My 12th year of helping the Maui’s Dolphin began with a very busy 5-day workshop bringing the Whales & Dolphins Ambassadors for Maui's Dolphins Program to Raglan (NZ). Our Whales & Dolphins Ambassadors for Maui's Dolphins learned about numerous anthropogenic (human-caused) threats to cetaceans and their ocean habitats across the world. Students were empowered to protect all connected marine wildlife and their habitat through art action letters and by applying artistic skills to crafting sustainable alternatives to some of these threats which include solid, chemical, and noise pollution, bycatch, entanglement, climate change, and ocean acidification, and whaling. We also discussed ethics, cetacean captivity, and current movement towards a Declaration of Cetacean Rights.
The goal of the program was to increase awareness of our impact on the environment, and to instill a need for stewardship of all life on Earth through caring for cetaceans, their fellow beings, and ocean habitats. And of course, we discussed the plight of the Maui’s & Hector’s Dolphins of NZ, and took action through special art action letters to Hon. Maggie Barry, Minister of Conservation urging full protection of these, the world’s smallest dolphins.
Please visit our website for further details.
This year at Maui’s Dolphin Day, we had a full Maui’s Dolphins action booth offering our "Message to the Minister” letters along with watercolors for visitors to paint their own Maui’s Dolphins on the back. As a result, a parcel containing 82 letters with paintings were sent to Hon. Maggie Barry, Minister of Conservation.
Also at our Maui’s Dolphins action booth, volunteers Kristina and Heather teamed up to collect 97 “Let’s Face It” Visual Petition (LFI VP) photos, bringing our wall up to over 9,500 LFI VPs! Our increasing numbers are important as current tally and link to our LFI VP wall are always included when contacting the NZ government with comments or submissions on saving these critically endangered dolphins from extinction. Our numbers are growing, letting the government know that the world is watching for “our” last 55 or less Maui’s Dolphins.
It was wonderful to educate and work with such attentive caring Whales & Dolphins Ambassadors for Maui's Dolphins in Raglan, who also were a part of our video project to raise awareness for the critically endangered Maui’s. Please share to educate friends and family about and add your voices for “our" critically endangered dolphins.
If you haven’t sent in your "Message to the Minister” letter yet, please visit our action page to do so: https://www.peggyoki.com/activism...
Find out how easy it is to collect LFI VPs to add to our wall, and make our message even more powerful!
