National Wildlife Day was founded in 2006 by animal advocate Colleen Paige, in memory of the beloved wildlife expert and conservationist Steve Irwin. It’s a way to honor Irwin’s tireless devotion to animal species worldwide, and his dedication to educating the public about the incredible animals with whom we share this planet.
National Wildlife Day is not only meant to bring awareness to the vast number of endangered species 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
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. Visit https://www.asaanimalsanctuaries.org/ to find a sanctuary near you.
3. Travel on one of Natural Habitat Adventures and WWF’s adventure tours, where the focus is on wildlife and conservation. Natural Habitat 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.
National Wildlife Day 2015 is coming up! Let’s get out there and raise awareness!