WILDLIFE® Update

Since we launched WILDLIFE© which includes four beautiful species related eye shadow palettes, lip balms and nail paints, over £23,000 has been raised and donated to DSWF to support the charity’s vital work across Africa and Asia. Read on to find out more about some of the species DSWF is protecting and how, by purchasing from our WILDLIFE© range, you are helping to make a difference.

Pangolins are strange-looking scaly anteaters which resemble a prehistoric artichoke on four legs. Although relatively unknown, they are the most trafficked mammal in the world, hunted for their scales and meat.

 

2020 has been a monumental year for the shy pangolin due to their links with the Covid-19 pandemic. This contagious virus is zoonotic in nature and is thought to have made the jump from bats, to pangolins and then to humans in an illegal wildlife market in Wuhan, China.

 

As a result, in June 2020 China publicly removed pangolin scales from the official listing of ingredients authorised for use in traditional Chinese medicine. This is an incredible step forward which we are hoping will impact and reduce demand for the trade in this precious animal.

 

Thanks to support from Barry M, DSWF is able to continue working at all levels of the illegal wildlife chain to protect pangolins and help to reduce their demand on the black market and as a consumer product. Most recently, we have extended our work from across Africa, China and Thailand to Kenya and Vietnam. 

 

Rhino horn is rivalling the price of gold on the black market. Tragically, rhinos, one of the oldest living creatures on earth, are being poached at alarming rates to supply traditional Chinese medicine markets with their horns. There are no scientifically proven medicinal benefits for rhino horn as it is made of keratin, the same substance as human fingernails and pangolin scales.

 

DSWF supports research and monitoring efforts for the last remaining populations of desert-adapted black rhino, this special type of rhino lives in the Namib Desert, one of the world’s most hostile and arid landscapes. They also aid rangers safeguarding the Indian one-horned rhino.

Sadly, poaching does not stop for pandemics and the number of poaching incidents in Africa is on the rise. People in remote rural communities are losing their jobs in tourism as a direct result of the Covid-19 pandemic. In order to feed their families, they are turning to poaching. 

 

The ongoing purchases of the WILDLIFE© range is making a difference to rhinos, as DSWF can keep rangers in the field to protect these incredibly rare and deeply threatened rhino species.

 

Tigers are one of the world’s most beloved and threatened big cats, with three tiger subspecies already extinct, there are only six surviving tiger subspecies in the world. Tragically, as highlighted in the Netflix documentary, Tiger King, there are more tigers in American backyards and Asian tiger bone farms than there are in the wild. DSWF is working to change wildlife legislations that allows for dangerous big cats to be kept and abused in captivity.

 

 

The arrival of heavier-than-usual seasonal floods means the Bengal tigers and one-horned rhinos of India’s Kaziranga National Park are facing challenging time. Tigers are naturally strong swimmers, but the relentless flooding has plunged the area into disarray. During monsoon season, animals from Kaziranga migrate to higher grounds. In order to do so, they must cross busy roads and come into increasing contact with humans, putting them at risk. This means the Park’s rangers are in overdrive trying to protect the animals with the added pressure of floods and a pandemic.

 

It’s thanks to invaluable support from partners such as Barry M, that we are able to support the rangers who are tirelessly protecting our wildlife during these extra challenging times.

 

 

The mysterious snow leopard is known as the ghost of the Asian mountains due to their elusive nature and the remoteness of their natural range. Found in 12 countries in central Asia, scientists place population estimates as low as 3,500-6,500, remaining in the wild today.

 

For over 20 years DSWF has funded community outreach and education initiatives in Mongolia and Kyrgyzstan, alongside snow leopard population research and monitoring. 

 

Thanks to your support, through Barry M purchases, we are incredibly proud to count 216 women from 26 herder communities engaged in an award-winning women economic empowerment scheme. Women in remote herder communities who pledge to protect snow leopards are taught to create sellable products from natural resources to improve their livelihoods. 

 

By empowering impoverished women economically, they are less dependent on their livestock and therefore less likely to kill a snow leopard when the big cats kill their goats. They also see the positive sides of conservation when they are compensated for their financial losses.

 

Improving the lives of women is one of the ways that our vital partnership with Barry M is helping to make a positive impact to the lives of snow leopards.

 

The DSWF team has remained steadfast in our fight against extinction, and despite these increasingly challenging times, we have been working harder than ever. 

 

We believe in ‘The Art of Survival’ - To fight, protect and engage on behalf of endangered species across Africa and Asia. Art is very much at the heart of a lot of our activities – including the Barry M / WILDLIFE© partnership as the eye shadow palettes feature original artworks by DSWF Art Ambassador, Emily Lamb.

 

In May we successfully launched our Wildlife Artist of the Year 2020 competition and exhibition online, and we are already planning for the launch of Wildlife Artist of the Year 2021 with the competition opening for entries in September. 

 

We have also just launched our children’s art competition, Global Canvas. The theme for 2021’s competition is Healing Nature – A Planet on the Edge. 

 

Lastly, our new Artist of the Month initiative each month showcases the work of a different talented wildlife artist with a range of their artworks for sale with at least 50% supporting DSWF and our ground-based conservation partners.

 

Exciting plans are also afoot for our glamourous Wildlife Ball on Friday 6 November 2020. We’re planning an exciting new event format for guests to enjoy from the comfort of your own home. 

 

Please do sign up to the DSWF e-news to keep up to date with our latest conservation news, art initiatives and events.

 

Georgina Lamb, CEO of DSWF, and granddaughter of David Shepherd, said;

 

https://davidshepherd.org/