Today is the 27th February which means just one thing:  it's International Polar Bear Day!

The day hopes to raise awereness of the plight of polar bears and how we can all help them.     The polar bear is at the head of food chain in the Arctic and a good indicator of how species are faring.   The difficulty is that in a number of locations where polar bears live, the sea ice is disappearing as a result of global warming.  The picture is patchy:  in some areas, the polar bear populations is stable;  in one it is actually in increasing.  In others, it is declining.  However, there is no room for complacency.  Nine areas where polar bears live are described by Polar Bears International as being data deficient. 

Polar bears face many threats, most particularly the loss of sea ice due to climate change. 

Adopt a Polar Bear from Polar Bears International 
©Polar Bears International

Adopt a polar bear from Polar Bears International

You have different options, from adopting a Cub of the Year, a Mom and Cub, or Twin Cubs Adoption.   And as Polar Bears International are based in North America, the good news is that there's also an Eco-adoption for $25.00.  For the eco-adoption, you receive an instant adoption certificate in your inbox.  You can print it yourself or email it to the recipient. 

Polar Bears International is the world's leading polar bear organisation.  They consist of a small group of passionate conservationists, scientists and volunteers.  Their mission is  "to conserve polar bears and the sea ice they depend on."  They work to inspire people to care about the Arctic and the threats to its future.  Find out more about Polar Bears International here

If you can spare a moment, please take a quick look at ways you can help polar bears and the Arctic - all you need to do is to click here to see how you can help and Polar Bears International - why not join their Save our Sea Ice campaign? 

Please take a look at Polar Bears International's petition to the US President, click on the link below to find out more and to sign it.  If you are not from the USA, please just help by spreading the word about it!

Urge the U.S. president to set a fair price on carbon

Create your own personalised bamboo travel mug! 

It's made from stainless steel with a bamboo effect, and it can be etched with your personalisation - there are 4 possible fonts;  your message can be up to 32 characters.

There's a preview so that you can see how your personalisation will look - just enter your message and press the Preview button.

This mug is great for keeping your drinks hot. 

Hand-wash only!

This is available from Getting Personal for £17.99 - head to their website and drink in the information!

If you're looking for a gift for somebody who loves donkeys, what about giving them a gift to support Safe Haven for Donkeys?

It's a charity which was set up in 2000 to help working donkeys in Israel and the Palestinian Territories.  And today, it has a sanctuary in Israel giving life-long care to about 200 donkeys who are unwanted or who have been abused. 

Give a virtual gift to help donkeys - here a donkey receives veterinary care

Not only that, its mobile clinic helps about 500 working donkeys, mules and horses every month across the Palestinian Territories and it's got a permanent clinic in Nablus.  Injuries they often see come from poor harnessing, overgrown hooves and bad teeth - all easily treated and in so doing, improving the lives of these animals. 

It doesn't stop there.  Safe Haven for Donkeys work hard to provide advice and education to owners and their children.  This is critical if working animals are to be treated with respect. 

Your gift could feed a donkey for a week

Your gift can help the charity look after working donkeys pulling carts and carrying loads, or care for those who are too old or injured to work. 

Gifts include donkey stationery, shopping bags, clothing, Christmas cards, soft donkey toys and gifts to help the donkeys themselves... Your virtual donkey gift could feed a donkey for a week, provide dental care, veterinary care or hoof trimming;  there's also foal milk replacement and a rest station.

Visit the Safe Haven for Donkeys here and change the life of a working animal with your gift

All images are copyright to the Safe Haven for Donkeys

This Christmas, why not give a gift to support re-wilding in Scotland?

You could make a donation for your loved one, sponsor an acre, support an appeal, help red squirrels return, or buy something from charity Trees for Life's online shop.

There's a 2020 calendar, as well!

Find out how you can support rewilding in Scotland

Did you know that there are about 121 million oak trees in UK woodland?

The tragedy is that we are losing our ancient oak trees.  Pests and diseases could devastate the oak population – and there’s a need to protect these wonderful oak trees for future generations to enjoy.

Enter Action Oak, an initiative to protect these trees.   It aims to work with the owner and managers of oak trees and woodlands to protect the trees; to fund research to improve our understanding of the threats to oak trees and to help inform best management practices; and to use established professional and citizen science networks to record changes in the distribution, age and health of our oak trees so that it’s possible to identify priority areas for action. 

Action Oak is working in partnership with organisations and charities such as the Forestry Commission, the National Trust, The Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, both Scottish and Welsh Governments,  Forest Research, Woodland Heritage, the Woodland Trust, the Duchy of Cornwall and DEFRA to protect our oak trees. And of course it’s encouraging organisations and people like you & me to get involved and give our support.

And there’s an easy way for you to support Action Oak and give someone who loves trees a gift as well!

Emma Bridgewater has a new half pint mug out called Action Oak.  For every Action Oak Half Pint Mug sold, Emma Bridgewater will donate £5 to Action Oak, to help protect the nation’s oak trees.

Give your support to Action Oak
when you buy an Action Oak Half Pint Mug from Emma Bridgewater

Oak trees are vital to the UK’s biodiversity, since they support about 2,200 species – more so than any other native tree species!

If you want to actually send someone an oak tree to put in their garden as a gift, you could go to Tree2mydoor.com and send an oak tree.  Their oak tree gift for £24.50 arrives with a height of 20-50 cm and can grow to a height of 21 metres (that’s 70 feet). 

You could also help oak trees by actually giving one as a gift 
This one is from Tree2mydoor.com who send trees as gifts 
in the same way that florists send flowers!