Community invited to participate in Taronga Rubbish Run event to help save wildlife

The Taronga Conservation Society Australia is inviting the community to participate in the Taronga Rubbish Run, a 30-day fundraising challenge in April that involves picking up litter while walking/jogging/running to actively save wildlife and raise vital funds.

Some people enjoy running, while others enjoy picking up litter to help protect the environment. Then there are those wildlife warriors who combine the two and call it “plogging”.

Taronga Conservation is challenging the community to “plog” daily to pick up litter to protect wildlife and advise that “sadly, human impact is damaging our natural environment, with litter directly harming our precious wildlife. Taronga’s two wildlife hospitals are seeing more Australian native animals than ever before, many of which have been admitted due to the effects of rubbish and pollution. Your participation and efforts as ‘Taronga Plogger’ will help reverse these trends, and your donations will enable Taronga to carry out vital conservation work to save and protect endangered Aussie wildlife from extinction.”

Australia has lost more mammals to extinction than any other country in the world. We no longer have the luxury of letting nature take its course when it comes to the protection of our native wildlife. As Australia is placed under greater stress due to human impact and climate change our wildlife is in dire need of help.

In 2016, Taronga launched its legacy for the future and for the wild, dedicating the next decade to the conservation of ten critical species, known as our Legacy Species.

Every time you participate in a challenge like the Taronga Rubbish Run, or walk through the Zoo gates, you’re actively helping fund wildlife conservation programs both here in Australia and around the world.

Taronga Zoo and Taronga Western Plains Zoo bring people and wildlife together by creating inspiring and educational visitor experiences. But what they see when visiting Taronga is just the tip of the iceberg – it is only one part of the overall picture.

Taronga employs a 360-degree approach to conservation, working closely with 39 organisations across 18 countries to support wildlife and habitat conservation projects; from community-based conservation of Madagascar’s spiny forest to wildlife protection units on the Indonesian island of Sumatra.

In Australia, they conduct ground-breaking breed-for release programs of endangered Australian species like the Regent Honey Eater, Southern Corrobboree Frog, and have helped re-introduce the Greater Bilby to NSW for the first time in over 100 years. Their scientific research is on the cutting edge to help protect wildlife including saving Australian frog species and preserving the genetic diversity of the world’s endangered coral species.

These endearing animals while iconic to Australia all face an uncertain future. But there is still hope and The Taronga Conservation Society Australia believe that “together with your help, these species can not only survive, but thrive. By becoming a Taronga Plogger and raising funds, we can ensure a bright future for Aussie wildlife.”

During the Taronga Rubbish Run, participants will be given exclusive updates and stories from keepers and scientists about the vital conservation programs that are underway to help save the above Australian animals.

Sign up today to take part in the Taronga Rubbish Run. Funds raised from the Taronga Rubbish Run will enable Taronga to continue to protect the future of the above six species.