Conservation

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International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Sloth, Anteater, & Armadillo Specialist Group

“Xenarthran – (magnorder Xenarthra), an ancient lineage of mammals comprising the armadillos(order Cingulata) and the sloths and anteaters (order Pilosa). The namesake feature shared by all members of Xenarthra is seen in the lower backbone.” – Britannica

Nurtured by Nature is proud to host several species belonging to the Xenarthra order of mammals, such as sloths and armadillos, in our education programs. These species tend to be major highlights of the programs and many people are excited to have the opportunity to engage with these unique critters. Most importantly, every education outreach program raises funds for the research and conservation efforts of this unique group of mammals.

Since 2019, Nurtured by Nature has donated $30,000 to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Xenarthra Specialist Group! Talk about an exciting contribution for species commonly left behind.

Nurtured by Nature has established an agreement with the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Xenarthra Specialist Group to help fund their endangered Brazilian Three Banded Armadillo project and Pygmy Three-Toed Sloth projects. We have also agreed to be their official Fiscal Sponsor. We are hoping that in the future Animal Educators will be able to contribute the knowledge we have learned to the IUCN’s captive breeding of these endangered armadillos as we have successfully produced over 150 babies of their closely related subspecies.

Want to meet some of these unique and special critters? Click the Otter Encounters link to book an educational program or simply donate to help us support their conservation efforts.

https://xenarthrans.org/
https://www.facebook.com/xenarthrans/

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Ecolife Mission is to protect wildlife, natural resources, and the people who depend on them. Ecolife focuses on two key areas, sustainable agriculture and community based conservation. These two areas tackle one of the biggest causes of species extinction and the other creates a positive future for wildlife and people.

Ecolife’s mission is near and dear to the Nurtured By Nature team’s goals and efforts because their project reach overlaps the homes of some of our ambassador animals. That is why we are honored to have supported them with $7,500 in donations total, since 2019.

Check out their mission, projects, and opportunities by clicking the links below.

https://www.ecolifeconservation.org/
https://www.facebook.com/ecolifeconservation/
https://www.instagram.com/ecolifeconservation/

Funds donated to Ecolife were made possible through our wildlife education outreach programs and our program donors.

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We are excited to announce that we recently supported the Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinary Hospital (JWVH), in South Africa, with a donation of $5,000. JWVH is the first of its kind in South Africa, accepting and treating injured and orphaned wildlife, free of charge, with a goal of re-releasing each patient. Some of the species they treat include: reptiles, bats, owls, raptors, mongoose, pangolin, meerkat, serval, genet, hedgehogs, bush babies, garden birds, water birds and otters.

The funds donated were utilized to purchase 4 reusable “soft release pens,” that can be utilized for multiple species, and a trailer to transport the full soft release pen setup.

The donation will also cover the treatment of several species of wildlife currently in hospital and a few that are ready to be re-released. For starters, two yellow mongoose will be the first “outpatients” to utilize the new soft release, re-introduction pens!

The funds donated were made possible by all those who support the Nurtured By Nature mission via our wildlife education and interaction programs. Thank YOU for helping us help wildlife around the world.(Photo credit Nicci Wright)

And thanks to YOUR generosity, Nurtured by Nature was also able to help send out equipment to sponsor 40 rangers, at 6 different wildlife reserves, several wildlife rescue / rehabilitation care providers,K9 Thor and Rolo and their handlers, and the Mounted Anti-Poaching Unit. @NurturedByNatureOtters has contributed to this effort by purchasing several hundred wildlife rehab nipples, topical ointments, and bottle supplies for hand reading orphaned baby wildlife.

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This year, when the director of the IUCN Xenarthra Specialist Group (Sloth, Anteater, Armadillos) visited Nurtured by Nature from Argentina, we learned that some of the rangers that they work with were in need of binoculars.  It turns out that they don’t have access to many items that would be useful for their conservation work.  This was an easy fix since Dr. Superina was visiting and could hand carry the binoculars back to Mendoza for the rangers to use to keep an eye on the Andean Condors in their area, and Nurtured by Nature was very happy to be able to donate to them for this purpose!  The binoculars have been delivered and they have sent us some nice photos that really make us happy to see!  It wasn’t much, but it sure will make doing their jobs a LOT easier!

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The International Iguana Foundation works in partnership with a wide variety of organizations to generate public awareness of the threats facing iguanas today and the important role that iguanas play in maintaining healthy ecosystems.  We work to restore these flagship species and their habitats and provide critical support to iguana recovery programs.  As a non-profit organization, we provide grants to support the conservation of endangered iguanas worldwide. – @ International Iguana Foundation

Thanks to the support from our education program attendees and our generous donors we were able to support the International Iguana Foundation with a donation of $7,000 in 2021. 

How is this relevant to Nurtured by Nature you ask? We have several endangered and at risk species of iguana in our care and breeding programs. They generally are not involved in our education outreach programs due to their shy nature, but several groups of guests have been able to see some of our project setups over the years. 

As part of our ongoing mission to help save wildlife and create a positive future for people and wildlife we are proud to support the mission of the International Iguana Foundation. 

https://www.iguanafoundation.org/
https://www.facebook.com/InternationalIguanaFoundation
https://www.instagram.com/iguana_foundation/

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The Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA)

Nurtured by Nature is home to several species of tortoises and turtles. These turtles and tortoises have been a part of our educational programs, captive breeding programs, and we also have been home to many rescues over the years. 

With your support, our generous donors and program participants, we’ve been able to support the important work of the Turtle Survival Alliance since 2019, with a total of $7500 in donations! 

TSA was formed in 2001 as an International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) partnership for sustainable captive management of freshwater turtles and tortoises, and initially designated a Task Force of the IUCN Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group. The TSA arose in response to the rampant and unsustainable harvest of Asian turtle populations to supply Chinese markets, a situation known as the Asian Turtle Crisis. Since forming, the TSA has become recognized as a global force for turtle conservation, capable of taking swift and decisive action on behalf of critically endangered turtles and tortoises.” 

http://www.turtlesurvival.org/
https://www.facebook.com/TurtleSurvival
https://www.instagram.com/turtlesurvival/

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Red Panda Network is committed to the conservation of wild red pandas and their habitat through the education and empowerment of local communities. These efforts are primarily focused in Nepal and tackle the goals in two primary efforts through research and community based conservation programs.

Nurtured by Nature values the community and human element of wildlife conservation, in effort to create a positive future for humans and wildlife. That is why we’ve donated a total of $5362 towards their conservation efforts since 2020.

Learn more about the Red Panda Network, our programs, and how to support our conservation efforts by clicking the link below.

https://redpandanetwork.org/
https://www.facebook.com/redpandanetwork/
https://www.instagram.com/redpandanetwork/

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Save Vietnam’s Wildlife focuses on the small carnivores and pangolins and especially all four otter species in Vietnam. They have projects that involve:

Rescue, rehabilitation and release of confiscated otters or pet otters from the illegal trade.

Raise awareness for otters through the carnivore education center where unreleasable otters are kept to educate the public.

Continue research at the main otter sites in Vietnam. They recently set up camera traps in U Minh Thuong National Park and found a significant increase of Hairy-nosed otter population there.

Improve law enforcement at the otter sites such as the Pu Mat National Park, Cat Tien National Park, U Minh Thuong National Park, U Minh Ha National Park. 

Through your support, Nurtured by Nature has been able to directly donate $5000 since 2020 to SVW.  Learn more about Save Vietnam’s Wildlife, our programs, and how to support our conservation efforts by clicking the links below.

https://svw.vn/
https://www.facebook.com/svw.vn
https://www.instagram.com/svw.vn/

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Providing Support to the California Department of Fish & Wildlife

The Department of Fish and Wildlife manages and protects the state’s wildlife, wildflowers, trees, mushrooms, algae (kelp) and native habitats (ecosystems). The department is responsible for regulatory enforcement and management of related recreational, commercial, scientific, and educational uses. The department also prevents illegal poaching.”  Source – Wikipedia

About a year and half ago, the California Department of Fish & Wildlife contacted Nurtured by Nature to help provide shelter and homes to exotic animals that they confiscated from illegal and unhealthy situations.  To date we have taken in 37 animals which brings our current resident shelter animal total to over 40 individuals!

We anticipate demand to increase and are making plans to expand fundraising efforts to help support the care of these animals in need.  Please follow our website, facebook and instagram pages to learn about new programs as they develop and how you can help.