Wildlife SOS SAVING INDIA’S WILDLIFE
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Wildlife SOS SAVING INDIA’S WILDLIFE WILDLIFE SOS wildlifesos.org 1 www.wildlifesos.org WHO WE ARE Wildlife SOS was established in 1995 to protect India’s wildlife and wilderness from human exploitation. We are focused on threatened and endangered species like the Asian elephant and sloth bear, but also operate a leopard rescue center and run a 24-hour animal rescue service that provides aid to all creatures great and small — from injured turtles and birds to monkeys, tigers, and deer. Our mission involves three main branches: Welfare, Conservation, and Research. 1. WELFARE Wildlife SOS’s efforts to protect wildlife involve lifetime, high-quality care for animals who cannot return to the wild, medical treatment for animals that can, rescue services for captive animals in abusive settings, and advocacy to prevent animals from being exploited for entertainment. Wildlife SOS eradicated the cruel “dancing bear” practice in India, and we have been actively rescuing captive elephants from terrible situations (see below). Success Stories: Laxmi and Raj Bear Laxmi once begged on noisy and crowded city streets, morbidly obese from a diet of tourist junk food. Today, our good-natured girl is pampered at our sanctuary, feasting on a variety of healthier options, including her favorite: apples. Another success story: Raj, aka India’s last “dancing bear.” Back in 2009, we rescued and united Raj with hundreds of other bears we have saved from the cruel “dancing” trade. We still care for Raj as well more than 600 other bears. And we also provide training to their former owners to ensure that they can feed their families without ever exploiting an animal again. 1 www.wildlifesos.org 2. CONSERVATION Making sure there is always a place for wildlife to flourish beyond human meddling in India’s crowded landscape is paramount to our mission. Habitat protection is just part of it; we also aggressively battle illegal animal trade and poaching. Another tier of our conservation plan is the rescue (and return) of injured wildlife. We have rescued thousands of injured animals, from the smallest birds to towering bull elephants. We’ve rescued, treated, and released hundreds of injured animals like this leopard cub from poachers’ traps and snares, open wells, conflict situations, and so on. We also successfully petitioned Amazon.com India to remove hundreds of listings for traps, snares, animal parts, and pelts from their site. 3. RESEARCH Wildlife SOS uses technology like drones and camera traps to study wild sloth bears in their native habitat. We also conduct captive bear research at our rescue facilities and gather information to better understand all of India’s sensitive, threatened, and endangered species. We also work with local communities via outreach programs and workshops to reduce or resolve human-wildlife conflicts. We believe it is possible — in fact, we believe it’s absolutely critical — that humans and wildlife find ways to peacefully coexist. 2 www.wildlifesos.org THE ANIMALS Whether it’s freeing an abused elephant from a life of circus labor, performing dental surgery on an ailing tiger’s teeth, or helping rescue a hundred-plus turtles from the clutches of a single poacher, we are fully dedicated to preserving India’s wildlife. We’ve rescued thousands of animals over the years, including bears, antelopes, birds, hyenas, lizards, civet cats, monkeys, leopards, even scorpions and cobras. No animal is too great or too small. But things don’t just end with rescue. • We provide open space with room to roam for elephants that we’ve rescued from abusive owners. Healing pools, medicated foot baths, and pedicures are just a few examples of the pampering care we provide to these formerly overworked and abused animals. • Our sloth bear rescue and rehabilitation centers let the hundreds bears of bears we care for do what they love: wreak havoc on jungle gyms, tire swings, and hammocks, and thoroughly enjoy all the other enrichments. In addition, we’re working to protect wild sloth and moon bear habitat throughout India. • Our leopard rescue and rehabilitation center houses dozens of cats with injuries too serious to allow for their return to the wild, and it also offers a transit home for leopards who can be released. We work directly with local villages to reduce the conflicts between people and leopards, which are on the rise as human beings spread into more and more of the leopards’ traditional territory. 3 www.wildlifesos.org HOW YOU CAN HELP – RIGHT NOW There are many ways to get involved in wildlife protection. We list just a few of them below. See www.wildlifesos.org/get-involved for more information! • Volunteer or visit one of our sanctuaries in India. Go to www.wildlifesos.org/visit-our-centers/ or email [email protected] for more information. • Volunteer with Wildlife SOS USA! Email [email protected] or call us at (385) 227-6418. • Sign our petition! Visit wildlifesos.org/petition/ for a link to our latest cause. Your signature truly makes a difference! • Double your donations through workplace giving! Quite a few employers will match your gift. Go to this page to see if they participate: www.matchinggifts.com/rit/ • Leave a legacy. Your gift will provide wildlife with protection, safety, and care for decades to come. For more information, visit us at wildlifesos.org/leave-a-legacy/ or send an email to Kip Peterson at [email protected]. Get weekly vids and news — on your phone! Text the word GOWILD to the number 51555 on your mobile device for an exclusive video every Wednesday! Or text WILD to 51555 to receive breaking text alerts about important news like elephant rescues. (U.S. residents only.) 4 www.wildlifesos.org HOW YOU CAN HELP (*CONTINUED) • Shop on Amazon.smile! When you do, make sure to choose Wildlife SOS as your charity of choice. That way Amazon will donate a portion of your purchase price to us. To choose us on Amazon.smile, go to the following page: http://smile.amazon.com/ ch/20-3274638 • Donate your birthday! Ask your Facebook friends to buy elephants presents instead of you! It’s super-easy to set up a Facebook birthday fundraiser for charity. Go to www.facebook.com/wildlifesosindia and click on Fundraisers on the left side of the page to get started. • Get a Widlife SOS credit card! Now you can buy and give at the same time. Use a Charity Charge credit card and you’ll earn 1% cash back — in the form of a tax-deductible donation to Wildlife SOS! Go here for details: www.wildlifesos.org/credit-card CONTACT INFORMATION For more information, you can reach us here: Wildlife SOS USA 1090 South 1100 East, Suite A Salt Lake City, Utah 84105 (385) 227-6418 For more information, visit us at WWW.WILDLIFESOS.ORG facebook: wildlifesosindia twitter: wildlifesos 5.