Stewart Hayes
Story's Kili Climb Page
Fundraising for Shark and Coral Conservation Trust
Story
WE MADE IT!
Now. Here's a charity cause fundraiser with a gurantee to complete... 'cause we already did it!
Thanks so much to those who've already donated. And to those who've meant to... you can still donate!
After a rough 2009 for most, the thought of giving up our hard earned cash, particularly for the 'less-than-cuddly' shark population seems a lost cause. Most of us are suffering from 'eco- fatigue' on our donations. But sharks play a unique ocean role that can be summarised as a: doctor, by keep other species fit and healthy through the removal of sick and dying members, headmaster, by keeping the expansion and spread of species confined to certain ecosystems and, refuse collector, by removing the dead, rotting materials in the ocean.
But you can see the money we've raised already is going towards great awareness campaigns for kids... Click here for more...
Sharks lived in our oceans over 400 million years ago – long before the dinosaurs walked the earth. There are about 390 species of shark some of which have been depleted by up to 99% in recent years - almost to the point of extinction.
Why should we care about this? Aren’t sharks scary and dangerous to humans? The fact is that more people are killed around the world by bee stings, dog bites, lightning strikes or falling coconuts! Sharks are important as they are ‘apex predators’, top of the food chain in our oceans’ complex ecosystems. Without them other species, such as the cow-nosed ray, have proliferated leading to the destruction of the scallop beds on both the Atlantic and Pacific seaboards of the USA. There are many other examples of equivalent damage to marine bio-diversity and ecological balance (to the detriment of man’s interest) worldwide. Once an accidental ‘by-catch’, sharks are now relentlessly fished for their meat. The illegal practice of ‘fining’ (removing only the fins and throwing the live sharks back to die) is exploding to meet the demand from the growing middle class in the far east for shark’s fin soup, once a rare ‘delicacy’ only for the rich.
So little is known about this magnificent creature, that the affects of their loss is still not fully understood. What is known is, in their role as scavengers of the sea, their loss will result in a much more polluted ocean, which will result in increased carbon dioxide, as the ocean attempts to clean itself. Point is, we need them more than we think we do!
If you want more on all this, start with Rob Stewart's movie: Sharkwater. It will change your entire perception of these unbelievable creatures...
To bring some awareness and much needed funding, my wife and I climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, to raise money for our respective causes...
Check out hers at: Victoria's donation page for the Kili climb!
(but please remember that shark's don't get nearly the attention they deserve because they are so less cute and popular - much like me- but that doesn't mean they aren't still needed!!!)
My chosen charity, the Shark & Coral Conservation, is a great cause and does some great work in the area of shark conservation...
All money raised will go to the charity! We paid for logistics (flights etc.) ourselves.
Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.
So please dig deep and donate now.