The Honolulu Cookie Company announced a partnership with the Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology to save stranded whales and dolphins in Hawaiʻi. The company will donate part of the proceeds from the sale of its Whale Collection cookies to support HIMB’s Marine Mammal Stranding Research and Rescue Initiative and is asking for the public’s support with HIMB’s research and conservation efforts.
Every year there are at least 25 reported strandings of marine mammals in Hawaiʻi. Many of these stranded mammals can be saved with sufficient volunteers and the facilities equipped to enable care and rehabilitation.
In 2016, HIMB will open operations in a new marine mammal-stranding center, also known as a whale and dolphin hospital, to respond to and rescue stranded marine mammals throughout the Hawaiian Islands. The hospital aims to save the 20 species of dolphins and whales found in Hawaiʻi, which are a crucial part of the state’s delicate marine ecosystem. HIMB’s care for and research of rescued whales and dolphins is only possible through the generosity of the public’s donations and support.
Every box of Honolulu Cookie Company’s Whale Collection cookies will include a special insert explaining HIMB’s Marine Mammal Stranding Research and Rescue Initiative and include a call-to-action to support HIMB’s conservation efforts. Additionally, Honolulu Cookie Company has partnered with HIMB to create a website to educate the public about the Institute’s research and rescue efforts—whale.soest.hawaii.edu. The company will also provide educational information about the program at their retail locations on Oʻahu and Maui.
To kick-start the initiative, Honolulu Cookie Company will donate $5,000 towards the research efforts of HIMB.
Get involved
The public can get involved and support HIMB’s efforts through donations. Visit whale.soest.hawaii.edu or call (808) 236-7401 for more information.
Another way for the public to get involved is to stop by Honolulu Cookie Company’s retail locations to get more information about this initiative.
—By Marcie Grabowski
