91Èȱ¬

Put on your blue-footed booby shoes, flutter those butterfly wings or paint on big cat whiskers – whatever your favourite wild animal, step into their "shoes" for the 91Èȱ¬ Wildlife Fund's Wear Your Wildlife To Work Day on Friday 18 June.

Wear Your Wildlife To Work Day is part of the 91Èȱ¬ Wildlife Fund's appeal to help save threatened species and wild places around the world. So support wildlife by swapping your Friday work wear for more animal-friendly fashion – from zebra stripes to leopard spots.

Andrew Marr, 91Èȱ¬ broadcaster and president of the Galapagos Conservation Trust, is wearing his blue shoes to work on Friday 18 June, in support of the Trust's Blue-footed Booby Day – which is part of the wider Wear Your Wildlife To Work Day.

Imitating the bright blue webbed feet of these Galapagos seabirds is just one of many ways to join in. Anything wild goes, but do remember to make a donation to the 91Èȱ¬ Wildlife Fund to avoid wearing your usual work gear.
Find out more and donate at bbc.co.uk/wild/donate, or by calling 03705 100700 (standard geographical charges from landlines and mobiles apply).

One of the highlights of the appeal is a live fundraising extravaganza, Wild Night In, on Sunday 20 June on 91Èȱ¬ Two, from 8-10pm.

Kate Humble, supporter of the 91Èȱ¬ Wildlife Fund and a presenter of Wild Night In, said: "I hope everyone will join in and support the 91Èȱ¬ Wildlife Fund appeal and celebrate the wonder of our natural world through conservation – whether it's restoring humble habitats for dormice or saving majestic species such as sharks.

"Let's all go truly wild and help bring our most vulnerable wildlife back from the brink of extinction."

Amy Coyte, director of the 91Èȱ¬ Wildlife Fund, said: "Never has the need to help save species and restore wild places been more urgent. Working with charities taking positive action across the globe we hope to make a real difference for wildlife."

The 91Èȱ¬ Wildlife Fund's first live appeal programme, Saving Planet Earth, was broadcast in 2007. The appeal raised a total of just under £2m, which has been used to help save threatened species ranging from albatrosses and Galapagos penguins to slow worms and spiders.

Other success stories include securing a vital land corridor for rare African elephants in Namibia and a programme of rabies prevention vaccinations for Ethiopian wolves.

In the UK, the 91Èȱ¬ Wildlife Fund has helped to restore the habitat of the Adonis blue butterfly in Sussex and supported an innovative survey to safeguard the future of Bechstein's bat, one of the UK's rarest mammals.

All of the money donated by the public will be used to support wildlife conservation. Money raised will be distributed via grants to UK registered charities involved in conservation work around the world and also on our doorstep.

Wildlife enthusiasts of all ages can take part in the appeal and celebrate the diversity of life on Earth. A special fundraising pack, full of ideas of how to go Wild For Money at school, work or home, is available from the 91Èȱ¬ Wildlife Fund's website: bbc.co.uk/wild.

Notes to Editors

Image attached: Andrew Marr, 91Èȱ¬ broadcaster, wearing his blue shoes to work.

Please credit: 91Èȱ¬/Thane Bruckland. (Also available at bbcpictures.com, or email: thane.bruckland@bbc.co.uk).

91Èȱ¬ Wildlife Fund (91Èȱ¬WF) was founded by the 91Èȱ¬'s Natural History Unit (NHU) in 2007. Following years of producing outstanding films about wildlife throughout the world and at the same time witnessing alarming declines in the populations of many of the animals filmed, the NHU wanted to address the plight of wildlife.

The 91Èȱ¬WF was formed and its first live appeal programme, Saving Planet Earth, raised £1m on the night. This was added to by donations throughout the year, raising a total of just under £2m. The donations have been disbursed through grants to programmes with a track record of saving species.

The 91Èȱ¬ Wildlife Fund funds conservation action throughout the world. This year's themes for action are: Helping to save our species; conserving, restoring and creating wildlife habitats; homes for wildlife; and engaging people.

The 91Èȱ¬ Wildlife Fund will disburse donations through an open application grant process commencing in October 2010. Grants will be made to UK registered charities, broadly allocating 20 per cent of donations to projects conserving wildlife in the UK and 80 per cent of donations to projects outside the UK.

The 91Èȱ¬ Wildlife Fund is a grant-making charity, registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales, number 1119286, and is constituted as a company limited by guarantee, registered number 6238115.

EDA