Life with Dylan

Category: Amur leopard

  • A Christmas Wish message from Dylan

    Just 3 short weeks ago Dylan shared his Christmas Wish for the Leopards at the San Diego Zoo. His goal was to raise $500 by Christmas and as of today he has raised $475! 


    Thank you to everyone who has donated, shared his wish, and supported his dreams to save endangered animals.




  • Dylan’s Christmas Wish for the Leopards

    This was the first year that Dylan participated in Giving Tuesday and as you can imagine he dove right in. He proudly wore his San Diego Zoo Global Wildlife Conservancy Giving Tuesday sticker all day and told many of his friends at school what giving back was all about.

    Dylan and I had discussed ahead of time who we would be supporting on Giving Tuesday and even watched a National Geographic Google+ hangout about Causing an UpROAR for Big Cats together that evening. I watched the hangout live, but knew it was something Dylan would really enjoy too.

    After watching the Google+ hangout and listening to Steve Winter talk about saving the tigers and other big cats, Dylan was inspired to continue his journey of helping big cats.

    What started out as a dream to teach other kids about endangered animals and conservation became a reality with Dylan’s Animal Adventure Camp last July. Dylan raised $300 from camp registration, which was a great start, but no where near his $1,000 goal. We have a few things in the works to continue the message of Dylan’s Animal Adventure Camp and of course we will host another camp next summer, but why wait to reach his goal?

    Why not start now?

    After we gave $5 and $10 donations to various non-profits that we support on Giving Tuesday, Dylan had an idea.

    “If everyone who follows Life with Dylan on Facebook and everyone who reads this post gave just $5 to my fundraiser, then I could reach my goal of $1,000 this year instead of waiting for the next Dylan’s Animal Adventure Camp in 2014.”

    He wants to help build this new home for the leopards!

    Building a new home for the endangered Snow Leopard and critically endangered Amur Leopards at the San Diego Zoo is very important to Dylan. (Just as important as helping to build a new home for the tigers at the Safari Park.) Knowing how rare it is for anyone to see these animals in the wild, Dylan believes a new and improved habitat at the San Diego Zoo will help create more awareness and educate more people about these beautiful big cats.

    So Dylan is asking for your help to make his Christmas wish for the Leopards come true by donating $5 or $10 to his fundraiser. 

    If you would like to help Dylan reach his fundraising goal by Christmas Day, please make a donation here

    Thank you for supporting a child’s dream to save endangered animals all around the globe.

    Update as of December 25, 2013 … 
    Dylan has raised $500 for the leopards. Thank you so much for helping to make his Christmas Wish come true! 

  • Dylan’s Animal Adventure Camp was awesome!

    So after many months of planning and preparation, we held the first annual Dylan’s Animal Adventure Camp this week and it was a hit with all the campers.

    Knowing this was a fundraiser, I wanted it to be better than great – I wanted it to raise lots of money and for Dylan to feel that he had succeeded.

    The day before the camp I was a nervous wreck. Had I taken on more than I could handle? Finalizing the details and helping Dylan make note cards of what he was going to talk about filled my morning.

    Then it was time to fill the cinch bags with all the goodies we had received from sponsors and from individuals who wanted to help.

    I kept telling myself – they are just kids.

    Well, thanks to our wonderful sponsors and great campers who loved learning about endangered animals, we not only had an awesome day, we also raised $300 for the leopards at the San Diego Zoo!

    I was so busy leading the camp with Dylan that I didn’t get a chance to take pictures during the first half of the camp, but thanks to my wonderful friend Tammy Mendoza (from Dez & Tam Photography) I have her pictures to share.

     

    While Tammy was busy taking pictures of the kids making bookmarks, I managed to snap a few pictures of them painting rhinos with my phone.

    We had snacks from our sponsors and learned about what can be recycled through TerraCycle, learned how reading labels and not buying products with palm oil can help the orangutans, ate lunch together under a tree and then finished up the day with Rebecca from Remember Wildlife and all her animal friends.

    Thanks for making Dylan’s Animal Adventure Camp such a wonderful experience!
    To see more pictures of the campers and the unique animals that Remember Wildlife brought you can view our Flickr album. 

  • So you want to help build the San Diego Zoo leopards a new home huh?

    Well, I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised at Dylan’s response when we received a letter informing us that the San Diego Zoo was building a new home for the critically endangered Amur Leopards and Snow Leopards. Dylan has been bit by the philanthropy bug and there is no cure. He is on a conservation high and I wouldn’t dream of stopping him – but I will do everything in my power to keep supporting him!

    Last year Dylan’s birthday wish was to raise money for the tiger’s new home at the Safari Park. His goal was to raise $1,000 and he surpassed that. His name will now be on a plaque at Tiger Trail and he couldn’t be happier.

    A few months ago he started a new challenge when he was asked to be part of a test group for the new I ___ for Wildlife program. He pledged to read 1500 pages of animal facts in 100 days and got people to sponsor him. He raised $500 for wildlife in 3 months.

    So this time I told him he could take on the challenge to raise $1,000 for the leopards; however, he could not just ask people for money. I told him he had to figure out a way to raise the money by giving his time or selling something that he made. We tossed around a few ideas of things he could make and sell, but nothing really made us say WOW! That is until he came up with the idea of teaching other kids what he has learned.

    And so Dylan’s Animal Adventure Camp was born. 

    Dylan will be hosting his very own 2-day camp where he will teach other kids about endangered animals, conservation, and most importantly how easy it is to make a difference. Thanks to some very generous sponsors, we will be able to donate over 90% of the camp proceeds directly to helping build a new home for the Amur Leopards and Snow Leopards.

    Come join the safari with us this summer at Dylan’s Animal Adventure Camp. Together we can explore, learn new things, and help the leopards!

    Live out of the area and can’t join us? Don’t worry, we will have something special on the blog after the camp for those unable to attend.

  • Endangered Species Monday – Amur Leopard

    Photo by Penny Hyde

    Most people associate leopards with Africa or the snow leopard with Asia, but there is another leopard that deserves some attention – the Amur leopard.

    The Amur leopard does not live in Africa. This rare subspecies lives in the Russian Far East. They are one of the most stunning cats I have ever seen. Sadly, the Amur leopard is critically endangered with only around 30 left in the wild. 


    While habitat destruction is partially to blame, it is not the main reason for the decline in the species. The bigger problem is poaching and over hunting of the Amur leopards prey. As with other animals that have beautiful fur, the Amur leopard is hunted for its spotted fur and there is an insufficient amount of prey to sustain a large population in the wild.



    Once an animal reaches critically endangered status, strong measures need to be taken to ensure the survival of the species. In this case, an international conservation program was established. Although some people have mixed feelings on keeping wild animals in captivity, the conservation efforts made by several well-known zoos in the United States have helped increase the captive population to hundreds. In my opinion, this is conservation at its finest. Job well done.


    Photo by Deric Wagner

    In April 2012, the San Diego Zoo was fortunate to have three Amur leopards join their family. Koshka, Primoyre, and Zeya are siblings who arrived as part of the international conservation program designed to help save the Amur leopard. When they arrived they were playful 11 month old babies – running and jumping all over the place. I have been lucky enough to see these siblings on several occasions and they are so much fun to watch. However, when I watch them play I have mixed emotions. I feel blessed to have the opportunity to see such an amazing animal, yet I can’t help but feel sad knowing how critically endangered they are in the wild.





    Yes, there are other species of leopards … but there is only one Amur leopard. 


    Photo by Penny Hyde



    Special thanks to my friends Deric and Penny for allowing me to share your beautiful pictures of the Amur leopards from the San Diego Zoo.