Umigomi Enrichment Project

06/08/2026

🚨Second BIG announcement of the week!🚨

What do empty prescription pill bottles and washed up fishing buoys have in common?

They are both initiatives we are working on to reduce plastic waste and help animals at the same time!

Still in its infancy stages, we are refining the logistics of creating collection sites for the community to drop off their empty, label free, medicine bottles that will then be donated to the KC Pet Project. By reusing the donated bottles instead of buying new, the shelter can put more money into adoption efforts!

Stay tuned for more info as we develop this new and exciting program!!♻️🐾

06/03/2026

🚨First BIG announcement of the week!🚨

We are so extremely excited and so very proud to share that we have donated to our first international zoological facility!

Our Director, Tiffany, recently traveled to Belize as part of a research trip with the Katie Adamson Conservation Fund and Ocean First Institute. While sharks were the main focus, of course she made room in her pack for some buoys.

During her visit to The Belize Zoo & Tropical Education Center, Tiffany was lucky enough to meet up with Mr. Humberto, the zoo’s General Curator, to pass off some ocean trash that will soon become animal treasure.

We’re hoping this is the beginning of a whole new chapter of making even bigger waves for wildlife!!🌊

05/29/2026

Misawa friends- there’s a clean up and picnic happening this weekend if you’re looking for something to do!

05/29/2026

Our first big feature! 🥹

Thank you, Misawa Air Base, for letting more people know how we’re making waves for wildlife!

05/27/2026

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO US!🎂

We made it through our first year as an official nonprofit! We absolutely could not do it without our hardworking board members, incredible volunteers, and bighearted donors. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!

These past 12 months have been amazing and we have even bigger plans for the future… starting with 2 big announcements next week!

05/26/2026

We're introducing a new way to put in requests! Check it out here:
https://form.jotform.com/261348844793066

✨No worries if we are currently working on your package or if you are already on the wait list, nothing changes for you! This new process only applies to orders from here on out.✨

Thanks so much for your continued support!

05/22/2026

Just like beauty, our buoys come in all shapes, colors, and sizes! Peep those tiny white and green ones!

Raja the rhinoceros hornbill’s keeper placed them in a reused jug (double yay!) along with some grapes and crickets to help encourage foraging behaviors.

And surprise! He was more interested in the buoys than his snacks!!🥰

05/18/2026

As much as we wish we could give a second life to all the buoys we find, sadly, that’s just not possible. Most are not suitable for enrichment- they can be cracked, filled with water, or too covered in barnacles.

Our volunteers are AMAZING and have collected, sorted, and shipped us HUNDREDS of pounds of buoys they’ve found on the beaches. But every so often, a less than ideal one makes it to Missouri.

Instead of this cracked beauty making it halfway around the world for nothing, we decided it cut it half and use the still good side! It would be perfect for something similar to the “jellyfish” that JZKeepers AAZK Chapter made!

Plus, it gave us a chance to peek inside and see how thick the plastic really is… which turns out to be thicker than the standard 1/4 inch that most purposely made zoo enrichment balls come in.

05/15/2026

In recognition of today being Endangered Species Day, we encourage everyone to do something good for our planet!

Go for a walk and pick up trash, head to your local library and read about an animal you’ve never heard of, or donate to your favorite conservation project (doesn’t have to be us, there are countless groups doing amazing work out there).

Every little bit helps!🩵

Today is Endangered Species Day.
Did You Know? - 41% of amphibians, 37% of sharks and rays, 36% of reef building corals, 34% of conifers, 26% of mammals, and 12% of birds are threatened with extinction!

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Series 8
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