TUCSON, Ariz.— The Center for Biological Diversity will give away more than 40,000 free Endangered Species Condoms on Valentine’s Day in the most sexually satisfied cities in the country to help couples consider population growth's threat to wildlife and the planet.
The colorful condom packages include species threatened by human population growth and slogans like “Wrap with care, save the polar bear” and “When you’re feeling tender, think about the hellbender.”
They will be distributed by Center staff and volunteers in Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, Cincinnati, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, Denver, Austin, Boise, Chicago and Columbus, Ohio — cities deemed by Men’s Health to be the top-rated 10 U.S. cities for sexual satisfaction. They’ll be given away at over-21 events at museums and science centers, at community gatherings and on college campuses.
“You can bet a lot of couples in these cities will get lucky this Valentine's Day,” said Sarah Baillie, Endangered Species Condoms coordinator at the Center. “But the more people we crowd onto the planet, the less room there is for animals and plants. We’re in the midst of a heartbreaking wildlife extinction crisis, and safe sex is one important way to turn things around.”
In the past 50 years, as the human population has more than doubled, wildlife populations have been halved. The United Nations predicts that the global population will reach 9.8 billion by 2050 and exceed 11 billion by 2100. At the beginning of 2020, there were more than 330 million people living in the United States. There are more than 7.6 billion people on the planet, with the United States ranked as the third-most populous country.
Scientists agree that we are currently in the midst of the planet's sixth mass wildlife extinction, with more than a million species threatened in the coming decades. While previous extinction periods were driven by geological or cosmic factors, the current crisis is caused by human activities.
“Population pressure, and the habitat loss that comes with it, is a key driver in this crisis. It's important to bring family planning into the environmental conversation,” said Baillie. “Endangered Species Condoms make starting that conversation easier, and they’re a more interesting Valentine than the standard flowers and chocolate.”
Endangered Species Condoms are wrapped in colorful packages featuring nine different endangered species and information about the impact of runaway human population growth on polar bears, monarch butterflies and other imperiled wildlife. The Center has given away more than a million free Endangered Species Condoms since 2009.
The Center's population and sustainability program uses creative media to promote a range of common-sense solutions like access to family planning and reproductive health services, as well as education, opportunity and equal rights for women and girls.