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Adopt a "Wild
Child" for the Holidays 
© COPYRIGHT 1998 BY PARENTS' PRESS, UPDATED NOV. 14, 2007
BY DIXIE
JORDAN
On the first day of Christmas,
my true love gave to me ...
... An orphaned orangutan?
A killer whale from the San Juan Islands, complete with genealogy
chart? A wolf you can visit and howl with?
Conservation organizations suggest
these and hundreds of other furred, feathered, or finny creatures
as wonderful girls for the holidays, equally appropriate for
Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanzaa, or winter solstice.
They don't, however, recommend
stopping by to load a baby hippo or a one-ton manatee into the
back seat. Instead, they offer animal sponsorship plans, where
you typically receive an official-looking "adoption certificate,"
a photo of your animal, information about it, and other goodies
in exchange for a modest cash donation.
Most programs make it easy to
give adoptions as gifts for relatives, friends, or business associates.
But don't forget yourself - a family sponsorship is an especially
kid-friendly way to introduce children to the idea of contributing
to the wider community.
Since many adoptions are fairly
inexpensive, even nickels and dimes from a young child's allowance
help. And, of course, most youngsters enjoy selecting and learning
about "their" animal.
Here are some of the available
sponsorship programs. Most have detailed information secure ordering
online. Most groups charge between $25 and $50 for a basic one-year-adoption.
Bat
Conservation International Click
on "Support BCI" for the adoption program. Choose from
seven bat and flying fox species. Adoption packages designed
to appeal to kids.
The
Marine Mammal Center
Click on "Ways to Give." Phone: (415) 289-7338. Adopt
a seal, sea lion, sea otter, or porpoise and help rehabilitate
ill and injured marine mammals at this Sausalito, CA center.
Save
the Manatee Club Phone:
(800) 432-JOIN (5646). Adoption program for wild-living manatees
that return to Florida's Blue Spring State Park each winter and
non-releasable manatees at a refuge.
The
Whale Museum Researchers
at this museum on San Juan Island, WA, study three pods (groups)
of killer whales. You'll get detailed information about an individual
whale with your adoption certificate.
Wolf
Haven International Phone:
(360) 264-4695. Sanctuary for nonreleasable wolves and coyotes
on Washington's Olympic Peninsula. Visit during the summer and
join a "howl-in" evening with the resident wolves.
The
Gorilla Organization
(formerly the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund) Adopt Amy, a mountain
gorilla who lives in the Virunga Volcanoes of Central Africa,
and members of her family.
Sebakwe
Black Rhino Trust Click
on "How to Help." Your adoption helps support a breeding
group of rhinos living in natural but protected conditions in
Zimbabwe.
Lemur
Landing Adopt a lemur,
bushbaby, or loris at Duke University's Primate Center. There's
more information about Duke's work with these endangered primates
at http://primatecenter.duke.edu/
The Canadian Peregrine Foundation (peregrine falcons, hawks, and owls).
Help fund educational programs emergency health care for injured
falcons.
International Bird Rescue Research Center.
Phone: (707) 207-0380 (Northern California Center in Cordelia,
Solano Co.) Sponsor a California brown pelican.
WWF-Canada. Along
with pandas and elephants, the World Wildlife Federation's Canadian
branch offers sea turtles, polar bears, and even coral reefs
for "adoption."
Defenders
of Wildlife. Lots of
(mainly) North American animal choices, including cottontail
rabbits, sea otters, jaguars, black bears, snowl owls, and dolphins.
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