Conservation Corner – Leesburg Animal Park

West Virginia Raptor Rehabilitation Center

The West Virginia Raptor Rehabilitation Center (WVRRC) is a non-profit (501-c-3) organization dedicated to the care of injured, sick and orphaned birds of prey for their eventual release into the wild.

Mission: To rehabilitate and release injured and orphaned birds of prey and to provide environmental education programs to the public for the benefit of all living things

Rehabilitation: Every day WVRRC volunteers care for injured and orphaned hawks, owls, eagles, falcons, and vultures.

Education: Each year WVRRC conducts over 100 environmental education programs throughout West Virginia.

Why is WVRRC needed?
Most injuries to raptors are inflicted by collisions with cars and buildings, entanglements in fences, illegal trapping, shooting and poisoning. Federal laws carry stiff penalties to protect birds of prey and all migratory birds from intentional harm by humans. There is, unfortunately, still much need for rehabilitation centers like ours. The WVRRC was established to rehabilitate all raptors which include hawks, falcons, eagles, owls, and vultures. The injuries are varied and may require the birds to stay at our facility for a few days, weeks, or even months. Non-releasable birds stay at the center and are used in conjunction with our environmental education programs or are given to other nature centers.

Learn more about WVRRC at their website and make a donation!

http://www.wvrrc.org/

Save The Rhino

Black rhino, Etosha, Namibia

This quarter, we sponsored Save The Rhino International, a non-profit organization working to protect rhinos and grow the global population.

Save the Rhino helps protect all five rhino species, with an emphasis on the three Critically Endangered species: the Black, Sumatran and Javan. They work to provide ranger teams with the supplies needed to protect rhinos from poachers. They support planned and emergency veterinary interventions for rhino calves being hand-reared in bomas or bred in the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary, and transmitters and radio frequency tags to help track rhinos in the wild.

Save the Rhino International is committed to addressing the source of the demand for rhino horn, and reducing consumer behavior across South East Asia. They are engaged with two demand reduction initiatives with Education for Nature Vietnam and Traffic, working tirelessly in Vietnam with communities to reduce consumer behaviors that are driving rhinos towards extinction.

Please review the attached information and consider supporting rhino conservation.

Learn more at: www.savetherhino.org

THREATS TO RHINOS

REASONS TO SAVE RHINOS

Adopt a Bonobo

As part of an ongoing campaign to support global conservation efforts, the Leesburg Animal Park has “adopted” a Bonobo by the name of N’Djili living at the Lola Ya Bonobo Sanctuary in the Congo.

Lola Ya Bonobo is the world’s only organization to provide lifetime care to bonobos orphaned by the illegal trade in endangered wildlife. They are on the front line in the battle to protect bonobos in the only country they are found – The Democratic Republic of Congo.

N’Djili is a 2 year-old female Bonobo who was rescued from living in a bar with an owl and other exotic animals. She is a sweet, shy baby, and the youngest of the group. Her favorite activity is being carried around to explore the forest by some of the older bonobos in the nursery.

To learn about Bonobos and to donate, please visit:

http://www.lolayabonobo.org/what-we-do/

Celebrate the World Lemur Festival with us at Leesburg Animal Park!

Learn about lemurs and the amazing biodiversity in Madagascar. Enjoy these fun activity sheets (for kids and adults!) and find out more via the links below!