How Do You Love Wildlife?

Products with a dual purpose. Like Pampers baby wipes, which are safe and gentle for your baby’s bottom, but also double as a makeup remover towelette for mom. Or Bounty paper towels, which both clean up the messiest spills, and stand in as coffee filter in a pinch.

And Dawn dishwashing liquid. With its unparalleled grease cutting power, it cleans my dishes in a hurry, using less product than competitive brands. And, for over 30 years, Dawn dish soap has been an important part of rescuing and releasing more than 75,000 wild animals affected by oil pollution.

I love products with a dual purpose.

How do you love wildlife? This summer, Dawn is celebrating its rich history of loving and supporting wildlife with the debut of its We All Love Wildlife video series. Since 1978, Dawn has been the only dishwashing brand trusted by wildlife rescue experts, praised for its “soft on feathers, tough on grease benefits”.

The touching video series showcases the profound, positive influence that wildlife has had on rescue volunteers from Dawn’s long standing wildlife partners, International Bird Rescue (IBR) and The Marine Mammal Center. The videos feature four volunteers – a college student, a mom, a surfer and a veteran volunteer – all dedicated to helping save and rehabilitate marine animals in need.

Of course, when you enlist animal advocate and actor Ian Somerhalder to join the cause, you know it will get the media attention it deserves. Because, Ian Somerhalder.
The Ian Somerhalder foundation lends support to campaigns that focus on everything from pollution to animal cruelty. To date, the foundation has awarded $50M in Animal Medical Emergency Grants – of which IBR has been a recipient. To celebrate their collaboration, Ian recently joined Dawn at International Bird Rescue’s San Pedro, California facility. There, guests and media personnel were given a behind-the-scenes look by IBR’s veteran volunteers. 

Here’s why the partnership between Dawn and IBR is so integral – 

International Bird Rescue has been saving seabirds and other aquatic birds around the world since 1971. Their team of specialists operates two year-round aquatic bird rescue centers in California, which care for over 5,000 birds every year, and has led oiled wildlife rescue efforts in over 200 oil spills in more than a dozen countries.

Independent studies have proven Dawn dishwashing liquid to be the most effective dishwashing detergent for cleaning oiled animals. As mentioned previously, Dawn is the only dishwashing brand trusted by wildlife rescue experts. And, since 2006, Dawn has donated more than 50,000 bottles of dishwashing liquid and financial support to its wildlife partners, International Bird Rescue and The Marine Mammal Center. These donations have helped these organizations clean more than 75,000 marine animals in the United States.More than 75,000 marine animals in the US alone…. that is absolutely incredible. It’s funny; every day when I wash the dishes and manage to maintain a clean kitchen, I feel like a hero. But while Dawn is keeping my silverware shiny, it’s also playing an integral part in the rescue and rehabilitation of so many birds and marine animals. And that’s a much more impactful form of heroism.

Two purposes; two completely happy customers. 

Of course, things don’t always go to plan – according to IBR, many oiled birds die because well-meaning people, anxious to remove the oil from feathers, wash them immediately, resulting in extreme stress. It is actually more important to give oiled birds the much-needed nutrition, hydration and medical treatment they need to regain their strength before they are washed. Oiled birds go through a series of tub washes with a low concentration of Dawn dishwashing liquid in clean water.

After the media tour of the facility and debut of the We All Love Wildlife video series, attendees participated in the release of several rehabilitated birds back into the wild – including two California Brown Pelicans and one Western Gull – their rehabilitation and recovery of which was made possible thanks to IBR volunteers and staff.
So, how do you love wildlife? I love knowing that a household product that I use every day (okay, several times per day) is also used for a greater good. Dawn’s donation helps support IBR’s rehabilitation and research programs, as well as its growing volunteer network and educational programs that inspire the next generation of wildlife champions. Please visit bird-rescue.org for more information on this incredible organization.

Visit Dawn on Facebook at Facebook.com/Dawn to find out how you can make a difference. And, you can always find Dawn at an unbeatable price at Walmart Canada.