National Wildlife Day

Happy National Wildlife Day!

Emily Deemer

National Wildlife Day was founded in 2005 by animal advocate Colleen Paige to bring awareness to the plight of endangered animals.

Originally celebrated only on September 4, there is now a second National Wildlife Day on February 22 to honor the memory and birthday of wildlife warrior and conservation icon Steve Irwin and his tireless devotion to animal species worldwide and his dedication to educating the public about the animals with which we share our planet.

National Wildlife Day, opens in new tab is not only meant to bring awareness to the vast number of endangered species both nationally and worldwide, but also to acknowledge animal sanctuaries and no-kill animal shelters for all they do to rescue wild and domesticated animals who were abused or otherwise had no home.

Here are three ways you can get involved to make National Wildlife Day every day:

1. Volunteer at a local no-kill animal shelter. It takes a lot of work to maintain shelters and properly care for the animals, they can usually use all the help they can get! More info: https://www.dosomething.org/actnow/actionguide/volunteer, opens in new tab

2. Volunteer at a local animal sanctuary. Not every state has one, but if your state does, it’s worth the trip! Our favorite in Colorado is the Wild Animal Sanctuary, opens in new tab. Visit https://www.asaanimalsanctuaries.org/, opens in new tab to find a sanctuary near you.

3. Travel on one of Natural Habitat Adventures and WWF’s nature tours, where the focus is on wildlife and conservation. Nat Hab donates a portion of its proceeds from every trip to WWF wildlife and environmental conservation efforts, and WWF’s top scientists and staff help us craft our unique itineraries. Nat Hab is also the world’s first 100% carbon-neutral travel company, offsetting 100% of the carbon emissions from our expeditions.

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