ORANGUTAN AWARENESS DAY!

ORANGUTAN AWARENESS DAY!

We are sporting orange today and going to the rainforests of Southeast Asia to celebrate one of the most special mammals and great apes on the planet! These amazing apes are gorgeous, intelligent and unfortunately endangered. So today we are going to share some fun facts, photos and resources and how you can help protect these special creatures!

 

• Orangutans are great apes.
• There are two species, the Bornean and the Sumantran.
• Orangutans are solitary in the wild.
• Orangutans are arboreal (spend most of their lives in trees.)
• They are frugivores.
• Orangutans are highly intelligent.
• Baby orangutans stay with their mothers for around 8 years, the longest of any primate.
• Orangutans have extremely long arm spans, up to 7 feet from finger tips to finger tips.
  
• Orangutans’ feet are built just like hands and help them climb in the trees.

There are several organizations that are working very hard to ensure that orangutans have a future in the wild. Their rainforest home is rapidly disappearing mainly due to palm oil plantations. Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is one of the leading institutions working to solve this issue. Check out their website!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ENDANGERED SPECIES DAY!

ENDANGERED SPECIES DAY!

 Today is a day to celebrate the Endangered Species Act here in America! It was enacted in 1973 and was set up to protect animal and plant species! There are also two international organizations that work to protect animals, CITES and IUCN.

We’re celebrating Endangered Species Day, by picking a few organizations that are working to save endangered animals!

 

First up: The San Diego Global Wildlife Conservancy. They work in the wild and with the San Diego Zoo and Safari Park to actively protect wildlife. They’ve even reintroduced more than 30 species back into the wild! Our pal on twitter @ZooKeeperRick shared this video with us all about their efforts! They’ve had success with iguanas, pandas and California condors!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next up: Is the Georgia Sea Turtle Center. The staff and volunteers at the center work hard to rehabilitate and reintroduce all species of sea turtles! They have a hospital and education center. They also keep track of all the sea turtle nests each season on the Georgia coast! Check out our post on when we visited!

 

 

Last up: The Kakapo Parrot! These critically endangered parrots are the largest of all parrots! They are also flightless, which is one reason they have declined in the wild. These amazing birds live in New Zealand, where rescue organizations are working very hard to save them! Check out the Kakapo Recovery website!

 

The National Wildlife Federation has a great page with more success stories!

 

We all can work to help endangered species all around the world, even with small steps! A huge problem is habitat loss for many animals. One way to combat this is by recycling glass, paper, plastic & aluminum. You can find a local recycling center near you- here! You can also help endangered animals by educating yourself and joining organizations like the National Wildlife Federation, World Wildlife Fund or the Nature Conservancy.  You can also pay a visit to your local zoo, aquarium or nature center; often they are helping support animals in the wild and in their facilities with research and education! And one last thing you can do is to share your love of animals and wild places with others! Often your passion will spark that in other people! We’re going to leave you today with some adorable photos of some endangered species and hopefully they will inspire you to act!