Conservation
If you've read some of our articles before, you may be wondering just how much conservation we actually do. I'd love to answer that question, but it's just not that simple! Sit back, relax, as I waffle on about conservation, how we help endangered animals, and how you can help too! First thing's first. What actually is conservation? Conservation is essentially the act of preserving something, anything. In this article, I will be talking about the conservation of animals, specifically, endangered animals. This is a vast topic with much to talk about, so I hope you have some snacks.
Wildlife Conservation
It's no secret that wildlife conservation is what the A To Zoo is all about. Unsurprisingly, with our almost 400 trillion species, we've encountered a number of such on the brink of extinction. There are many, many, reasons as to what can cause animals to become endangered.
Unfortunately, many are the fault of people. Both lack of education and a lack of empathy is what screws over so many species across the Yonderverse. This is why we believe in education so much. It is incredibly important that people be aware of the consequences of their actions. Many cultures in all of the galaxies have reached their own "industrial revolution", usually a turning point for their civilisations.
At this point, their planets are on the decline, and so are their native species. A lot of the time, people don't realise the effect they are having on the native wildlife, so that's where we come in. We teach people, educate them on how their actions is causing the extinction of countless other species, and why that isn't right.
Environment Conservation
Environments are equally important to protect. Without secure biomes and environments, where are animals going to live? Animals in turn benefit their environments. Taking one out of the equation will ruin both, which is why we put a lot of effort into protecting native environments on exoplanets.
We have thousands of officers that work on different planets, using a blend of primordial magic and technology to return dead environments to their previous lives, where they fluorished. We put oases into deserts, we light up caves with bioluminescent plant life, we create ecosystems where they can thrive in peace, away from people where they won't be affected.
It's not just about bringing plant life back, though. We have the power to create atmospheres for dead planets. Our biggest ever conservation effort was creating a Counter-Earth; we spent sixty trillion charms on reconstructing planet Earth, in an effort to revive the Dodo. It failed, but we learnt what not to do. We, as an organisation, are constantly learning new ways to conserve environments.
IUCN Red List
The IUCN Red List is a remarkable human-made inventory of species, each assigned a Conservation Status. When we discovered planet Earth, we absolutely loved the way they classified their species. That's why we use their phylogenetic tree as a basis for ours, use scientific names in Latin, and of course, this list. While the original Red List only counted Earth species, we have expanded it to include animals from across the Yonderverse. In this list, there are nine statuses an animal can be assigned.
Extinct (EX) - Without a doubt that the species is no longer extant.Extinct in the Wild (EW) - The only individuals of a species are found in captivity.
Critically Endangered (CR) - Incredibly few individuals of a species left in the wild.
Endangered (EN) - High risk of becoming extinct in the near future.
Vulnerable (VU) - Risk of becoming extinct in the near future.
Near Threatened (NT) - The species is likely to become threatened in the near future.
Least Concern (LC) - The species is unlikely to become threatened in the near future.
Data Deficient (DD) - There is not enough information currently to assign a conservation status.
Not Evaluated (NE) - This species has not yet been evaluated and assigned a conservation status.
A "Threatened Species" is one that falls under Vulnerable, Endangered, or Critically Endangered. We have almost fifty trillion threatened species at the A to Zoo, making up almost an eighth of our entire collection.
Threats facing Wildlife
Poaching
Poaching is a horrendous activity that we've seen all too much on our travels round the Yonderverse. Hunters are paid tons to hunt endangered animals because of their rarity. Many animals have specific attributes that are desirable, such as skins, feathers, tusks, horns, and antlers, organs, and so much more. The A to Zoo despises poaching, and every chance we get, we will fight it and banish it everywhere we can. Unfortunately, poaching is hard to fight. While we have managed to rid some planets of poaching, it still continues on many, and always will.
Deforestation
There are so many factors behind deforestation. Much of the time forests are harvested to make space for growing populations, or for the gathering of resources. Whatever the reason is, it removes habitats for animals, which forces them to find other homes. These animals are then pushed into environments not suited for them, and they quickly die out or are forced to compete with other animals for limited resources. We are fighting deforestation by replanting forests and rainforests at impressive rates, able to cover entire planets in forests.
Pollution
Like poaching and deforestation, pollution has a massive effect on wildlife. It comes in many forms; air, land, water, sound, light, and more. High levels of pollution in areas can stunt the growth of plants, or killing them off entirely. They can directly kill off animals, or slowly gather up in their bodies and cause long-term issues. Most planets don't suffer from pollution, as their methods of gathering energy are eco-friendly. Planets with damaging methods of gathering energy typically have horrific pollution issues, such as planet Earth.
What We Do To Help
You were probably waiting for this section. We do a lot for conservation, there's no denying it. For every single threatened species in our collection, we make a breeding programme to help increase their numbers. Not all of them are effective; some animals refuse to breed in captivity, making our lives, and theirs, difficult. We have managed to successfully increase numbers of millions of species, saving them from the brink of extinction.
Below is an example of a successful breeding programme, where we have been able to breed together several pairs of crimson-bellied bats, a vulnerable bat species from Rubrinea.
Timeline of crimson-bellied bat births
Offspring: Marsh & Bara Parents: Nduh & Berei
Offspring: River, Amifi & Tobi
Offspring: Tera Parents: Aporas & Berei
Offspring: Rhosi
Offspring: San & Sandy Parents: Yivi & Oliv
Offspring: Xetxe
Offspring: Trhie, Jiye & Abdasi Parents: Ghaler & Oliv
Offspring: Odia & Areis
Offspring: Moris Parents: Rhosi & Tera
Offspring: Syss, Brizsha & Jisle
Offspring: Sarash & Zheg Parents: Luken & Viczi
Offspring: Ayaear
Did you Know?
There is a statue of Rox, the zoo's curator, in the Rhodos Wildlife Park on Rubrinea? As one of the only other places that breed crimson-bellied bats, we sponsor the sanctuary and make yearly donations to support the place. We love fellow conservationists.
We don't just help ourselves, though! We sponsor almost a thousand other wildlife parks, sanctuaries, zoos, and other collections across the Yonderverse that dedicate as much effort as we do to conservation. We make it a strict rule to only donate to places that also work with endangered animals.
We also work with different environmental groups around the Yonderverse, promoting them on our accounts on social media, encouraging people take our advice on how to protect native wildlife.
What You Can Do To Help
There is a lot you can do from the comfort of your own homes. Educating oneself saves us doing it, and there are thousands of websites and resources online geared towards conservation. It might take time to find reliable sources, but it is worth it. If you're willing to leave your comfy sofa, you can visit a local animal sanctuary. Speak to some of the employees, learn how they look after their animals.
You can make a ton of small changes to your lifestyle to support endangered species. Using recyclable items will lessen your own carbon footprint, and if everyone did the same, it could make a massive difference. Encourage family and friends to follow in your footsteps. Tell others about this one cool story about an animal, and make them think "what can I do to help animals too?"
Living a less consumerist lifestyle can save your planet, your home, and the animals that live alongside you. Purchasing items that haven't been processed in a thousand factories, purchase locally resourced goods, encourage eco-friendly transportation such as walking or riding a bicycle.
Volunteering at a local nature reserve, animal shelter, or something similar, can give you incredible life experiences. Get to know your surroundings, how conservation affects your local area, and what you can do to make a difference.
Beautiful article, Mochi. Really important message as well, and I love it in the context of your world. <3 Alas, the failed dodo resurrection. :(
I'm so glad you enjoyed this article, I had fun trying to write something serious while also putting a humorous A to Zoo twist on things, hence the dodos xD <3