Kids like you can make a difference for wildlife and the environment. Meet some inspiring young heroes who have turned their love of animals into action! 

Jack Dalton, Author of Kawan the Orangutan: Lost
in the Rainforest

Jack Dalton (age 13) loves orangutans. It all started when he was 8 years old during a visit to the Memphis Zoo. That’s where he learned that orangutans are very cute, very smart, and very endangered. (They also have red hair—just like Jack’s!) What endangers them? People cut down the rainforests in Malaysia and Indonesia where orangutans live. They do this to plant palm trees to make palm oil. And orangutans can’t survive without the mix of trees and other plants that make up their natural rainforest home.

Jack knew he had to tell the world about the danger orangutans are in. So, he started a YouTube channel to make educational videos about the endangered apes. He also began visiting schools, museums, and zoos to spread the word. And he wrote a book with a zookeeper named Lexi Yang. She’s the zookeeper he met on that visit to the Memphis Zoo when he was 8! The book is called Kawan the Orangutan: Lost in the Rainforest.

Last year, Jack won the Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes. He’s our hero, too! Learn more about Jack and how you can help orangutans at kidconservationist.com.

Meet more kid superstars!

Do you have a story to share about helping wildlife and the environment? Email us at buzz@nwf.org. We love hearing everyone’s stories, but we are able to feature only a few of them. All submissions become the property of the National Wildlife Federation.