Zoos and Aquariums Kick Off Year of the Frog on Leap Day

Disney Wildlife Conservation Fund Jumps In with Major Donation,Challenges Others to Match Gift for Amphibian Conservation.

Silver Spring, Maryland (Vocus/PRWEB ) February 29, 2008 -- Today, Leap Day, added than 100 accepted zoos and aquariums in North America, abutting by their counterparts about the globe, kicked off the Year of the Frog to brainwash humans about the amphibian attention crisis.

The Association of Zoos and Aquariums has declared 2008 the Year of the Frog; and with acceptable reason. A fungus, which kills 80 percent of apparent frogs, toads and salamanders, has advance to every continent One-third of all amphibians on the planet could be absent because of this bane and added threats. In accession to lending their accurate expertise, accepted zoos and aquariums are confined as ecology educators, extensive 157 actor visitors anniversary year Disney hopes that those visitors, and anybody who cares about our planet, will accord to the AZA Amphibian Fund too and advice bifold the donation to save the frogs. Disney’s attention administration will accredit zoos and aquariums, partnered with all-embracing attention organizations, to acknowledge on an aberrant scale Accredited zoos and aquariums accept the different accurate ability to anticipate the accumulation afterlife of amphibians. Now Disney has provided analytical assets to jumpstart the mission. Going to your bounded AZA-accredited zoo and aquariums is a abundant way for families to abutment wildlife attention and accept a abundant time accomplishing it “The Association of Zoos and Aquariums has declared 2008 the Year of the Frog; and with acceptable reason. A fungus, which kills 80 percent of apparent frogs, toads and salamanders, has advance to every continent,” said AZA President and CEO Jim Maddy. “One-third of all amphibians on the planet could be absent because of this bane and added threats.”

Habitat loss, pollution, and invasive breed abide to abuse amphibian populations. But the bane Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) presents a different attention challenge. Hundreds of amphibian breed will die if larboard in their built-in habitats. They can alone be adored if they are calm and housed in bio-secure accessories until answers can be found.

Lending analytical abutment to the effort, Disney Wildlife Conservation Fund today appear a $250,000 donation to the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Amphibian Fund, which will abutment the burning charge to abode and affliction for hundreds of amphibians threatened with extinction.

“In accession to lending their accurate expertise, accepted zoos and aquariums are confined as ecology educators, extensive 157 actor visitors anniversary year,” said Dr. Jackie Ogden, Vice President for Animal Programs and Environmental Initiatives at Walt Disney World and Disney's Animal Kingdom. “Disney hopes that those visitors, and anybody who cares about our planet, will accord to the AZA Amphibian Fund too and advice bifold the donation to save the frogs.”

“Disney’s attention administration will accredit zoos and aquariums, partnered with all-embracing attention organizations, to acknowledge on an aberrant scale,” Maddy added. “Accredited zoos and aquariums accept the different accurate ability to anticipate the accumulation afterlife of amphibians. Now Disney has provided analytical assets to jumpstart the mission.”

For Leap Day, zoo and aquarium visitors everywhere are accommodating in educational activities including leapfrog contests, frog calling, administrator and aquarist talks, amphibian scavenger hunts, salamander abode investigations, and abutting encounters with bright and abnormal amphibians.

“Going to your bounded AZA-accredited zoo and aquariums is a abundant way for families to abutment wildlife attention and accept a abundant time accomplishing it,” said Maddy.

The Disney Wildlife Conservation Fund (DWCF) was accustomed in 1995 on Earth Day (April 22) as a all-around awards affairs for the abstraction and aegis of the world's wildlife and ecosystems. It provides anniversary awards to US nonprofit attention organizations alive alongside their aeon in added countries. In 1998, as Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park opened, the DWCF fabricated its aboriginal grants. Since then, the DWCF has accurate 650 projects with added than $11 actor in grants to organizations and individuals alive in 110 countries.

Founded in 1924, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums is a nonprofit alignment committed to the advance of zoos and aquariums in the areas of conservation, education, science, and recreation. Look for the AZA logo whenever you appointment a zoo or aquarium as your affirmation that you are acknowledging a ability committed to accouterment accomplished affliction for animals, a abundant acquaintance for you, and a bigger approaching for all active things. With its added than 200 accepted members, the AZA is a baton in all-around wildlife conservation, and your hotlink to allowance animals in their built-in habitats. To acquisition the accepted zoo or aquarium abreast you, appointment http://www.aza.org/FindZooAquarium/.

Aquariums and Zoos Celebrate World Oceans Day

Special Events and Programs to Raise Awareness of Ocean Conservation.

Silver Spring, MD (Vocus/PRWEB ) June 6, 2009 -- Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA) accepted aquariums and zoos are leaders in ocean attention apprenticeship and science, and allure the accessible to dive in to ocean attention on June 8 – World Oceans Day.

AZA-accredited aquariums are actively agreeable millions of humans in ocean issues and authoritative attention action accessible for families everywhere Aquariums and zoos are incomparable in acceptance families to affix with wildlife, apprentice about nature, and become complex in attention our oceans for the future. “AZA-accredited aquariums are actively agreeable millions of humans in ocean issues and authoritative attention action accessible for families everywhere,” said AZA Senior Vice President for Conservation & Education, Dr. Paul Boyle. “Aquariums and zoos are incomparable in acceptance families to affix with wildlife, apprentice about nature, and become complex in attention our oceans for the future.”

The world's oceans - which awning seventy percent of the Earth's apparent - are adverse threats, including pollution, abode damage, overfishing, apricot beach bleaching, and breed loss. AZA-accredited aquariums and zoos, abutting with their communities, teachers, amenable companies and all-embracing organizations, are committed to attention ocean assets for anybody to adore now and for approaching generations. AZA-accredited aquariums and zoos are leaders in extensive 175 actor humans every year with important, science-based advice about ocean conservation.

Recent accessible assessment analysis conducted by The Ocean Project, a arrangement of over 800 organizations alive to access accessible acquaintance of the amount and acuteness of the ocean and involving humans in conservation, indicates that the accessible trusts and looks to zoos, aquariums, and museums to apprentice added about the issues and means anniversary being can crop action to advice our ocean.

Top 10 Things You Can Do to Help The Oceans:

 

Make Smart Seafood Choices – The seafood industry, through overfishing assertive species, creating bycatch, causing abode damage, and with the enactment of angle farms, has created problems but can aswell be allotment of the solution. You can accomplish a aberration with your purchasing ability by affairs acceptable harvested seafood. Learn added with the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program or Shedd Aquarium’s Right Bite.
 
Conserve Water – Although abounding North Americans accept easy, approved acceptance to water, it is a deficient ability in abounding locations of the apple and accepting acclimated up added bound than it can be by itself replenished. Also, the beneath baptize we use, the beneath runoff and wastewater will adulterate our ocean. Fix adulterated faucets, about-face off the tap if you besom your teeth, and be abiding to accumulate your showers short. Check out added baptize attention tips from the Tennessee Aquarium.
 
Reduce Your Carbon Footprint – Energy we use and emissions we actualize can accord to all-around altitude change and accept adverse affects on the ocean, such as acidification, sea akin acceleration and threats to abyssal mammals like arctic bears. Leave your car at home and opt for accessible transportation, or, area possible, aeon to your destination. Use activity extenuative ablaze bulbs and about-face off the lights if you leave a room.
 
Keep Your Watershed Clean – A watershed is the across of acreage area rain and snow cook drains decline into rivers and lakes, and eventually to the sea. Trash and chemicals in a watershed breeze to the ocean. Help accumulate your watershed clean. Don’t clutter and actuate of debris properly. Many aquariums advance bank apple-pie up efforts, such as this one hosted by the Vancouver Aquarium.
 
Limit Chemical Usage – Chemicals that may acquisition their way into any baptize antecedent eventually acquisition their way to sea, area they can abuse animals and accident ocean habitats. Purchase amoebic produce, absolute chemicals in claimed affliction articles and accomplish abiding you actuate of oil articles safely. Read added tips from the Georgia Aquarium.
 
Ditch Plastic – Plastic articles abuse abyssal activity and habitats. Keep plastics out of the ocean by application reusable accoutrements at the abundance and reusable bottles for drinks instead of disposable artificial ones. Be abiding to recycle any plastics that you do use. Read about how artificial can affect Laysan Albatrosses here.
 
Oppose The Taiji Drive Fishery – Every year in Taiji, Japan, dolphins are collapsed by bounded fishermen. AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums are adjoin this painful, atrocious practice. Learn how you can advice here.
 
Donate Your Time And Money – Volunteer to advice out the AZA-accredited aquarium or zoo abreast you, participate in a bank apple-pie up, or appear a agnate ocean extenuative event. Your charge is the a lot of admired affair you can accord to advice conserve the ocean.
 
Visit An AZA-accredited Aquarium or Zoo - Every time you appointment your bounded aquarium or zoo you are allowance to abutment attention projects locally and worldwide. Ask agents how you can advice accord to conservation. Find the aquarium or zoo abreast you.
 
Tell Your Friends! – Educate others about the accent of ocean attention and what they can do to help. Find World Oceans Day contest at aquariums and zoos.
About AZA
Founded in 1924, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums is a nonprofit alignment committed to the advance of zoos and aquariums in the areas of conservation, education, science, and recreation. Look for the AZA logo whenever you appointment a zoo or aquarium as your affirmation that you are acknowledging a ability committed to accouterment accomplished affliction for animals, a abundant acquaintance for you, and a bigger approaching for all active things. The AZA is a baton in all-around wildlife conservation, and your hotlink to allowance animals in their built-in habitats. To apprentice more, appointment aza.org.

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