Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund (DWCF) is proud to support International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) to provide veterinary care and vaccinations for animals in the wake of a devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake in Haiti. IFAW and the World Society for the Protection of Animals are jointly leading the Animal Relief Coalition for Haiti (ARCH), working with more than a dozen of the world’s leading animal protection organizations to aid as many animals as possible.

Funding will provide the ARCH team with medical supplies and equip a “mobile clinic” that is delivering emergency care for injured animals and administering vaccinations to prevent outbreaks of diseases such as rabies. Click here to watch a short video about IFAW’s relief efforts.

The DWCF provided $20,000 to the emergency effort through Disney’s Friends for Change: Project Green and the iTunes initiative, in which 100 percent of the proceeds from the download of the inspiring anthem “Send it On” benefitted environmental charities through the DWCF.

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LOOKING FOR A WAY TO HELP THE PLANET THIS SEASON?

It’s that time of year again–the gift giving season! This year, why not give a gift that keeps giving? If you are looking for something that will benefit wildlife and wild places, here are a few shopping tips.

Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund (DWCF) Disney shops offer a wide array of products to help you make the eco-friendly choice when buying gifts for friends and loved ones.

• For $1 – Give a donation to the DWCF, and receive a collector’s button to show your good deed.
• Under $5 – Reusable bags, including the popular “Every Tree has Character“ bag, are available at various Walt
  Disney World Resort merchandise and food and beverage areas. Great for stocking stuffers or for use as gift bags. They are also available at Disneyland Resort in California.
• Under $20 – Cuddly plush animals including elephants, tigers, and hippos, are waiting for adoption. Ten percent of
  the proceeds from the sale of these plush will benefit the DWCF.
• Under $30 – Organic cotton tees, totes and hats featuring animal designs and friends like Kermit the Frog, pandas
  and of course, Mickey Mouse.

  The DWCF supports a variety of conservation-focused organizations around the world. Below are some DWCF recipients that offer their own unique shopping opportunities that benefit their organizations.

  Bat Conservation International (BCI) is working to help bats around the world. Gifts purchased from the BCI Web site aid in protecting lands and caves where bats live.

  • Most children grow up with a fear of bats.  Help them combat this and learn something as well by purchasing one of BCI’s DVDs – “Kids Discover Bats” or “Bats of America.”
  • For those who are interested in keeping bats around because of their importance to the wild, BCI offers bats houses that are easy to install.
  • Is the office secret Santa party coming up and you aren’t sure what to get the hard-to-shop for co-worker? How about BCI post-it notes, key chain or calculator?
  • www.batcon.org

  Caribbean Conservation Corporation (CCC) defends our friends in the oceans-endangered sea turtles. These sea turtle themed gifts are not only an attractive way to show that special someone you care but are also for a very good cause.

  • If you ever dreamed of taking a sea turtle home with you, now you can with the CCC’s bronze turtle statue.
  • Send your post holiday thank you notes on sea turtle stationery.
  • The CCC also assists communities where sea turtles live by selling locally hand-crafted Tagua Nut carvings. These nuts (often called vegetable ivory) are found in northwest Ecuador and provide a livelihood for local people through the sustainable harvest of the tagua palm nut.
  • www.cccturtle.org

  Proyecto Titi is a conservation program that studies cotton-top tamarins in their natural habitat and educates the local communities about the need to protect biodiversity in Colombia.

  • Eco-Mochilas are made by the local community in Columbia by recycling plastic bags. These traditional bags can come customized in colors or with special phrases.
  • If jewelry is your passion, Proyecto Titi now creates eco-mochila bracelets in a variety of colors.
  • Want to show your support for the cotton-top tamarin wherever you go? You can now purchase the cotton-top tamarin key chain, handcrafted by Columbian artisans and show your support for Proyecto Titi.
  • www.proyectotiti.com

  The International Snow Leopard Trust (ISLT) focuses on not only saving the endangered snow leopard but also helping the local communities where these animals live. By purchasing a holiday gift from the ISLT Web site, you can benefit the local craftsmen and help them understand that conservation of the big cats can be beneficial.

  • Hand woven home goods can be found in the ISLT shop–anything from rugs, to coasters, to napkins.
  • Woven personal wear is also available in the form of booties, slippers, hats, handbags and cell phone cases.
  • Handcrafted toys and ornaments are sure to make the little ones happy.

• www.snowleopard.org

  The Nature Conservancy offers a way to spread holiday cheer by helping to protect the places that plants and animals rely upon for survival:

  • The Plant a Billion Trees Campaign—Plant ten trees for only $10 in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest. Visit www.plantabillion.org and click onPlant a Tree to make your donation.
  • The Adopt-an-Acre Program—Adopt an acre in the United States, Africa, Australia or Costa Rica
  • The Adopt-a-Coral Reef Program— If the present rate of destruction continues, 70 percent of the world’s coral reefs will be destroyed by the year 2050. Help protect threatened reefs in the Dominican Republic, Palau and Papua New Guinea by Adopting a Coral Reef.
  • http://www.nature.org

  The Peregrine Fund was established in 1970 to help the Peregrine Falcon escape almost certain extinction. Today the Peregrine has come back and the organization helps all birds of prey. All of the items in their internet store benefit the birds in breeding programs and provide educational materials.

  • A variety of wearable items are available in the store, ranging from t-shirts and tote bags to hats to necklaces and pins.
  • If you are looking for something to pass the time, The Peregrine Fund offers puzzles and “Bird-Opoly.”
  • For those who feel like they live at the office, there are calendars, posters, mugs and mouse pads.
  • When you have the little one who has everything, why not give them an eagle puppet or how about a barn owl puppet? While they are having fun, they can gain an awareness of raptors.
  • www.peregrinefund.org

  
  

  Photo captions (from left to right, top to bottom):

  The International Snow Leopard Trust, unique hand woven rugs from Central Asia; the International Rhino Foundation, Rosa, part of the Adopt a Rhino program; the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, mother and baby, part of the Adopt-a-Gorilla program; The Peregrine Fund, bird-themed stuffed animals; Bat Conservation International, bat-themed jewelry benefits BCI; Proyecto Titi, eco-mochilas are traditional bags made in Columbia; The International Snow Leopard Trust, baby snow leopard, part of the Adopt-a-Snow Leopard Project; the Disney Stores, Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund receives 10 percent of the sale of the reusable Every Tree Has Character bags; Caribbean Conservation Corporation, Sea turtle ornaments; The Nature Conservancy, donations to Plant-a-Billion Trees benefits the reforestation of The Atlantic Forest in Brazil;Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund, donations are used to benefit a multitude of projects worldwide that study protect wildlife and wild places.

Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund has announced the recipients of the “Disney Conservation Heroes” award for 2009. The award program recognizes heroes who have made a positive impact on the environment and their communities.

Eight award recipients from around the globe were nominated by non-profit environmental organizations for their tireless efforts to save wildlife, protect habitats and educate communities.

Disney recognizes that these heroes are role models who hold the keys to successful conservation initiatives in areas of critical concern. Conservation efforts around globe and in our own back yard rely substantially on support from the local community and direct involvement of people like our Disney Conservation Heroes.
Dr. Beth Stevens, Senior Vice President for Disney’s Environmental Affairs

Each award recipient and their nominating organization will share a $1,000 award from the DWCF. This year’s recipients include:

Houssein Rayaleh, nominated by Bird Life International in Djibouti:

Rayaleh works with Djibouti communities and government to help protect Djibouti’s extraordinary wildlife and precious habitats. He conducts workshops with community leaders to raise awareness about the plight of the Djibouti Francolin bird and the juniper forests; and worked to establish a demonstration tree nursery that will produce 1,000 plants per year to provide community members with firewood.

Salim Khamis Haji, nominated by Fauna and Flora International in Tanzania:

Haji works with the Department of Commercial Crops, Fruits and Forestry, to conserve the Pemba Flying Fox, a critically endangered fruit bat on Pemba Island. He works with local communities to educate and establish groups to care for and monitor the flying fox populations, leading to more than tripling the bat population from approximately 5,000 in the early 90’s to about 22,000.

Rikapo Lentiyoo, nominated by Grevy’s Zebra Trust in Kenya:

Lentiyoo helped save a remaining population of fewer than 900 endangered Grevy’s zebra after Kenya suffered a severe anthrax outbreak. Lentiyoo traveled hundreds of kilometers by motorbike to locate the animal carcasses, collect samples for analysis, coordinate mortality reports and dispose of the carcasses to avoid spread of the disease. His work helped the Kenya Wildlife Service locate the remaining population for vaccinations.

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Willie Tucker, nominated by Pan African Sanctuaries Alliance in Sierra Leone:

Tucker was appointed by the Sierra Leone government in 1995 to help create and lead the Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary. In 2006, when 31 chimpanzees escaped, Tucker heroically seized control of the situation by calming the staff and local citizens, worked with the media, coordinated with police and military forces, and developed a plan to search for and recover the terrified chimpanzees.

Sam Han, nominated by Fauna and Flora International in Cambodia:

Han worked with other members of FFI and the Cambodian Forestry Administration to save an estimated 250 remaining critically endangered Siamese crocodiles. He regularly travels throughout the country conducting biological surveys, investigating reports of crocodile sightings, and educating the general public about crocodiles and their habitats. He is responsible for leading field expeditions to some of the most remote places in the country.

Jackson Kamwi, nominated by International Rhino Foundation in Zimbabwe:

Kamwi works around the clock to protect rare black rhinos. For two decades, he has conducted field operations and helped capture and relocate nearly 1,000 rhinos from poacher-infested high-risk areas. With no formal training in wildlife management and limited schooling, Kamwi has demonstrated specialized skills that include driving transport vehicles, flying helicopters, radio tracking and digital photography.

Artati “Tati” Nengah, nominated by Save Our Leatherbacks Operations in Indonesia:

Nengah is the nucleus of all Save Our Leatherbacks Operations (SOLO) in Indonesia, serving as the main translator between SOLO staff and Indonesian communities. Nengah’s efforts are vital in creating plans to protect the endangered leatherback turtles which are declining at an alarming rate due to egg harvest, fishery by-catch, coastal development and highly-variable food availability.

Diego Ezrré Romero, nominated by Northern Jaguar Project in Mexico:

Romero sets out to improve the standards for better education and to build a deeper respect for jaguars and nature conservation among his neighbors and fellow ranchers. Romero works to influence nearby mining operations and those who hunt or poison carnivores. With Romero’s help, the Feline Photo Project, a local fundraising and conservation initiative, has become the Northern Jaguar Project’s best opportunity to establish a higher level of local tolerance for jaguars.

In the last five years, DWCF has honored 42 Conservation Heroes for their extraordinary conservation efforts around the world. To learn more visit www.disney.com/conservation.

The Walt Disney Company has a longstanding commitment to conservation, dating back to Walt himself. Today, that legacy is carried forward through initiatives, like the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund, that positively impact the planet and inspire a conservational spirit in others. Other examples include Walt Disney Studios’ nature documentary film label, Disneynature; Disney’s Friends for Change: Project Green campaign which helps kids help the planet; and Disney’s Planet Challenge, an environmental competition for the classroom. For more information, visit www.disney.com/responsibility.

Led by Disney’s Animal Programs, an international coalition of veterinarians from conservation groups, zoos, universities and private industry have returned from Africa after effectively sterilizing seven bull elephants in Swaziland’s Big Game Parks.

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As a result of this effort, Swaziland wildlife officials will be able to better manage the elephant population in wildlife parks and reserves over the next decade.

Elephant overpopulation in wildlife parks and reserves in Swaziland and other southern Africa countries is a growing concern that can have devastating effects on the natural habitat as well as other animal species that live there. Wildlife officials in several countries are considering culling elephants in order to control the population growth. One of the ways to address this concern is with an innovative population management tool developed by an international veterinary team to help save habitat without harming elephants.

Surgical vasectomy helps reduce elephant birth rates, while maintaining normal hormone levels and common elephant social behaviors. With this procedure, we’re pleased to help wildlife officials in Africa balance the need to provide quality elephant care with an eye toward sustaining the ecosystem for other native animals.
Dr. Mark Stetter, director of Animal Health at Disney’s Animal Programs

In July 2004, this team of experts performed the first ever sterilization of free-ranging elephants. In 2005, the group began its work with bull elephants and started developing laparoscopic vasectomy techniques for sterilizing males in the wild. During the last four years, the team has sterilized 24 bull elephants at a variety of locations including Welgevonden Wildlife Reserve, Songimvelo Wildlife Reserve, Pongola Game Reserve and Swaziland’s Big Game Parks.

During this most recent trip, the international team helped teach the procedure to veterinarians from the South African National Parks Board and the University of Pretoria Onderstepoort Veterinary Hospital, enabling local experts to perform the surgery when necessary. Developing regional expertise is critical to the long-term success of the program.

As an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), Disney’s Animal Programs is committed to pioneering creative solutions to problems facing all wildlife by using the technology and tools available to address conservation and wildlife issues
Dr. Mark Stetter, director of Animal Health at Disney’s Animal Programs

Elephants are unique among most mammals since their testes are internal and require abdominal surgery to perform a vasectomy, making the relatively simple procedure much more complex to conduct on elephants in the wild.

This innovative procedure involves state-of-the-art medical equipment specifically developed for this project and scaled from human to elephant proportions. The elephant laparoscopic equipment was built by KARL STORZ at their headquarters in Germany.

Laparoscopic surgery allows the surgeon to view the internal organs on a monitor and use long thin instruments to perform the surgery. With this type of minimally invasive surgery, the risk of infection is greatly diminished, procedure time is significantly reduced and post-operative discomfort is minimized.

This coalition, along with Swazi elephant behavioral researchers, will monitor the elephant populations over the next several years as part of a long term behavioral study investigating potential changes in elephant behavior associated with this population management plan.

This international collaborative effort brings together conservation groups, universities and private industry including Disney’s Animal Programs, Colorado State University College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, the San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park, Smithsonian’s National Zoological Park, KARL STORZ, Catchco Africa Specialized Wildlife Capture, the Veterinary College at the Onderstepoort campus of the University of Pretoria and Swaziland’s Big Game Parks to address this complex problem.

With nearly 200 encouraging fans, a loggerhead sea turtle named Dory returned to the Atlantic Ocean after successfully laying eggs near the shores of Disney’s Vero Beach Resort.

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Dory is one of 10 sea turtles participating in Tour de Turtles: A Sea Turtle Migration Marathon hosted by the Caribbean Conservation Corporation (CCC). The program is designed to spotlight the challenges facing sea turtles, with each participant representing a “cause” or threat to sea turtle survival.

Released from Disney’s Vero Beach Resort, Dory’s mission is to raise awareness of the effects of light pollution. Since sea turtle hatchlings rely on moonlight to find their way to the ocean, many become disoriented and drawn off-course by artificial light sources.

Ironically, Disney conservation biologists chose to name this sea turtle Dory after the often-disoriented, blue-colored regal tang fish from the Disney-Pixar movie, Finding Nemo. In this case, Dory the sea turtle had no trouble finding her way to the sea.

Researchers from Disney’s Animal Programs and CCC will track the chosen sea turtles by satellite technology during the next few months as they travel from their nesting sites to unknown feeding grounds. Through satellite technology, scientists may discover more about sea turtle habits at sea and identify migratory patterns that may hold the key to their survival. This knowledge helps researchers, conservationists and governing agencies make more informed decisions about sea turtle conservation methods and policies.

Each year, approximately 50,000 sea turtles come ashore in Florida each year, making it one of the most fertile nesting areas in the United States. Sea turtles are among the oldest creatures on earth and have remained essentially unchanged for 110 million years.

In the United States, as much as 90 percent of sea turtle nesting occurs in Florida, which serves as home base for several species of endangered and threatened sea turtles. Yet with as few as one out of 1,000 hatchlings surviving to adulthood, scientists are still trying to learn more about these mysterious creatures of the sea.

Audiences worldwide will be able to view the sea turtles’ progress online at www.tourdeturtles.org and watch the marathon unfold. Using an interactive, multimedia Web site, Tour de Turtles offers audiences everywhere the opportunity to learn about threats to sea turtles and follow their legendary migrations, while simultaneously conducting vital research.

With sea turtle nesting season in full swing, Disney’s Animal Program’s experts are keeping busy at Disney’s Vero Beach Resort where hundreds of female sea turtles will come ashore through September to complete a pilgrimage they do every few years – lay eggs. Approximately 50,000 sea turtles come ashore in Florida each year, making it one of the most fertile nesting areas in the United States.

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While not easy, the process of establishing a nest starts with the female dragging her heavy body out of the water to the sand dunes. Using her back flippers, she digs a hole to deposit approximately one hundred rubbery eggs, each the size of a golf ball. The turtle hides the nest by covering the hole with sand and heads back to the ocean.

Back at the nest, the hatchlings incubate for approximately two months until they are ready to break out of their shells. They thrash their way out together, causing the walls of the nest to collapse and the bottom of the hole to rise. Once near the surface, the hatchlings wait until dark when the sand temperature cools before they emerge. Clear of the nest, they scramble to the water and swim offshore where they will live for several years.

Disney conservation biologists and animal experts offer several opportunities for resort guests to learn more about this natural migration to the shores of Florida’s east coast. Animal experts lead guided tours along the beach where the turtles are likely to nest and also host informational sessions on select summer nights.

The resort also offers opportunities for guests to get more involved with sea turtle conservation. Through the resort’s Adopt-A-Nest Program, guests may “adopt” a nest and track the hatchlings online at Adopt-A-Turtle. Each adoption package includes a special certificate listing the species and specific location of the nest.

Disney’s Vero Beach Resort also takes great care to minimize the amount of artificial light from the resort. Sea turtles rely on moonlight to find their way to the ocean and may be drawn off-course by artificial light sources.

Our guests are interested in learning what happens to the nest once they leave the resort. Did they hatch? How many eggs were in the nest? Did they all survive?By adopting a nest, guests can track what happens to the nest and contribute to protecting sea turtles in Florida.
Disney senior conservation biologist Anne Savage, Ph.D.

Proceeds from the program are directed through the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund to benefit turtle and beach conservation efforts throughout Florida. Since the program began back in 2007, more than 150 nests have been adopted.

Uganda’s first white rhino born in 27 years has a family tree with Disney roots.  

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First-time mother Nande, a 10-year-old female white rhino born at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, gave birth June 24 to a healthy male calf at the Ziwa Sanctuary in Uganda after a 16-month gestation period.

We are thrilled to contribute to the sustainment of this critical species in Uganda. We are joining with the Government of Uganda and Rhino Fund Uganda in celebrating this milestone birth, which represents a significant accomplishment for wildlife conservation.
Jackie Ogden, Ph.D., Vice President of Animal Programs and Environmental Initiatives with Walt Disney Parks and Resorts

Nande is one of two white rhinos transferred in 2006 as part of the first-ever reintroduction of white rhinos from the United States to Africa. She was joined by Hasani, also born at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, to help re-establish a white rhino population that has been extinct in Uganda since 1982 as a casualty of civil unrest in the region. There are an estimated 11,000 white rhinos remaining worldwide, with 190 in North American zoos.

Walt Disney World’s commitment to conservation and rhinos goes beyond this first-ever rhino transfer. The Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund has supported more than $250,000 in rhino protection and research projects in partnership with non-profit organizations throughout the world. For more information on the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund visit www.disney.com/conservation.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). With its more than 200 accredited members, AZA is a leader in global wildlife conservation and a link to helping animals in their native habitats.

Disney’s Animal Programs is leading an international coalition of veterinarians, conservation groups, zoos, universities and private industry to conduct a series of procedures to effectively sterilize male elephants to help reduce elephant overpopulation in areas of southern Africa.

© Copyright Disney

The team plans to perform laparoscopic vasectomies on eight bull elephants in Swaziland’s Big Game Parks. For the past five years, the team has performed the procedure on nearly 20 male elephants in an effort to reduce the elephant birth rates in wildlife reserves, while maintaining normal hormone levels and common social behaviors for the individual elephants.

Elephant overpopulation in wildlife parks and reserves in southern Africa is a growing problem that can have devastating effects on the natural habitat as well as other animal species that live there. Wildlife officials in several countries are considering culling elephants in order to control the population growth.

Elephant population management is one of the most critical conservation issues facing many areas of Africa. Through our recent successes, elephant vasectomy has been an effective tool at several wildlife reserves to reduce the need for culling, and help support the ecosystem. As an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), Disney’s Animal Programs is committed to pioneering creative solutions to problems facing all wildlife by using the technology and tools available to address conservation and wildlife issues.
Mark Stetter, Director of Animal Health at Disney’s Animal Programs

In July 2004, this team of experts performed the first ever sterilization of free-ranging female elephants. In 2005, the group began its work with bull elephants and started developing laparoscopic vasectomy techniques for sterilizing males in the wild. During the last three years the team has sterilized bull elephants at the Welgevonden Wildlife Reserve, Songimvelo Wildlife Reserve and the Pongola Game Reserve.

Elephants are unique among most mammals since their testes are internal and require abdominal surgery to perform a vasectomy, making the traditional procedure nearly impossible to do in the wild.

This innovative new procedure involves state-of-the-art medical equipment specifically developed for this project and scaled from human to elephant proportions. The elephant laparoscopic equipment was built by KARL STORZ at their headquarters in Germany.

Laparoscopic surgery allows the surgeon to view the internal organs on a monitor and use long thin instruments to perform the surgery. With this type of minimally invasive surgery, the risk of infection is greatly reduced, procedure time is significantly reduced and post-operative discomfort is minimized. All bull elephants that have had this procedure have experienced full recovery without side effects from the procedure.

In collaboration with the Space for Elephants Foundation, the entire elephant population at the Swaziland’s Big Game Parks is part of a long term behavioral study investigating any potential changes in elephant behavior associated with this population management plan. The major focus of this year’s work will be in-country capacity building.

Veterinarians from the Ondersetpoort Veterinary Institute at the University of Pretoria and from the South African Parks Board will participate in the elephant procedures and learn to perform the surgery. Developing this kind of local expertise is critical to the long-term success of the program.

This is an international collaborative project that brings together conservation groups, universities and private industry including Disney’s Animal Programs, Colorado State University College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, the San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park, Covidien Health Care, KARL STORZ, Catchco Africa Specialized Wildlife Capture, the Veterinary College at the Onderstepoort campus of the University of Pretoria and Swaziland’s Big Game Parks to address this complex problem.