For Immediate Release, July 9, 2014

Contact: Taralynn Reynolds, (520) 623-5252 x 313, treynolds@biologicaldiversity.org

40,000 Endangered Species Condoms to Be Given Away for World Population Day 

Condoms, Photo Campaign Highlight Link Between Runaway
Human Population Growth and Wildlife Extinction

TUCSON, Ariz.— As part of Friday’s World Population Day, the Center for Biological Diversity is distributing 40,000 free Endangered Species Condoms across the country to highlight the link between rapid human population growth and the wildlife extinction crisis. The condoms will be given away by volunteers in all 50 states, including the nation’s five fastest-growing states: North Dakota, Utah, Colorado, Texas and Nevada.

Tiger rattlesnake
Tiger rattlesnake photo by Melissa Amarello. This photo is available for media use.

The condoms will be handed out at events around the country, including county fairs, animal welfare conferences, local malls, public parks and summer festivals.

“Every day we add 227,000 people to an already-crowded planet,” said Taralynn Reynolds, the Center’s population and sustainability organizer. “Meanwhile wildlife are going extinct at a breakneck pace, and rarely do we pause to talk about the well-documented effects our exploding numbers have on other species, the planet and our own future, especially here in the United States.”

The Endangered Species Condoms are wrapped in colorful packages featuring six different endangered species and information to help volunteers start the conversation about the impact of runaway human population growth on polar bears, panthers and other imperiled wildlife. The Center has given away more than half a million Endangered Species Condoms since 2009.

According to a study recently published in the journal Science, wildlife is going extinct at more than 1,000 times the natural background rate, with human population growth and increased consumption as the primary drivers.

“We can no longer afford not to discuss how population growth and our lifestyle choices affect the planet,” said Reynolds. “The Endangered Species Condoms are a great way to get people talking about these urgent issues.”

In addition to distributing Endangered Species Condoms, the Center has been collecting photos submitted via social media depicting what living in a world of 7 billion looks like and feels like to people around the world. The photos can be seen in the #CrowdedPlanet video released today in honor of World Population Day.

The campaign can also be followed at www.tagboard.com/crowdedplanet. For more information on how to submit your own photos showing how population pressure affects your daily life and the planet, visit the #CrowdedPlanet webpage.

World Population Day is an annual day of recognition on July 11, designated by the United Nations in 1989 to raise awareness about global population issues. There are more than 7 billion people on the planet, with the United States ranked as the third most populous country in the world.

The Center’s population and sustainability program promotes a range of solutions, including universal access to birth control and family planning, as well as education and empowerment of women and girls and reduced consumption of meat and energy.

The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 775,000 members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places.


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