A Dophin: The Perfect Gift

Christmas day is getting ever so close and I swear every year I'm going to do my shopping early to get it out of the way. Of course only two days ago, I was still battling over whether to fight for a seat on the bus and be pushed and prodded in the Christmas rush or to sit home and make use of this modern day technology. I live in the UK with my partner and both of us have family living on the opposite side of the world. The internet seemed to be the best place to shop to our heart's content. However, sitting in the safety of our own home, we were now facing another small dilemma. We didn't have a clue what presents we were looking for.

We wanted gifts that were meaningful and showed we had put thought into it. Flowers and gift baskets are lovely, but we wanted something a little unique as well. That's when we thought about adopting an animal in the name of our loved ones. We realized our families love dolphins and that's where we started searching. To our luck, we came across the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS) website.

It sounds a little hippy I know, but with all the talk of global warming and animal extinction it seemed only appropriate we do a little searching into the idea and perhaps give back to the environment what we have taken.

My brother lives on the golden beaches in Australia and stereotypically he loves to surf. The thought of adopting a dolphin seemed a refreshing and ideal gift, as he appreciates these animals so much. We discovered that the WDCS have websites dedicated to the plight of dolphins, whales and porpoises all around the world. There was a specific site targeted towards the conservation of these animals in both Australia and New Zealand.

Established in 1987, the WDCS has dedicated itself to conservation and welfare of this marine life. They have offices located in UK, USA, Australia and other countries. They keep costs to a minimum and have their annual review on hand so you can check on expenditures if you're curious to what their goals are. Their past achievements include working with the United Nations Environment Programme's Convention on Migratory Species where they have assisted on region-wide conservation work, they have completed assignments for assisting and protecting marine areas that are at critical levels and they have even ensured an additional year was given on the whaling ban that is in place.

After reading further into the WDCS and feeling very confident in giving a gift with a difference, we went ahead and dove into the adoption. The gift aid gave us the choice of a small monthly payment, or a yearly membership for an adult or child. We were able to choose which dolphin or orca we wanted our family to follow and for Christmas they will receive a postcard photo of the animal they are sponsoring, a personalized adoption certificate and regular updates on the chosen marine animal.

Christmas is about feeling good and giving to others, and we felt great about what we were doing. We ended up adopting not only for my brother ,but also my partner's brother as well. For us, this Christmas is going to bring smiles to those less fortunate than us and we feel a sense of joy knowing we have helped in a small way. Our family appreciates marine life too and we know they will be so pleased with their gifts of helping 'Sparkle' the dolphin and 'Ben' the orca. Why not give it a try? Afterall it's what the Christmas spirit is about.