Choose One ...

How many times have you been asked to make a choice? To choose one thing over another.

Almost daily, right? Although not an easy task, choosing a favorite color or favorite flavor of ice cream is something most people can do without too much hesitation. If asked to choose between a cat or a dog, most people favor one or the other. In general, you are either a cat person or a dog person.

If I were asked, "Which endangered animal do you want to save?" I would have a difficult time answering. How can I possibly choose only one?

My first response would be to save them all, but that is not the answer the average person is looking for. They want me to choose. To choose one over another.

Do I choose a rhino?
If so, which one?

Black, Javan, Sumatran, Greater One-Horned, Southern White, or the almost extinct Northern White?

Maybe I should choose a tiger... but wait, that only leads me to yet another choice...
Which one?

Sumatran, Malayan, Amur, Bengal, Indochinese, or South-China

As you can see, there is no one easy answer. It is basically impossible for me to choose only one. Therefore, like so many other conservationists, I choose to save them all.

Rhinos, Tigers, Elephants, Lions, Tasmanian Devils, Cheetahs, Gorillas, Snow Leopards, Orangutans, Polar Bears, Amur Leopards ... These are just a few of the endangered animals that I have helped save through fundraising, symbolically adopting, and overall creating awareness through this blog, social media, and my photography.

How I choose which animal to help save is constantly changing. Sometimes I attend a lecture and listen to experts speak about their work in the field, other times I read an article that captures my attention and ultimately pulls at my heartstrings when I learn of the continued poaching and wildlife trafficking.

Then there are those times when I least expect it. When I am editing my photographs and an image speaks to me. A few days ago I was editing photos from a recent trip to the zoo and came across this image of Flynn the red panda - it spoke to me.

Before I knew it, my next choice had been made and I was adopting a red panda named Niyati from the Red Panda Network.

Who knows which endangered animal I will choose next.
All I can say is that there will definitely be more than one.