By PAOLO MOSSETTI

Strap on your running shoes! The Four Bronx Institution Alliance wants you to take a run on the wild side.

The neighborhood pillars–Montefiore Medical Center, Fordham University, the Bronx Zoo and the New York Botanical Garden–will once again sponsor Run for the Wild, now in its sixth year. The run, held at the Bronx Zoo, takes place on Saturday, April 26. Participants can either take part in the 5k run or a Family Fun Run/Walk. Attendees are required to raise a minimum of $30 to participate, with a variety of prizes, ranging from a T-shirt to a VIP breakfast that will be awarded to those who meet different fund-raising goals. For this reason, the zoo encouraged runners to seek individual sponsors. All donations will then go to the zoo’s elephant conservation program. 

“Everyone participating will be helping the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) make real progress in the fight to save these majestic animals from the slaughter they are confronted with daily,” said John Calvelli, director of the 96 Elephants Campaign, a group spreading awareness on endangered elephants. And the run also serves to promote another good cause–your health.

Dr. Steven Safyer, president and CEO of Montefiore Medical Center, said the hospital is “committed to improving the health of our community,” emphasizing the need to run, play and exercise as crucial to a healthier lifestyle. Running has been known for its overall benefit of keeping people fit. Other benefits include boosting confidence, relieving stress and depression. “Opportunities to run, play and exercise are crucial,” said Safyer, “which is why this is a favorite annual event for our associates, their families and hundreds of community members.”

Past runs have supported the zoo’s work to save gorillas, tigers, lions, penguins, and elephants. Due to the severity of the elephant poaching crisis in Africa, for the first time this event will be dedicated to the same species two years in a row. “The campaign is making great strides toward realization of its goal of eliminating the demand for ivory,” Calvelli said. “But the work is not done and elephants are still being poached at an unprecedented rate.”

The zoo’s 96 Campaign is working to secure moratoria on the sale of ivory, bolster protection of African elephants and educate the public about the link between the use of ivory and elephant hunting.

Since its inception in 2009, 30,000 people have participated in Run for the Wild events, and $3.5 million has been raised through donations and sponsorship.

Registration for the event, that is expected to sell out, is now open at Run for the Wild’s website, and participants are encouraged to sign up early.