U.S. Postal Service to Help Save Vanishing Species
Tigers. African and Asian elephants. Rhinos. Great apes. Marine turtles. The U.S. Postal Service unveiled a stamp Wednesday on Capitol Hill at the Annual Association of Zoos and Aquariums reception that could help save them all.
When issued in September, net proceeds from the sales of the Save Vanishing Species semipostal stamp will be transferred to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to support the Multinational Species Conservation Funds.
[ Also Read: Were the Animals Safe in Water for Elephants? ]“This stamp marks the fourth semipostal issued by the Postal Service. These types of stamps provide an extremely convenient way for the American public to contribute to help protect threatened and vanishing species,” said deputy postmaster general Ron Stroman.
“We look forward to working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Multinational Species Coalition to make this stamp a resounding success.”
[ Also Read: Fish Habitat Restoration at Liberty Island ]The Save Vanishing Species stamp can be preordered at usps.com/shop. It features an illustration of a tiger cub by artist Nancy Stahl.
The artwork on the full sheet of 20 stamps is dark green and includes silhouettes of a rhinoceros, a tiger, a gorilla, Asian and African elephants and a marine turtle.
Stahl based both the stamp art and the silhouettes on photographs of wildlife. The phrases “Save Vanishing Species” and “Amur tiger cub” appear on the left side of the stamp. Derry Noyes served as the art director, designer and typographer for the stamp.
Five million sheets of stamps will be printed initially and reprints will be based on customer demand. The stamps will sell for 11 cents greater than a First Class Mail stamp — 55 cents — and $11 for a sheet of 20.
