Help the Hawksbill Turtle!

Help the Hawksbill Turtle!

          Hello, this is IGL and this post is about helping the Hawksbill Turtle. The Hawksbill Turtle is known everywhere for the beautiful pattern on their shell. They get the name from their beak, which resembles a lot like a hawk’s. They weigh 100-150 pounds and measure to be three feet long or smaller. Living in deep coral reefs and tropical waters, they feast upon sea anemones and sponges. They are vital for the coral reef systems. They eat off the coral that surfaced in the water, letting fish to feed and swim with more space. Along with other marine turtle, the Hawksbill has been present on the Earth practically 100 million years. However, they won’t be here for long.

          They are critically endangered, almost gone in the wild. One reason for their danger is illegal trading and poaching. Even though many countries prohibit the trading of their shells, people still poach them to use the shell for jewelry and decoration. Bycatch also threatens the Hawksbill, along with many other endangered animals. Pollution risks their lives, especially when the baby turtles swallow harmful trash, such as plastic.

          There are many ways for you to help. You could:

1. Tell someone
2. Start a petition
3. Boycott the use of their shells
4. Lessen your diet on seafood
5. Help pick up trash along the beach or other ocean areas

Help the Hawksbill Turtle!

Idea+Gift=Love IGL

Help the Dwarf Chameleon!

Help the Dwarf Chameleon!

          Hello, this is IGL and this post is about helping the endangered dwarf chameleon. Brookesia exarmata is the scientific name for the dwarf chameleon, the world’s smallest reptile. Like many other chameleon species, the dwarf chameleon can blend into its background with its adaptation of camouflage. Its beige-brown skin color hides it well in the background of leaves. These animals are from West Madagascar, taking a habitat close to the ground in vegetation.

          Because its only region is that area in Madagascar, they are endangered. The main reason for their declining population is the removal of their habitat. Their participation in the exotic pet trade also gives them a threat. Many people don’t know how to care for wild animals, and most certainly would not know how to care for a dwarf chameleon.

          There are many ways to help. You could:

1. Spread the word
2. Start a petition
3. Prevent the buying and selling of dwarf chameleons in the exotic pet trade
4. Although extremely rare, you may find dwarf chameleons in your backyard. If so, it is best to contact an animal service and notify them.

Help the dwarf chameleons!

Idea+Gift=Love IGL

Help the Panda!

Help the Panda!

          Hello, this is IGL and this post is about helping pandas. The panda lives in the deep mountainous forests of Southwest China of the Yangtze Basin. They are easily recognized because of their black and white body with their dark patches around their eyes. The panda is a peaceful creature of the bear family, and is China’s pride. Their diet mainly consists of bamboo stalks and they eat most of the day. This species of animal is very big, even though when they are born the baby is about the size of a stick of butter. Their height reaches four feet high and weigh to about 200-300 pounds.

          However, the panda is disappearing fast. According to IUCN, the panda is currently endangered. They have a high risk factor of becoming extinct in the near future! Pandas are essential for the ecosystem of the forests in China. They spread seeds around when they eat and attach to their fur, and they fall off soon to reach the earth. Without bamboo in the forests, other species of animal will also soon die out too. The panda is also necessary of China’s economy by attracting tourists to see them in the national parks. Their forests are being cut down for railroads and roads, separating the population and decreasing the chances to mate. Deforestation of the bamboo also takes away their diet. Poaching is also a major problem when a poacher accidentally shoots a panda when instead aiming for a different animal.

          There are so many ways to help the pandas. You could:

1. Spread the word and tell people.
2. Donate to preserves or organizations that help pandas.
3. Boycott products that use bamboo.
4. Start a petition. Get people to sign it.

Help the Panda!

Idea+Gift=Love IGL

Help the Orangutan!

Help the Orangutans!

    Hello, this is IGL and this post is about the orangutan. Kristine, as the writer, is very excited to write about her favorite animal. Orangutans are found in Malaysia and Indonesia, including the island of Sumatra and Borneo. They live in the rainforests’ trees in most of the time in their lives. Their beautiful mahogany-red fur distincts the orangutans’ looks. They are the largest arboreal ape mammal, not monkey. Orangutans are not monkeys because apes have tails, are larger, and have bigger chests. They can carry their 200 pound weight with their large arms. They are highly intelligent and alike humans in so many ways. In fact, it has recently been discovered that orangutans share about 95% of humans’ genes. “Orangutan” (derived from “orang hutan”) means “man of the forest” in the Malay language. They are solitary except for the time females care for their babies. Their diet consists mainly of fruits like durian (a stinky but delicious fruit), wild plum, figs, rambutan (a hairy-like fruit with red on the outside but squishy and white in the inside), mangosteen (a strange-looking whitish fruit), and jackfruit (yellow and large). They also eat certain insects like termites and parts of some plants. Orangutans get their water supply by drinking through holes in the trees and sleep on vegetational made nests in treetops. Most adult males have flanges, which are large cheek pads that rounds their face. However, some males don’t have flanges, looking like an adult female. There are two species of orangutans: the Bornean and the Sumatran. They differ a bit in characteristics and behavior. Borneans have less facial hair than the Sumatran and larger cheek flanges. They also walk down on the forest floor, which is difficult for orangutans to do because of their short legs and incredibly large arms. Sumatrans also have more social bonds.

    Both the Bornean and Sumatran orangutans are declining. The Bornean is endangered and the Sumatran is critically endangered. They matter to the world because when they eat the fruits, they also eat the seeds. In their feces they decompose the seeds, spreading around on the soil. If orangutans disappear, many tree species will disappear too. Their habitat is also being taken away. The demand in the world’s commerce of palm oil has endangered these creatures. In many food products such as certain brands of mayonnaise, some lotions, and some companies of greek yogurt, palm oil is found. Palm oil is one of the most cheapest oils to be developed, and many product companies try to hide the fact by putting in the ingredients something different, like “glyceryl stearate” or “vegetable oil”. Palm oil originates from the plant the oil palm. The oil palm grows the best in rainforests, so the trees are being cut down to make space for oil palm plantations. More and more palm oil plantations are being formed, and less trees are growing to help the orangutans. Note: palm kernels, palm kernel oil, or anything that has the word “palm” is most likely from oil palms. You’d be surprised how much products you have in your house that has the ingredients “palm oil”. Since they’re big and slow, they are shot in retaliation. They are also shot when they come to farms and accidentally damage the crops. Baby orangutans are also taken as exotic pets by shooting the mothers and taking the babies into the exotic pet trade. Even though laws are passed to illegalize exotic pet trade, people still do so secretly in the black market. In Indonesia, orangutan skulls are also traded in the black market. Orangutans are also being hunted as bushmeat, or “gourmet” food.

    You can always help the orangutans. You could:

1. Spread the word. Tell people about the orangutans.
2. Start a petition. Get people to sign it.
3. Donate to organizations that help orangutans.
4. Boycott against the exotic pet trade.
5. Sparingly use paper.
6. Try not to use palm oil or products with ingredients from the oil palm.
7. Boycott skull trading.
8. Go against bushmeat.
9. Support zoo programs that help orangutans.

HELP THE ORANGUTANS!

Idea+Gift=Love IGL

Help the Elephant!

Help the Elephant!

    Hello, this is IGL and this post is about helping the elephants. The elephant is one of the most well-known animals of the world. Their remarkable huge bodies, tusks, and tree trunk-like legs make them more likeable. There are two types of the elephant: the African and Asian elephant. They look alike, but there are many features that differ between them. The African elephant has larger ears than the Asian and only the males have tusks. The Asian elephant has a significant bump on their head and both female and male have tusks. Elephants attract tourists to Africa to see the beautiful wild animal creature.

    Elephants are vital to the ecosystem. They eat the seeds of about ⅓ of all the tree species in their area. They spread the seeds around in their feces and helps the soil, enriching the dirt with minerals and nutrients for the plants. They trek through the savannas and forests, helping the wildlife.

    However, these animals are disappearing. They are being poached for their tusks, also known as ivory. For many years, the government has tried to stop illegal poaching, but the process still goes on today. The ivory is sold in black markets to make jewelry. The African elephant is currently vulnerable and the Asian elephant is endangered. The Asian elephant has four subspecies, and all of them are threatened in the wild. Human development is causing habitat loss, which is taking up their food, the vegetation. Roads and canals are replaced instead of trees. Conflict brings out when an elephant is seen in civilization and elephants or people can be hurt. They are also being captured for timber use and males without tusks have a low breeding chance.

    You can always help the elephant. You could:

1. Spread the word. Tell people about it.
2. Donate to organizations that help elephants.
3. Start a petition and get people to sign it.
4. Boycott ivory and advocate against it.
5. Stop riding elephants for tourist attraction.

Help the elephant!

Idea+Gift=Love IGL

Help the Chimpanzee!

Help the Chimpanzee!

    Hello, this is IGL and this post is about helping the chimpanzee. The chimpanzee lives deep in the Congo Basin in Africa, and is one of the world’s most intelligent animals ever. In fact, they are much like humans. They share about 98% of humans’ DNA, and many characteristics in their lifestyle and behavior show how much they are alike us. They care for their children for a long period of time and they live for more than fifty years. They have the knowledge to make tools, like sticking a twig in a termite hole to get their food. Even though they spend their life in trees, they can walk on their feet for a mile.

    Although humans aren’t so different from chimpanzees, we are the reason for pushing them into extinction. They are currently in a status of “endangered” for many reasons in human development. In Africa, people are eating chimps as bushmeat. Bushmeat is when the people hunt an endangered wild animal as food. Even though bushmeat is primarily used for people in poverty that can’t find anything else to eat, chimpanzee has become a common food source for wealthy residents, like how people eat wild animals and say it’s “gourmet”. But that’s not the only contributing factor. Young chimpanzee babies are being traded as exotic pets, and people don’t know how to take care of it properly, endangering its life. The Ebola Virus Disease is affecting many chimpanzee’s lives, causing multiple fatal deaths.

    There are many ways to help the chimpanzee. You could:

1. Donate to organizations that help this species.
2. Spread the word and tell people about it.
3. Start a petition and get people to sign it.
4. Boycott bushmeat and illegal hunting.
5. Go against the exotic pet trade.
6. Tell people about the Ebola Virus Disease.

Help the chimpanzee!

Idea+Gift=Love IGL

Help the Grey-Crowned Crane!

Help the Grey-Crowned Crane

          Hello, this is IGL and this post is about the Grey-Crowned Crane. The Grey-Crowned is a bird found in the African countries of Kenya, Uganda, and Congo. They have long black legs and their body has gray, black, white, and a golden yellow. It leads to a slender neck with what looks like a red gobble. They have a white cheek and a sharp black beak. But their appearance is most notable with their “crown”. Like a plume on a helmet, it fancies a yellow glitter and a majestic crown-like top. The Grey-Crowned Crane enjoys eating seeds, the tips of grasses, groundnuts, soybeans, and other various types of plants. They also enjoy tiny vertebrates and bugs. They can be heard by their loud honking sounds they make.

          The Grey-Crowned Crane is currently endangered because of human development. They are sometimes captured and traded in illegal process and habitat loss contributes to their declining population. These cranes are also indirectly poisoned by chemicals. Also, the wetlands that these birds live on are lost because of overused pesticides, drainage, too much livestock, and power line collisions.

          There are many way to help these beautiful birds. You could:

1. Spread the word and tell people
2. Start a petition and get people to sign them.
3. Donate to the International Crane Foundation to help them.

Help the Grey-Crowned Crane!

Idea+Gift=Love IGL

Help the Spix's Macaw!

Help the Spix’s Macaw

          Hello, this is IGL and this post is about helping the Spix’s Macaw. This specific bird is beautiful with blue colored feathers, soon descending into white the higher the body gets. Their small silver-colored head has a sharp, black beak. They live in the Northern woodlands in Brazil. They live to about twenty-thirty years in the wild and forty years in captivity. Their main diet is based on seeds, which takes 95% of their food. The Spix’s Macaw is not very talked much and no so popular like the panda or the cheetah. But they are still important to the ecosystem and would be a great loss if this bird goes extinct.

          It is thought to be extinct in the wild by scientists, studies show that small areas where the land has not been surveyed may contain the habitats of a few remaining Spix’s Macaws. Right now, since there is a possibility that there is a scarce population of these birds, it is now stated critically endangered (or possibly extinct in the wild). The cause of their near extinction is because of habitat loss. Also, people are keeping these animals as exotic pets and are still to this day sold in the black market.

          There are ways to help the Spix’s Macaw. You could:

1.     Tell people about them. Not a lot of people know about this species of bird.

2.    Start a petition and get people to sign it.

3.    Boycott the black market.

4.    Donate to charities that help this species of bird.

Help the Spix’s Macaw!

-Idea+Gift=Love IGL

Help the Amur Leopard!

Help the Amur Leopard!

Hello, this is IGL and this post is about the Amur Leopard. The Amur Leopard is not well-known around the world, but is still important to the world’s ecosystem. They are found in Far East Russia, and can do amazing talents, like jumping high and running fast. They live in the temperate forests and weight about 70-100 pounds.

Unfortunately, the Amur Leopard is critically endangered. That means that pretty soon in the near future, the Amur Leopard will be extinct in the wild. This subspecies of leopard benefits the ecosystem in many weights. They prey mainly on deer, which is good because the deer population wouldn’t increase too much, crowding the habitat and preventing other species of plants and animals to live there. The Amur Leopard is poached for their beautiful coat of spots and suaveness. Also, habitat loss causes the leopards to lose a home. Their population is declining quickly, and needs our help. And without food, they would target livestock, provoking farmers to shoot them.

How can you help? You could:

1.      Donate. The WWF helps the Amur Leopard.

2.      Start a petition. Get people to sign it.

3.      Boycott Amur Leopard products. The leopard’s bones are used as Chinese medicine and their furs are used as unnecessarily over-achieving fashion.

Help the Amur Leopard!

-Idea+Gift=Love IGL

Help the Komodo dragon!

Help the Komodo dragon!

          Hello, this is IGL and this topic is about helping the Komodo dragon. The Komodo dragon is always killed because of fear of the lizard to attack. The IUCN claims that the Komodo dragon is vulnerable. Their population is decreasing because of habitat loss, natural disasters, and poaching. Trading of the animal and skin is illegal. Although natural disasters could not be stopped, you could stop poaching and habitat loss.

          They are also captured from the wild and brought to zoos for exhibit. They have a short lifespan and they would die early due to the habitat they are not used to. There are many ways to help the Komodo dragon. You could:

1. Donate to a foundation that helps Komodo dragons
2. Avoid products made from Komodo dragon
3. Spread the word
4. Start a petition

Help the Komodo dragon!

-Idea+Gift=Love IGL

Help the Tiger!

Help the Tigers!

          Hello, this is IGL and this topic is about helping the tigers. The tigers are poached for their coat and organs and are sold as an exotic pet. Even though many countries ban the hunting of tigers, poachers still sell the tiger in the black market.

          The tiger is still sold illegally today in the black market. Their habitat is also being taken away. There are many ways to help the tiger. You could:

1. Donate to foundations that help tigers
2. Spread the word
3. Avoid tiger products

Help the tiger!

-Idea+Gift=Love IGL

Help the Rhinos!

Help the Rhinos!

          Hello, this is IGL and this post is about helping the rhinos. The rhinoceros is large animal with a horn on its head. It contains five subspecies: the Sumatra, white, Indian, Javan, and Black. The Javan, Sumatra, and black are critically endangered. The Indian is vulnerable and the white rhino is near threatened.

          The rhino is poached for their horn. Even though countries ban the hunting of rhinos, poachers still sell them in the black market. The horn is used to make daggers and medicine. The population of rhinos is decreasing every year. There are many ways to help the rhinos. You could:

1. Donate to foundations that help rhinos (ex: rhinos.org)
2. Spread the word
3. Start a petition
4. Avoid products made from rhinos

These ways could help the rhino live on this earth!

-Idea+Gift=Love IGL

Stop the exotic pet trade!

Stop the Exotic Pet Trade

          Hello, this is IGL and this topic is about exotic “pets”. Exotic pets are everywhere. People capture them and trade them as a pet. Every animal has their wild instincts and could be very dangerous. They also carry diseases and could spread them to people. Some states in the US don’t allow exotic pets, but some let them in 100%.

          Usually exotic pets are sold as a cute, adorable, cuddly baby. But when they grow older, they could get larger and more dangerous. For example, lions are often traded as an exotic pet. They could become very dangerous and deadly.

          To help both wild animals and people, you could help. You could:

1. Spread the word.
2. Urge people not to get exotic pets
3. Warn someone with an exotic pet

These ways could make your area a better place. Animals could be dangerous, and people are at stake too. So let animals be where they belong. Stop the exotic pet trade.

-Idea+Gift=Love IGL

Stop poaching!

Stop Poaching!

          Hello, this is IGL and this post is about poaching. Poaching is the act of illegal hunting of animals. Poaching is going on everywhere. Hunters kill endangered animals and illegally trade their body parts.

          Poachers kill thousands of animals every year. They also use illegal weapons too. Poachers could decline the population of endangered species, like the tiger and the elephant.

          Poaching occurs all the time. The start of a threat to animals is because of poaching. You could always help by a lot of things. You could:

1. Notify any suspicious activity. If you see any suspicious acts of hunting, recognize who it is (ex: license number). Tell the park ranger or someone in charge.
2. Spread the word. Write about it or tell someone about it.
3. Donate to charities that help threatened animals.

Poaching is a horrible and illegal act. Stop poaching!

-Idea+Gift=Love IGL

Help the Gorillas!

Help the Gorillas!

          Hello, this is IGL. Another of our projects is to help the gorillas. Cristina is really hyped about this one since her animal is the gorilla. The gorillas live in Africa. They are all threatened by many reasons.

         First, they are killed by bush meat. Bush meat is when people kill and eat endangered animals. All these animals are sold in markets to eat and end up in bellies.

          Second, their homes are being chopped down. Trees are cut down and gorillas don’t have any place to stay.

          Third, there is a disease called the Ebola virus. The virus kills gorillas and their population has decreased over the days.

          And lastly, people poach the gorillas. Poaching is when people kill animals illegally and trade the animal parts in black markets and illegal trade.

          Many gorillas are dying every day, and the population has been declining over the years. They also live in small places of Africa and they all need some help. To help, you could:

1. save paper and recycle
2. Don’t poach, buy illegal parts, or buy bush meat
3. and (this probably will be a long shot) but ask the government to help find a cure for the Ebola Virus or do something about it

The gorillas need your help!

-Idea+Gift=Love

Free the Girls

Free the Girls

          Hello, this is IGL. This is our new project. This project could have some inappropriate and confusing parts for little children. Free the Girls is an organization for helping women and girl in Africa. In Mozambique, Africa, many girls and women are sold for their bodies. Sometimes, children are sold too. The families are starving and need to sell their women or daughters to gain some food or shelter. Most of the time, the family would think they would end safely. But this is false. The African women would become a prostitute or sex slave.

          Free the Girl’s founders heard about the crisis in Mozambique. They decided to start an organization to help those women and girls. They decided to gain charity for these women by having people donate their bras to Africa. These bras would provide the slaves some confidence and safe income. They really need it.

          But unfortunately, they don’t have money for the shipping to Africa. Thankfully, CNN saw the organization and decided to help them out. Now, Free the Girls are launching programs in Mexico, El Salvador, Kenya, Mozambique, and Uganda. You could:

     1.     donate a bra

     2.     donate some money

The slaves in Africa need it!

-Idea+Gift=Love IGL