Nature's SAFE - Saving Animals From Extinction (Registered Charity)

While expanding our scope to protect wildlife abroad, we haven’t lost sight of protecting native wildlife right here in the UK. Hedgehogs, one of the UK’s most beloved creatures, are facing rapid decline with their numbers having dropped by over 50% in rural areas in the past 20 years. These animals are essential for maintaining healthy ecosystems, acting as natural pest controllers an contributing to biodiversity. If we don’t take urgent action, the hedgehog could be lost forever. At Nature’s SAFE, we are preserving UK native wildlife through collaboration with wildlife rescue centres and veterinarians, using advanced cryopreservation science. Through the cutting-edge science of cryoconservation, we can store the reproductive and skin cells of hedgehogs at ultra-low temperatures, preserving their genetic diversity and offering a crucial lifeline for future recovery efforts. Help us save UK hedgehogs by donating to our crowdfunder. What’s more, EVERY donation will be matched by AVIVA Community Fund, so your donation will work twice as hard! https://lnkd.in/eHim89Zh

Winter is on it’s way, and that means it’s a pretty important time for wildlife here in the UK. Around October, hedgehogs start going into hibernation - so now is the time to give them a helping hand with some extra food and a safe winter home. If you are lucky enough to have a garden, you could provide a refuge for hedgehogs. Here’s how: If you’re feeling crafty and have access to some tools, why not make your own hedgehog house? There are plenty of great instructional materials online - we particularly like this one from the Lancashire Wildlife Trust: https://lnkd.in/eQz9rk_t A hedgehog home doesn’t need to be fancy. You can get creative with materials, just make sure that: ✅ Your hog home is sheltered from the wind and rain. ✅ The home has an entrance tunnel around 15cm in diameter and 30cm long - big enough for the hedgehog to enter but too small for larger predators. ✅ You provide some nesting material inside - dry leaves or straw is perfect. If you’re not the DIY type, a simple log pile or compost heap are also good options for providing space for hedgehogs to nest (no screws or nails required!) or there are plenty ready-made homes available online. Just make sure you’re placing the home in a quiet, sheltered spot in your garden. Finally, it’s a good idea to provide some high-quality food to hedgehogs leading up to hibernation to help them build up their reserves. Meaty cat food is a great option! It’s also important to leave out a flat dish of clean water. ❄️Hibernation isn’t constant, so hedgehogs may emerge during the winter, particularly when temperatures are mild. It’s a good idea to provide some food for them over the winter too just in case they do wake up! To help us secure the long-term future of hedgehogs here in the UK, visit our crowdfunder: https://lnkd.in/eHim89Zh

As our visit to Kenya draws to a close, we would like to thank each and every one of you who has donated to support our work. Your support has been instrumental in making this a successful trip. Today we are bringing this message to you from Ol Pejeta Conservancy, home to the last two remaining Northern White Rhinos. We will be able to share more soon, but for now you can read about our goals for expanding capacity to preserve native wildlife worldwide here: https://lnkd.in/eBeQMAFi #naturessafeafrica

What an incredible achievement from one of our conservation partners, ZSL. This story exemplifies the power of collaboration to bring a species back from the brink of extinction, using animals raised in human care. Read the full story here: https://lnkd.in/ezmDvDGq

Reversing species decline is possible - just take a look at these success stories. To slow extinction, we need to harness all of the tool available at our disposal and work collaboratively to preserve habitats, maintain healthy animal populations, and restore wildlife.

Thank you to one of our #corporatepartners, Bova UK (Specials), who raised £682 for us this year at the BEVA conference. Your ongoing support is very much appreciated! https://lnkd.in/eP4-8zzx

The Mountain bongo is one of the largest species of forest antelope, found in the mountains of the Kenyan highlands. As of 2016, only 80 individuals survived in the wild. A captive breeding programme is in progress with the aim of reintroducing these individuals to the wild in future. Research is also being done into the ecology of the Mountain bongo - the Bongo Surveillance Programme studies the largest remaining population of wild Mountain bongo for information which could help shape future conservation work. To supplement ex-situ breeding programmes, Nature’s SAFE stores samples to maintain the genetic diversity of existing populations of Mountain bongos to aid long-term survival. Read more about the Mountain bongo here: https://lnkd.in/eE_RzQTj

Another exciting project for us this year was helping to establish a cryopreservation lab in Japan, dedicated to preserving the unique and native species found there. This collaboration is a key step in ensuring the long-term survival of Japan's native wildlife, using advanced technology to protect their biodiversity for future generations. With successful projects in India and Japan, we're thrilled to continue expanding our conservation work worldwide. Discover more about how we are planning to expand our #globalimpact here: https://lnkd.in/eBeQMAFi #conservationinaction

Over the past year, Nature's SAFE has been working to expand our global impact. In December 2023, our expert team travelled to India to transfer knowledge and help establish a cryopreservation lab capable of safeguarding samples from the country’s incredible native wildlife species. This project is just one step towards ensuring the future of our planet’s biodiversity. Now, we're getting ready to take the next step to extend our work abroad. Discover more here: https://lnkd.in/eBeQMAFi #conservationinaction #keepnaturesafe

Sowerby’s beaked whales, found across the North Atlantic Ocean, are named for their long, slim beak containing a single pair of teeth. They can be seen off the coasts of Scotland and North-East England. Sowerby’s beaked whales are highly social animals, so are often seen travelling in pairs or pods of up to ten individuals. As adults, they weigh up to 1,300 kilograms and reach up to 6.5 metres long. Fun Fact – These whales have been recorded to dive for up to 28 minutes and travel up to 800 metres underwater! As part of our efforts to protect iconic UK native wildlife, Nature’s SAFE works with wildlife vets and wildlife rescue centres to recover cell and tissue samples from wild animals. As of August 2022, we now have samples from the Sowerby’s beaked whale stored in our living biobank. To learn more about the species in our biobank, visit: https://lnkd.in/ekJZWuNx