Gift Guide:
The Animal Lover
“Animals of the World” t-shirt from Snorgtees
01
$20
This funny-cute shirt renames animals with more accurate names, such as “sea flap flap” for a manta ray or “danger noodle” for snake. Anyone who appreciates a good graphic tee will love this one.
Donation to an animal-related charity/organization
02
$up to you
Some people avoid giving donations as presents because the person doesn’t physically get anything, but it’s one of the best gifts you can give to someone who really wants to make a difference. Print out a certificate to give as a gift saying that you gave a donation in your recipient’s name. We recommend American Humane, African Wildlife Foundation, Best Friends Animal Society, American Welfare Institute, The Humane Society of the United States, or Wildlife Conservation Society as great organizations to make the most impact. Donating to these charities in honor of someone who loves animals is both thoughtful and meaningful and we couldn’t recommend it more.
WWF animal adoption kit
03
$55
If a physical gift is important to you, but you still want to support an animal welfare organization, the adoption kits from WWF are a great option. There are 140 species to choose from & you can sort by threat level to the animal. There are 3 levels for each adoption kit, but we recommend the $55 adoption kit, which includes a plush stuffed animal, photo, adoption certificate, & species info card. Honestly, you don’t get much more for $100, so if you want to spend more, you’re better off donating the rest directly to maximize impact. This is a particularly awesome gift if you happen to know your recipient’s favorite animal (bonus points if it’s exotic because there probably aren’t many other places they’ll get a pangolin, cottontop tamarin, or Tasmanian devil stuffed animal). Heads up, there aren’t stuffed animals for the white-cheeked gibbon, quokka, dugong (there is for the manatee), mandrill, 3-toed sloth (weirdly though there is one for the 2-toed sloth & sloth bear), kangaroo (sub wallaby), red-tailed hawk, coatimundi, or hyena. That still means they do have 131 different stuffed animals (species) – color us impressed.
Jungle vibes pillow cover by Alexa K
04
$39
To introduce the perfect pop of animal vibes into a contemporary living room, get someone this cool cushion cover that features a tiger, leopards, & zebras. There are 2 versions of the cover – one with a natural background, animal outlines, & green leaf accents, the other with a black background, red animals, & green leaf accents. This design is by Alexa K, a Swiss label of high-end accessories that are environmentally sustainable in both sourcing & production.
A room spray by Sydney Hale Co.
05
$24
Sydney Hale Co. makes hand crafted home fragrances, candles, lotions, & soaps, and donates 10% of their profits to support animal rescue organizations. Their room sprays come in 14 scents and make a nice less obvious animal-themed gift, especially for an animal lover who has pet smells around their house.
Socks that protect animals
06
$15 for a single pair or $45 for a gift box
Okay so everyone likes to give socks a hard time, saying they’re the worst gift. But that’s just a cliché – if you’re giving your dad boring socks from Walmart because you couldn’t think of anything else, yeah, that sucks. But nowadays socks have had a coolness resurgence with all sorts of fun designs and now even ones that support different causes. Conscious Step creates quality socks that give back to various causes through partnerships with charity organizations. The “Protect Animals Gift Box” ($45) has 3 pairs, each supporting a different animal cause: the shark socks contribute to Oceana protecting the world’s oceans; the elephant socks combat illegal wildlife trafficking through Conservation International; the paw print socks end the killing of dogs in America’s shelters through Best Friends Animal Society. The “Protect Wild Animals Gift Box” ($45) focuses specifically on empowering wildlife rangers fighting to protect animals from poachers, in partnership with Conservation International; the socks themselves are black & white giraffe, cheetah, & zebra prints. You can also get the shark, giraffe, cheetah, & zebra socks individually ($15 each), as well as a polar bear pair that protects vulnerable species in the arctic from climate change impacts (also $15). Conscious Step is regularly adding new designs & projects, so the actual offerings are likely to change, but we’re sure there will always be at least a few options for animal lovers. With a sustainable supply chain, organic cotton, ethical workplace guarantees, and vegan & fair trade certified products, gifting Conscious Step socks is far from lame.
Quirky animal cloth dinner napkin set
07
$35-43
These dinner napkin sets by Etsy seller NaughtyCatApparel work for any occasion, although they make a particularly great housewarming gift. Two of the sets feature more unusual animal scenes (random or nautical, $35 each for a set of 4), while the other two feature portrait-style animal images (safari or woodland, $35 each for a set of 4). The safari set also comes as a full set of 6 for $43. These stain & wrinkle resistant napkins are 100% cotton printed with eco-friendly water-based inks that are soft & smooth to the touch.
Random set prints: green bear playing the cello, red penguin in a top hat, yellow giraffe rollerblading, aqua whale on a bike
Nautical set prints: red lobster with a harp, purple octopus in a bathtub, orange goldfish with an umbrella, blue whale with butterfly wings
Safari set prints: green crocodile, orange lion, black zebra, yellow giraffe, grey elephant, purple hippo
Woodland set prints: maroon owl, sepia squirrel, green hedgehog, orange fox
Get the random set, nautical set, safari set, or woodland set on Etsy.
Animal pouch by FEED
08
$38
FEED is an awesome company where each purchase you make feeds children in schools around the world. Their animal pouch collection is comprised of 3 different designs – panda, giraffe, or elephant – each of which costs $38 and provides 10 meals. For some strange reason (or website mistake?), the elephant version provides 25 school meals instead of 10. We love these handy pouches because they’re super useful, cute, and versatile.
Bat house
09
$45 or $80
A bat house makes a super unique gift for an animal lover who wants to help a species dealing with habitat loss. We recommend one by Coveside Conservation Products or the Organization for Bat Conservation. The Coveside “BATchelor Pad Bat House” ($45) has features not found on plain "bat boxes": thick weather-resistant white pine walls for insulation, screen for easy climbing, & an "echolocation" slot that guides them home. It has an extended landing area that creates a handy entrance, with an interior screen for easy entrance and access. Inside are narrow partitions for nesting areas; and a front slot offers ventilation and echolocation for the bats. This model holds up to 30 bats. The second model ($80), designed specially by the Organization for Bat Conservation, is larger, holding up to 100 bats. It's made of weather-resistant cedar & plywood. Interior nylon mesh makes it easy for bats to move around & ventilation slots circulate air. Like the Coveside model, it has an extended landing area for easy entrance. An awesome side benefit to bat houses is that the bats reduce mosquito populations for free, without using harmful insecticides.
Omni reusable water bottle
10
$24
Meet the stylish water bottle that donates 50% of profits to charity. Omni bottles are double-walled stainless steel (condensation free & leak proof), keeping drinks ice cold for up to 24 hours or hot for 12. The 500ml/16.9oz bottles come in turquoise, black, pink, white, or blue, with your choice of minimalistic design. Select the elephant bottle to donate to Save the Elephants, the turtle bottle to donate to Sea Turtle Conservation, the whale to donate to WDC Whale & Dolphin Conservation, the waves to support Sea Shepherd UK protecting oceans & marine life, the orangutan bottle to donate to International Animal Rescue, or the polar bear to donate to Defenders of Wildlife.
A PopGrip benefiting the Wildlife Conservation Network
11
$15
If you haven’t seen Popsockets around, they’re those pop up grips you can stick to the back of your cellphone to use to better hold your phone or as a stand to prop it up. Popsockets offers 42 PopGrip designs that donate 50% of your purchase to the Wildlife Conservation Network. To be fair, of those 42 designs, quite a few are childish / not super attractive, but there are still plenty of good choices. Our favorites include Let Them Be, I’m All Ears, Rhino Soul, Cosmic Giraffe, Penguin Love & Blue Whale.
A bottle of ONEHOPE wine that gives back to animals
12
$25-60
Wine that supports charity – that’s a winning combo. ONEHOPE was founded by 8 friends who claim to be equally committed to quality wine & the causes they support, one of which is animals. Filter by cause & select “Animals” to view the current wines that help fund pet adoptions or endangered species education. To date (as of May 2020), they have helped 80,951 pets find a forever home and educated 7,050,285 people about saving endangered species.
A piece of jewelry* from The Pangolin Collection by Mulberry Mongoose
*Don’t skim past this just because you’re shopping for a man & think of jewelry as a gift only for women
13
$65-105
“The Pangolin Collection by Mulberry Mongoose is the perfect Christmas gift for those that want to give back to conservation while gifting unique hand-crafted jewelry with an incredible story. Made in Zambia, Africa by empowered local women the jewelry is carefully crafted using repurposed snare wire. The wire is then transformed through hard work and passion into beautiful jewelry. With every sale $5 is donated to anti-snare patrols and an additional $5 is donated to the Pangolin Crisis Fund to protect these beautiful and highly endangered animals.” – Wildlife Conservation Network. The Pangolin Collection pieces are designed to resemble pangolin scales, which we think makes them extra interesting & meaningful. The collection has a necklace ($92 in copper, $99 in silver), a women’s bracelet ($99 in silver), a men’s bracelet ($103 in silver), earrings ($85 in copper, $105 in silver), a women’s ring ($65 in copper, $71 in silver), and a men’s ring ($67 in copper, $74 in silver). Every piece comes in a unique, locally-sewn pouch of traditional chitenge material (which is traditionally used by Zambians to hold, wrap, protect, & carry things that are special).
Get a necklace, copper bracelet, silver bracelet, earrings, or ring from Mulberry Mongoose.
A unique animal-shaped paper lamp kit by OWL paperlamps
14
$30-77
These cool lamps are inspired by the origami art of folding paper figures & designed in Lisbon, Portugal. They come as a DIY papercraft kit, so whoever you give this to will get to build their lamp themselves, adding a hands-on element to the gift. We like these lamps because they combine art & functionality, and still add to a space even when turned off. Choose from humpback whale ($56), baby elephant ($35), roaring hippo ($50), elephant family ($77), parrot ($52), lazy hippo ($43), small penguin ($47), emperor penguin ($56), big elephant ($56), rabbit ($30), night owl ($49), sperm whale ($43), tortoise ($49), & barn owl ($30). You also will need to choose from 8 color options – so many choices! Make sure you select the “+ bulb” option so you’re not *that guy*.
Animorphia postcards by Kerby Rosanes
15
$11
Artist Kerby Rosanes, known for his popular Sketchy Stories blog & his internationally bestselling coloring books Imagimorphia, Fantomorphia, Geomorphia, & Mythomorphia, created the Animorphia world that’s featured on this set of 20 cards. Unlike a traditional coloring book, these postcards can be sent out to friends, colored or uncolored. Fans of adult colorbooks will love the intricate, imaginative illustrations of the whales, dragons, bears, elephants, camels, and other beautiful animals in this set.
An animal-themed bracelet from DivinityLA
16
$20
DivinityLA is a group of LA artisans who make meaningful, handmade bracelets with semi-precious gemstones & symbols of inspiration – and each bracelet gives back to a related charity. There are 14 animal-themed, beaded, stretch bracelets, each designed around a specific animal, its symbolism, and a charity that helps that species. Choose from the following, each listed in the format “Bracelet name (animal charm if different than name): semi-precious stones used; symbolic meaning; 10% of profits from this bracelet go to __________ ”:
- Koala: grey agate & howlite; appreciate & enjoy moments without letting troubles of life weigh too heavily; The Australian Koala Foundation (AKF)
- Ella (elephant): agate & howlite; patience & strength in daily interactions; International Elephant Foundation (IEF)
- Giraffe: picasso jasper & howlite; aim high for new & exciting opportunities; the Giraffe Conservation Foundation (GCF)
- The Panda: matte onyx & howlite; optimism & positive thinking; Pandas International
- Lion: wooden line jasper & howlite; courage & confidence to never give up; the Black Jaguar-White Tiger Foundation
- Humble Bee (bee hive): yellow agate & howlite; savoring life’s sweetness; conserving honey bees
- Penguin: agate & howlite; working together for the good of many; preserve penguin life
- Butterfly: amethyst & howlite; embracing self-transformation; the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation’s Monarch Butterfly & Pollinators Conservation Fund
- Owl: howlite; following your intuition; Urban Bird Foundation’s Burrowing Owl Conservation Program
- The Sea Turtle: aventurine & howlite; slow & steady to reach your goals; the Sea Turtle Conservancy (STC)
- Hatchling: howlite & African turquoise; be bold & brave when welcoming new adventures; the Sea Turtle Conservancy (STC)
- Dolphin: howlite & angelite; see the good in everyone & everything; help preserve dolphins
- Blue Whale: howlite & jasper sea sediment; speak up & out; cleaning our oceans
- Paw: amazonite & howlite; loyalty, friendship, & caring for others; Dogs Without Borders (LA foster-based rescue)
Books
Pet-tecture: Design for Pets by Tom Wainwright
17
$25
“The perfect book for design-conscious pet owners and animal lovers alike, Pet-tecture presents an irresistible assortment of hundreds of houses and objects by the world's leading designers, created with our furred and feathered friends in mind - from cats and dogs to birds, rabbits, horses, fish, mice, guinea pigs - even kangaroos and turtles! Whether it's playful cat trees, concrete dog homes, luxury chicken coops, 3D-printed fish tanks, or a dog-shaped cat scratcher, Pet-tecture has the incredible range of design for animals covered. This compact and portable book Includes works by some of the biggest names in global architecture and design, including Nendo, Kenya Hara, Sou Fujimoto, MAD Architects, Kengo Kuma, and Shigeru Ban.” – Phaidon
Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer
18
$8.50
“Jonathan Safran Foer spent much of his life oscillating between enthusiastic carnivore and occasional vegetarian. Once he started a family, the moral dimensions of food became increasingly important...Faced with the prospect of being unable to explain why we eat some animals and not others, Foer set out to explore the origins of many eating traditions and the fictions involved with creating them. Traveling to the darkest corners of our dining habits, Foer raises the unspoken question behind every fish we eat, every chicken we fry, and every burger we grill. Part memoir and part investigative report, Eating Animals is a book that, in the words of the Los Angeles Times, places Jonathan Safran Foer ‘at the table with our greatest philosophers.’” – Goodreads
Get it from Better World Books online (or find it at your local independent bookstore).
Green Burgers: Creative Vegetarian Recipes for Burgers & Sides by Martin Nordin
19
$22
We are convinced this is the most beautiful cookbook about burgers to ever exist. While the recipes are pretty involved for the most part, the photography is stunning, the burgers are creative, and there are chapters on buns, sides, and sauces to round out the ultimate veggie burger meal. Honestly, this book is so well designed, even if they never make the recipes, you know you are giving the vegetarian in your life a bookshelf staple.
Get it from Better World Books online (or find it at your local independent bookstore).
Social Animals by Berkley Illustration
20
$19
“Are you a top dog, a social butterfly or an odd duck? Regardless, we are all social animals. Enter the Berkley Bestiary, an imaginative collection of animal portraits and stories from Lucy and Ryan Berkley. This whimsical compendium is guaranteed to delight readers of all ages, as we begin to see ourselves—and other animals—in a whole new light.” – Buyolympia
Animals of a Bygone Era: An Illustrated Compendium by Maja Säfström
21
$15-30
While Stockholm-based artist Maja Säfström’s original book focuses on interesting facts about living animals, we prefer her hand-illustrated compendium of extinct animals. The former (entitled Illustrated Compendium of Amazing Animal Facts) comes across as more juvenile, making it a great children’s book gift, but Animals of a Bygone Era works better for a larger age range. This could just be because most of us know less (if anything) about extinct species as opposed to living species, so the information is new & surprising. This lovely little book features 54 extinct animals, such as dodo birds, semiaquatic sea minks, & marsupial Tasmanian tigers, each illustrated in a whimsical style. While you can get a copy of the book for only $15, Säfström sells a signed version with a print for $30 on her own site – she will write a custom message and she hand-packages it herself with some really cute touches.
National Geographic the Photo Ark Limited Earth Day Edition: One Man's Quest to Document the World's Animals Book by Joel Sartore
22
$35
“Photographer Joel Sartore’s lifelong project to make portraits of the world’s endangered species conveys a powerful message: To know these animals is to save them. With a foreword by acting legend Harrison Ford, this special Earth Day edition of this book is sure to inspire wonder and joy in your home.” – National Geographic. Sartore has contributed to National Geographic magazine for 30 years and was named 2018 National Geographic Explorer of the Year. Through his National Geographic Photo Ark project, he plans on photographing every animal species under human care, an estimated 12,000. In 2017, a 3-part PBS/Nova special, Rare, featured his work and as of Nov 2018, he had photographed nearly 9,000 species.
