How Fahlo Bridges Fashion and Conservation

You may have seen Fahlo’s beautiful beaded bracelets at gift shops near national parks or zoos, but these are anything but typical souvenirs. Fahlo’s jewelry benefits some of Earth’s most at-risk creatures and their habitats, and they have one unique perk that makes conservation so much more fun: Each of Fahlo’s bracelets gives you access to tracking data of a real-life animal counterpart!

Pick an Animal, Make a Difference

Fahlo partners with a variety of nonprofit organizations to promote wildlife conservation through their colorful jewelry. An animal bead is prominently featured on each Fahlo bracelet, which represents a particular species. The way it works is simple: download the Fahlo Animal Tracker app and scan the QR code included with your new bracelet to see the interactive tracking map of the animal in the wild. When you register your bracelet, you will receive facts about your chosen animal, including stats, photos and a 3D tracking map that shows you exactly what your “adopted” animal is up to, whether on land or in the sea. Pretty cool, right?

In addition to being a fun way to learn about conservation and promote animal education, the company also donates 10% of all profits to its nonprofit partners to help continue their work. So not only do you get to look stylish and have fun, but also you get to really help wildlife!

Track Your Animal in Real Time

A representative for Fahlo told A-Z Animals that the organization looks for partners who “are the absolute expert in a particular species” in order to ensure “the tracking is being done the right way and for the right reasons.” The exact animals selected for tracking are chosen by Fahlo’s conservation partners and presented in a safe way, which may include live, delayed, or historical-based data compiled from the Fahlo Protection Ping.

For example, The Ascent Bracelet features a snow leopard. The accompanying QR code unlocks a map of snow leopards in the mountains of Central and South Asia, in partnership with the Snow Leopard Conservancy. Snow leopards are tracked via GPS collars and motion sensor trail cameras. According to the Snow Leopard Conservancy, these big cats are elusive and difficult to track due to the mountainous conditions where they live, so only approximately 23% of their range has been explored. Supporting conservation work dedicated to snow leopards can help us learn more about the vulnerable species and help us protect them against retributive killing, illegal wildlife trade, habitat fragmentation and/or degradation, climate change, zoonotic diseases, and other threats.

Fahlo also sells bracelets designed to help sea turtles, giraffes, lions, penguins, and more animals, partnering with different nonprofit organizations focused on these animals’ conservation, research, and advocacy. Fahlo also offers plushies, like The Expedition Plush, which is shaped like an elephant and partners with Save the Elephants.

A Massive Multi-Million-Dollar Impact

And it all started with sea turtles. Fahlo was founded in 2018 by Carter Forbes and DJ Gunter, who were passionate about sea life. “After graduating college, our cofounders — who have a huge passion for sea life conservation — wanted to bring their love of the ocean to the retail space,” a Fahlo representative said. “It began with Sea Turtle Conservancy in 2018, the oldest sea turtle organization in the world, to create jewelry that allowed customers to track an actual sea turtle in the wild and support their conservation. Those bracelets paved the way for what Fahlo is today!”

Over the last seven years, Fahlo has donated over $4 million to its nonprofit conservation partners that span 15 species (with more to come!). “We partner with wildlife conservation nonprofits to support their work protecting threatened species, preserving habitats, and promoting peaceful human-animal coexistence around the world,” the Fahlo spokesperson told us.

Did we mention these bracelets are super cute? Friendship bracelets in general are huge right now (thanks, Taylor Swift!), but these in particular are made with gorgeous beads of various colors to fit any style. Wear it to show off your love for a favorite animal, and use it as a conversation starter to encourage others to give back as well.

Like the late Steve Irwin said, “If we can get people excited about animals, then by crikey, it makes it a heck of a lot easier to save them.” And what’s more exciting than a pretty bracelet that comes with a real animal to support? Knowing that you are helping an at-risk snow leopard, elephant, or sea turtle — and getting to check in on its real-life movements — is such a cool way to give back!