Wilder Institute

Happy holidays from the Wilder Institute! 🎄 As the year comes to a close, we hope you're surrounded by nature's magic and joyful connections with loved ones. Here’s to a New Year filled with exploration, learning, and building a future where wildlife and people can thrive—together. 🌍✨ #WilderTogether #HappyHolidays

The Christmas Bird Count is here! 🎄 North America’s longest-running citizen science project invites volunteers from over 2,000 locations across the Western Hemisphere to participate in counting and tracking bird populations. The data collected by CBC participants forms one of the world’s largest wildlife survey datasets, helping conservation biologists, environmental planners, and naturalists monitor bird trends and distribution. Join the CBC this season and support crucial scientific research through your birding activities! 🐦✨ Get involved: https://bit.ly/49mVrZ1 #ChristmasBirdCount #CitizenScience #WilderTogether

We are thrilled to partner with Canadian Natural Resources Limited (CNRL) in the effort to protect the majestic whooping crane, North America's tallest bird. Through our dedicated whooping crane conservation breeding program, we’re focused on securing a sustainable future for this Endangered species. CNRL’s support is instrumental in advancing our work, from exploring alternative translocation methods to enhancing reproductive success among birds. Together, we’re working toward establishing self-sustaining, genetically stable whooping crane populations in the wild, capable of thriving despite environmental challenges. 🌾 A sincere thank you to CNRL for their unwavering commitment to the conservation of these iconic birds and their vital role in this critical work. #WilderTogether

A 2024 highlight for our Whooping Crane Conservation Breeding Program! 🌟 Our team traveled to Fort Smith, Northwest Territories, for the inaugural Northern Whooping Crane Festival—celebrating the species' recovery and connecting with the community. From educational activities to knowledge-sharing talks and outreach events with local partners, it was an inspiring experience to emphasize the importance of ongoing conservation in the South Slave region. #WilderTogether

This year we had another successful season of monitoring for the half-moon hairstreak in Waterton Lakes National Park! 🦋 Our field team meticulously monitored 190 transects for both larvae and adult butterflies. One exciting highlight: we successfully encouraged a female half-moon hairstreak to lay eggs in a controlled environment—an important step for the species. 🌱 #WilderTogether Parks Canada

We’d like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Canadian Heritage Roasting Company and their Rugged Canadian Goods brand for partnering with us to support our conservation work! 20% of all sales from their exclusive private label clothing line will directly contribute to vital programs like our northern leopard frog recovery, Vancouver Island marmot conservation, whooping crane conservation breeding, burrowing owl head-starting, and more. 🦋🦉 The new designs are here! You can find them in-store at Canadian Heritage Roasting Co. Café, the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo North Gift Shop, or you can purchase online at: https://bit.ly/3Bhf08t💚 #WilderTogether

Looking for the perfect holiday gift for yourself or a fellow conservationist? Adopt a burrowing owl or Vancouver Island marmot and receive a plush toy or tote bag, biofact card, and an adoption certificate—perfect for wildlife lovers! With your symbolic adoption, we can continue securing a future for endangered species across Canada and the world. 🌍💚 Click the link below to make a difference today and give a gift that supports conservation! https://bit.ly/4g0SiR6 #WilderTogether #HolidayGiving

Victor, one of the Asian wild horses at the Archibald Biodiversity Centre (ABC), enjoying a walk in the pasture at sunset. 🌅 In celebration of National Day of the Horse, we’re highlighting the ongoing challenges for this rare and Endangered species. True wild populations of Asian wild horses now only thrive in Mongolia’s historic range. While reintroduction efforts began in the 1990s, ongoing conservation work remains crucial for their recovery. #WilderTogether

✨ What a Year! 🌟 2024 has been an extraordinary journey, filled with milestones that inspired us and shaped our mission. A huge THANK YOU to our incredible staff, amazing volunteers, and generous supporters—you made this year one of progress, passion, and purpose. Together, we’re restoring balance, protecting species, and building a future where wildlife and people thrive. 🦉 🦋🌱 While our work is far from over, we're excited to leap into 2025 and beyond. Join us on this journey- because conservation doesn’t end with us—it begins with YOU! Your support truly makes a world of difference. Thank you for supporting wildlife conservation. 💚 🎥 Watch the full video to see how YOU helped make this year unforgettable. https://bit.ly/4g7z7VS #WilderTogether

We are deeply grateful to Ovintiv for their generous three-year investment in our burrowing owl head-starting program! 🦉 Their commitment to wildlife conservation is playing a vital role in protecting this Endangered prairie bird and ensuring a brighter future for our local ecosystems. Burrowing owls have been a part of Canada's grasslands for thousands of years, but their numbers are rapidly declining. With as few as 270-300 breeding owls estimated to be remaining in the country, their future is at risk. Our head-starting program offers these small owls a second chance — by giving the youngest, most vulnerable owls a safe environment to grow before being released back into the wild. This crucial work helps to boost survival rates and supports the long-term recovery of this iconic species. Thank you, Ovintiv, for helping us bolster the burrowing owl population and protect our prairie ecosystems. 🌿 #WilderTogether