Urban Ark Conservation

Happiest piglet ever. Need we say more?! Baby Meishan farrowed 10 days ago are out in the pasture doing what they love to do. Meishans are a lard breed pig known for large litters! These little ones have a lot of growing to do on their rotating pastures. I know its TECHNICALLY goat month, BUT let's just make a cuteness exception for the smiles. ... #meishan #meishanpig #criticallyendangered #conservation #piglife #pig #pigsofinstagram #pigs #picoftheday #pic #piglet #piglets #pigletsofinstagram #urbanarkconservation #farm #farmlife #farmlifebestlife #homestead #homesteading #livestockconservancy #smile #smilemore #smiles #pigsmiles

Babies first steps.... These Meishan piglets took their first steps outside on their own. Daisy did an amazing job keeping them indoors in their nest for about 3 weeks. Today, with the warm sun shinning, she called them to come out. They've had this option all along, but the sedentary lifestyle of the Meishan took over their need to explore. Not today. They came out and ran from the farrowing shed, bouncing all over the yard. It warms my soul to see this critically endangered breed thriving here at Urban Ark Conservation. #meishan #meishanpig #criticallyendangered #conservation #piglife #pig #pigsofinstagram #pigs #picoftheday #pic #piglet #piglets #pigletsofinstagram #urbanarkconservation #farm #farmlife #farmlifebestlife #homestead #homesteading #livestockconservancy

Don't mind our heads in a pumpkin! Just a post our Manga sows enjoying fresh pumpkins courtesy of @heckmanorchards Their support throughout our time here has been a lifesaver! The health of all our animals is greatly enhanced by the fresh produce they provide us with! For pigs, pumpkin provides a great source of Vitamin A and C, and is a rich source of fiber. Plus, they do love breaking them open and diving in! ... #mangalitsa #mangalica #woolypig #pigsofinstagram #pig #pigletsofinstagram #piglets #conservation #urbanarkconservation #rotationalgrazing #pastureraised #homegrownbyheroes #homegrown #homestead #veteranfarmers #veteran #cutepig

Fundraising event coming soon to aid groups who have been hit hard by COVID. Regardless of what is going on in the world, the animals and habitats still need protection. Join us in helping to make sure those putting in that work can continue to do so! #Repost @reptilepreservationinstitute We are excited to be partnering with the @abroniaalliance for our First Fundraising Event! #AbroniAles This year's event will be on Saturday August 29th at 7pm EST via Zoom.... The event will be $25 a ticket which will include access to the zoom presentations, access to exclusive final round auction bidding, a custom glass with the Abroni-Ales logo on it and an Abronia Alliance sticker. You can also show your support by buying an Abronia Alliance T-shirts for $25 or get it all for $45. Send either $25 or $45 to the RPI PayPal to hold your seat! ([email protected]) The proceeds from this years event will be going to Ranchitos del Quetzal in Guatemala, @ranchitosdelquetzal has been affected by COVID-19 like most and can really need our help in protecting the reserve that is home two Abronia species. This event will kick off on August 14th (World Lizard Day) with an online auction! Comment if you want to join us and if you have a favorite Abronia species!

One of our lovely resident males, photographed by Joel a few years ago now!

This is Abronia smithii, a species of the genus with a great deal of phenotypic variability, especially within the females of the species. This particular female is one we're pretty hopeful will provide a litter for us, and boost captive representation for her species. She is more plump than we would anticipate if she was merely holding infertile ova, so fingers crossed . . .... . . #urbanarkconservation #abronia #alligatorlizard #cites #conservation #endangered #endangeredspecies #endangeredanimal #reptiles #wildlife #reptilesofinstagram #iucn #anguidae #cloudforest #montanespecies #arborealalligatorlizard #mexico #guatemala #animalphotography #lizard #lizardsofinstagram #herpetology See more

Though we've remained continually busy through the pandemic, we managed to get some updated photos of a couple of females recently when we had them out for routine health checks! This female Abronia lythrochila is hopefully gestating with a litter of young. She is one of a few we haven't yet performed ultrasounds on, but she has steadily gained girth and density over the last few months We're looking forward to welcoming another generation of captive bred Abronia from vari...ous species this year, here and with other groups which are part of the Abronia Alliance. . . . . . #urbanarkconservation #abronia #alligatorlizard #cites #conservation #endangered #endangeredspecies #endangeredanimal #reptiles #wildlife #reptilesofinstagram #iucn #anguidae #cloudforest #montanespecies #arborealalligatorlizard #mexico #guatemala #animalphotography #lizard #lizardsofinstagram #herpetology See more

A few varieties of sage, some peppermint, all the rosemary, thyme, and oregano you could want! The aquaponics system is filling up nicely! This is just one of four growbeds we've done! We have a little experiment happening in the next one. Hopefully those fruit trees do well! Time will tell! We use 3 types of growing systems in our greenhouse. Beds, DWC, and NFT growing spaces horizontally above and below our workspace. Can't wait to finish up our vertical grow towers!... Stay tuned! #urbanarkconservation #veterans #veteranowned #veteranfarmers #troopstotractors #pennsylvania #sustainability #sustainable #jj #farmlife #farmlifebestlife #farmstead #sustainableagriculture #aquaponics #farmtotable #farmtofork #growyourownfood #foodfuture

During this pandemic, we've been fortunate to have had the increased time to really reorganize animals, which created space for more enclosures for neonates and growouts, and started the process of replacing a fair number of old enclosures. Most importantly, the increased time leaves us with plenty of time around the animals to keep a close eye for babies. Though we are not anticipating too many litters this year, we are looking forward to the years to come once we are in a ...larger space and really able to put all efforts into reproduction and not solely maintaining the health of these wonderful animals. Please remember that if you're home during the pandemic, there are others worse off, or having to work to continue protecting species and habitats in the wild. Visit the link below (also in our bio) to learn more about the projects in Guatemala and consider donating what you're able, and share to spread awareness! ~ https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-the-guatemalan-cloud-forest ~ #urbanarkconservation #abronia #alligatorlizard #cites #conservation #endangered #endangeredspecies #endangeredanimal #reptiles #wildlife #reptilesofinstagram #iucn #anguidae #cloudforest #montanespecies #arborealalligatorlizard #mexico #guatemala #animalphotography #lizard #lizardsofinstagram #herpetology See more

The teams that are helping protect these wonderful species in the wild are continuing their work in these trying times. Typically, much of the work gets funded somewhat through ecotourism, which is one of many industries taking a big hit right now. We are temporarily adding the link to the GoFundMe campaign in our bio that is going toward helping keep these efforts going and so that those working to do so can continue providing for their families as well. Please consider dona...ting what you're able, and share to spread awareness! ~ https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-the-guatemalan-cloud-forest ~ #urbanarkconservation #abronia #alligatorlizard #cites #conservation #endangered #endangeredspecies #endangeredanimal #reptiles #wildlife #reptilesofinstagram #iucn #anguidae #cloudforest #montanespecies #arborealalligatorlizard #mexico #guatemala #animalphotography #lizard #lizardsofinstagram #herpetology See more

This ground rod worked better than most and for WAY less money. We just used 8 feet of rebar. I didn't think it was going into the ground because of the rock we have. Its always an issue getting fence posts in the ground. This went in, sure it took a beating with a sledgehammer but as you can see the rebar didn't suffer too much. Highly recommend! It does the job, its galvanized, its cost effective. #jj #farmlife #homestead #homesteading #diy #diyprojects #farm #urbanarkconservation #grounding #fence

Good morning! On our egg rounds today we have a very special surprise. The 1st thing you may notice in the background are some beautifull OD Green eggs (from our F4 and F5 layers). The rest of the world may know them as eggs from Olive Eggers, however as an Army Veteran I will refer to them as OD Green, just because it's more bad ass. But really, the highlight of this basket is the top two eggs!! The egg on the left, a turkey egg, from our Royal Palm hen. A threatened sp...ecies but one that homesteaders should seek out due to their beautiful coloration and smaller size. They make an amazing addition to any sustainable farm. On the right, the most recent addition to the Ark family, our Cotton Patch geese. Yes, we just got them yesterday, and theyre already laying! #jj #criticallyendangered #threatened #conservation #farm #farmlife #farmlifebestlife #homestead #homesteading #urbanfarm #veteran #veteranowned #veteranfarmers #troopstotractors #sustainability #sustainable #royalpalm #cottonpatch #turkey #geese #goose #geeseofinstagram #turkiesofinstagram #egg #eggs #whatanomlet #basket #eggbasket #urbanarkconservation #picoftheday

So.... we did another thing here at Urban Ark. In keeping with our dedication to the Livestock Conservancy's Conservation Priority List, we added yet another species with a status of critically endangered. This gorgeous breed is extremely rare and great for a sustainable homestead of any size. Theyre on lockdown for a few days to ensure they know where to return at night, but very soon they'll be out to free range with our mixed flock! Stay tuned because they're already laying! Thanks Dale! This was truly a heritage gift! #jj #criticallyendangered #conservation #geese #picoftheday #pic #goose #geeseofinstagram #cottonpatch #urbanarkconservation #farm #farmlife #farmlifebestlife #homestead #homesteading #livestockconservancy