Toronto, March 03, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WWF-Canada is celebrating World Wildlife Day today by setting its panda mascot loose on the TTC to raise awareness about wildlife loss and how people can help at-risk species by joining its CN Tower Climb for Nature.

Need some extra motivation to take the stairs? WWF’s panda, a global symbol for conservation, will be at Queen Station cheering on people skipping the escalator and taking the steps, which have been adorned with the names of species that need our help.

Media are invited to join in the fun by racing our panda up and down the stairs as it trains for the climb. WWF-Canada’s big cat expert Rinjan Shrestha will be on hand to talk about the CN Tower Climb for Nature and answer questions about the state of wildlife in Canada and around the globe.

WHAT: WWF’s panda mascot will be loose in Queen Station to raise awareness about wildlife loss and how people can step up this spring.

WHEN: Friday, March 3 from 11 a.m. to noon

WHERE: Queen subway station, main stairwell.

WHO: 

• WWF panda mascot
• Dr. Rinjan Shrestha, WWF-Canada’s lead specialist, Asian big cats

WHY:

Globally, wildlife populations have dropped 69 per cent on average since 1970. And it’s not just tigers, pandas and other far away species. Here in Canada, we have more than 800 species at risk of extinction. Most of them — from humpback whales to bumblebees — are not recovering. WWF’s CN Tower Climb for Nature is one way people can step up for wildlife by supporting crucial conservation work.

About World Wildlife Day:

March 3 is World Wildlife Day. It is a United Nations international day to celebrate the world's wild animals and plants and the contribution that they make to our lives and the health of our planet.

About WWF’s CN Tower Climb for Nature:

• Visit wwf.ca/cntower to register as an individual or with a team.
• WWF’s CN Tower Climb for Nature is a two-day event that brings together thousands of people to raise funds that will help halt and reverse wildlife loss.
• The climb takes place on Saturday, April 15 from 6 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. and Sunday, April 16, 2023, from 7 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
• WWF-Canada is one of only two charities that hosts climbs in the iconic landmark’s 144-floor stairwell. The 2023 CN Tower Climb for Nature will be the first time the stairwell has been open to climbers since 2019.
• In 2019, the event raised $1.4 million for conservation efforts in Canada.
• Since WWF-Canada held its first-ever climb in 1991, more than 135,000 people have stepped up for wildlife and helped deliver big conservation results from nearly tripling Nepal’s wild tiger population to advancing protection for hundreds of thousands of square kilometres of critical habitat for Arctic species.

About World Wildlife Fund Canada 
WWF-Canada is committed to equitable and effective conservation actions that restore nature, reverse wildlife loss and fight climate change. We draw on scientific analysis and Indigenous guidance to ensure all our efforts connect to a single goal: a future where wildlife, nature and people thrive. For more information visit wwf.ca.