Note – this post originally appeared in 2014, but the animals are just as cute this year.
Happy Earth Day, Chicago!
The EPA provides plenty of tips for helping protect the environment. We thought we’d spice it up with the most adorable (and sadly, endangered) animals that have lived in Chicago’s zoos and aquariums over the years.
This red wolf pup is all smiles during a check-up at Lincoln Park Zoo. | John J. Kim/Sun-Times
@Walldo Two pups from that litter were "fostered" into the wild! Here's a slideshow of their journey: http://t.co/iyf2dlyZ1p
— Lincoln Park Zoo (@lincolnparkzoo) April 22, 2014
Leaving your car at home twice a week can cut greenhouse gas emissions by 1,600 pounds per year
A snow leopard cub born at Brookfield Zoo last year. | Jim Schulz/Chicago Zoological Society
Recycling electronics helps avoid pollution by capturing and reusing hazardous substances such as lead or chromium
Marley, an endangered Grand Cayman lue iguana at the Shedd Aquarium. | Nam Y. Huh/AP Photo
Not pre-rinsing dishes can save as much as 20 gallons of water per load
A peregrine falcon and her chick on the 25th floor of a building on Michigan Avenue. | Charles Bennett/AP Photo
The average washing machine uses 40.9 gallons of water per load
A pair of African wild dog pups lounging at Brookfield Zoo. | Rich Hein/Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago has retrofitted 7,820 residential units to increase energy-efficiency
Learn more
George Parson, director of collections at Shedd Aquarium, holds up an endangered baby Loggerhead turtle. | Jean Lachat/Sun-Times
A full bathtub requires about 70 gallons of water. a five-minute shower saves 10-25 gallons
An endangered red wolf pup born at Lincoln Park Zoo. | Sun-Times file photo
The meat industry generates nearly one-fifth of the man-made greenhouse gas emissions worldwide
Chuckwalla lizards climb on their mother at Brookfield Zoo. | Jim Schulz/Chicago Zoological Society
Imperial zebras chase each other at Lincoln Park Zoo. | Greg Neise/Lincoln Park Zoo