Wildlife Matters - Autumn 2015

AUTUMN 2015: ISSUE 47

WILDLIFE MAT TERS

TIGERS

Join Melanie C and fight to save wild tigers

ELEPHANTS UP

Numbers rise in Murchison Falls, Uganda

THE ART OF GIVING

Beautiful art & gifts for Christmas

GET INVOLVED!

Become a Wildlife Warrior

FIGHT . PROTECT . ENGAGE

The magazine of the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation - protecting endangered mammals in the wild www.davidshepherd.org

WHO’S WHO Founder/President:

David Shepherd CBE FRSA Honorary Vice Presidents:

Mark Carwardine, David Gower OBE, Gary Lineker OBE, Simon King OBE, Mandy Shepherd Trustees:

Lady Melanie Lamb, Nigel Colne CBE, Christopher Cowdray, Nigel Keen, Fiona Luck, Bruce Norris, Andre Pienaar Trading Company Directors:

Welcome to

Wildlife Matters protect some of the world’s most vulnerable and iconic endangered species.

Christopher Oliver, Lady Melanie Lamb, Mary Nugent

Chief Executive: Sally Case Finance Director: Mary Nugent Head of Brand & Communications:

Vicky Flynn Individual Giving Manager: Erica Wark Fundraising & Events Manager: Georgina Lamb Trading Manager: Lisa Langridge Office Manager: Natalie Archer Education Manager: Jo Elphick Accounts Assistant: Marianne Watts Executive Assistant: Mandy Gale Wildlife Artist of the Year: Nina Neve TigerTime Manager: Vicky Flynn Community Fundraiser: Marianne Watts Conservation Advisor: Mark Carwardine Education Advisor: Andrew White

It is a universal truth perhaps, that behind every great man is a great woman and it is my mother Avril’s steadfast loyalty and calm counsel that I would like to pay tribute to in this edition of Wildlife Matters. A trustee since the Foundation’s inception in 1984 and an important part of all that we have achieved for wildlife, she has now stepped down from her official duties as a Trustee. I hope that everyone will join me in thanking her for her wise counsel and calming influence and all that she has done and will doubtless continue to do behind the scenes for many years to come.

DSWF Office, Gallery & Trading Company:

Saba House

7 Kings Road Shalford

Guildford, Surrey GU4 8JU

Tel: 01483 272323 Email: dswf@davidshepherd.org Websites: www.davidshepherd.org www.tigertime.info Charity No.1106893 Company No. 4918392 CAF ‘Give as you earn’ No. 001604.

VAT Reg No. 414001815

Print: Pensord Editorial & Design: Vicky Flynn, DSWF Cover Image: Bengal Tiger by Arka Ghosh for Barcroft Media & DSWF

Keeping in touch help us cut costs DSWF’s monthly eNewsletter keeps you up-to-date with all our latest news, events and offers and we also provide Wildlife Matters in an online format. If you would like to receive either communication in this way, or opt out all together, please email your full details to dswf@davidshepherd.org so that we can switch you from printed to digital communications.

Or call us on 01483 272323.

Keeping print costs down helps us put even more funds into conservation.

You can also follow DSWF and TigerTime on Facebook, Tumblr and Twitter @theDSWF and @TigerTimeNow

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Chair of Trustees, Melanie Lamb with Avril Shepherd

It has been a huge privilege to grow up as part of the Shepherd family. From my very earliest memories, my life has been richly coloured and deeply influenced by Africa; its rich diversity of wilderness, people and animals, and by my parents unswerving passion and dedication to wildlife conservation.

As I grew up, I was determined to follow in my father’s footsteps and to help him as he established the Foundation; our united aim to help protect the wildlife that we so love.

Becoming the Chief Executive, and latterly Chair of Trustees, has often proved challenging but ultimately it also has its rewards. In conservation there are few successes, but when you see them first hand it brings home why we continue to fight against wildlife crime; to witness your first wild tiger, to see a poaching gang apprehended and to watch young children singing about conservation (when often they don’t even have classrooms), is humbling and drives the passion to succeed.

I am immensely proud of the projects we support, of the brave men and women on the front line, and the mutual respect that we have nurtured in our partnerships as together we

As ever, the future of wildlife depends so much on the nurturing of the next generation, the next wildlife ambassadors - those passionate enough to join the fight to protect the animals and the wild spaces that are so important to us all.

I’m proud that the whole Shepherd family is committed to the cause. Some, like my sister Mandy and my daughter Emily, have inherited not only a passion for wildlife but a true talent for art and generously continue to support the Foundation through their wonderful work (you can read news of Emily’s next solo exhibition on page 4). My daughter, Georgina, has also joined the team as Fundraising and Events Manager and is helping to deliver some fabulous events like the recent Wildlife Ball at the Dorchester (see page 5).

Commitment from outside the family is equally important and our art competitions - Global Canvas for children (see page 19) and Wildlife Artist of the Year (see page 20) - provide the perfect opportunity to engage new generations of artists, art lovers and wildlife ambassadors.

Thank you to everyone who participates in our events, who donates and supports our work and to the volunteers, staff and Trustees who help guide our path as we fight for wildlife.

Melanie Lamb - Chair of Trustees

100% of donations marked for specific projects in the field go in full, with no administration costs deducted

Inside this issue...

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CONTENTS p.4 Emily Lamb solo exhibition p.5 our Wildlife Ball in pictures p.6 Update from Zambia p.8 Uganda fights back p.13 Melanie Chisholm supports our tiger projects p.15 India update p.22 Fabulous cards and gifts for Christmas p.24 Show your true grit and become a wildlife warrior! p.27 Adoptions make the perfect gift - collect them all!

A turning point for elephants

by CEO, Sally Case

It seems that the tide might finally be turning for the pernicious poaching industry. President Barack Obama and President Xi Jinping have now agreed to work together and halt commercial ivory sales in the United States and China.

China, the world’s largest market for elephant ivory, had made a pledge earlier this year to phase out ivory sales, but with no stated scale or timing. There remains scepticism around the promise of the two leaders now to enact “nearly complete bans” on ivory export and import, but the swell of world opinion on these issues is thankfully gaining momentum.

In August, Thailand publicly destroyed over two tons of confiscated ivory and called for continued and expanded efforts to stamp out wildlife crime in the country. Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha presided over the event sending a clear message that Thailand was taking a serious stand against elephants being killed for ivory.

This significant public statement followed similar moves by Kenya, UAE, Ethiopia and Congo who between them destroyed around 35 tons of stockpiled ivory. This is good news; trade in ivory is unwanted both now or at any time in the future.

It is a great start but this is not enough for us here at DSWF. The trade in ivory must be permanently halted and a zero tolerance approach taken to any suggestion that it might resume in the future. The legal ivory trade has always been used as a cover to launder poached ivory and, when one off sales of large quantities of elephant tusks were permitted in 1999 and 2008, poaching escalated beyond all control in Africa.

In addition to all of this, governments around the world must take wildlife crime more seriously. Complex organised criminal syndicates lie behind wildlife crime worth billions of pounds, and strong links are suggested with human trafficking, the narcotics and illegal arms trades.

We are proud to fund leading initiatives into the undoing of these criminal networks; your donations help support schemes which bring together investigators around the globe leaving the kingpins, traffickers and criminals nowhere to hide.

It’s time to put a stop to the trade for good and, thanks to your support, we are getting closer.

There is still much to be done, but we know that together we can make a difference.

Wildlife Matters Issue 47

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News Much Ado About Cats & Dogs

Emily Lamb . Solo Exhibition .

Rountree Tryon Gallery . London . 2nd-12th December 2015 Artist Emily Lamb returns to the Rountree Tryon Gallery in London this winter with a new collection of original works inspired by her African travels.

Stunning multi-media canvasses with sales supporting DSWF make this the perfect opportunity to buy something beautiful and support wildlife conservation.

For Private Preview information please email: georgina.lamb@davidshepherd.org

Robert May, Sally Case, Sue Dyson and Wendy May presenting the £3,000 cheque at the DSWF office

DSWF would like to thank everyone who supported the Marmalade Theatre Company’s production of Shakespeare’s ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ in the beautiful gardens of Hogg End, the home of Robert and Wendy May, this summer.

Donations from the audience meant that over £3,000 was raised to support critical tiger conservation work across Asia and our5 work with painted dogs in Zimbabwe.

“We were thrilled to welcome Robert and Wendy May along with production director, Sue Dyson, to the DSWF office,” says DSWF CEO, Sally Case. “We know how much time and effort is put in by everyone involved in staging these wonderful productions and would like to share our heartfelt thanks with all involved for their generosity.”

Thanks to our corporate supporters Funding for wildlife conservation comes in many forms and we are thrilled to be working with some great new corporate supporters (big & small) who are helping us find new ways to raise awareness and funds for our work. Some give a percentage of income, many give a percentage of sales on particular products. So if you are looking for a new dehumidifier or a wonderful holiday try these first!

They include: Born and Bred (fabulous T-shirts designed by rock band, Young Guns) Ele’s Tyres & Servicing (car servicing centre, Cranleigh) Encapswrap (building wraps for the construction industry) Indus Experiences (fabulous tailor-made holidays to India and beyond) Jungle Tattoo Supplies Ltd Little Tiger Press (publishing collaboration with author Catherine Rayner) Loud Elephant (festival wear) Meaco (UK) Ltd (Dehumidifier experts + the just launched ‘Zambezi’ dehumidifier) Zambezi’s story Richard Milburn - Tzunga Games (educational games) Suzi Eszterhas (high quality tiger photographs) Thom Media & Travel Pty Ltd (African safari’s that drop in to the elephant orphanage) Youngsies Onesies (gorgeous tiger onesies) Find our more online at www.davidshepherd.org If your business would like to help us protect endangered wildlife please call us on 01483 272323.

About us: money matters In the financial year 2014-2015 income raised by the Foundation totalled £1.6 million with donations and legacies at £938,000 and event and activity income at £709,000. Charitable activities in the year totalled £654,000 and carried forward reserves of £923,000 have enabled the Foundation to plan for higher levels of charitable spending in the following year.

The Foundation concentrates its focus on field projects where even limited funding makes a very real difference to the survival of wildlife, their habitat and for the benefit of rural people who share their environment. Emphasis is placed on long term support to allow projects to become self-sustaining where possible. All funding of these projects goes through a rigorous application and reporting process.

It has become evident that with the increased levels and sophistication of wildlife crime, working on the ground in conservation whilst still vital is not enough. Our Trustees have taken the decision to commit more money than ever before to funding cross border investigation and enforcement programmes.

Charitable activities by country/ sector 2014-15

27%

Zambia Zimbabwe Namibia 13% Uganda India Mongolia 3% Russia 5% Thailand 4% Cross border investigation Education

4 100% of donations marked for specific projects in the field go in full, with no administration costs deducted

27%

5% 5% 4% 11%

News

Stars light up our annual Wildlife Ball

It was a sparkling night for wildlife at the Foundation’s annual Wildlife Ball at The Dorchester, London on Friday October 9th. Over 300 guests mingled with celebrities helping to raise £130,000 for endangered wildlife. A stunning set from legendary Queen guitarist, Dr Brian May and singer Kerry Ellis - which included the premier of the Save Me Trust’s launch video for Cecil’s Law - was followed on the big screen by a heartfelt appeal from former Spice Girl, Melanie Chisholm, for everyone to play their part to help save wildlife.

Tigers Need You

Thank you to everyone who attended and supported our work including Mark King from Level 42 who sang ‘happy birthday’ for one lucky guests, Nicholas McCarthy for his fabulous piano playing, Schwing for the after dinner entertainment, auctioneer Charlie Ross, magicians Alex Murphy and Wayne Trice, Planned2Perfection, iBid and the amazing supporting cast of staff and volunteers. Look out for details of next year’s event, it’s one not to miss!

Thank you to those who have donated to our recent ‘She Needs your Help Today’ appeal. With tiger numbers as low as 3,000 in the wild it is vital that we are able to fund the conservation, protection and education programmes that we are committed to in Russia, Thailand and India.

Now, with your generous help we will be able to continue to protect over a third of the world’s tigers and their precious habitats.

If you would like to find out more about our work for wild tigers please see our website at: www.davidshepherd.org or visit our TigerTime campaign site at: tigertime.info where you will find a number of additional ways that you can help tigers.

If you have yet to donate and would like to please call us on 01483 272323 or donate online at: www.davidshepherd.org Thank you.

BBC Radio 4 Result Thank you to everyone who supported our Radio 4 Appeal in May this year. Having the opportunity to engage new audiences is vital to our fundraising and with the help of TV presenter and radio host, Paul O’Grady the appeal brought in a fabulous £15,000 for the orphan elephants in Zambia. With a front page and feature about the project and Paul in Woman’s Weekly too, it was an excellent example of spreading the word to a wider audience.

You can still donate online at www.davidshepherd.org

An evening to remember with Dr Brian May and Kerry Ellis, Elizabeth Emanuel and son Oliver, Mark King of Level 42 with Status Quo manager, Simon Porter, CEO Sally Case presents a special tribute to Avril Shepherd, Sue Smith with David and Avril Shepherd, auctioneer Charlie Ross, former Spice Girl Melanie Chisholm and Olympic rower Alex Gregory Photos: CPG Photography

Wildlife Matters Issue 47

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ZAMBIA

Raising awareness and funds for wildlife rescue, education and park protection

Reunited There was great excitement at Camp Phoenix in Zambia’s Kafue National Park recently when the orphan herd (above) were rejoined by the oldest orphan, Chodoba, who now enjoys regular excursions into the wild. It is thanks to the loyal support of DSWF donors that these elephants, left traumatised by the loss of their families, are now thriving in Zambia and beginning to return to their homelands. Your donations mean that we can fund their round-the-clock care and ensure that the wild spaces they will return to are as safe and free of poaching as possible. Thank you for your support.

New training for rangers Poaching is one of the most serious threats to Zambia’s wildlife and one that DSWF is proud to be countering through GRI’s support of SAPU - the Special Anti-Poaching Unit of the Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA).

With a team that has over 200 years of experience in wildlife law-enforcement SAPU is an intelligence-led lawenforcement unit, with the primary objective of eliminating poaching ‘hotspots’ within Kafue National Park (KNP) as well as disrupting trade routes. From January to June this year the team apprehended 67 poachers, recovered 41 fire arms, 3 kg of ivory and 1077 kg of illegal bushmeat, representing a big step in the fight against poaching.

In an effort to further strengthen anti-poaching activities in Zambia and Zimbabwe, Mr Kennedy Mbundi from SAPU attended a training course for Anti-Poaching Tracking Specialists and Aggressive Tracking Specialists in Masvingo, Zimbabwe in May with the view of bringing new knowledge and skills back to the team.

Focusing on basic training in anti-poaching tracking techniques the course is designed to train potential trackers to become effective rangers and wildlife scouts through an introduction to tracking principles and team tracking; bush craft; patrolling implementation and tactical movement.

“I completed the course, obtained the certificate and was the best student,” says Kennedy. “My new experiences will help improve my skills as a ranger and allow me to better protect our wildlife.”

Now capable of teaching field-craft, survival and to introduce new tracking techniques to his SAPU team mates in Zambia, Kennedy is keen to organize a training day at Chunga Ranger Training School in Kafue National Park to share his knowledge with others. Plans are also underway for two more courses at intermediate and advanced level.

“Being able to support training of this type is critical in the ongoing fight against poaching,” says DSWF CEO, Sally Case. “The skills that rangers like Kennedy learn, hone, share and then put into practise not only help protect precious wildlife populations but help to build morale and pride in the difficult jobs that rangers do day in, day out.”

Kennedy Mbundi ‘best student’

6 100% of donations marked for specific projects in the field go in full, with no administration costs deducted

Suni: A story of survival and loss It is with a heavy heart that we report that Suni, the orphaned elephant who was brutally disabled in an attack as a young calf, was put to sleep at the end of July after an intense three year battle for her recovery.

In April 2012, Suni was found by the roadside, dragging herself along on her front two legs after an axe attack to her spine had rendered her paralysed. With support from the Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA) she was transferred to the DSWF supported Lilayi Elephant Nursery for veterinary care in the hope that given intense nursing and support she might recover the full use of her back legs.

“Within a few months Suni showed significant improvement in mobility and wellbeing although she lacked sensation in the back right leg and foot and could not walk properly,” explains Rachael Murton, manager of the GRI Elephant Orphanage Project. “Over the last three years we gave Suni the best possible care which included the necessary physical support for her disabled limb, a huge variety of supportive therapies, as well as the emotional support from her devoted keepers and surrogate elephant herd. With thanks to highly specialised supportive boots Suni was able to live a mostly ‘normal’ life within the orphan herd, socialising with the other elephants, joining the herd on daily walks and engaging in playful mud-bathing.

“It

“Supporting Suni was an incredible challenge which required intense medical support every day of her life. Our intention was that if we could support her to walk without was the most difficult damage or pain that over time decision faced by the sensation would return to the limb enabling her to place her team to date” foot correctly,” adds Rachael.

Photos courtesy of Game Rangers International and Andrew White

Sadly, almost three years after surgery, the team saw no significant improvement in her ability to use her foot and it was acknowledged that she would never be able to survive independently and without limb support. The lack of sensation resulted in Suni sustaining injuries to her limb that she could not feel. As she grew heavier (she weighed 630kg in July) these injuries became more significant and more difficult and dangerous to manage.

“The decision to euthanise Suni was the most difficult decision faced by the project,” says DSWF CEO, Sally Case. “She was an important family member to a special herd of orphaned elephants and became like an adopted child to her keepers. However, Suni’s standard of welfare was always the priority and thus the maintenance of her physical and psychological condition was paramount. If she had been kept alive Suni would have been increasingly physically restricted by her own capabilities and the high level of maintenance and management required. Most worryingly she would never truly be part of a wild herd, which is a vital element of elephant society, especially for females. The decision to euthanise her was only made after all possible options for her continued quality of life had been explored and with priority placed upon the level of welfare she would have experienced.”

Suni: Enjoying her first milk; having her wounds cleaned on arrival; recovering after her first operation; with her best friend Zambezi; wearing the boot designed to give her leg support; walking with Rachael Murton and resting

IN LOVING MEMORY...

Please help us continue our work to care for elephant orphans like Suni and to fund the anti-poaching and park protection work that is so vital to the survival of wild elephants.

You can donate online at www.davidshepherd.org or call us on 01483 272323

THANK YOU

Suni holds a special place in the hearts of many. Her story is a poignant reminder of the harsh reality facing Zambia’s elephants. Not only was Suni robbed of her family as a young calf but she was also robbed of a future when she was brutally attacked.

“Our aim is to ensure that the same fate does not fall upon others like Suni by providing wild elephants with adequate protection through antipoaching and park protection programmes.,” adds Sally Case. “Suni’s fighting spirit and legacy will live on through our unwavering efforts to support GRI’s work to rescue, rehabilitate and release orphaned elephants back safely to the wild where they belong.”

Wildlife Matters Issue 45

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UGANDA

Anti-poaching and protection for wildlife and waterways

A glimmer of hope: the slow recovery of Uganda’s elephants in Murchison Falls

By Anne-Marie Weeden of Uganda Conservation Foundation (UCF)

Photos courtesy of UCF

We must not be the generation that witnesses the extinction of elephants in the wild.

We must act swiftly, and decisively. As the threat escalates, so too must our response

Moses Obouja, Sector Commander for the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), cut the engine of his anti-poaching patrol boat to bring it alongside the wooden fishing canoe. The number of men on board had aroused his suspicion. Normally, local fishing canoes hold no more than three or four men in order to make room for the catch. This one had six. Were they legitimate, or poachers posing as fishermen to gain access to the wildliferich banks of Murchison Falls Conservation Area?

Foot patrols in an area upstream had reported signs of elephants with snare injuries – so the team was on high alert.

I was out on the river that day with the UWA Marine Ranger Team, accompanying one of their regular patrols. The team are one of several that have been established and trained as part of the Waterways Project, an anti-poaching initiative implemented by UCF working closely with UWA, and with support from DSWF. Prior to the Waterways Project, UWA rangers were only able to conduct anti-poaching operations by land – so it was easy for waterborne poachers to land their boats and lay their snares. Moses explains the problem: “These poachers come from across the river. All the animals come to drink water and they lay their

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wires along the bank of the river – that’s why we push them away.”

Since 2013, the Marine Ranger Patrols have reclaimed the Nile delta area from poachers, helping to arrest hundreds who place the wildlife of this stunning park under daily threat.

To ensure arrests actually result in convictions, UCF has also, with support from DSWF, trained ranger teams in collecting spatial evidence using the WILD LEO law enforcement tool. Quite simply, by having the patrol rangers photograph evidence of wildlife crime - snares, traps, spears, suspects, illegal wildlife products such as ivory and bushmeat – with GPS-enabled cameras or smart phones, the WILD LEO analysts at headquarters can create compelling prosecution maps for use as courtroom evidence. As a direct result, the conviction rate for poaching has risen to an unprecedented 97%.

Strong prosecution and management tools, supported by improved park infrastructure building ranger outposts in areas dominated by poaching gangs to reclaim vital habitat - is starting to see positive results. From less than 300 elephants in 1995, when populations were at their lowest, Murchison’s herds have grown to number

1,330 at the last count. While this is a fraction of their former number - in the early 1970s, estimates suggested 20,000 elephants roamed the area and still a vulnerably small number it does bring hope. With the right protection and funding, we believe the elephants of Murchison could double their population in the next ten years.

Put simply, there is much still to do – but the achievements made on the ground in Murchison Falls Conservation Area bring a glimmer of hope.

Support from DSWF for these, and similar projects in Uganda and across Africa, is key. Together we have proven we can make a difference, and for those readers that lose faith when faced with yet another “bad news” story from the field, my message is simple: we are not helpless. We can meet the growing threat of the illegal wildlife trade, but there is no time to waste. We must not be the generation that witnesses the extinction of elephants in the wild. We must act swiftly, and decisively. As the threat escalates, so too must our response.

SUPPORT the continuing rise in Uganda’s elephant numbers online at www.davidshepherd.org or call 01483 272323

100% of all donations marked for specific projects in the field go in full with no costs deducted

ZIMBABWE

Anti-poaching and community outreach to save the painted dog

Photos courtesy of PDC and Will Burrard-Lucas

Painted Dogs and Community Actions By Peter Blinston, Managing Director, Painted Dog Conservation, PDC Rehabilitating painted dogs is never easy. We endeavour to create packs for release or put dogs back with their original packs but often the dogs have ideas of their own. Earlier this year we re-introduced Birmingham to his pack after his successful recovery at our rehab facility, but it was soon evident that all was not well. So, we were not entirely surprised when he left with the female Argos to form a pack of his own.

information about a pack of six to eight dogs spotted along the main road from Bulawayo to Victoria Falls, approximately 10 km north of us, we were quick to act. Seeing the dogs in this area is not great news because the dogs are all too often run over and killed by speeding cars on that road.

Dominic Nyathi and Dr. Hillary Madzikanda of PDC followed up on the report, which had come from the village of Dopota.

A female, named Tendai, also left her pack and joined up with four males from the Nyamandlovu pack to create her own which we named the BaNyayi - which translates as ‘the original inhabitants’ after the Nambian people, one of the original local tribes of the region. This left the dog known as Hackett with two young females Juliet and Roger. But tragedy struck when Hackett broke his leg and died as a consequence leaving Juliet and Roger as little more than skin and bone.

They encouraged the villagers to keep us up-dated on dog sightings and Dominic also felt that there was an additional opportunity to discuss wider conservation and human wildlife conflict issues with the village, the police and National Parks and Forestry Commission officers. As a result of this meeting a group of more than 20 volunteers went into the bush a few days later and removed 19 snares because they wanted to be sure that the dogs would be safe if they passed by again.

With every dog so precious we decided to bring them into our rehab facility and fed them as much as they could eat while we decided what to do with them. They, however, made their own decision to escape and join our local resident dog, named Surf. So happily, we now have a new pack, which is named Tariro, which means ‘hope’ in the Shona language.

A few days later the villagers heard the dogs calling at night and, despite the known presence of lions, they ventured out to see that all was well with ‘their pack’.They saw one dog clearly and observed several more in the thick bush and were reassured.

The team are now in the process of follow-up investigations to identify the pack and continue to build on the good will and cooperation of communities who are so important to the longterm survival of the dogs in Zimbabwe.

Following the packs and monitoring their health is vital and often difficult so when we received

The Children’s Bush Camp continues to change lives The Bush Camp programme was established

by Bruce Lombardo more than ten years ago and has been under Wilton Nsimango’s expert leadership and management ever since. Refined and developed by Wilton and his team over the years, the programme has remained true to its original objectives of changing children’s lives, so that they can in turn change the lives of the painted dogs and all of the wildlife around us.

What better example of the success of this programme than the recruitment of two young Bush Camp graduates into our anti-poaching unit. We were delighted to offer positions on PDC’s anti-poaching team to Dominic Mathe and Survivor Nyasulu, who both attended our Bush Camp in 2005.

How you can help Just £20 pays for one local child to attend a four day education bush camp inspiring the next generation to value their local wildlife and spread the conservation message to their family and friends.

Donate at www.davidshepherd.org or call 01483 272323

Wildlife Matters Issue 47

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NAMIBIA

Monitoring and protection for the rare desert rhino

Inspired by this new life the team are as determined as ever to fight poaching RISING TO THE CHALLENGE - Update from Simson Uri-Khob, CEO of SRT This year started on a difficult note for DSWF supported Save the Rhino Trust (SRT). It was triggered by an alarming increase in rhino poaching causing us to urgently adapt our modus operandi to deal effectively with the crisis.

The Great Kunene is known internationally as a peaceful region with a continuous, positive growth in its wildlife numbers in spite of the severe drought that has taken its toll, especially on the black rhino. But, the drought alone would not have had such a devastating impact on the rhino population, had it not been for the terrifying emergence of organized wildlife crime.

SRT took a stand. We decided not to sit back and watch the situation escalate, but to fight back. With collaborations involving all relevant

stakeholders such as NGO’s in the area, MET (Ministry of Environment and Tourism) Namibian Police, NDF (Namibian Defence Force) and traditional tribal authorities, we began to manage the poaching crisis. Our overall approach was drastically adapted from monitoring and patrolling to incorporate rigid, intensified anti-poaching patrols significantly increasing our presence in the field and the chances of arresting more poachers.

The dedicated teams of field trackers are adjusting well to the new routine. Their dedication and persistence is clearly evident in their work. Routine patrols have intensified, more information is being collected in the field and there is more monitoring and strenuous long hours of foot patrols with no vehicle back-up.

Despite this, the team remain on constant alert

and keep on doing what they do best; protecting the black rhino to the best of their capabilities.

For the men at the frontline of the rhino poaching crisis the hours are long and arduous but the rewards can be exhilarating. Recently, one team were silenced by the beauty of the scene when they came across a rhino with her new born calf.

The confirmation of life that they witnessed revived their spirits and helped them continue their patrols over the mountainous, rugged 25,000km2 area of untamed wilderness. Inspired by the new life they had been privileged to glimpse the team are as determined as ever, with your help, to save the desert-adapted black rhino from the scourge of the poacher.

Royal support for rhinos

Photos ©SRT and Sally Case

Simson and some of SRT’s most experienced field trackers had the honour of spending five days with HRH Prince Harry on his recent visit to Namibia.

It was a dream of the Prince to see rhino in Africa and SRT were humbled to accompany him. It was a visit that helped raise awareness for rhino survival.

Simson Uri-Khob (second left) with the expert trackers and HRH Prince Harry

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100% of donations marked for specific projects in the field go in full, with no administration costs deducted

THAILAND

Anti-poaching, community outreach, education and undercover investigation

The emergence of the Hasadin unit is encouraging progress, but more still needs to be done to combat the crisis facing Thailand’s protected areas

Crisis Point – Hasadin unit offers new solution on conservation front-line

Photo: ©Freeland - J McGreggor

By Tim Redford - Surviving Together Program Director/Training Coordinator (ARREST Program) Freeland Thailand is one of the countries at the front-line of the escalating war against the illegal wildlife trade.

As a source country for high-value species such as Siamese rosewood, ivory, and tigers, Thailand’s rangers face an increase in poachers armed with weapons, some willing to kill to avoid arrest.

Regularly, five-man anti-poaching teams encounter gangs with up to fifty or more poachers and, in the last year alone, at least seven rangers in Thailand have lost their lives during such encounters.

The landscape of wildlife protection in Thailand, like elsewhere in the world, has undergone a seismic shift. Despite more rangers being trained in basic law enforcement tactics, the number of rangers available to counter this large-scale poaching is simply not enough.

Park directors in Thailand’s Dong Phayayen-Khao Yai (DPKY) Forest Complex, a landscape of five protected areas in Eastern Thailand hard hit by poaching, have long sought a specialized team of their own rangers to meet this challenge.

Emerging from this crisis came the concept for a highly trained, mobile, rapid response unit of rangers. Freeland, working closely with the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) jointly designed a new unit, named ‘Hasadin’ (elephant in Sanskrit) with the

plan to deploy the unit throughout the entire forest complex, rapidly responding to urgent, large-scale enforcement issues where existing enforcement is lacking.

Twenty-five rangers, five from each park, were selected from some the best patrol rangers in the DPKY complex and underwent a rigorous two-week PROTECT Team Leader Enforcement training course led by Freeland, funded jointly by the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The course was, for many, exhausting, but critical for boosting skills necessary for complex, largescale forest operations. To ensure rangers are able to hold their ground to counter the increasing threats, the new unit was trained in advanced tactics and strategies to intercept and arrest wellarmed poachers.

Training the team members to also be teachers is a key part of the plan, giving the unit the ability to provide similar enforcement training to their peers.

The new unit is now ready to scale-up protection efforts, increasing security for the rangers involved while marking a new step forward in collaboration between the five parks of the DPKY forest

complex. It’s a development that has given hope to rangers such as Rachane Ruenkla, a Hasadin training course graduate who said: “On several patrols, we encounter poachers, but are at a disadvantage in terms of number of people and weapons, which puts our lives at risk when the shooting begins.This training course empowers us and increases unity across the parks. I now work more efficiently, more safely and achieve higher success rates. I am proud to be part of Hasadin.”

Recently, the Hasadin group conducted their first operation as a team. Conducted over a week in one of DPKY’s biggest poaching hotspots, the team successfully arrested five poachers – four Cambodians and one Thai – and emerged with a haul of Siamese rosewood, chainsaws, weapons, and poacher provisions. They also emerged with a renewed sense of pride and hope for the future of the unit.

The emergence of “Hasadin” is encouraging progress, but more still needs to be done. The crisis facing many protected areas in Thailand has shone a light on the dire lack of training and resources for rangers working on conservation’s front line. If we fail to defend these defenders, there may soon be few species or wild places remaining to defend.

Wildlife Matters Issue 47

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RUSSIA

Anti-poaching and educational awareness to protect the Amur tiger Getting SMART helps increase tiger numbers In February 2015, the national census of Amur tigers and leopards was organised by the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and affiliated agencies. According to the census about 480-540 Amur tigers now live in the Russian Far East, an increase of 10% in a decade.

areas has helped increases in prey and tiger densities, both inside and outside of protected areas. And we would like to express our gratitude to DSWF and its supporters for their continued support of the SMART programme and other activities aimed at Amur tiger conservation.”

“The rise in the tiger count is very encouraging and correlates directly with improved monitoring,” says Director of the DSWF funded Phoenix Fund, Sergei Bereznuk. “Adequate protection of core

SMART (Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool) has helped the Phoenix Fund achieve considerable success in improving anti-poaching efforts in Amur tiger habitat through a comprehensive,

law enforcement monitoring programme.

The management tool has proved useful for improving patrol quality, providing managers with the opportunity to measure patrol efforts, understand what types of patrols and teams are most effective, and providing clues as to how to improve patrol performance.

“The measurements also show inspectors that their work is important and helps create pride in their work,” adds Sergei. “As we provide bonuses to reward the patrol teams that perform well, it helps create healthy competition resulting in a continuous step-by-step improvement of performance. “ With support from DSWF, the Phoenix Fund launched the SMART anti-poaching programme in December 2010 at two sites adding two more in June 2011 and to a fifth site in 2013. It is hoped that it will be rolled out to Bolshekhekhtsirsky Reserve this year and Annuisky National Park in 2016.

“Our programme’s initial focus has been on improving protection in federally protected areas in Amur tiger habitat. These areas are especially important because they provide core breeding habitat,” says Sergei.

Without the monitoring systems in place the team would have no idea what was happening regarding tiger populations or law enforcement.

The team are now planning to expand the use of SMART patrol monitoring and adaptive patrol management to more sites and hope that in the long-term SMART will become a standard method in Russia for both patrol management by protected areas as well as by agencies operating outside protected areas. With this technology and DSWF supporters continued help the future of the Amur tiger looks more and more positive.

The latest census shows an encouraging rise in Amur tiger numbers An Amur tigress caught on camera in an area where there were thought to be no wild tigers creates hope for the future

Photos courtesy of Phoenix Fund & ©WCS

10,000 people mark national Tiger Day

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Over 10,000 people came together in Vladivostok at the end of September to celebrate the 16th Tiger Day festival. A colourful, costumed parade representing local schools, kindergartens, businesses, governmental agencies, non-governmental organisations and children’s activity centres marched to the central city square encouraging people to save Amur tigers and other wildlife in the Russian Far East. There was plenty to see and do with a rock concert and contests for children organized by Phoenix Fund, including The strongest tiger, The cunning tiger and The hungriest tiger with a tug-of-war. This amazing annual event encourages support and understanding for the Amur tiger and is a powerful demonstration of the passion felt for this glorious big cat.

100% of donations marked for specific projects in the field go in full, with no administration costs deducted

TigerTime

Raising funds & awareness for wild tigers - www.tigertime.info

The trip made me realise how important tigers are, not just to the forests they inhabit, but to the wider biodiversity of our planet.

There is nothing like seeing a tiger in the wild as TigerTime supporter - former Spice Girl Melanie Chisholm - found out this summer.

“I’ve always been fascinated by tigers and it has been a life long dream to see one in its natural habitat,” says Melanie who has supported the TigerTime Campaign since its launch by David Shepherd in 2011. “So, when the invitation to visit India came I jumped at the chance!”

Photos courtesy Arka Ghosh for Barcroft Media & Peanut Lamb

Equally thrilled were the DSWF team. “TigerTime is hugely lucky to have the support of many wonderful celebrities,” explains TigerTime manager, Vicky Flynn. “Their ability to spread awareness to new audiences and to champion the cause for the tiger in the wild is invaluable to us.That we could make dates work with Melanie’s busy schedule and to find generous companies to help with flights and accommodation was amazing.”

Despite arriving in June temperatures that tipped into the high 40s Melanie was keen to go straight out in search of her first wild tiger.

“I didn’t know what to expect, how I would feel.

But, on that first evening drive we came across a large male tiger cooling in a water hole and I felt both petrified and deeply humbled. It is so hard to explain how it feels to be close to a wild tiger - the whole forest is electrified by its presence.”

Accompanied by fellow TigerTime supporter, the award winning Indian filmmaker, Nalla Muthu, who has been documenting the lives of Ranthambore’s

tigers for over ten years, Melanie was given privileged access to his knowledge of some of the world’s most photographed wild tigers.

“Seeing one tiger was a dream come true but over the three days I was there we were so, so lucky to be able to follow the progress of a mother and her three almost fully grown cubs,” says Melanie. “With the dynamic changing as the cubs prepared to disperse in search of their own territories an amazing chapter in the lives of these tigers unfolded before us. Their play fighting was becoming more serious and I have to admit that at times it was completely terrifying as they snarled and fought so close to our jeep.”

travesty. It is our collective responsibility to protect them and everyone who has ever cared for tigers or forests or the health of this planet should add their support to TigerTime and DSWF’s conservation work; not just for themselves but for their children and their children’s children.

“I want my daughter and her children to grow up in a world with wild tigers and that’s why the TigerTime campaign is so close to my heart.”

Join us at: www.tigertime.info

The experience is one that few would forget and for Melanie it has made her more determined than ever to fight to protect tigers in the wild.

“The trip made me realise how important tigers are, not just to the forests they inhabit, but to the wider biodiversity of the place and our planet. Tigers are truly the most beautiful, serene, majestic creatures on which the whole health of the forest ecosystem depends. Without them keeping the grazers in check the forests would be overgrazed and turned to dust.”

Melanie was also keen to understand the main issues facing tigers in the wild, namely the pressure of human development and poaching.

DSWF would like to thank:

“It’s so sad that the trade in tiger parts for a mainly Far Eastern market threatens to destroy not only this species but the balance of the vital forest systems they inhabit,” she says. “That tigers could one day be extinct in the wild is an absolute

Melanie Chisholm, British Airways, Indus Experiences, Nalla Muthu, Canon Europe and Balendu Singh for making this trip possible.

Thanks also to Barcroft Media and HELLO! who helped promote the issues facing wild tigers to new audiences.

Wildlife Matters Issue 47

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INDIA

Anti-poaching, community outreach, education and undercover investigation

REPORT: Working together to protect wildlife For a country with over one billion people it is perhaps surprising that India is so rich in wildlife.

But, from its Himalayan peaks in the north to its sub-tropical forests in the south India is home to some of the rarest and most important populations of mammals on earth. It is home to 65 percent of the world’s wild tigers, 65 percent of Asiatic elephants and 85 percent of the world’s one-horned rhino. Protecting these precious mammals has been key to DSWF’s work in India for over 30 years.

“Combining park protection, anti-poaching, community outreach, education and undercover investigation DSWF supports wildlife conservation across 21 Indian states,” explains CEO, Sally Case. “Our aim is to ensure an holistic approach to conservation, working with local communities to help them understand, value and protect the wildlife they live close to.”

In Kaziranga National Park, Assam DSWF has worked with local NGO the Aaranyak Society since 1994. Centred around the rich alluvial flood plains created by the Brahmaputra River the park is home to the largest population of Indian one-horned rhino and over 100 Bengal tigers. Kaziranga is a wildlife jewel with UNESCO World Heritage Site status but, despite this, the threats to Kaziranga’s wildlife remain a constant issue.

“As well as the threats from human encroachment and development, the Brahmaputra River, which forms the northern border of the park, is subject to dam construction up and down stream which interfers with the natural flood patterns of the river,” explains Aaranyak’s Dr Bibhab Talukdar.

“Wildlife is accustomed to the annual floods but if a dam is opened without notice, animals, and people, struggle to escape the flood waters quickly and safely.”

Knowing the routes that wildlife uses to leave the park for higher ground helps teams of volunteers to ensure safe passage during these critical times; times when poachers, also well aware of the traditional migration routes, capitalize on poaching opportunities.

With its close proximity to China in the north and Myanmar to the east, Kaziranga has become a prime target for poachers.

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“DSWF’s funding of the Wildlife Crime Monitoring Programme is helping us investigate and infiltrate the crime routes and criminal networks in the region,” adds Bibhab. Having lost a colleague in the line of fire and several park rangers, no one is under any illusion that this work is anything but dangerous, yet there are local communities actively volunteering to help protect wildlife too.

These Village Defence Groups are what Bibhab calls the ‘second line of defence’. Made up of villagers who patrol the borders of their villages and the park, vigilant for any criminal activities, they have little more than a mobile phone and a torch.

“Meeting these men, who run two shifts from 6pm to midnight and from midnight to 6am every night, every day of the year - was very humbling,” says DSWF’s Georgina Lamb, who made her first trip to Kaziranga in June. “During our meeting they made a simple request for raincoats, torches and badges to identify them as being on official business. It was great, with the help of DSWF donors, to be able to help provide these very basic supplies almost immediately.”

DSWF also helps fund other community initiatives including alternative livelihoods schemes aimed at providing a sustainable income for villagers. The weaving, piglet and goat schemes are designed to keep locals employed so that they are not forced to resort to hunting or poaching to survive.

“Keeping ahead of the poachers bribes is extremely hard especially as we cannot offer the same monetary incentives,” says Bibhab. “But, on the whole, many of the groups we work with are proud to be part of the schemes we offer.”

Engaging reformed poachers and those who live closest to the park is a priority, as is reaching out to the 70 schools in the fringe villages to ensure that children grow up with an understanding and respect for the wildlife on their doorstep.

The Rhino and Tiger Goes to School programme is a big hit with the children who learn not only about Assam’s wildlife but rhino and tigers around the world too.

“The ‘make friends with rhino and tigers’ was a magical part of the lessons we attended,” adds Georgina Lamb. “Wearing papier mache animal heads the children were thrilled to be actively involved in the lessons delivered by the DSWF funded teams. It’s definitely not something they’ll forget in a hurry.”

DSWF also funds an annual Nature Orientation Initiative which invites 35 selected students - children of poachers or victims of wildlife conflict - to three days of field work, drama and wildlife workshops.

“While many are reluctant to attend they are even more reluctant to leave and past students continue to be great ambassadors for wildlife,” says Bibhab.

100% of donations marked for specific projects in the field go in full, with no administration costs deducted

India is home to:

65% worlds’s wild tigers . 65% of the world’s Asiatic elephants . 85% world’s one-horned rhinos.

With your help DSWF supports wildlife conservation across 21 Indian states As well as supporting important data collection through the camera trapping programme in the park, which collects data not only on rhino and tiger numbers but prey species and poachers DSWF is also the sole funder of the antipoaching dog squad.

Across India DSWF’s funding of wildlife emergencies through the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) also means that human-animal conflict issues receive a rapid response. From providing early warning systems to prevent elephant deaths on the railways to buffalo insurance schemes to prevent revenge attacks on tigers and awareness campaigns for India’s beleaguered leopards DSWF support is helping to protect India’s wildlife throughout the sub-continent.

“As a first time visitor to India, and to the projects we support, I was deeply impressed with the work that DSWF funds, often in very complex and bureaucratic environments,” adds Georgina Lamb. “It’s so good to see the work in action and to come away feeling more determined than ever to raise funds and awareness for the amazing teams on the frontline of conservation in India.”

Empowering local in the fight for wildlife is supporting conservation efforts throughout India

HELP

Photos courtesy Peanut Lamb, Vicky Flynn, Mark Carwardine, Firoz Ahmed and WTI

“We started with one dog, Jorba, but his success at tracking down poachers and helping the police and park teams was so valued that we are now bringing a second dog, Babli, into service and training a third,” adds Bibhab.

100% of any donation made to a named project will go in full, with no administration costs deducted www.davidshepherd.org

Wildlife Matters Issue 47

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Adopters help Beau continue to enjoy her freedom

Far East

Exposé of ‘Sin City’ forces change Update from Debbie Banks, Lead Campaigner at Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) DSWF’s TigerTime Campaign has been at the forefront of spreading the word about how the unregulated tiger farms of China, and the licensed trade in the skins of captive bred tigers is stimulating demand among the rich and powerful.

Beau enjoying her freedom - courtesy Animal’s Asia

Beau continues to be a very independent girl who enjoys her own company more than that of the 14 other moon bears she shares her enclosure with.

When she’s not fast asleep during the winter months, she becomes increasingly active; exploring the pool, the waterfall and any play structure or tree she can climb. She still has a reputation for creating flawless nests prior to winter dormancy. When vacant, the nests she builds are so exquisite that the other bears will take turns or even compete to sleep inside them.

Beau lives up to her name as being one beau-tiful bear with a particular appetite for crystallised honey. Although she is usually solitary, Beau has found friendship with her male house-mate Frank.

In recent times, the pair has been observed playing and wrestling with one another in the long grass.

When it comes to the defence of her food, Beau makes her feelings very well known amongst her fellow bear pals. With the exception of Frank, if other bears draw near to her fruit and vegetables, she will give them a loud growl - demonstrating not only her powerful voice but also making the others aware of her dominance within the group.

How you can help By adopting Beau you will help support the rehabilitation of moon bears from the bile farms of Vietnam and China, providing them with stimulating outside areas where they can enjoy life free from pain. For more about adoptions see page 27 or order online at

www.davidshepherd.org

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In October, China’s President Xi Jinping visited the USA and the UK and met with President Obama and David Cameron. This presented a great opportunity for world leaders to highlight the scourge of tiger farming and the threat it poses to the world’s remaining tigers.

A joint letter to both leaders signed by 18 tiger groups including DSWF, TigerTime and EIA received good press coverage and while Obama and Xi took hugely positive steps toward ending the ivory trade, there were no signs that Xi will order the destruction of stockpiles of tiger parts held by private breeders, that he will oversee the phasing out of tiger farms or that the law will be amended so as to place a higher value on live wild tigers vs the parts and products of dead ones.

With DSWF support, EIA has played its part in collating, translating and circulating information on tiger farming and trade.

The agri-business approach to the world’s favourite animal is not confined within China’s borders however and the tiger farming model in particular has been exported to neighbouring Laos PDR. Throughout 2014 and 2015, EIA and Education for Nature Vietnam (ENV), undertook a series of investigations into the availability of tiger parts and products, and other smuggled wildlife at the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone (GT SEZ), in Bokeo Province of northwest Laos. The findings were released in March 2015, in a report called Sin City.

February 2015 the number had risen to 35; a senior keeper revealed the goal is to acquire a total of 50 females for breeding to increase the population to 500 tigers within three years and up to 1,000 in the long term to produce tiger bone wine for consumption at the GT SEZ and for export to China, via Yunnan.

Run by the Chinese company Kings Romans Group, which has a 99-year lease and an 80 per cent stake in the operation, the Government of Laos owns the remaining 20 per cent stake, declaring it a duty-free area and giving it political patronage at the highest level.

The Laotian authorities (with Chinese authorities present), undertook limited enforcement action at the GT SEZ, seizing and burning tiger skins two weeks after the release of the report.

Unfortunately, no DNA samples were taken so no action appears to have been taken to investigate the origin of the tigers and sources confirm that the restaurants selling tiger bone wine and tiger meat were reportedly closed down, but are now open again, selling illegal wildlife under the counter.

Despite this, EIA’s investigations have put Laos and its role in illegal wildlife trade under the microscope and pushed foreign government representatives, intergovernmental organisations and NGOs into renewing their efforts to foster greater commitment and capacity from the Laos Government to deal with wildlife and forest crime. These independent and international exposés are a vital part of the process to catalyse change. With DSWF’s help, EIA will continue to challenge the laws and policies that facilitate the trade, farming and consumption of tiger parts, campaigning for reform.

The gruesome sight of stuffed tigers for sale at ‘Sin City’ © EIA

The GT SEZ has effectively become a lawless playground with a casino, hotel, shops, restaurants, a shooting range and massage parlours, and visitors can openly buy endangered species products including tigers, leopards, elephants, rhinos, pangolins, helmeted hornbills and bears smuggled in from Asia and Africa.

EIA’s undercover investigators documented restaurants with endangered species on their menus and one business keeping a live python and a bear cub in cages, both of which were available to eat on request.

The complex also has ambitious plans for the manufacture of tiger bone wine. The team found four tigers at the GT SEZ in mid-2014 but by

100% of donations marked for specific projects in the field go in full, with no administration costs deducted

MONGOLIA

Research, anti-poaching and community programmes to protect the snow leopard

Photos courtesy Snow Leopard Trust

Seeing Anu with her second litter is a powerful sign of hope for snow leopard survival

Anu’s Tale: from cub to proud mother of triplets Update from the Snow Leopard Trust’s Siri Okamoto For many years, DSWF supporters have been helping us follow and monitor wild snow leopards in Mongolia. Using remote-sensor cameras and GPS tracking collars, we’re now able to bring you the amazing story of a young female snow leopard named Anu. Four years ago we saw her as a cub and today, the latest photos from the field show Anu followed by three small cubs of her own. Anu’s tale is a powerful sign of hope for the endangered cat species.

next appearance, Anu was travelling alone and had developed into a fully grown young cat living alone.

Part of a ground breaking study Anu was born in Mongolia’s Tost mountains on the edge of the Gobi Desert in 2009.

Researchers, keen to lift the veil on some of the snow leopard’s secrets, set up camp near her den.

They wanted to know how much space snow leopards need; how much prey they consume; how they interact; where they migrate to and which patterns they follow.

The researchers had set out to collar a young female, hoping she’d have cubs while they were tracking her. Anu didn’t appear to be pregnant but with the collars lasting for c.18 months, they were hopeful for cubs in 2012.

The answers to some of these questions have since helped shape effective conservation measures. We now know that more than a dozen cats live in this area - information that has been critical in partially protecting Tost from development and mining threats. We also know that snow leopards migrate between various mountain chains helping us promote efforts to protect these important corridors along with the mountains they link.

In 2010, when Anu was around a year old, she was photographed for the first time hiding behind her mother. In spring 2011, when she made her

Historic mum A couple of weeks later an alarm went off at base camp, indicating that a snow leopard had been caught by a hidden snare, giving the scientists the opportunity to equip the cat with a GPS tracking collar. The cat was Anu.

As her collar sent location data to a satellite, our team tracked Anu’s movements. In the spring of 2012, they noticed a change in her ranging patterns which became smaller and smaller until eventually she stopped moving altogether. For the researchers this was exactly the sign they had been hoping for; they believed Anu was about to give birth.

They tracked her signals to a remote cave, not far from the study’s base camp. There, hidden behind a wall of rocks they heard faint sounds.

They attached a camera to a stick and carefully lifted it over the wall to film the inside of the cave.

It may only be a few seconds of shaky images but the footage the team took that day was ground breaking: the first ever video of a wild snow leopard cub in its den with its mother, Anu.

A few days later, Anu ventured out of the den to hunt for food. The team used this opportunity to examine her cub, carefully inspecting, weighing and photographing the little cat. They quickly left the den site and waited at a safe distance for Anu to come home. After a few hours, she returned with dinner and settled back into the den.

The photos and videos had a major impact in the scientific community and were celebrated by snow leopard lovers around the world.

Anu’s GPS collar dropped off as scheduled soon after, and the team lost sight of her and her cub for a while. Then, in the autumn of 2012 they appeared in a photo - the cub still relatively small.

Our team was anxious to see how the two cats would fare through the hard Mongolian winter.

A few months later, in early 2013, they got their answer as Anu and her cub again passed in front of a camera. By then, the tiny ball of fur our team had found in its den had grown into a handsome young adult.

Detective work leads to discovery Last autumn our team retrieved a research camera stationed near a watering hole frequently used by the area’s animals. On it were pictures of a female snow leopard with three cubs, we were elated. Footage of wild cubs is still exceedingly rare and realising that we were looking at Anu with her second litter was a powerful sign of hope for snow leopard survival in this precious region of Mongolia.

Wildlife Matters Issue 47

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EDUCATION matters

Working with young people and schools to raise conservation awareness

Message from our captain Dear Young Friends In September an amazing decision was made that could help end the trade in ivory. President Xi Jinping from China and President Obama of the United States - the two largest markets for illegal ivory - agreed to enact a nearly complete ban on the import and export of ivory to help reduce the loss of elephants to poaching. With 30,000 elephants killed every year this could signal a much brighter future for the world’s elephants.

The DSWF and TigerTime Campaign team also joined forces with eighteen other tiger groups this autumn to ask Obama and UK Prime Minister, David Cameron to raise the issue of tiger trade with President Xi. Making sure that other species don’t get forgotten is equally important. Everything is inter-connected, every animal and plant is important to the future of the planet.

But you don’t have to be a world leader to make a difference to the future of wildlife.

Being aware of the issues that face our planet, its wild spaces and its animals and being able to share that knowledge with your friends and families is equally important.You can find out more about a variety of animals and issues in this edition of Wildlife Matters, there are free education resources online too at www.davidshepherd.org or you can ask DSWF’s new Education Manager, Jo Elphick, to come and visit your school or group to tell you more.

Becoming informed will hopefully inspire you not only to be an ambassador for wildlife but to take part in the 2016 Global Canvas Art and Poetry Competition too (more details on these pages). Whatever you do, do it together and do it for wildlife!

Because wildlife matters.

Gary Lineker Captain of Young Friends

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HELLO TO JO We’re delighted to announce the appointment of Jo Elphick as our new Education Manager.

Jo will be working with schools and community groups to provide educational resources and talks to help engage young people not only in wildlife conservation but in art too.

With a lifelong passion for wildlife and conservation, Jo has both worked and volunteered at the Natural History Museum in London, recently been volunteering with school children at a local education trust helping them to learn about wildlife and the environment and has run a school wildlife club.

Commenting on her appointment Jo says: “I will be visiting schools and working with children ranging from key stage one to sixth form. I can offer talks or workshops on the endangered wildlife DSWF is helping to protect as well as conservation, ecology, biodiversity and the environment - all of which are built around the national curriculum and tailored to the relevant key stage. I can also run endangered animal or environmentally themed art lessons or talk about careers in conservation.”

To get in touch with Jo to discuss the opportunities available for your school or youth group email Jo at jo.elphick@davidshepherd.org

Your FUNdraising

School partnerships grow stronger each year The Muzovu Awareness Project works with 20 rural schools in the Kafue National Park region and a further 10 schools in Zambia’s capital city Lusaka. Some of these schools are paired with a UK school under the Muzovu School Friendship Scheme and the students exchange photos, letters and videos to share snapshots of their lives, interests and knowledge.

Heathfield Primary School in Bishops Stortford are making a video for students in Zambia sharing their inspiration for the wonderful wildlife we have on this planet. The video will include the students stories, poems, drama, dancing, singing and playing musical instruments to convey their messages to help save wildlife.

A new school pairing is Dottidoodles After School Art Club who, after the Global Canvas Competition, decided they wanted to do more for the elephants and children in Zambia. They

have been exchanging letters with Mukambi Community School (pictured above) and have this term been busy sewing hot water bottle covers and blankets for the baby orphan elephants. They arrived this summer and it looks like the keepers are keen to keep them!

Alexandra Parade Primary School in Scotland have been paired with Ngoma Basic School for many years now and each year their friendships and support grow stronger. Thank you to the pupils and staff for their ongoing support continually fundraising for the students at Ngoma this year they raised £430 through various events including a bright and sparkly clothes day. Keep up the fantastic work!

If you would like your school to make friends with a school in Zambia, email: jo.elphick@davidshepherd.org

100% of all donations you send marked for specific projects in the field go in full with no administration costs deducted

TAKE PART!

Last year’s Global Canvas Art & Poetry Competition was a HUGE success and we want you to be part of it in 2016.

Get together with your friends at school or your at your art or after school club and put your heads together on the subject of ‘Wild Wonders’.

It’s easy to forget how beautiful our wild world is when there is so much news of pollution and decreasing species - but in 2016 we want to celebrate the wild, we want you to show us just how special and how wonderful it is. And, of course, that’s exactly why we should save it!

Enter online before January 29 We can’t wait to see your entries!

STOP PRESS: Children’s author and illustrator,

Catherine Rayner will be the special guest at the Natural History Museum on March 17. As well as helping to choose the winners she’ll share her secrets of illuration and writing AND her love of animals!

round-up Tiger update from Stowe On Speech Day in May the school leavers at Stowe (which has chosen DSWF as it’s charity of the year) celebrated their fundraising efforts to date. Staff from DSWF joined the students in raising awareness about the Amur Tiger with their family and friends.

“Stoics have raised £3,356 and will be continuing to fundraise for DSWF and the Amur Tiger in the new school year until the end of 2015 - we can’t wait to see what’s in store!” says DSWF’s Jo Elphick.

Pennthorpe brain storm There are a bundle of budding fundraisers at Pennthorpe School. The Year 6 and 7 Science classes had a Dragons Den session with the DSWF team to learn about endangered species.

Groups chose their favourite species and then brainstormed a business proposal to present. Each team told the class how they would raise money to help save their chosen species. There were plenty of fantastic ideas, from pin the tail on the elephant to paint a painted dog in five minutes!

The Year 6 Charity Committee Team is already busy spreading the message of DSWF and trying to raise money to adopt their favourite animals.

Make DSWF your school’s charity of the year. Contact the team via jo.elphick@davidshepherd.org to find out more and join the herd!

Supporting Education in Zambia DSWF's Education Advisor, Andrew White, was in Zambia this summer continuing our ongoing work with the education team.

Andrew held a four day workshop with Kelvin and Leonard at Camp Phoenix, looking at the use of PowerPoint in teaching and effective questioning to promote and check learning.

"The education team are currently working with 35 schools around the Kafue National Park, with over 1,400 children taking part in their conservation clubs and a further 2,000 children receiving monthly lessons on conservation issues such as human elephant conflict," explains Andrew. "Kelvin and Leonard both spoke with great excitement about how the children are taking the lessons they have learnt back home and that their parents are now getting involved with the work they are doing."

The four day workshop concluded with Andrew, Kelvin and Leonard teaching a group of Lusaka school children who were visiting Kafue about the threats facing the park and how we can make good decisions to protect the park for future generations.

Shalford Infants get messy with snow leopards

NEW

Game App for Wildlife

The DSWF team met the Year 2 class at Shalford Infants to talk about snow leopards as part of their study of Asia. The students brought in lots of paper and plastic waste from home to create some recycled art and enjoyed getting messy with papier mache designing their own landscapes and snow leopards to venture across it.

A new, free to download, mobile game app is set to change the game for wildlife. World of the Wild has partnered with 17 global charities including DSWF’s TigerTime Campaign to ‘gamify’ the concept of wildlife conservation, encouraging users to participate in real-world wildlife conservation and habitat restoration scenarios on a fun and educational app platform.

To top off the project they visited the DSWF gallery, where their work was on display and met up with some other big cats!

You can download the app from the Apple Store online at: http://apple.co/1jrgtuQ

For more schools news and updates please see our online education magazine at: bit.ly/DSWFMag

We’d love to know what you think!

Turn to page 24 to find out about our amazing Wildlife Warriors with more school fundraising stories too!

Wildlife Matters Issue 47

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Wildlife Artist Year 2015 OF THE

‘Sleepy Heads’ awarded £10,000 wildlife art prize

Commenting on the winning piece, a collection of ceramic warthogs, judge - artist and gallery owner - Hazel Soan said: “The piece by Nick Mackman demonstrated her consistency of form and wonderful characterization and individuality that she moulds as if from the African earth to create wonderful, living sculpture.”

“I was over the moon to win the competition,” said Nick Mackman. “It’s a privilege to be able to contribute to such a fantastic exhibition that not only celebrates wildlife art but also raises much needed funds to help conserve the animals we all cherish.”

With the introduction of artist postcards and a wonderful new range of art inspired scarves on show the event helped raise over £40,000 for DSWF conservation projects.

“2015 was a great success,” says CEO, Sally Case.

“But, none of it would have been possible without the amazing artists and our sponsors. So thank you to everyone who entered and to Neil and June Covey for their continuing generosity, Tilney Bestinvest, Barlow Robbins, Powertraveller, The Oliver Foundation, Silver Surfers, Carol Cordrey, Gary Hodges, Simon Trapnell, The Artist magazine and Andy and Carrie Skillen. And of course to everyone who came and bought the beautiful art.”

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Full winners list: Overall (and 3D Category winner): Sleepy Heads by Nick Mackman

Runner up (and Contemporary Category winner): Cranes on the Fen by Dafila Scott Endangered Wildlife:

White Ghost by Atsushi Harada

Wild World:

Noisy Neighbours by Tony Feld

Portraits: Autruches by Francois Gruson Original Prints: Bee (1) by Patricia Rozental Wildlife in Monochrome:

Cold Shoulder by Terry Miller

Young & Wild:

Storm Damage by Holly Brookes

Silver Artist:

The Silent Watcher by Barry Sutton

The David Shepherd Choice:

The Valley – Sharpenhoe by Heather Irvine

The Artist Magazine Award - selected by the editor of The Artist Magazine: Curlews by Lisa Hooper People’s Choice: Precious by Natalie Mascall

100% of donations marked for specific projects in the field go in full, with no administration costs deducted

Photos courtesy of the artists, Vicky Flynn and Rowena Chowdrey

Nick Mackman (pictured right), a sculptor based in Okehampton, Devon was named the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundations’ 2015 Wildlife Artist of the Year at a prize-giving event at the Mall Galleries in London on June 29. Nick, who is a previous category winner, accepted the £10,000 top prize from wildlife artist and conservationist, David Shepherd CBE and DSWF CEO, Sally Case.

The winners: Opposite page from top: Noisy Neighbours by Tony Feld The Valley - Sharpenhoe by Heather Irvine Storm Damage by Holly Brookes Curlews by Lisa Hooper This page from top left clockwise: Cranes on the Fen by Dafila Scott Cold Shoulder by Terry Miller Bee (1) by Patricia Rozental The Silent Watcher by Barry Sutton Autruches by Francois Gruson Precious by Natalie Mascall White Ghost by Atsushi Harada

Beautiful art supporting wildlife conservation - be part of it in 2016

New for 2016!

Our ninth Wildlife Artist of the Year competition opened for entries on September 8. This well-established competition continues to attract some of the best wildlife artists in the world and gives a fantastic platform for emerging young talent.

With seven new categories to suit all styles, a £10,000 prize purse, a weeklong exhibition at the Mall Galleries in London and all profits donated to support wildlife conservation it’s another irresistible palette of prizes.

We are delighted that The Artist Magazine continues its support of the event with The Artist Magazine Award. The winner, chosen by The Artist

editor, Dr Sally Bulgin, will be given a feature in the magazine - look out for this year’s winner of the title, Lisa Hooper, featuring in the November edition.

Entry runs until February 15, 2016. See the back page for details or go online to enter at www.davidshepherd.org/way/

Save the Date

The 2016 Exhibition and Sale will run from Monday 27 June (private preview by invitation) with public opening Tuesday 28 June to Saturday 2 July 10-5pm (4pm on Saturday). Keep your eye on the DSWF website for more information and some exciting new exhibits!

Wildlife Issue 47 45 WildlifeMatters Matters Issue

21

ART & GIFTS

Make your Christmas gifts extra special this year by helping to save wildlife too.

Shop online at www.davidshepherd.org

DAVID SHEPHERD SILKSCREEN PRINTS We have a wonderful collection of some of David’s rarely available silkscreen prints

Portrait of a Tiger Signed limited edition of 200.

Image Size 45cm x 56cm £1200

Amboseli Signed limited edition of 350.

Image Size: 67cm x 43cm £995

The Last Refuge Signed limited edition of 350.

Image Size 56cm x 72cm £1500

Postage, packing and insurance on each print is £14.95 - call us on 01483 272323 to order or go online to www.davidshepherd.org

Inspired by Art

Our fabulous range of luxury scarves make the most perfect gifts

Newborn

by Karen Laurence-Rowe 200cm x 70cm 90% modal 10% cashmere £70 £4.95 P&P on all scarves

Only Me

by Anna Borkowska 130cm x 130cm 75% cotton 25% silk £60

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Hidden Tigers

by Claire Harkness 130cm x 130cm 90% modal 10% cashmere £70

Spirit of Thera

by Richard Newby 130cm x 130cm 75% cotton 25% silk £60

Shop on-line for our full range of beautiful art that supports conservation at www.davidshepherd.org

Affordable sculpture direct to your door Beautiful hand-made clay sculptures by Julie Wilson - painted dog available in two poses £220 - approx size 45cm long x 20cm high (others available to view and buy online www.davidshepherd.org) Cold cast bronze wrens and dormice (view online) approx size 5cm high x 5cm wide

by Simon Griffiths, perfect gifts at £40 each.

P&P for clay sculptures £30 and for wrens and dormice £4.95

CHRISTMAS CARDS We’re thrilled to be launching this beautiful card for Christmas 2015 using the artwork of 2015 Wildlife Artist of the Year finalist Atsushi Harada.

White Ghost depicts the elusive snow leopard and all sales will help support species survival.

DSWF is delighted to feature the fabulous work by Ugandan born artist Karen Laurence-Rowe

Message inside the cards reads: With best wishes for Christmas and the New Year Packs of 10 - £4.50 per pack Postage & packing: Up to 2 packs - £1 per pack Up to 6 packs - £2.95 Over 6 packs - £4.95

LAST DATE FOR UK CHRISTMAS DELIVERY Impala Fawn

Baby Giraffe

Please order before December 18th for guaranteed Christmas delivery in the UK.

Please visit

www.davidshepherd.org

for the full collection of artwork available.

ART by APPOINTMENT

Cheetah Cubs

Best Friends

The ‘Linen Babies’ Collection by Karen Laurence-Rowe Signed limited edition print on linen-effect canvas, in an edition of 30.

These prints are supplied flat ready for you to frame or box mount 35cm x 35cm £120.00 each - plus £7.50 p&p

The DSWF Gallery in Shalford, Surrey is changing! If you would like to come and view our wonderful collection of wildlife art, please call us on 01483 272323 or email dswf@davidshepherd.org to make an appointment. And don’t forget you can shop online at any time at:

www.davidshepherd.org Wildlife Matters Issue 47

23 23

Thank you for your support

The Foundation and the animals that it protects would not survive without the dedication and enthusiasm of our supporters, both individual and corporate. Read on to find out how you could get involved and to see the amazing things people do for wildlife.

You’ve been baking, biking, rolling in the mud, running, selling and entertaining all for wildlife!

So BIG thanks to everyone including: Damien Butt who cycled 50 miles in the Three Counties Bike Ride and raised £220 for DSWF’s tiger projects in June.

Ash Harrison who raised £152 by selling fruit and flowers from a stall at the end of his track in the most stunning Peak District scenery.

Above: the girls take on the Tough Mudder - Right: Damien Butt cycling for tigers - Below: Charlie, Thea and Lara brighten up a drizzzly day

After raising £4,800 for DSWF at the beginning of the year a group of St. Catherine’s School sixth formers made their way to the Lilayi Elephant orphanage outside Lusaka this summer to see with their own eyes how the money from the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation is being spent. The girls were very impressed by the 24 hour care given to the young elephants and very much enjoyed their visit to see the important work being done there that their fundraising is supporting.

South Farnham School pupils Charlie Jourdain, Thea Jones and Lara Lloyd-Mostyn who brightened up a drizzly day selling lots of delicious cakes at Bourne Green during a Footie Presentation day and raised £70. Eleri Pernicos, also of South Farnham School, along with friends Caitlin, Naomi and Fleur raised a further £101 selling more delicious cakes!

Tiffany Cavanagh (former DSWF Education Manager) who, along with Beth Smith, Angelika Karasinska and Emma Fenney took on the seriously challenging Tough Mudder ... and survived!

Jason Millward who continues to support our work by taking on the most extraordinary challenges which this year included running 3 ultra marathons over 3 weekends totalling 195 miles to help save the wild tiger! WOW thank you Jason!

The amazing Nadia Gibbs completed her 30 challenges for DSWF this year raising over £1,000.

Above: Nadia Gibbs took on 30 challenges for DSWF - Left: Jason Millward faced three ultra-marathons for tigers! and below, Tamsin Ball has been singing for tigers!

Continuing thanks to singer Tamsin Ball who is using her wonderful voice to raise money throughout the South West for our tiger projects and has collected £1,786 to date.

Dressed in an elephant onesie (pictured below) DSWF’s Education Advisor Andrew White completed a 187km cycle ride from Canterbury to Shalford as part of his £10,000 fundraising drive to support education in Zambia.

Thank you to everyone who ran for DSWF in the 2015 London Marathon and raised almost £6,000! Suzie Sparling, Paul Holmes, Rory Miles, Pam Moscrop and Lauren Smith - you were brilliant!

Another visitor to the orphanage in Zambia, 12 year-old Alisha Brassington decided to raise money to help provide equipment and supplies. “I want to help educate people that poaching elephants is damaging to tourism and the earth,” she says. Since returning home to Shropshire, Alisha has been selling animal hand puppets, selling home made cakes in her father’s shop and is about to embark on a 5km walk with her friend at the end of November. To date, she has raised £80.

Another young Wildlife Warrior, Mark van Eykenhof has been busy completing chores around the house and garden and has raised £26 for tigers and £25 for rhinos.

Rob Drewett, a photographer who allowed our TigerTime campaign to use one of his pictures as the inspiration for ‘Kai’ by Richard Symonds (see below) gave up sugar and alcohol during October to raise funds for TigerTime. Thank you for all your support Rob and Richard.

THANK YOU TO ALL OUR WILDLIFE WARRIORS

Marathon runners Suzi Sparling, Paul Holmes and Pam Moscrop were DSWF wildlife warriors this spring...

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100% of donations marked for specific projects in the field go in full, with no administration costs deducted

You can buy limited edition prints of Kai and Prince of India by Richard Symonds (both supporting our tiger projects) online at: www.davidshepherd.org

Team DSWF smash their fundraising target On August 2, Team DSWF took on the RideLondon Surrey 100, cycling the famous and challenging Olympic route to raise funds for wildlife. David Walker and Tamsin Cherry (below centre and right) completed the individual event while Nick Karp and Rob and Joanne Maddison (picture below left) took on the peloton as a team riding through London and the beautiful Surrey countryside.

DSWF joined forces with event supporters Cranfold Physio, setting up at Forest Green, just past the half way mark, to cheer the riders on.

“Forest Green is just before the tough climb up Leith Hill, so it seemed a great point to cheer on our riders and offer them a spot of

moral support,” said Marianne Watts, DSWF’s Community Fundraiser.

Regional Ambassador for Oxfordshire, Rebecca Ward, set up a meeting point at the end of the race and was able to catch up with the team when they returned to London.

“The ride was tough, I won’t lie, but equally a lovely day out” said Tamsin. “I’m originally from South Africa so understand the urgent need to protect and save our beautiful animals. Any opportunity to raise money and awareness!”

TeamDSWF smashed their fundraising target, and are at £5,000 to date.

BE A WILDLIFE WARRIOR! We need you to help raise funds and awareness for endangered wildlife!

DSWF has guaranteed places in the Virgin Money London Marathon the biggest single fundraiser on the planet - and RideLondon 2016. In return for your amazing dedication and hard work we’ll help you promote your fundraising and your story to maximise the potential of your challenge.

Visit www.davidshepherd.org to apply for your place today or call and talk to us on 01483 272323

Ambassador Update Val Green, our Ambassador for Scotland, has raised over £750 since she accepted the role in August. A chance meeting with illustrator Catherine Rayner at a book signing has created a really exciting partnership for DSWF and TigerTime and in October, Val took part in the Global March for Elephants and Rhino spreading awareness for their plight.

Anita Murray, our Ambassador for North Norfolk, ran a stall: “ I had a wonderful time on Friday 21 August at Tescos in Stalham, talking and meeting lots of people. Several people had paintings and prints of David’s and one lady who was nearly in tears when she heard about the baby elephants.

One lady had won three pounds on the lottery and put it straight in the donation box!” Total raised £77.

Amanda Butler, Ambassador for Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, has raised over £1,000 since April through a combination of education talks, sales and a really wild garden party. Like Val, she also took part in her local Global March.

A warm welcome to our newest Ambassador Anne-Louise Creasey who has already raised £460 from a raffle held at a charity cricket match between Lloyds Bank and Computacentre in September. Anne Louise says: “I am really excited to be the DSWF Ambassador for Suffolk and Essex, I have always had a keen interest in the

WALKING THE ZAMBEZI 2,500km for wildlife

Anne-Louise Creasey Suffolk & Essex conservation of wildlife and have recently become more and more aware of the impact humans are having on wildlife and their environments around the world. Being an Ambassador will be a great way for me to make a real difference.

“I am so looking forward to being able to promote DSWF and the work they do as well as raising as much money as possible for them. I am new to fund raising but have organised many events over the years including a few charity ones so hope this will help me in my endeavours.”

If you would like to be a volunteer Ambassador for DSWF in your area please get in touch with Marianne.Watts@davidshepherd.org or call on 01483 272323

Chaz Powell is setting off in August 2016 to walk the full length of the Zambezi river which is about 2,500km - that’s a LONG way and he needs all the support he can get. He’ll be challenged not only by the distance, the terrain, wildlife and mosquitoes but border crossings too. He’s secured sponsorship from Craghoppers but would love more! If you or your company could help him on this epic adventure in aid of DSWF please let us know!

Or donate at: https://www.justgiving.com/WalkingTheZambezi/

Are you a Friend of DSWF? Not sure?

Not yet

We have changed the term ‘member’ to ‘Friend’.

If you are unsure if your membership has lapsed please call or email us today.

Your friendship helps us protect precious wildlife populations. If you like what we do please become a Friend today.

Friendships start from just £32 a year.

Please call or go online to find out more: www.davidshepherd.org

GETTING IN TOUCH:

Can you introduce us to your friends?

• Introduce a friend and receive a thank you gift when they sign up • Your friend will receive this Wildlife Matters magazine and some information about us with no obligation to join

www.davidshepherd.org or call us 01483 272323

Discover the Indian Experience

a collection of carefully crafted holidays designed with you in mind

Image part of Autruches by Francois Gruson

Call Vicky on 01483 272323

26

We are so grateful for your support. We would love to reach more people who are as committed to protecting wildlife as you are.

DSWF has always been proud of its promise to give 100% of your donation - marked for a specific project - in full with no administration costs deducted. That means that the wildlife that you love gets the maximum benefit from you gift.

You can donate on at:

Advertise here & help fund our work

100%

You can become a Friend online at www. davidshepherd.org By calling us on 01483 272323 or by email dswf@davidshepherd.org

Yes!

PROUD SUPPORTERS of the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation Dynamic legal support for successful individuals, businesses, schools & charities

We offer you an outstanding selection of tours, perceptively created compilations which will leave you with lifelong experiences.

We tailor-make holidays for discerning travellers with authentic unique experiences and our expertise has been recognised with our numerous awards for excellence.

Working in partnership with DSWF we will donate £50 per person if you mention DSWF when booking.

India ▪ Nepal ▪ Bhutan ▪ Vietnam ▪ Cambodia ▪ Laos ▪ Burma ▪ Thailand ▪ Sri Lanka ▪ Maldives T: 020 8901 7320 E: holidays@indusexperiences.co.uk www.indusexperiences.co.uk Avanta Harrow. 79 College Road. Harrow. HA1 1BD

100% of donations for specific projects in the field go in full, with no administration costs deducted

Animal adoptions from A-Z From Ariun to Zhorik adoptions are as easy as 1-2-3

Photos: SLT, Animals Asia, Jo Hallett, Andrew White, Vicky Flynn,Suzi Eszterhas, Will Burrard Lucas, UCF, Phoenix

1 choose your adoption 2 order it online or over the phone 3 enjoy your adoption knowing you are helping endangered wildlife

Ariun

Beau

Chamilandu

Inka

Nkala

Rahni

Socks

Wildlife Guardians

Zhorik

Adoptions make the perfect gift for someone you love and for wildlife.

With each pack bursting with information about your animal or ranger and gifts including an exclusive pencil sketch print by David or Mandy Shepherd or designer Elizabeth Emanuel and a soft toy or baseball cap there is no better way to support your favourite animal or the brave men and women on the front line of conservation.

At just ÂŁ32 they are great value for money for you and for wildlife!

NEW for 2015

Adopt Rahni - the Bengal Tiger!

There’s a fabulous new adoption that includes a sketch by British fashion designer Elizabeth Emanuel and a photo from Suzi Eszterhas, Rahni is an ambassador for Bengal tigers everywhere!

Add little Rahni to your collection today and help save her cousins in the wild.

Adopt online at www.davidshepherd.org or call us on 01483 272323 Wildlife Matters Issue 47

27

WILDLIFE ARTIST

OF THE

YEAR 2016

Images courtesy of 2015 entrants Chris Sinden, Dafila Scott, Pascal Chesneau & Nick Oneill

CALL FOR ENTRIES

The David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation’s annual art competition

SEVEN CATEGORIES TO SUIT ALL STYLES

Animal Behaviour - Urban Wildlife - Hidden World Wings, Feathered or Otherwise - Into the Blue - Vanishing Fast - Earth’s Beautiful Creatures

Expert judges include fellow artists, conservationists and art critics.

Entry from now until 15 Feb 2016 For full details and rules please see: www.davidshepherd.org/way/ or call us on 01483 272323

EXHIBITION June 27 - 2 July 2016

Mall Galleries London SW1

Private preview & prize-giving

Monday 27 June 5.30-9pm

Public Opening

Tuesday 28 June Saturday 2 July