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.

Elephant Sanctuary

The elephants at the Toronto Zoo will be moving to an elephant sanctuary soon. If you want to learn more about elephant sanctuaries, check out these children's books about The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee.

Travels with Tarra
This book tells the tale of one captive elephant and her devoted human caretaker, who realizes that Tarra's needs as an elephant are more important than anything else in their life together.

Tarra & Bella: The Elephant and Dog Who Became Best Friends
After retiring from the circus, Tarra became the first resident of the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee. When other elephants moved in and developed close friendships, only Tarra remained independent - until the day she met a stray mixed-breed dog named Bella.

Just For Elephants
Shirley spent years as a circus elephant and then a zoo elephant. When she is finally moved to the Elephant Sanctuary, Shirley recognizes another elephant, Jenny, and greeted her with great excitment and joy.  Jenny had been a baby elephant at the circus where Shirley had worked so long ago. (Elephants do remember!)

All the books were written by Carol Buckley who is the co-founder and president of The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee. She arranged for the release of and provided care for 24 elephants at the Sanctuary over 15 years. Learn more about her, the books, and elephants at: http://www.carolbuckley.com/

Corky the Killer Whale

Here are some of the messages for Corky that a group of students recently wrote:

Get yourself into Corky’s headspace. The same food every day. Not being able to do all the things you should be allowed to do. Confined in a space that would make you claustrophobic. Away from family and the life you knew before you were captured. Tricks and training and loud crowds every day. Is this life? I think not. – Reiya

I’m mad because you are keeping Corky in captivity. I think instead of giving her frozen dead fish you should give her live fish so she can learn how to hunt.  – Abby

Corky is unhappy and deserves to be set free gradually.  – Rayne

I feel awful for Corky because I think she needs to be taught how to be a mother and her family can only teach her. And also she needs to be with her family to make her life happy. – Rinad

Corky the killer whale should be with her family. You should release her, let her be out in the wild. Let her be free.  – Taliya

I feel mad because you are keeping Corky in captivity!!!!!!I think you should give Corky a bigger pool and work your way up to setting her free! Please return Corky to the wild! Let Corky go! – Jessica

If you were Corky, would you want to be in a little cage all day? I think NOT!!! And get the same food every day? That’s what I feel. Bring her back to her habitat. You know it’s right. – Saskia

If you are too stubborn to let her go free, give her live fish and teach her to hunt. Don’t make her do tricks, add seaweed and rocks to her tank. Give her privacy. Build her a tank ten times as big. Don’t continue to torture her. LET CORKY GO FREE.  – Gwyneth

Did you know that there are less than 50 killer whales in captivity around the world? And did you know that Canada is one of only six countries that has a marine park with killer whales? Learn more about killer whales in captivity, including recent events in the news, facts and statistics at: http://www.orcahome.de/index.html