Pt Defiance Zoo asks community members to snap a 'mug shot' for tigers on National Coffee Day

“Coffee selfies” will help celebrate wildlife-friendly palm oil and companies that use it

Caffeine and conservation reign supreme in the Pacific Northwest. On National Coffee Day, people can celebrate both by thanking the world’s most popular java purveyor — Starbucks — for taking an important step to protect wildlife. All it takes is a “coffee selfie.”

Two Pacific Northwest Zoos — the Oregon Zoo and Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium in Tacoma, Wash., — are asking the public to storm social media with “coffee selfies” from now until National Coffee Day on Sept. 29 to spotlight Starbucks’ commitment to using sustainably produced palm oil and its benefits to tigers, orangutans and other wildlife. The zoos hope the attention will help spur other companies into action on deforestation-free palm oil.

Most coffee drinks do not contain palm oil, but the ingredient is found in many of Starbucks’ scones, muffins, cookies, wraps, drink mixes and other products. When tropical habitats are destroyed to produce palm oil, tigers, elephants and many other species are left homeless. Starbucks has taken the first step in addressing the impacts of their supply chain by committing to purchase 100 percent of their palm oil from sustainable sources by 2015.

Coffee and tea drinkers who want thank Starbucks for its commitment to helping wildlife are urged to take a “mug shot” of themselves enjoying a beverage and post it on social media with the message: “Thank you @Starbucks for choosing wildlife-friendly palm oil #coffeeday.” Starbucks customers who don’t use a reusable mug can draw a tiger nose on the bottom of their white cup for a “tiger coffee selfie.”

Both zoos will retweet and share messages.

“Starbucks is a great example of how common palm oil has become,” said Oregon Zoo education curator Grant Spickelmier. “At some point today, each of us will probably consume palm oil, and there’s no way of knowing whether that palm oil contributed to the loss of an orangutan or elephant or tiger’s habitat. Neither of our zoos have a business relationship with Starbucks, but we’re proud that a global company with Pacific Northwest roots has sent such a powerful message by taking a step to break the link between palm oil and deforestation. This is about honoring a company for doing the right thing for wildlife.”

For the Oregon Zoo community, the palm oil issue hits particularly close to home. Before Chendra became a beloved member of the Oregon Zoo’s elephant family, she was a palm oil orphan. In 1993, the baby pachyderm was discovered wandering near a palm oil plantation — wounded, frightened and alone. A shotgun blast to the face had blinded her right eye. Her family was gone, and her chances of survival were slim.

Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium is a recognized leader in Species Survival Plan breeding programs for the highly endangered clouded leopard. Zookeepers at Point Defiance created the Clouded Leopard Project to raise money for clouded leopard research and education efforts in Southeast Asia focused in communities near palm oil plantations.

“Companies are starting to take steps to ensure that their palm oil doesn’t continue to harm wildlife, but the road to zero deforestation is a long one,” Spickelmier said. “Consumers have the power to change the way companies do business, and as a zoo, we want to inspire our community to use that influence.”

In August, the Oregon Zoo launched its Use Your Reach project, aimed at encouraging companies to pursue deforestation-free palm oil. The program lets people send messages to Starbucks, L’Oréal, General Mills and Kraft. More than 2,900 messages have been sent so far.

Point Defiance Zoo’s Paws for the Cause provides detailed information about palm oil and the ways in which its production can harm wildlife. Website visitors can send messages to Starbucks, Kraft, General Mills and Unilever. Point Defiance Zoo also has joined the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, an international organization that sets standards for certifying that palm oil is produced sustainably.

Karen Povey, the Point Defiance Zoo’s associate education curator, secured funding from the Holly Hogan Reed Conservation Fund for a major initiative to help visitors understand the link between palm oil and deforestation of the native habit for clouded leopards, Sumatran tigers and other wildlife.

“I’ve seen the devastating effect that deforestation for the palm oil industry has on wildlife habitat in Borneo and Sumatra,” Povey said. “But this is a conservation issue that we can solve. By raising our collective voices as consumers, we can encourage companies to adopt practices that protect, not harm, the amazing creatures our communities care so much about.”