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The Galapagos Giant Turtle (Geochelone elephantopus) has a lifespan of well over a century; some individuals may have lived to two centuries. It is also a highly endangered species, due to all the usual reasons.
So, for a hefty sum ($50,000?), allow individuals to "adopt" a particular giant tortoise.
The tortoise is tagged with a radio transponder, but left in the wild. The money is invested to fund conservation efforts.
With your donation, you get visitation rights. Take your family to the Galapagos; conservation staff will take you on a safari to find your turtle. They're large, gentle herbivores; your kids can walk right up, touch the shell, and maybe even go for a "ride" (?).
The neat thing, and the reason the cost is so high, is that the tortoise is a living heirloom. In 200 years, your great-great-great-great-great-great-grandchildren could still be visiting the same tortoise. (Imagine if you could visit a tortoise which an ancestor of yours adopted in 1800!)
When the animal finally dies, the money is refunded to your estate (without interest).
Adopt an endangered manatee.
http://www.savethem...ee.org/adoptpag.htm
Significantly less expensive, but with less benefits for the adoptor. [beauxeault, Apr 15 2001, last modified Oct 21 2004]
[link]
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Sure. Everybody wins. Could also post a website with all sponsored tortoise's current positions, and a brief note of thanks to each of their sponsors. |
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Now, where did I put my wallet?... |
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It can't be that affordable; there are only ~500 left in the wild. |
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I know, but I couldn't find an adoption agency for giant tortoises. The cool thing about the tortoise is the lifespan; most animals won't outlive you, let alone the next six generations of your family. |
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Visitation rights are also important; a big part of the appeal is the ability to feel the shell of the tortoise your great^6 grandparents adopted. |
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Crocodiles live for 200-300 years? Do you have a reference for that? |
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I'm not sure it would be such a great idea to have the kids go up and pet the croc. |
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Defining "lifespan" for a fungus might be tricky; some of them are close to an undifferentiated morass of cells, and who's to say when one "organism" dies and another takes its place? |
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But then, I'm no biologist. |
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I'd like to visit a tortoise an ancestor adopted in 1800. But I just realized I'd rather have my share of the $50,000, with two centuries of compounded interest. |
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"Egnor, you could also do it with crocodiles. Lifespans of 200-300 years." |
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Where did you get this idea from? |
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//I'm not sure it would be such a great idea to have the kids go up and pet the croc// |
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"Strangely, I later learnt that my great-great grandfather had also had a prosthetic hand..." |
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