The thought of being bequeathed a Rosy (à la Gerald Durrell’s Rosy is My Relative) would give anyone sleepless nights, but don’t kill off your dream of having a pet elephant just yet. In fact, while you’re about it, ever considered a more unusual pet — a killer whale anyone or a giant panda or a stately giraffe?
WWF Species Adoptions lets you take your pick from over 100 species that are living in threatened habitats, facing extinction and are variously endangered, and bring them home symbolically.
This kind of symbolic animal adoption means that you get your warm glow without dragging yourself out of bed for early morning walkies. A $50 adoption package gets you a soft plush version of your adopted animal, a personalized adoption certificate, a 5×7 print of your pet, a gift bag, plus online icons, wallpapers and screensavers.
A $100 package also gets you a larger gift box, plus a hinged photo frame for your pet’s photo and adoption certificate along with the other things, while a $25 deal means you don’t get a soft toy. Of course, you can maximize your donation by choosing not to receive anything by post.
Most importantly, symbolic animal adoptions — and WWF is not the only organization offering these (Google for more) — make great gifts and are a perfect foil to the rampant consumerism that preys on special occasions. Birthdays, anniversaries, weddings — what could possibly convey your love better than a 10-metre, 30-ton whale shark? WWF even has a Gift Adoption Card, which the recipient can use to select their preferred species.
Go on, become a pet owner. Living in a 10th-floor matchbox-sized apartment is no longer an excuse.
~PD
I’ll admit it is a fancy gift…and in theory I’d chose it over ice-cream. But if someone came up to me, holding out an ice cream in one hand, and a certificate in the other, I’m not sure I’d pick the certificate, even if it came with a plushie and a picture. Actually, I’m pretty sure I’d still pick the ice cream and I wouldn’t feel the least sorry about it until the ice cream was throughly gone.
That’s a completely unfair comparison. Ice cream versus anything else is unfair, unfair, unfair! Except maybe chocolate cake. Now, that would be competition.
It would be chocolate cake for me every time. Unless, is the ice cream chocolate too? That would be a truly unfair and horrible choice to make. I might implode and end up adopting the whale shark anyway!
Everyone would be happy if we got a chocolate cake whale shark instead of a plushie…
Why is this not a real thing in the world? I like your thinking. 😛
The first year I taught my kids chose to adopt an orangutan from WWF. It’s a great thing for the kids to be involved with, and they got to take turns taking the plushie home on the weekends.