With Easter just around the corner, rabbits are enjoying their “holiday spotlight”. The same goes for two of SeaWorld San Diego’s newest animal ambassadors: Bigwig and Clover. They’re both Flemish Giant Rabbits, which is one of the largest domesticated breeds in the world. How large, you ask? Well, it isn’t unusual for males and females (bucks and does) to average between 16 to 20 pounds. That is a lot of fluff and cute to love!

On Wednesday, we celebrated International Polar Bear Day at SeaWorld San Diego’s Wild Arctic by unveiling a project that brought several departments together to build a conservation message. The idea to build a polar bear out of plastic bags came from a friend I met in Canada while participating in Polar Bears International Leadership Camp.

Each year, we sponsor the SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment Outstanding Environmental Educator of the Year award. This award recognizes and rewards an exceptional educator who is working at the grassroots level to protect and preserve the environment.

I love working in the education and conservation department here at SeaWorld San Diego. Our newest area, Pole to Pole, is one of the reasons why. When we heard that we were going to have the opportunity to participate in something that has never been done before, all of us jumped on board.

Cameroon is one of the last places on earth still home to wild gorillas and chimpanzees. Sadly, much of the local population is unaware of this rich biodiversity and has never even seen a live gorilla. This lack of knowledge and appreciation makes achieving conservation action in the area a great challenge. Luckily, an organization called Ape Action Africa is focusing its efforts on bringing gorillas and chimpanzees back from the brink of extinction.

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and the Cahoon Elementary Magnet School of Animal Science have teamed up to provide students with a innovative, year-long program that will challenge children to strategize solutions regarding some of our world’s greatest conservation challenges. The project is called “Conservation Matters” and allows children to apply the abstract knowledge of Language Arts, Social Studies, Math and Science directly to real-life conservation challenges.

20 healthy sea turtles are being returned to the wild by SeaWorld animal experts. The turtles were rescued from the frigid waters of Cape Cod back in December and after intensive care at the New England Aquarium were flown to SeaWorld in Orlando.

Kathleen Gass, left, SeaWorld animal expert, introduces a roseate spoonbill to Kaitlyn Jones at Princeton Elementary School.

What do 200 kids, a bald eagle, a pair of penguins, a mock sea turtle rescue, a life-sized inflatable grey whale and a pledge to save the environment all have in common?