Every quarter Leesburg Animal Park donates $500 to a new conservation organization. Learn about some of the organizations we support and how you can help out below.

USMC combat veteran Christopher Baity and his wife, Amanda, founded Semper K9 in 2014. Semper K9 rescues dogs from shelters and trains them to be service dogs at no cost for disabled service members. Semper K9’s service dogs for veterans program provides custom-trained service dogs for wounded service members and their families.

Semper K9 is completely volunteer based with 125 plus volunteers. They recently purchased 33 acres adjacent to Marine Corps Base where they plan to build a retreat-style facility for out of area veterans and their families to come and train with their service dogs. You can check out their website at www.semperk9.org

How to help:

• Become a K9 Coach
  • http://www.semperk9.org/get-involved/become-a-k9-coach/
• Host a Fundraising Event
  • http://www.semperk9.org/host-an-event-or-fundraiser-for-semper-k9/
• Donate
  • https://donate.semperk9.org/give/169047/#!/donation/checkout
• Amazon Wish List
  • https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1G9T1S9E7BEFK/ref=nav_wishlist_lists_2?pldnSite=1

Every quarter Leesburg Animal Park donates $500 to a new conservation organization. Learn about some of the organizations we support and how you can help out below.

“A non-profit center to promote the conservation, study and care of gibbons through public education and habitat preservation.” (GCC, 2017)

“A non-profit center to promote the conservation, study and care of gibbons through public education and habitat preservation.” (GCC, 2017)

About the Gibbon Conservation Center

• Established in 1976 by Alan Richard Mootnick.
• The only institution to house and breed all four genera of gibbon.
• Reproduced 7 species of gibbons.
• Provides non-invasive research for students and scientists.
• Participates in all relevant Species Survival Plans.
• Provides consulting services to zoos, museums, government agencies on species identification and gibbon care.
• Assists with gibbon rescue programs in Thailand, Taiwan, Vietnam and Indonesia.
• Offers educational opportunities for all ages.

All about Gibbons:

“These acrobatic mammals, endemic to the dense forests of southern Asia, are perfectly adapted to life in the trees and rarely descend to the ground. They have strong, hook-shaped hands for grasping branches, comically outsize arms for reaching faraway limbs, and long, powerful legs for propelling and grasping. Their shoulder joints are even specially adapted to allow greater range of motion when swinging.” (Nat Geo, 2019)

“These iconic tree dwellers are among the most threatened primates on Earth. Their habitat is disappearing at a rapid rate, and they are often captured and sold as pets or killed for use in traditional medicines. Many species of gibbon are listed as endangered or critically endangered.” (Nat Geo, 2019)

How to Help:

• Become a gibbon guardian http://www.gibboncenter.org/gibbon-guardians.html
• Volunteer volunteer@gibboncenter.org
• Spread the word! Educate yourself and others www.gibboncenter.org

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/

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