“The more I’ve researched the species for the ANiMOZ Starter Pack, the more amazed I’ve become at some of the things I’m learning. We have a lizard that pulls water up its body against gravity. Wedge-tailed eagles have electromagnetic vision. These are superpowers, and I think if our kids can engage in that, they’ll grow up caring a whole lot more about the sort of world they’re a part of.”

JOEL HOWLAND - FOUNDER

ANiMOZ will change the way our kids see wildlife.

We are causing unprecedented damage to planet Earth, and driving the extinction of thousands of species. In Australia, our native animals are vanishing at a rate faster than anywhere else in the world.

It’s time to change the story. We need to engage the next generation with what is happening.

THE STORY FROM THE FOUNDER

"I was speaking to my nephews one day, and they were describing to me in detail the ins and outs of these imaginary creatures they were learning about. They knew everything - from rarity to strength - and could tell me the names by a glance at a drawing. I realised that if our kids spent that amount of time discovering these equally mesmerising abilities of real animals, those species would stand a far better chance of surviving when the next generation grew up already loving them. And so was born the idea behind ANiMOZ - Fight for Survival.

Joel Howland - Founder - ANiMOZ - Fight for Survival - Australian wildlife - Endangered species - Adelaide South Australia - Card game

I want this card game to create a reality that children in Australia and around the world can't help but learn from. I'm infatuated with Australian wildlife, and children and adults alike will fall in love with the natural world if they know and understand it.

I'm a student, studying Animal Science at Flinders University in South Australia, and can't bring this to life without your help. So if you have kids and want them off the screen, or you care about the direction our planet is headed, or you love tabletop games, please sign up, come on the journey with me, and help us show our future leaders the wonders of the natural world."

"It is not what is poured into a student, but what is planted.”

LINDA CONWAY - EDUCATOR

So then, what is ANiMOZ?

ANiMOZ is a collectible card game aimed at kids from 5yo through to early teens, but the gameplay is fun for all ages, and the artwork and surprising facts of each species can be appreciated by all.

Each card features a different native Australian animal, from the powerful Wedge-tailed eagle to the critically endangered Mountain pygmy possum.

In the Starter Pack there will be 50 animals - scratching the surface of Australia's biodiversity, but giving a grand introduction to the breadth of amazing creatures out there!

Each animal has Powers and Weaknesses (all true), and key information about the species is shown on the card. In gameplay, the card holders (Rangers) need to build a healthy ecosystem and protect their sanctuary, whilst learning about the dangers these animals face like Climate Change and Habitat Destruction.

In the Starter Pack, animals come from one of seven BiOMEs (habitats): Forest, Desert, Scrub, River, Coast, Mountain or Sky. Only the first four will have enough cards to play a game with, so if using one Starter Pack, it is limited to four players, but ANiMOZ is designed for Rangers to bring their own collection to the table, enabling individual choices of what species they will hold!

What's the aim of ANiMOZ?

Above all else, ANiMOZ aims to educate our future leaders in the breathtaking biodiversity of Australia’s ecosystems, and to engage them from a young age in human-induced dangers like climate change.

On top of this, ANiMOZ will be contributing directly to conservation projects like fieldwork and education programs.

To begin with, this starts with donating 5% of all pre-sales straight to Aussie Ark. This is the reason behind selling pre-sale stock through the official ANiMOZ website rather than Crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter: we'd rather that 5% go back into conservation than to disappear in fees.

Who's behind it all?

You might have read the 'Story from the Founder' section above - that's from Joel Howland, the Adelaide student who created the game. It's a Conjour.world project, which is the conservation magazine Joel started in 2016 that aims to increase public awareness of issues - and wonders - in the natural world.

The illustrations and artwork are done by Bonnie-Marie Art, who's website you can visit via this link. She's an incredible artist with a passion for wildlife, and was quick to jump onboard this exciting project.

Partnering with ANiMOZ during this first part of the journey is Tim Faulkner and the team at Aussie Ark. They are an inspiring organisation of conservation professionals working to increase the chances of survival for some of Australia's most endangered native fauna. Check out their website here.

How can I support the project?

ANiMOZ is a product, not just a movement! So whilst ordering through pre-sales is certainly how you can most help us, you are buying the official ANiMOZ Starter Pack and making all of this a reality at the same time.

Because of the time it takes to print and build games like this, it will take around five months to deliver the product, but the purpose of having pre-sales in June is to have the games to as many people as possible by Christmas to give to the little Rangers in your life!

So, there are a number of key ways to get involved:

First and foremost, when pre-sales open on May 25, 2019 please purchase a Starter Pack!

Secondly, follow us on social media (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter) and sign up for our emails.

Thirdly, tell your friends. Share our social posts with them, and tell them about the importance of teaching the next generation about wildlife!