Kennards For Kids campaign shows its support for conservation

Kennards Hire is dedicated to helping society's most vulnerable members - disadvantaged and sick children.

But this spring, the family owned business is extending its Kennards For Kids campaign to support animal conservation through the Taronga Foundation.

Animals don't have the ability to defend themselves and as a result their well being relies on the vital services and work of charities like the Taronga Foundation.

Based at the Sydney's iconic Taronga Zoo, the Foundation enables visitors and supporters of the zoo to get actively involved in animal conservation - helping the organisation continue its wildlife work.

Created in 2000, the Taronga Foundation has delivered a number of animal conservation, education and research achievements with the help of its supporters, including the construction of world-class exhibits and facilities.

Animal protection and welfare is at the core of the Foundation, with the organisation supporting nearly 40 successful conservation projects for threatened and endangered species in Australia and worldwide.

One of the organisation's current projects is the Sumatran Tiger Appeal. The beautiful Sumatran Tiger is on the brink of extinction and without intervention this amazing animal could disappear from our world forever.

Helping establish Wildlife Protection Units in the Sumatran Tiger's natural habitat to reduce illegal logging and poaching is just one of the strategies that the Taronga Foundation supports in a bid to save the species.

The Zoo’s conservation Breeding Program, which is supported by the Foundation, has also proved to be ahuge success, with three tiger cubs born in August last year. 

The Asian Elephant and Tasmanian Devil breeding programs are also projects that the Foundation is committed to, helping to save some of Australia's and the world's most iconic and precious animals.

The Tasmanian Devil is the world's largest carnivorous marsupial and is found only in Tasmania, but due to a fatal disease, its numbers have been drastically reduced.

Devil Facial Tumour Disease is spreading quickly through the Tasmanian Devil population, transferring from infected devils through biting.

In just 16 years, Tasmanian Devil numbers have declined rapidly with 60 per cent of wild populations disappearing due to the disease.

Taronga, with the Foundation’s support, is working with other Australian zoos and wildlife parks, to resurrect the devil population through a vital  breeding program.

This provides an insurance population of disease-free devils in case these incredible creatures become extinct in the wild.

The aim is to breed a genetically diverse population of devils available for release into the wild if and when it is safe to do so.

It’s a similar story with the Asian Elephants, once common throughout Asia, there may be just 34,000 of these majestic animals left in the wild.

With their population falling by more than 75 per cent in the last 70 years, the Taronga Foundation is dedicated to helping turn this alarming statistic around, supporting Taronga’s work with a number of Asian organisations to combat illegal poaching, human-elephant conflict and habitat loss.

Tragically, too many animals worldwide face the same situation as the Tasmanian Devil, Asian Elephant and Sumatran Tiger. But thanks to organisations like the Taronga Foundation, conservation projects being carried out across the globe aim to reverse these worrying trends.

To lend your hand in support of the Taronga Foundation, head to your local Kennards Hire for all your equipment needs this spring.

During the months of September and October, $1 from every hire contract will be donated to charities like the Taronga Foundation.

For more information, or to offer direct support to the Taronga Foundation, visit its website at http://taronga.org.au/support-us/taronga-foundation or become a friend on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/tarongazoo.