Species condoms for Valentine's Day

The planet's endangered species have myriad problems to blame for their plight. The Center for Biological Diversity wants to highlight overpopulation as one of them.

Tomorrow, on Valentine's Day, the organization is mobilizing 3,000 volunteers in all 50 states to hand out "Endangered Species Condoms."  It also is launching a website, www.EndangeredSpeciesCondoms.com, to show how overpopulation has destroyed habitats and otherwise contributed to the decline of species.

The condom packages show six different species listed as threatened or endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, along with edgy slogans. Guess the species:

"Wrap with care, save the polar bear." (Okay, that was too easy.)

"Wear a jimmy hat, save the big cat." (The jaguar.)

"Cover your tweedle, save the burying beetle." (The American burying beetle.)

"Hump smarter, save the snail darter." (Another easy one.)

"Wear a condom now, save the spotted owl." (Ditto, and not even a good rhyme.)

"Use a stopper, save the hopper." (The coquí guajón rock frog.)

"Human overpopulation is destroying wildlife habitat at an unprecedented rate," said Randy Serraglio, a conservation advocate leading the Center's overpopulation campaign, in a press release.

"All of the major threats to the earth's biodiversity – sprawl, logging, mining, dams, pollution, and climate change – are driven by human overpopulation. Our Endangered Species Condoms are designed to capture peoples' attention, get them laughing, and get them talking about the impact of overpopulation on our small and fragile planet."

He said the group was overwhelmed by volunteers and demand for the first 100,000 condoms has been so great that they plan to produce 100,000 more.  The group says the condoms will be distributed in bars, supermarkets, schools, concerts, parties, and other public events by grandmothers, college students, university professors, health-care providers, ministers, rock bands, and people from all walks of life.