Animal welfare: The project saving the planet one tattoo at a time

Snake skin: Animal tattoos are all part of the Tatzoo conservation project (ALAMY)

When US-based conservationist Molly Tsongas decided to raise awareness of endangered animals, she knew a great medium: tattoos. "Maybe I should tattoo my whole body with endangered species and become a media sensation to get the word out," is what she says she thought.

Luckily, friends intervened and helped her to come up with a project that lets volunteers combine caring for creatures in peril and getting inked, calling it Tatzoo (tatzoo.org).

Would-be "conservation leaders" sign up for a training programme and then prove that animal welfare has got under their skin by getting a beastie branded on their bodies. The only downside is whether the four local (to San Francisco) species that Tsongas champions in this video ind.pn/animaltatts will make for top tatts.

The snowy plover? Boring. The metalmark butterfly? A bit girly. The blue whale? OK if you don't mind either a supersized design or minimising the sea beast's majesty. The San Francisco garter? Ophiophobics need not apply...