Happy International day for Biological Diversity!
The International Day for Biological Diversity is a chance to further discuss the challenges that we, as a Department and a country will face in protecting the special biodiversity of Aotearoa. The theme of this year is “Our Biodiversity, Our Food, Our Health” aiming to leverage knowledge and spread awareness of the dependency of our food, nutrition and health on keeping our ecosystems safe and healthy.
New Zealand, while recognised as a hot spot for biological diversity is not immune from the threats created by human activity. In the last 800 years, humans and introduced pests have caused the extinction of 32% of indigenous land and freshwater bird species, 3 of 7 frog species and one bat species, among others. Still today several of our special species are threatened with extinction including the kiwi and tuatara.
Days like this are important as they keep these topics at the forefront of our minds, give us an opportunity to talk and learn more about what we can do to help sustain our biological diversity.
Visit www.doc.govt.nz/nature/biodiversity for some resources to learn more about biodiversity in New Zealand and head to www.cbd.int/idb for more information on what you can set up to celebrate the International Day for Biodiversity.
Male singers
If you like singing and have a male voice then this might be a good choir for you to join. You don't need to audition to join the Wellington Male Voice Choir but the harder we all sing, the better it'll sound. Rehearsals are mostly in Tawa on Monday evenings.
⚠️ 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 ❤️