Category: Help a species

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

   Posted on 3:00pm Friday 19th Feb 2021

   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.

   
   

   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!

   

   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
   

   

    

   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
     
     

   

   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

2. Oh rats! Dealing with rats humanely

   Posted on 9:00pm Thursday 18th Feb 2021

   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.
   
   

   

   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 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.

    

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

   Posted on 9:00pm Monday 25th Jan 2021

   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 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: Spread the word Donate to the Global Giving campaign, Safeguarding Ol Pejeta’s Rhino Populations, either a one off donation or a monthly one There are other ways to help here - you could become a rhino guardian and donate monthly Head off to Helping Rhinos who partner Ol Pejeta.  Though Helping Rhinos and their adoption centre, you can adopt a rhino, or adopt an anti-poaching dog, or adopt a ranger to help Ol Pejeta look after wildlife.  Visit their adoption centre here. Adopt an Anti-Poaching Dog Image ©Helping Rhinos

    

4. BatPoison.com helps stop bat poisoning through education

   Posted on 4:00pm Wednesday 13th Jan 2021

   Do you love bats and want to know how to help them? Have you found a bat in your home? One of the problems facing bats is that many people who find them in their homes try to kill them with poison.   This is wrong – there are alternatives to dealing with bats. Batpoison.com was set up because research showed that 400 to a thousand people in the US search for the term “bat poison” every month;   even more looked for “how to kill bats”.    Batpoison.com is designed to help people discover why bat poison is bad, and to give you alternatives to removing bats from homes.   It’s also got information on how bats benefit us. Visit Batpoison.com to find out more.

    

    

5. Amazing fundraiser at the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation's Virtual Wildlife Ball

   Posted on 10:00am Saturday 14th Nov 2020

   Charities are having to move online for a lot of fundraising now, and the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation (DSWF) is no exception. The Foundation fights wildlife crime, protects species and engages local communities in conservation in Africa and Asia.  It works with conservation partners and you can see a list of them here. They have just held a Virtual Wildlife Ball and wow, was it a success! Their aim was to raise £50,000 – but supporters really rallied, dug deep and showed their true support for the Foundation.  The event raised a staggering £80,000! People tuned in from all over the world and the event lasted an hour.  It raised nearly £50,000 before it even started! Elephants, tigers, rhinos, pangolins, chimpanzees, lions, painted dogs and snow leopards. Amongst the stars involved in the event, is an inspirational 9 year old raising money for pangolin, to a soprano and there’s also a visit to the Elephant Orphanage.   There’s nothing like going to bed knowing you have done something really good today and made a difference. The event was held to celebrate wildlife and to raise funds to support conservation across Africa and Asia.  The bit about with the elephant orphanage starts at 28 minutes if you're short of time. It's not enough to care - we need to ACT Climate change and the biodiversity crises has been forgotten in the times of the coronavirus and charities are suffering particularly badly.  The more we can all do to help, the better off our wildlife will be. The key things for us all to do are to spread the word that there are good things happening and that we can all make a difference to wildlife. We can turn this around if we all pull together and help nature. Visit the DSWF's website here Donate to the DSWF here You can also adopt an animal here as a gift and buy wildlife art as a gift here. And of course you can spread the word on social media!  @dswfwildlife on Twitter @DSWFWildlife on Facebook