Our 4-spool Cocofloss Merry Refills set includes a $5 donation to support three Wildlife Conservation Network partners: Snow Leopard Conservancy, Global Penguin Society, and Spectacled Bear Conservation. The more sets you buy, the merrier the donation! Read on for all the details (and cute animal pics).
Since 2019, Cocofloss has proudly partnered with the Wildlife Conservation Network (WCN), a global network of conservationists working to protect 115 different wildlife species. Thanks to the generosity of Cocofloss customers, we’ve now donated $28,790 to WCN. We’ve helped boost a reforestation project in Brazil and conserve painted dogs in Zimbabwe; spectacled bears in Peru; dolphins and dugongs in Malaysia; sea turtles and whale sharks in Belize and beyond; and penguins globally.
This year we aim to exponentially increase our annual gift — up to $25K! — but we need your help.
How You Can Help Wildlife Conservation Efforts While You Floss
This holiday season, every time you purchase our 4-spool Cocofloss Merry Refills set for yourself or a smile you adore, we’ll donate $5 to one of three WCN partners: Snow Leopard Conservancy, Global Penguin Society, and Spectacled Bear Conservation. (Read more about these organizations’ hands-on work and see super-cute animal pictures below.)
The more Cocofloss Merry Refills sets you buy, the merrier the donation to WCN. So please consider stuffing more stockings with these planet-friendly gift sets this year. You’ll help cut down on single-use plastics by reusing a Cocofloss dispenser and support the work of well-vetted wildlife conservation organizations.
Let’s dive into exactly what these nonprofits do.
Why We Support WCN
We admire how WCN takes a holistic approach to protecting endangered animals “by supporting conservationists who ensure wildlife and people coexist and thrive.” They support “conservation entrepreneurs” in their work to connect with local communities, lobby for habitat protection and wildlife corridors, facilitate environmental education, and conduct scientific research. WCN also assists conservationists as they raise funds and strategize how best to use them, while sharing best practices globally. Currently, they assist communities in 68 countries as they work to protect 115 different wildlife species.
A four-star nonprofit on Charity Navigator, WCN promises to give 100% of all designated donations to wildlife conservation efforts, with no overhead costs.
By partnering with WCN, we feel confident that every dollar we give goes toward smart, sustainable wildlife-conservation projects. In sum, WCN helps “conservationists carry out their best ideas to protect endangered wildlife.” That’s an approach we can support with a smile — and you can too.
Snow Leopard Conservancy: Transforming Communities Into Big-Cat Guardians
The nonprofit Snow Leopard Conservancy (SLC) is dedicated to the protection and conservation of the rare snow leopard and its remote, high-mountain ecosystems. Founded in 2000, the organization works in partnership with local communities in seven of the 12 snow-leopard range countries, including India, Nepal, and Mongolia, to ensure snow leopards survive.
According to the Wildlife Conservation Network, “Snow Leopard Conservancy engages local people and builds on their traditional beliefs to create harmony between people and the endangered snow leopard. Its creative programs serve as a model for community-based conservation and bolster the snow leopard’s chances for survival.”
Critters Conserved
Rulers of the world’s highest peaks, snow leopards (Panthera uncia) roam Central and South Asian mountain regions, preying on blue sheep, ibex, marmots, birds, pika, and hares. These agile hunters can jump up to 50 feet in a single leap, gracefully navigating rocky terrain. Their dense, spotted coat provides camoflauge while protecting them against the cold, so snow leopards can thrive at altitudes of up to 18,000 feet.
Conservation Projects
🐆 As humans move into traditional snow leopard habitat, the big cats lose their favored prey and target domestic livestock instead. SLC works to reduce human-widelife conflict by raising funds for and constructing predator-proof corrals. They also promote alternative income sources for locals, including homestays and village-based immersion programs for tourists. Book your own Himalayan homestay here!
🐆 SLC pioneered the use of non-invasive, remotely-triggered camera traps to document snow leopards in the Himalayas. They also use radio-telemetry and fecal genotyping to gather detailed information on habitat preferences, movement patterns, prey densities, and social interactions. This allows SLC to better estimate snow leopard population size and conservation interventions.
🐆 Since 2010, the Snow Leopard Conservancy has worked with its partners to build a network of Indigenous Cultural Practitioners (ICPs) who live and work in snow leopard habitat. The term ICP includes shamans, sacred site guardians, respected leaders of regional faiths, and revered Elders. According to WCN, “The network merges western science with traditional ecological knowledge, empowers ICPs to be co-leaders in conservation, revitalizes ancient ceremonies to honor the snow leopard, and establishes sacred sites as snow leopard education centers.”
Global Penguin Society: Helping the World’s Coolest Birds Waddle On
The Global Penguin Society (GPS) is the first and only international organization dedicated solely to the conservation of the world’s 18 penguin species and their habitats. In 2018, GPS won both a National Geographic/Buffet Award for Leadership and Conservation and a gold award from the Whitley Fund for Nature — an award so respected that it’s also known by conservationists as the “Green Oscar.” You can learn more about its mission and the people driving it in the following inspiring video.
Critters Conserved
All 18 species of penguins, including the Emperor, King, Royal, Adelie, Macaroni, Gentoo, Galapagos, Magellanic, Humboldt, African, Snares, Fiordland, Little Blue, Yellow Eye, Erect Crested, Northern Rockhopper, Southern Rockhopper, and Chinstrap.
Conservation Projects
🐧 The work of GPS has already protected 32 million acres in marine and coastal areas and helped 2.4 million of our tuxedoed, flightless friends in the Southern Hemisphere. For example, GPS helped create the Punta Tombo reserve in Argentina. This reserve protects the largest colony of Magellanic penguins in the world — roughly half a million black-and-white beauties.
🐧 Thanks to GPS, more than 7,500 kids have learned about penguins in their natural habitats through talks and trips. GPS has also donated and distributed 10,000 books about wildlife and conservation to five Spanish-speaking countries.
🐧 GPS guides conservation action by improving scientific knowledge on critical aspects of the biology and ecology of penguin species. They monitor penguin populations and track these expert avian swimmers at sea. They also work to assess large marine conservation problems such as mismanagement of fisheries, oil-drilling operations, pollution, and changing conditions in the oceans.
For more information about the Global Penguin Society and fun facts about penguins, read our longer post about GPS (first published in 2020).
Spectacled Bear Conservation: Saving South America’s Only Bear
Spectacled Bear Conservation (SBC), a Peru-based nonprofit, collaborates with local communities to protect the shrinking habitat of spectacled bears, a shy critter that usually roams the lush cloud forests along the slopes of the Andes Mountains in Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia. SBC also conducts scientific research to better understand and protect these mysterious animals.
Critter Conserved
The only ursine species in South America, the spectacled bear, aka the Andean bear, is named for its stylish facial markings that resemble eyeglasses. This bashful bear faces “vulnerable” status by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), with as few as 2,500 mature individuals remaining on the planet. Its population is steadily declining due to habitat loss, along with conflicts with landowners and poaching of body parts for traditional medicine.
Learn more about spectacled bears, including their cuddly connection with Paddington Bear, in this previous post.
Conservation Projects
🐻 SBC discovered a population of more than 65 bears in the low-elevation dry forest, providing a unique opportunity to observe these bears in the wild and identify their habitat needs. The open landscape and arid climate in the dry forest provide ideal research conditions because the bears are highly visible and bear signs, like scat and tree markings, are well-preserved.
🐻 SBC’s data points from GPS-collared spectacled bears helped to determine the extent of critically endangered dry-forest habitat used by the bears. This information supported the creation of the Archaeological and Ecological Park of Batán Grande, which preserves 34,000 acres of critically endangered dry-forest habitat and widens a wildlife corridor with another protected area.
🐻 SBC collaborated with the San Diego Zoo to develop a locally-relevant school curriculum that builds ecological literacy and cultural knowledge. They also deliver presentations on environmental awareness and their research findings on the local ecosystem. More than 1,000 children have participated in their conservation-based education, and they have reached over 6,000 adults through conservation outreach.
🐻 SBC’s Forest Guardian Program empowers local women to earn a livelihood through the art of dry-wool needle felting. The women craft handmade felt decorations to sell, which supports them with a fair, competitive, and stable income. You can buy one of their adorable fuzzy owls, elves, or bears for Christmas!
🐆🐻🐧
Every purchase of our Cocofloss Merry Refills set includes a $5 donation to help conserve snow leopards, penguins, or spectacled bears (your choice). Each gift-ready set includes 4 irresistibly scented, ultra-cleansing Cocofloss refill spools in Affogato Gelato, Pure Peppermint, Confetti Cake, and Pure Strawberry, wrapped in backyard-compostable packaging and ready to pop into any Cocofloss dispenser. Give back to grins and wildlife conservation this holiday season!
