A football club in Bhutan has launched an initiative to help the Critically Endangered White-bellied Heron, donating to conservation efforts for every goal the team scores.

Thimphu City FC, which plays in the Bhutan Premier League, teamed up with the Royal Society for Protection of Nature (RSPN) for the 2024 season, donating $20 for every goal scored. 

With the season finishing on 18 July, Thimphu City – nicknamed The Reds – scored 30 goals and finished in second place, meaning $300 will go towards supporting the world’s rarest species of heron. Nigerian striker Afeez Odilapo scored 10 of those goals and celebrated some of them with a ‘flapping bird’ celebration.

Full story: Bird Guides