Toa Manu - Garden Bird Survey
The Department of Conservation is calling for volunteer bird counters for the annual New Zealand Garden Bird Survey to help families explore the outdoors and connect to our natural environment. By taking part in the survey, young bird spotters can also earn a Toa Manu/Bird Surveyor Toyota Kiwi Guardians medal.
Toyota Kiwi Guardians was set up as a partnership between the Department of Conservation and Toyota New Zealand with a shared vision to connect children, and their whanau, with nature. Department of Conservation Visitor Centre Ranger Wendy Hillerich says, “Research has shown that children can establish lifelong connections to nature if they actively engage in it between the ages of six to ten. Toyota Kiwi Guardians’ aim is for young people to have ownership of our land, to feel part of it and want to care for it in the future.” “Toyota Kiwi Guardians is about getting outside, having lots of fun, earning cool rewards and going on epic family adventures!”
The annual survey, run by Landcare Research, began in 2007 and since then volunteers have counted over one million garden birds. The survey shows where there is an increase or decline in some of our bird populations. “Bird populations tell us a lot about the health of the environment we live in. We should be listening”.
⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️
Poll: Would you rather: Christmas in summer forever or winter forever?
Just a bit of a fun poll to get you thinking.
If you had to live out your Christmas days, would you prefer it was a summer Christmas or a winter Christmas?
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61.9% Summer
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36.6% Winter
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1.5% Other - I'll share below
Worst Xmas ever?
There's a a lot of planning that goes into Christmas day and sometimes things just don't go to plan. But it can be a good thing - a family mishap or hilarious memory that you can laugh about in Christmases to come.
Whether you burnt the dinner or were stranded at an airport...
Share your Christmas mishaps below!
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