Categories
Media Release

Invite elephants and gorillas into your living room

Vancouver – Finding things to do for kids can be a challenge for parents in these days of social distancing. The Vancouver Humane Society (VHS) is offering help with a new wildlife resource guide that allows families to visit gorillas in the jungle and whales at the bottom of the sea with just a click of a mouse.

The guide, available on the society’s website, offers kids a chance to see and learn about wild animals in their natural habitats through live webcams, phone apps, quizzes and lesson plans – all without going to a zoo or aquarium.

“We’ve put the best wildlife viewing and learning resources we could find in one easy-to-use guide,” says VHS executive director Amy Morris. “Kids can learn much more about animals by seeing them in the wild instead of in cages or tanks, where their ability to engage in natural behaviours is severely limited.”

The guide has links to Canadian and international wildlife resources, allowing kids to see baby eagles hatch, orcas rub along the bottom of the sea or elephants being cared for in a sanctuary.

“We hope families using the guide will see that it’s a better and more ethical way to learn about wildlife than visiting zoos and aquariums where wild animals are bred into captivity and never released,” says Morris. “The best part of these resources is that the animals get all the enrichment they need – social time, foraging for food and so much more.”

-ends-

Categories
News/Blog Uncategorized

City Critters – a great new book on urban animals

Don’t miss official launch on April 25

Almost every day there are news reports about wild animals in urban areas.  There seems to be an endless stream of stories about coyotes, bears, raccoons and other animals interacting (sometimes clashing) with humans, as we encroach on their habitats. While some animals adapt well to urban life, our co-habitation with them can still be difficult.  That’s why it’s vital that we learn about these animals and understand why we are increasingly sharing the same space.   It’s also why VHS is pleased to recommend a timely new book that can help us do just that.

City Critters, by Vancouver author Nicholas Read, provides a welcome and comprehensive introduction to the incredible range of animals North Americans can find, sometimes literally, on their doorsteps.

Described by one reviewer as “meticulous and rich with fascinating anecdotes about various human/wildlife encounters”, City Critters is ostensibly aimed at younger readers but animal lovers of any age will appreciate it.

The book is being launched alongside several other books for young readers on April 25 at 7p.m. at Kidsbooks, 3083 West Broadway, Vancouver.  All proceeds from the sale of City Critters will go to animal charities, including the Vancouver Humane Society.