Center for Biological Diversity


For Immediate Release, July 9, 2015

Contact:  Leigh Moyer, (520) 623-5252 x 313, lmoyer@biologicaldiversity.org 

10,000 Endangered Species Condoms to Be Given Away for World Population Day

Condom, Photo Campaign Highlights Impact of Human
Population Growth on Local Endangered Wildlife

TUCSON, Ariz.— As part of World Population Day on Saturday, the Center for Biological Diversity is distributing 10,000 free Endangered Species Condoms across the United States to highlight the pressure human population growth puts on local wildlife. The condoms will be given away by volunteers in 28 states where the species featured on the condom packages are most endangered.

“Human population growth and increased consumption are driving extinction rates 1,000 times higher than the normal background rate,” said Leigh Moyer, the Center’s population organizer. “These condoms are a great way to get the conversation started about a serious issue. When we have dedicated volunteers distribute condoms in their neighborhoods and explain that extinction isn’t just a problem somewhere else but a problem everywhere, including in our own backyards, individuals can make better decisions for their families and for all wildlife, including local species.”

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, monarch butterflies and other imperiled wildlife. The Center has given away 600,000 free Endangered Species Condoms since 2009.

“I’m volunteering because I’m a wildlife biologist and see the importance of protecting wildlife every day,” said Marija Minic, a condom distribution volunteer in Las Vegas, Nev., where monarch butterflies and other species face threats from human population growth. “An increasing human population puts a strain on our resources, taking them away from wildlife.”

Scientists agree that we are currently in the midst of the planet’s sixth mass wildlife extinction. While previous extinction periods were driven by geological or cosmic factors, the current crisis is caused by human activities.

In addition to distributing Endangered Species Condoms, the Center is also launching an online photo gallery today featuring crowd-sourced photos of wildlife trying to survive in human neighborhoods, from turtles in the road to a red-tailed hawk perched on a swimming pool fence. The photos, submitted via social media by people using the hashtag #CrowdedPlanet, show what sharing a crowded planet with wildlife looks like around the country.

To view the gallery or for more information on how to submit your own photos showing how population pressure affects wildlife in your own backyard, visit the #CrowdedPlanet webpage.

World Population Day, July 11, was 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.

The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 900,000 members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places.


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