Happy Halloweeeeeen!!!!!

So, the Newport Aquarium loves Halloween! And what better way to celebrate than getting everyone dressed up?! My favorite is a group of our co-workers dressed as "Shark Week" complete with shark fin hats, days of the week shirts and plenty of victims!

Here are some fun pictures from my fellow co-workers! Enjoy!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

What an orangutan has to say...

It is videos like this that really break a conservationist's heart. However, at least there is something we can all do to help. Be aware of what you eat and make the right choices! Please watch this short video below to see a heartwarming message from a little deaf girl communicating by sign language with an orangutan.

http://www.upworthy.com/what-an-orangutan-says-to-this-little-girl-is-a-message-we-all-need-to-know-about-2

Why should we avoid eating foods or using products made with palm oil?

Palm oil is an introduced agricultural crop and is destroying the natural rainforests of Borneo and Sumatra. When palm oil is not sustainably collected, the rainforest habitat is destroyed, and subsequently, many plant and animal species are affected. Simply making the choice to avoid foods with palm oil, we can decrease the demand for increased palm oil harvesting, and reduce the need for company expansion, which will overall help preserve the rainforest habitats.

Why is the WAVE Foundation and Newport Aquarium worried about this issue?

By losing the Borneo and Sumatra rainforests alone, we would lose over 400 mammal species, over 1000 bird species, almost 400 reptiles, over 200 amphibians, almost 700 fish, and over 30,000 plant species. That is something that no one should want to see happen! So by increasing the awareness of this issue, we hope people will be more aware of their food and products that they use, and overall help us help these wonderful animals.

Is there sustainable palm oil that I should support instead?

Yes! It is known as “sustainable palm oil”, and is rainforest friendly and provides a steady income for the local farmers and better supports the economy and needs of the local people overall.
The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (the RSPO) is a group made up of social and government organizations, companies and businesses that set the standards for sustainable palm oil. Visit www.rspo.org for more information. Or download the Sustainable Palm Oil App on your phone to help make the right choices.


Halloween is coming... and a lot of our candy choices have palm oil in them. Please help the rainforests and all the animals in it by picking a candy without palm oil. To help with this choice, visit the Halloween candy guide here... http://www.cmzoo.org/docs/PalmOilHalloweenGuide.pdf.

Also, for a quick reference, any products made by Nestle, Kellogg's, PepsiCo (Frito Lay), Hershey's, Mars, Walmart Great Value Brand, ConAgra, Kraft Foods and Nabisco are good choices because they are all members of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil and use sustainable palm oil in their products.

 

Sorry I disappeared...

I am very sorry that I haven't posted in a while. The WAVE Foundation has our biggest fundraiser of the year on the first Friday of October and we all get a bit caught up in the chaos of organizing the event!

The event is called Nauti Nite (Nautical Nite) or is also known as "The Blue Party" and takes place at the Newport Aquarium. It is a great event that we use to raise money for our conservation and education programs.

I am responsible for the animal-side of things for Nauti Nite. I have a staff of about 15 volunteers who are responsible for taking animals out to meet our guests. Some of these animals include snakes, alligators, turtles and penguins. My staff walks through the party and guests get to meet the animals up close and personal. So I make sure my staff is ready, the animals are ready, and everyone stays safe during these encounters.

Another interesting thing that I did this year was advertisement for Nauti Nite on the news. We set up two different spots prior to Nauti Nite on Channel 12 and Channel 19, and I took a penguin to help tell the local community about what Nauti Nite is and why they should come. It was a lot of fun to talk about the event that we all spend so much time planning, and I hope it brought in some more unlikely guests. Most of the community isn't aware of this event, but it is seriously a great time! We even overheard guests commenting about how the party was "so much better than Zoofari at the Cincinnati Zoo!" Comments like that really are amazing since Zoofari is supposed to be one of the biggest events in the area!

Check out these pictures below from Nauti Nite 2013 and from my news adventures!