Our need to preserve wildlife and its ecosystems has always been pressing, and since 2020, this has never been more true. Across the globe, in different ways and with different protocols, the coronavirus pandemic has impacted how we manage our day-to-day lives. With lockdowns in place, we had to learn how to rely on practices that were often overlooked before. For many of us, returning to nature was one of the most valuable ones. 

Spending time outside has meant a lot more now than ever before. In some countries, having one hour a day to be outside has become the norm and, truly, the highlight of our days. 

February 22 was National Wildlife Day, so we wanted to highlight the important role that nature plays in our daily lives, for our mental, physical and emotional health. 

Why National Wildlife Day?

National Wildlife Day (Feb. 22nd & September 4th) was founded in 2005 by animal behaviorist and philanthropist Colleen Paige, to bring awareness of endangered animals globally, but also to acknowledge the animal sanctuaries globally for everything they do to help preserve this planet’s animals and educate the public about conservation. 

The reason why it is celebrated twice a year is to double the effort of bringing awareness to the need of conserving wildlife – February 22nd has been added to honor the memory of Wildlife Warrior, Steve Irwin. After this year and the circumstances we are in, we believe that we need to give conservation the place it deserves in our lives. 

7 ways you can celebrate wildlife today and every day

National Wildlife Day encourages everyone around the world to support conservation efforts, from anywhere! So, what can you do today? You can support the work we do in several ways: 

1. Come for a tour – in person or virtually. This is a great opportunity for all ages to learn about wildlife conservation and the species we care for in our sanctuary! In exchange for 2 hours of adorable, invaluable experiences near wildlife, you get to give back to the Toucan Rescue Ranch and help us keep our mission alive! 

2. Donate to our programs. We always have ongoing expenses in order to rescue, rehabilitate and release wildlife. By donating directly to Toucan Rescue Ranch, you support our mission and your money goes straight to wildlife! 

3. Support our Cuddly campaigns. Toucan Rescue Ranch is partners with a crowdfunding platform called Cuddly. Cuddly enables animal rescues to create fundraisers and wish lists to support animals in their care. Check out our current fundraisers! 

4. Host your own fundraiser event. We love to let your creativity run wild! You can host any type of event you want – a bake sale, half marathon, t-shirt sale, whatever you want – and donate the proceeds to save wildlife with Toucan Rescue Ranch!

5. Symbolically adopt wildlife. Symbolical adoptions are a great way to support us and get amazing perks in return! You can adopt a species for a loved one (we’ve heard is very well received as a present), or if you fall in love with a famous character from our social media, you can adopt them as well! 

6. Support us through Amazon Smile. This is just like regular Amazon, but better. Through Amazon Smile, a percentage of the sales is given to different charities. Toucan Rescue Ranch is one of them!

7. Donate equipment to save wildlife. Toucan Rescue Ranch is always in need of equipment that supports the medical needs of the animals we rescue. We currently have an Amazon Wishlist, where you can choose what to purchase for us! 

Let’s thank nature and wildlife for everything it gives us, today and every day!

About the author: Mariana Diaz, born and raised in Costa Rica, has been part of the Marketing Team at Toucan Rescue Ranch since late 2020. With a background in Media for Development and Social Change, Social Work, and Graphic Design, she supports communications and all things media!