"No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted." - Aesop

This year, I decided I will choose 12 charities (one for every calendar month, although this first post is late, per usual but it works out this time because it's Save the Whales Week!), feature them here and donate something to each of them, be it money, time or material goods. There are many charitable endeavors that I keep close. The earliest I can remember being specifically emotionally invested in is animal rights. As a child I would bring home stray animals and keep them in our backyard. I'd nurse them back to health and find new homes for them. When Free Willy came out in 1993 a new form of animal activism was born. I have been very vocal in the past in regards to my research driven perspective that cetaceans do not belong in captivity, especially as pawns for human entertainment and I am not the only one who feels this way. The Orca Project recently highlighted a manuscript presented by two former Sea World trainers (both who have their PhD in related fields) that outlines why Orca captivity is unhealthy for Orcas and people alike.

No aquarium, no tank in a marine land, however spacious it may be, can begin to duplicate the conditions of the sea. And no dolphin who inhabits one of those aquariums or one of those marine lands can be considered normal. - Jacques Yves Cousteau


Credit: WDCS Flickr

January's Charity is: The Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society

Who are they and what do they do? The Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS), is the leading global charity dedicated to the conservation and welfare of all whales and dolphins.

They defend these remarkable creatures against the many threats that they face;

• Hunting
• Captivity
• Chemical and noise pollution
• Ship collisions (ship strikes)
• Entanglement in fishing nets
  
• Climate change

How do they do it?
They utilize donations to spread the word about threats to whales and dolphins all over the word. They work with lawmakers all over the world to protect natural habitats such as feeding and breeding grounds, fight against cetacean captivity, educate people about the dangers of polluting the ocean, abandoning fishing nets and driving boats recklessly. It also sheds light on the numerous whaling incidents that happen internationally on a regular basis.

How can you help end whaling and other forms of abuse?
1: Donate monetarily to WDCS
2: Adopt a Whale through WDCS (I did this when I was a kid and think its a great way to get kids involved and keep them interested)
3: Spread the word on your blog//twitter//facebook