Help a Tiger Today

Tony, a Siberian-Bengal tiger, has lived his eleven years as a roadside attraction at the Tiger Truck Stop in Louisiana. In two different court hearings in 2011, a judge ordered that the state of Louisiana stop issuing  permits for the truck stop to keep a tiger, but Tony is still there. Learn more about Tony at: http://freetonythetiger.wordpress.com/

Tony represents one of the estimated 5,000-10,000 of privately owned tigers in the United States, whose numbers are greater than tigers in the wild. Captive U.S. tigers are used in roadside zoos and attractions, photo-ops and exhibitiosn, entertainment shows, bred for profit or are owned as “pets.” Others end up in canned hunts or on the black market.

Even kids can help make a difference for wild animals in captivity. Letter-writing campaigns and petitions can both be effective ways of creating change, especially when a lot of people participate. Sign your name to the petition to Free Tony the Tiger at: http://www.change.org/petitions/ldwf-ensure-tony-the-tiger-is-released-to-a-reputable-sanctuary

You can also make a difference for a wild animal in captivity by letting other people know about the issue. Create your own Youtube video about an animal that needs help. Check out this video, created by a 10-year old animal advocate named Breawna who is trying to help Tony.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCDeL_ujeZU

Save Our Seas

 Most of our Keep It Wild! workshops focus on wild animals in captivity. But we also think it's important to talk about wild habitats, because wild animals can't survive without them. It's easy to make a difference for wild animals by taking care of their habitats.

Check out these great pictures from Bendale Public School. Students there pledged to help wild animals by helping their habitats. They learned about marine debris and the terrible effects it can have on wildlife. Then they learned how they could make a difference by reducing, reusing and recycling plastic products.

Sanctuary Song

Join Zoocheck Canada and Everyone Loves Elephants for a special celebratory fundraising performance on Saturday February 11th. A 1 hour performance of the Dora-award winning opera "Sanctuary Song", inspired by the moving true story of Sydney, a wild-caught Asian elephant and her journey from captivity to freedom at The Elephant Sanctuary, will take place at The Wychwood Theatre at the Barns. The evening also includes talk back with the creative team, additional entertainment, reception and silent auction. Contact Zoocheck for more information and for tickets: http://www.zoocheck.com/

Federation Day

If you are a teacher, perhaps you saw our display at Federation Day, a Toronto event put on by the Elementary Teachers of Toronto this past December.  It was great to share our Keep It Wild! workshops with so many different teachers from around Toronto. Here are a few pictures from the day.

New Year's Resolutions

Happy New Year! Why not resolve to help animals this year? Here are a few ideas to get you started.

1) Why not read a book about helping animals and put some of the suggestions into action? For kids, check out 50 Awesome Ways Kids Can Help Animals: Fun and Easy Ways to Be a Kind Kid, by Ingrid Newkirk. For adults, The PETA Practical Guide to Animal Rights: Simple Acts of Kindness to Help Animals in Trouble, also by Ingrid Newkirk, is a great place to start.

2) Donate to an organization that works to help animals. Zoocheck Canada works to help wild animals, both in the wild and in captivity. (http://www.zoocheck.com/)

3) Visit an animal sanctuary this year. Maybe plan a trip this summer to the Donkey Sanctuary of Canada, located near Guelph (http://www.thedonkeysanctuary.ca/). Take a picnic lunch and enjoy an afternoon grooming donkeys.

4) Volunteer with an organization that helps animals.

5) Visit a nearby shoreline, ravine, or greenspace and spend some time cleaning up wild habitats for the animals that live there.