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Initiatives

vildwerk. is proud to support the following initatives:

#therubyinitiative

vildwerk. is proud to present #therubyinitiative  – a photo exhibition telling the story of a turtle facing extinction – as part of its Opening Season on October 15th and 16th, 2024 telling the story of a turtle facing extinction with works by award winning photographers and visual artists Samantha Bass, Martin Broen and Stephanie Diani.

Ruby is a Burmese Roofed Turtle (Batagur Trivittata) from Myanmar, which is currently a country of civil war amongst its people. She is one of the rarest turtles currently in North America and her kind will soon become extinct.

In fact, Ruby is the very last of her kind and will only live on in photos and memories exhibited in museums thereafter. She arrived in the US after being smuggled across borders from a wet-market in Hong Kong. Ruby is extremely sought after, because many people “collect” rare and almost extinct species as “status symbols” living with them as “pets”. These people regard possessing Ruby and her kind as a status of so-called “power”. “Collectors” pay many hundreds of thousands of Dollars to “possess” such animals. It is a desire to own “the Last Unicorn”.

vildwerk. is grateful for the opportunity of shedding light to Ruby’s plight and her story in the hope of helping to establish an assurance colony of her species with hatchlings being re-wilded to Myanmar, so that this species can thrive in her native habitat in the wild.

Thank you Wildlife Conservation Society, Turtle Conservancy and all of the other dedicated wildlife experts who fight – every single day – for her survival and her vital position in the circle of life and basis of our ecosystem.

Please DONATE to support #therubyinitiative.

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#nameaturtle

“When live wild animals and plants are seized at U.S. ports of entry, it is critical to provide the highest standard of care as quickly as possible. It is also essential to grant safe and appropriate housing for species that cannot be returned to their country of origin.” — Martha Williams, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service director.

Help support a confiscated turtle and form a deeper connection with an animal in need of local conservation efforts.

Name an Eastern Box Turtle, Wood Turtle, Blanding’s turtle, Bog Turtle, Spotted Turtle or Map Turtle and join U.S Fish and Wildlife, together with Turtle Conservancy, in their efforts to re-wild these precious animals back into their native habitat.

Levels of support include:

  1. Name a turtle $100/year
  2. Name a turtle and visit your turtle $250
  3. Name a turtle and take part in annual confiscated turtle counting with US Fish and Wildlife and other volunteers in New Jersey $500.
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#protectthecaves

the yucatán peninsula karst aquifer in mexico is one of the most extensive and spectacular karst aquifer systems on the planet. award winning photographer and design innovator, vildwerk. supporter Martin Broen captured these spectacular underwater caves for the first time in the history in a breathtaking manner like never before. vildwerk. is proud to be part of an initiative that helps support the protection of these caves as national heritage sites. Email [email protected] for more information.

#exploregalapagos

Be a conservationist – Join vildwerk. on April 4th, 2025 for an unforgettable ten day trip to Galápagos aboard National Geographic Endeavour II with Lindblad Expeditions. Experience wildlife conservation at one of the earth’s most diverse hot spots and seek inspiration from Turtle Conservancy board member and keynote speaker Professor Craig Stanford at an unforgettable journey. Places are very limited. Email [email protected] to sign up.