrass Restoration UK
    2. Saving the last West African Giraffe, Niger
    3. Kit for Conservation K9s
    4. Protecting Pangolins, South Africa
    5. Big Cat Conservation, Tanzania
    6. Protecting Ol Pejeta, Kenya
    7. Sowing Seeds to Save Gorillas, Uganda
    8. Whale Shark Conservation, Indian Ocean
    9. Turtle Watch, Sri Lanka
    10. Manta Ray Research, Indian Ocean
    11. Big Cats of Bandipur, India
    12. Elephant Sanctuary Support, Cambodia
    13. Saving the World’s Smallest Bear
    14. Trees for Koalas, Australia
    15. Saving New Zealand’s Dophins
    16. Wild Water Whales, Southern Ocean
    17. Spotlight on Alabratrosses, South Georgia
    18. Rewilding in the Pantanal, Brazil
    19. Floating Classroom, Galapagos
    20. Safeguarding the Maya Mountain Marine Corridor, Belize
    21. Wildlife Protection Programme, US and Africa

    There's more information on each project and you can access that on the 21 For 21 Directory of projects here

    Your donation could help protect pangolins in South Africa

     

    Ways to help are:

    • To simply donate – you could donate £21, with one pound going to each project, or £2.10
    • To get involved in Challenge yourself for Charity
    • To get creative for conservation – submissions are invited until 30 June 2021; there are three categories, namely Stories for Survival, Sketch for Survival and Focus for Survival

    Your donation could help protect the Maya Mountain Marine Corridor in Belize

    One of the things I LOVE about the 21 For 21 initiative is that if, like me, you find it really difficult to choose between all the conservation projects, you can choose to support them all in one go with £21 or whatever you choose to donate!  I always feel bad for choosing one project over another so this makes it easy for me to support the lot! 

    Go to Explorers Against Extinction here

    Just make a donation here

    All images on this particular blog are ©Explorers Against Extinction

  4. Oh rats! Dealing with rats humanely

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    Have you ever stopped to think about the impact rat poison has on rats?

    Two inspiring women, one in her teens, have put a website together called Rat Poison Facts to help people understand the impact.

    Ways to keep rats and mice away from your home humanely

    They want to bring an end to animal mistreatment and the poisoning of the ecosystem by stopping the use of rat poison.

    So the goal of Rat Poison Facts is to raise awareness:

    • How some rodent control methods are inefficient
    • How some rodent control methods could be dangerous for children, pets and other wildlife
    • How some rodent control can harm our ecosystems
    • How cruel and inhumane some methods to get rid of rats can be
    • Humane alternatives to dealing with rats

    When a rat takes in rat poison, there are all sorts of possible implications for the rat, such as internal bleeding, dehydration and dramatically bloated stomachs from overfeeding substances containing gas).  Death can be very slow and painful.

    Rat poison can be dangerous to people as well – young children end up in hospital every year because of it.  Pets may eat it by mistake.

    The website has information on things such as where to release a rat


    The site has very helpful education resources, with useful links, including how you can get rid of rats in a humane way, with humane ways to keep your house rat-free that work.

    You can find more information  on RatPoisonFacts website.

     

  5. Don’t miss: Secret Safari – Into the Wild on Channel 4, Tuesday 26 January 2021 at 8pm

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    Imagine 13,000 animals across 90,000 acres of wilderness in Kenya!

    Well, Secret Safari – Into the Wild is heading off to just that, on Channel 4 on Tuesday 26 January 2021 at 8pm!

    This programme visits the Ol Pejeta reserve.  It’s home to animals such as hippos, rhinos, elephants, cocktail ants and crowned cranes. 

    The programme tells the life and death stories of the animals through the rangers who protect them.

    The first programme includes a pride of lionesses left hungry when their alpha hunter vanishes, a crane romance and the birth of a critically endangered rhino.  There are six programmes in the series. 

    Andrew Scott is the narrator.

    Ol Pejeta is home to two of the world’s last remaining northern white rhinos.   It’s a sanctuary for over 110 critically endangered black rhinos. 

    Highly trained rhino protection squads are employed by the Conservancy, which partners with international veterinary experts.   Data is frequently gathered on each animal.   The Conservancy is a role model for rhino conservation in East Africa.

     

    Help safeguard rhinos and make a donation to the Safeguarding Rhinos campaign for the Ol Pejeta Conservancy with Global GivingHelp safeguard rhinos by making a donation at Global Giving
    Image © Ol Pejeta

    Find out about rhinos at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy


    Visit the Ol Pejeta Conservancy website here.

    Ol Pejeta is also home to the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary.   It was established through agreement between the conservancy, the Kenya Wildlife Service and the Jane Goodall Institute to provide lifelong refuge to orphaned and abused chimpanzees from West and Central Africa.  Currently there are 36 chimpanzees there, all getting a chance to start over.

     

    Ol Pejeta's mission (and I quote) is:

    To conserve wildlife, provide a sanctuary for great apes and to generate income through wildlife tourism and complementary enterprise for reinvestment in conservation and communities.

    and their vision is (and again I quote):

    To become an innovative and sustainable development model that conserves biodiversity (particularly endangered species) and contributes to economic growth and the improvement of livelihoods in rural communities.

    You can be a part of this journey and make a difference to wildlife by supporting Ol Pejeta's work.

    So let's introduce Helping Rhinos who partner Ol Pejeta:


    Ways to help:

    Adopt an Anti-Poaching Dog

    Adopt an Anti-Poaching Dog
    Image ©Helping Rhinos