Wildlife adoption experiences needed

December 12, 2006 2:20 PM

What are some good organizations from which to adopt an endangered animal?

My grandparents already have all the material goods they could possibly want so I decided this year I would symbolically adopt an animal for each of them. I've looked at several organizations that fundraise through "adoption" where they give you a stuffed animal and a certificate, but I'm looking for something more interactive and personal. Something where they can look forward to updates on their animal and it has a name, etc. And obviously it needs to be a legitimate charity.

Anybody have any particularly good experiences with wildlife adoption organizations?

posted by Jess the Mess to pets & animals (6 comments total)

I had an adopted manatee through the Save the Manatee Club when I was a kid. They sent photos and updates about my particular manatee (Luna had a baby, Luna's got new scars from being hit by a boat but is healing well, etc.), as well as newsletters about the general conservation efforts for the manatee population in Florida. I loved it.
posted by vytae at 2:32 PM on December 12, 2006

A lot of dog breed rescue organizations care for animals born with defects or who suffer from various ailments. These problems can be very expensive to treat for non-profit no-kill organizations.

Find a local breed rescue in their area (maybe they're partial to a certain breed) and offer to sponsor one of the sick animals under foster care. They'll get continuous updates on the animal's health without having to physically care for the creature.
posted by Brittanie at 2:44 PM on December 12, 2006

I just adopted a gorilla for my parents through African Wildlife Fund. They sent a certificate with their names on it and ours (which I framed for them), and a little plush gorilla. You also get a subscription to some newsletter. It was like $25-$30 I think.
posted by forensicphd at 4:09 PM on December 12, 2006

More on the rescued pets tip, but a great organization is bestfriends.org
they helped rescue a lot of the homeless Katrina animals and many pets left behind by the recent Israeli-Lebanon war....actually airlifting many dogs and cats from Israel-Lebanon to their facility in Utah.
Also, don't forget, the more "personal" and "interactive" the organization is, the more they have to concentrate on that interactivity and the less they can actually care for the animals and spend your donation wisely.
Great thought for a gift, though.
full disclosure: I donated a lot of money (on my personal scale) to bestfriends.org this year.
posted by BillBishop at 4:35 PM on December 12, 2006

New England Aquarium in Boston does this sort of thing.
posted by brandz at 6:34 PM on December 12, 2006

See if your local zoo (or theirs) has an Adopt-an-Animal program. For example, here's Brookfield Zoo's program. (Brookfield Zoo is in the Chicago area) Sounds like the kind of thing you're looking for.
posted by SisterHavana at 11:20 PM on December 12, 2006