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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  1. One thing that has improved throughout history is the human race’s desire to support important causes and give voices to those who cannot speak up for themselves. We do this in several ways—signing petitions, protesting, donating, volunteering, etc., to name a few.

    Our need to support affects our daily lives, including the purchases we make on everything from groceries to mattresses. A growing number of consumers only shop at companies that have a social cause they care about. That’s especially true for younger demographics. Whether it be a cause for social groups, health, animal, nature, etc., many brands are working with nonprofits and charities to make product purchases go further.

    Nolah Mattress is an example of a consumer company wanting to do better.

    Defenders of Wildlife

    Nolah Mattress is working with Defenders of Wildlife (DOW) to help the world’s 41,415 threatened species. According to the organization, 16,3006 of those are in danger of extinction.

    The organization’s core mission is to save wildlife and their habitats from destruction and extinction. It also restores and protects vulnerable species’ habitats. DOW lobbies against laws that would harm these species and their habitats. To make that happen, the organization often works with other brands and companies to sponsor their efforts.

    Visit Nolah Mattress and Visit Defenders of Wildlife

    Nolah Mattress have partnered with Defenders of Wildlife
    to help wildlife.

    Nolah Mattress’s Conservation Mission

    Nolah Mattress has partnered with Defenders of Wildlife to help the organization on its mission. With every mattress purchase made, Nolah Mattress adopts an animal that’s in danger. Fees that customers would have paid for shipping are instead donated to DOW to help them defend that animal. Customers will even receive an adoption certificate with their mattress purchase.

    This partnership doesn’t raise prices for customers, either. Each mattress will still be shipped free with a free return if the customer changes their mind within 120 days. Plus, the product comes with a 15-year warranty.

    This partnership will help Nolah Mattress assist DOW to preserve and protect America’s biodiversity. Proceeds go toward both on-the-ground efforts and court battles against laws that hurt wildlife.

    Nolah Mattress and DOW are working together to save America’s lakes and lands from harm. DOW members will also use funds that Nolah Mattress raises to preserve biodiversity ranging from bees to bison.

    The Mexican Grey Wolf is just one species Defenders of Wildlife help


    How Your Business Can Help

    If you’re a business owner, there are many ways your business can pursue wildlife and environmental preservation initiatives. Even if you’re in a competitive industry, you can find ways to help the environment. Some common methods of helping out include:

    • Partnering with a Nonprofit or Charity- There are plenty of charities and nonprofits, both local and national, that need your help. If your business is ready to commit to a long-term partnership, reach out to an organization like Defenders of Wildlife or Wildlife Conservation Network to get started.
    • Becoming a Certified B Corporation- B Corps are a network of businesses committed to social and environmental causes. If you’re not already B-certified, you’ll need to work with the organization to become certified—click here to get started.
    • Creating an Eco Workspace- Even if you aren’t part of B Corps, you can still make gradual changes to your workplace that help the environment. You can:
      1. Limit how much your office prints,
      2. Use energy-saving practices,
      3. Recycle, if you aren’t doing so already,
      4. Ditch single-use products and plastics,
      5. Avoid packaging with styrofoam,
      6. And more.
    • Starting an Internal Donation Drive- This strategy is advantageous if you’re a small or new company. Choose an organization that your company wants to support, and pick a timeline in which employees can donate to that organization. If you work with clients or other companies, you could also provide them the opportunity to donate as well.
    • Having a Company-Wide Volunteer Initiative- If you’re a newer company or don’t have the resources to commit to a partnership right now, you can always start with this easy step. Ask your employees for a list of organizations and causes they care about. Work together to chose one, and pick a day to volunteer your time to help them out. A relatively inexpensive initiative that’s easy to implement into offices is creating an eco workspace, as mentioned earlier.
    • Making a Lump Sum Donation- You don’t have to have a long-standing partnership to help an eco-friendly organization. Make a lump-sum donation whenever your company is able to or donate supplies or other much-needed items to that organization.

    Preserving and Saving Our Biodiversity

    If Nolah Mattress’s partnership with Defenders of Wildlife inspires you, there are ways that you can help either as a consumer or business. As an employee or employer, talk to your company about ways that you can get involved in the important mission of preserving and saving America’s biodiversity.

     
  2.  

    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

     

  3.  
     

    Rainforest Rescue is a non-profit organisation which is committed to preserving rainforests, protecting those living there, and furthering social reforms.

    Have a prowl around their website and you will notice that they have a number of petitions we can all sign to add our voice to protect the powerless.

    They say that those living in forests are often powerless against the business interests and ambitions of timber and cattle barons, Western banks, corrupt politicians and oil and mining companies.

    And there’s a petition at the moment aiming to keep the oil industry out of Africa's natural treasures.

    ReconAfrica have got a lience for oil and gase exploration in the Kavango delta.  They’ve got a second-hand oil rig in the US and shipped it across the Atlantic.  Drilling began in December in 2020 and if successful, the companies plans to extract two billion barrels of oil before drilling into deeper layers of rock. 

    Rainforest Rescue say the ecological impacts of the projects will be devastating.  They say it would threaten bodies of water in the dry Namibian savannahs, and Botswana’s UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Okavango Delta and huge numbers of elephants, hippos, rhinos and birds.  Livelihoods of locals hang in the balance.

     

    Please help keep the oil industry out of Africa's natural treasures
    Please help keep the oil industry out of Africa's natural treasures
    image © Rainforest Rescue

    Rainforest Rescue say, “We need to stop ReconAfrica’s project for the sake of the climate, biodiversity, water, and the livelihoods of the local people. Please support our demands with your signature.”

    Hippos, elephants, rhinos and birds can’t have a voice in this – they need us to speak for them.  Please sign the petition and act on their behalf.  

     

     

  4. OIPA Cameroon is looking for organisations to fund research into pangolins in Cameroon.

    Pangolins are highly endangered and threatened by human and human-related activities there.  They are poached and traded on an international scale, and their scales, skins and meat are used for food, traditional medicine and as fashion accessories.

    Find out more about this research proposal
    Find out more about this research proposal
    image © OIPA Cameroon

    Cameroon has three of the four species of African pangolin, but very little information is available on how to help conservation efforts there. 

    So an OIPA delegation in the country have prepared a research proposal.  They want to provide new data on the distribution, abundance and threats that this endangered pangolins face in Campo Ma’am National Park.   The park is situated in the south western corner of Cameroon.

    If the research can find this data out, then it can put forward a conservation management plan for review and potential implementation by the Government and National Park authority. 

    All three species are listed in Appendix 1 of the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species, whilst the IUCN Red List them as vulnerable or threatened.

    Although a Ministerial order was signed back in 2017 with full protection for the three species of pangolin, there is still evidence of illegal trade and trafficking in Cameroon. 

    So despite all these measures, Cameroon pangolins are threatened and research needs to be done to ascertain the best way forward to protect them.

    If your organisation can help fund the research or you need more information, please email  [email protected]

     

     

  5. 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”. 

    Visit BatPoison.com for more information

     

    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.