Weird Animal non-profits | Oak Tree Comics

Wildlife Non-Profits

Below you'll find a growing list of non-profits that benefit wildlife conservation—specifically, built around the endangered species from our book The Weird Animal Hour. The Weird Animal Hour is an anthology of illustrations that combine mythical creatures with endangered species.

Please use this list of non-profits as a starting point to research, vet, and support organizations that protect your favorite weird animals.

To start the list, here are two organizations that help endangered wildlife, globally:

World Wildlife Fund

The World Wildlife Fund is the world's leading conservation organization. WWF protects endangered species in nearly 100 countries. In researching our Weird Animals, WWF was an invaluable resource.

IUCN red list

The International Union for Conservation of Nature has evaluated over 150,000 species. Without the IUCN Red List, there wouldn't be a comprehensive endangered species classification system.

And now here are non-profits that benefit the specific species from our book:

American BUmblee

For this list, whenever possible, we've included links to Impactful Ninja, as they've created comprehensive listicles analyzing charities that help several of the animals from our book. With that in mind, here is Impactful Ninja's list for "9 Best Charities That Save the Bees."

Alternatively, you can also research organizations near you that advocate for and educate about native plants. Protecting native plant species also benefits pollinators.

Monarch Butterfly

There are various organizations that protect monarch butterflies, including:

SAOLA

Here are three non-profits that protect saolas:

Dixie Valley Toad

The Center for Biological Diversity was the non-profit that fought to have the Dixie Valley toad listed as an endangered species. Please contact us if you know of other organizations that work with Dixie Valley toads.

To help the Dixie Valley toad, you could alternatively donate to Nevadan environmental non-profits. Protecting Nevada's natural spaces is good for Nevadan endangered species, generally.

Greater Monkey-faced Bat

We have yet to find a non-profit that works specifically with the greater monkey-faced bat. If you learn of one, let us know.

Thankfully, there are many organizations that help bats around the world. Here's one that works with endangered bats globally:

Bat Conservation International

Jaguar

Several organizations help jaguars, including:

GIant Chinese Salamander

We have yet to locate a non-profit that works specifically with the giant Chinese salamander. But here is one that works with amphibians and another that protects the Japanese giant salamander:

Pygmy Three-Toed Sloth

Several non-profits protect sloths:

Tiger

Several non-profits protect tigers:

BLUE WHALE

Here is Impactful Ninja's list of "9 Best Charities to Save Our Oceans"—plus, here is a non-profit that directly benefits whales:

American Cetacean Society

Ring-Taled Lemur

Here is an extensive list of lemur non-profits put together by the Lemur Conservation Network.

Atlantic Bluefin Tuna

Several non-profits protect Atlantic bluefin tuna while fighting for a more sustainable fishing industry, including:

Narwhal

Any non-profit that combats climate change indirectly aids the conservation of narwhals, as global warming is melting their habitat. Below are two organizations that work directly with narwhals:

WHALE Shark

Here are two non-profits that protect whale sharks:

Axolotl

To save the axolotl, we need to protect its habitat, which is Meixco's Lake Xochimilco. Here are three organizations looking to do just that:

Blobfish

Our team has yet to find a non-profit that specifically protects blobfish. But any non-profit that looks to end problematic commercial fishing practices also helps this species. Blobfish are hard to study because they live at such great depths. Scientists are worried that blobfish will become endangered, or perhaps already are, due to how commercial fisheries use "bottom trawling," a technique that catches fish, indiscriminately.

Here's a non-profit that discusses why blobfish need our help:

Marine Conservation Institute

Vaquita

There are less than a dozen vaquitas left in the world. Thankfully, there are several organizations looking to help them:

Ornate Eagle Ray

We've yet to locate a non-profit that works with ornate eagle rays. (Ornate eagle rays are known as the "unicorn of the sea" because they're so rarely seen.) But below are links to a couple of non-profits that protect the Great Barrier Reef where ornate eagle rays live— plus one more non-profit that helps rays in the Philippines.

Bottlenose Dolphin

Here is Impactful Ninja's list of "9 Best Charities for Marine Conservation"—plus, a couple more not included on their list:

Great White

Here is Impactful Ninja's list of "The 10 Best Charities for Protecting Sharks." On their list is the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy, which looks to change the public's perception of great whites. Also, here are a few more organizations not included on their list:

Great Hammerhead

Again, check out Impactful Ninja's list of "The 10 Best Charities for Protecting Sharks." If you're looking to help great hammerheads, you can also check out the Mokarran Protection Society, which aims to study and protect great hammerhead sharks in French Polynesia.

Green Turtle

Here is Impactful Ninja's list of "The 10 Best Charities for Protecting Sea Turtles." Of the organizations on the list, several help green turtles. Of note is the Sea Turtle Conservancy, which even has a eco-volunteer program where you can aid researchers at a Costa Rican green turtle nesting site.

Tortoise

Here are two non-profits that help the ploughshare tortoise, which is one of the most endangered tortoises on the planet:

Macaw

The American Bird Conservancy in collaboration with Bird Endowment created the Laney Rickman Blue-Throated Macaw Reserve in Bolivia in 2018. The blue-throated macaw is critically endangered, with less than 500 individuals left in the wild. The Laney Rickman reserve provides them with crucial breeding grounds. You can learn more below:

American Bison

These non-profits are helping reestablish the American Bison's former range:

East African Oryx

Conservation actions for endangered oryxes range from establishing captive-breeding programs to reintroducing them to the wild and protecting them and their habitat. The non-profits below help a variety of oryx species:

Pygmy Hippo

The pygmy hippo is a little-known species. These non-profits are helping to improve our knowledge of the species and protect it:

African Painted Dog

Here are a few non-profits who help the African Painted Dog:

Komodo Dragon

In our research, we found a few non-profits that worked with Komodo dragons in the past. The one that appears to be the most active in the conservation of the species now is the Komodo Survival Program. Please reach out to us if you know of others, so we can add them to the list.

Cheetah

Here are non-profits that protect cheetahs:

clouded leopard

Outside of the Clouded Leopard Working Group, which specializes in clouded leopard conservation, most non-profits who benefit clouded leopards do so within a larger conservation context, in protecting their habitat and other wild cat species. Here are some of those organizations:

Orangutan

Here is Impactful Ninja's list of "9 Best Charities for Protecting Orangutans." All three species of orangutan are critically endangered. Thankfully, wherever there are orangutans, there are also organizations looking to help them.

African Forest Elephant

Here is Impactful Ninja's list of "9 Best Charities for Protecting Elephants." Their list encompasses all elephant species, so if you specifically want to help African Forest Elephants, check out:

Tooth-billed pigeoN

In a joint effort, the organizations below look to save the tooth-billed pigeon, also known as the Manumea:

Numbat

Here are two organizations that protect numbats:

Tree Kangaroo

Here are three organizations who help tree kangaroos:

Kakapo

These two organizations work in tandem with the Department of Recovery being the main program working directly with the kākāpō population:

Black-footed Ferret

In The Weird Animal Hour, we reference how cloning, in combination with captive-breeding programs, has helped black-footed ferret populations rebound. If you want to learn more about how biotechnology factors into endangered species conservation, check out Revive & Restore. Additional organizations benefitting black-footed ferrets include:

Sea Otter

Here are a few non-profits that protect sea otters:

Harlequin Frog

A collective of non-profits, known as the Atelopus Survival Initiative, is actively working to save the Harlequin toad. Non-profit partners of the initiative include Amphibian Ark, Amphibian Survival Alliance, IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group, and more.

Gharial

Outside of the Zoological Society of London, there are few active gharial conservation programs being funded by non-profits, at least not that we found in our research. If you know of any, please contact our team, so we can add them to our list.

Tamaraw

These two organizations work in tandem to protect the tamaraw:

Marine iguana

Here are a few non-profits that protect marine iguanas:

Grizzly bear

In The Weird Animal Hour, we reference Fat Bear Week. If you'd like to support the official non-profit partner of the national park that hosts Fat Bear Week, check out the Katmai Conservancy. You can also support:

polar bear

Here is Impactful Ninja's "9 Best Charities for Polar Bears."

Red panda

Here are a couple of non-profits who help red pandas:

Giant Panda

Here are a few organizations that help pandas:

Aye-Aye

Currently, there aren't nonprofits specializing in the conservation of aye-ayes. But an aye-aye is a lemur, and there is a whole host of programs working to save the lemurs. You can find a list of all the lemur non-profits here.

California Condor

Here are a couple of organizations that aid the California Condor in its recovery and conservation:

Mountain Plover

Here are a few organizations working to protect Mountain Plovers and their habitat:

Giant PAngolin

Here are a few organizations that protect pangolins:

Galápagos PEnguin

Here are two non-profits that protect Galápagos penguins:

Red Wolf

Here is Impactful Ninja's list of "9 Best Charities for Protecting Wolves." If you specifically want to help the critically endangered red wolf, check out the American Wolf Foundation.

Spider Monkey

Here are select organizations that work with spider monkeys and protect their habitat:

Steller Sea Lion

At this time, there aren't many organizations that work specifically with Steller sea lions. The Marine Mammal Center is one that does. It is a research and rehabilitation center that aids the recovery of Steller sea lions and marine mammals. The Pacific Marine Mammal Center also aids the rehabilitation of sea lions and seals, but not specifically Steller sea lions.

Pronghorn

Here are a few organizations that protect pronghorns and seek to reestablish more of their historic range:

Arctic Fox

Last but not least, here are a few organizations that aid the conservation of Arctic foxes:

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