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Wolves can’t ask for food. Whales can’t stop ship traffic. Black-footed ferrets can’t stop habitat loss. Most Americans value wildlife and wild places, and when it comes to protecting wildlife, political affiliation does not matter. What matters is preserving habitat, giving wildlife a chance at survival and keeping our Earth inhabitable. Politicians hold great sway over the decisions protecting the environment. Fortunately, we hold great sway in choosing our politicians.

Whether your favorite species is a polar bear, orca or something in between, there's always a reason to vote for wildlife. Be sure you're registered to vote.

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Vote for Manatees

What's At Stake? Manatees are extremely vulnerable to numerous threats, including habitat destruction, watercraft strikes, climate change and water pollution. More than 1,000 died in 2021 alone. We are calling on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to prioritize safeguarding and securing manatee habitat to prevent further unprecedented loss.

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Vote for Sage-Grouse

What’s At Stake? Greater sage-grouse populations have declined 80% since 1965. Unfortunately, Congress has prevented the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from considering the birds for protection under the Endangered Species Act. 

Vote for Bears

What's at stake? Grizzly bears are an icon of the Alaskan wilderness, but only occupy less than 2% of their former range in the lower 48, in 5 of 6 grizzly bear recovery areas. For long-term grizzly bear recovery to be successful, we will have to find ways to coexist. Defenders continues to make strides in our bear awareness outreach and education, and in expanding our Electric Fencing Incentive Program.

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Are You Voting for Wildlife?

Pledge to vote in this November’s elections.

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Vote for Red Wolves

What’s At Stake? This All-American wolf once ranged from Pennsylvania to Florida and as far west as Texas, but now no more than 25 wolves survive in the wild in North Carolina today. Without reintroductions and proper agency management, these wolves may blink out entirely from the Southeast.

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Vote for Climate

What's at stake? Climate change is accelerating the melting of sea ice, bleaching coral reef systems, causing severe wildfires and hurricanes, and threatening the biodiversity of our planet.

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Vote for Red Knots

What's at stake? For such a small bird, red knots sure can go the distance. Some of these Atlantic shorebirds travel 9,000 miles between seasons, stopping only to eat horseshoe crab eggs along the way. But overharvest of crabs means slim pickings for famished red knots, with populations now dwindling by the year.

Vote for Landscapes

What's at stake? Protection of habitat is essential for wildlife conservation, to ensure imperiled species have space and ecosystems to support their recovery. With the ambitious but achievable goal of protecting 30% of the world’s land by 2030, every public land parcel and protected space counts.

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Vote for Sea Otters

What's at stake? For sea otters in the Pacific, oil spills and pollution continue to poison their habitat. Human interactions, including boat strikes, fishing gear entanglement and aggression or disruption from boaters, also pose a significant threat to these playful creatures.

Vote for Sea Turtles

What's at stake? For turtles, the ocean is full of dangers, from offshore drilling to fishing gear to plastic debris, and on land habitat destruction and artificial lighting endanger nesting and hatching sea turtles.

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Vote for Right Whales

What's at stake? North Atlantic right whales encounter vessel traffic, fishing gear, seismic testing and other hazards on their annual migrations between their North Atlantic feeding grounds and their calving grounds in warmer waters. Right whale experts believe there are fewer than 400 right whales alive today.

Vote for Mexican Gray Wolves

What’s At Stake? El lobo is the most endangered subspecies of gray wolf and while the population is growing, compromised genetics and human misconceptions threaten the species' recovery.

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Vote for Jaguars

What's At Stake? The survival of jaguars in the U.S. is uncertain due to habitat loss along the southern border, while trophy hunting and illegal trafficking are a major challenge in Latin America.

Vote for Polar Bears

What's At Stake? Climate change, and the loss of sea ice habitat, is the greatest threat to polar bears. But as rules change and protections disappear, the oil and gas industry may soon paint a more ominous picture for Arctic habitat.

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Vote for Black-Footed Ferrets

What’s At Stake? Once thought to be extinct in the wild, there are now around 350 black-footed ferrets, but loss of habitat, loss of prairie dogs, plague and human intolerance threaten their comeback. 

Vote for Orcas

What’s at Stake? In the Pacific Northwest, dam removal could bring more salmon back to the Columbia River basin, feeding the region’s starving southern resident orcas.

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Vote for Gray Wolves

What’s at Stake? In many states, wolves once again are protected from threats to their survival – but in the Northern Rockies, the deadly crisis continues. During the 2021-2022 hunting season, 24 Yellowstone wolves were killed in neighboring Wyoming, Montana and Idaho.

Vote for Belugas

What’s At Stake? There are less than 300 Cook Inlet belugas remaining in Alaska, and potential oil lease sales pose a threat. Time is running out to save the species. 

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