Alyssa Ridenour
ECB Publishing, Inc.
National Geographic has set out on a mission to photograph rare species in zoos and wildlife sanctuaries. By using these photos, National Geographic hopes to help spread education and inspire action to save animals whose species are on the brink of extinction. The initiative is led by photographer Joel Sartore, who has poured his heart and soul into his work. The movement is known as “The National Geographic Photo Ark.”
The project was started in 2006 by Sartore, and he has since photographed over 11,000 species, most of which are portrayed on a white or black background. National Geographic has made it their mission to help animals at risk of extinction by creating programs and raising funds. They have formed a partnership with the Zoological Society of London (ZSL). The Photo Ark is helping conservationists to bring endangered species back to a point where they can exist on their own in the wild again.
Recently, Sartore paid a visit to North Florida Wildlife Center for the third time. Sartore 
photographed several different animals in captivity at the center, including grey-headed swamphens, a great blue turaco, a long-tailed hornbill, a mudskipper, a red-shouldered hawk, a toco toucan chick and a black-casqued wattled hornbill.
“We are so lucky and humbled to be doing such great things with such rare and endangered animals and that we are able to bring National Geographic to Jefferson County, not once, not twice but three times,” said Founding Director Ryan Reines. “We look forward to growing and becoming a bigger part of this beautiful community.”
North Florida Wildlife Center is home to several different types of animals, many of which can never return to the wild. The center has mostly hawks, owls and seabirds but also has animals 
such as kangaroos and lemurs, which they allow guests to feed and interact with.
Species going extinct has become a global crisis. While it is true that extinction is a natural phenomenon, scientists are estimating that we are loosing species thousands of times faster than the normal rate, which is reason for concern, as dozens of species are going extinct daily. An alarmingly large amount of at-risk species are only endangered due to human activities causing habitat loss and destruction, introduction of exotic species and unnatural changes in the weather, such as global warming. Fresh water ecosystems are one of the most endangered habitats in the world. This is directly related to litter, pollution and climate change. Some other causes of endangerment are the introduction of invasive species, pollution, pesticides, pet trade, human population growth 
and over hunting.
To learn more about endangered animals and see them first-hand, make a reservation to visit North Florida Wildlife Center, located at 1386 Cook Rd., in Monticello. They can be contacted by phone at (850) 347-0721, reached via email at nfwctally@gmail.com, searched on Facebook by typing in “North Florida Wildlife Center,” or check out their website at: northfloridawildlifecenter.com. Just reserve a tour time to have a zookeeper give a full guided tour of the center. The cost is $20 for children, $30 for adults and $25 for seniors, students, military personnel and veterans. They also offer a kangaroo and lemur interactive experience. This can be arranged with a zookeeper at the time of the tour. For more information on Nation Geographic's Photo Ark, visit: https://www.nationalgeographic.org/projects/photo-ark/.
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