Wildlife Artist of the Year category winner actions art to protect the pangolin

We would like to say a huge thank you to artist Chris Rose and to TV presenter Nigel Marven for donating £400 to our Pangolin conservation project.

Chris, winner of the ‘Earth’s Wild Beauty’ category at DSWF Wildlife Artist of the Year 2018, was recently part of a group of speakers giving a wildlife talk for the guests at the Grant Arms Hotel in the Cairngorms National Park.

Chris in action during his painting demonstration

Chris’s speech involved a painting demonstration, with the intention to auction off the completed piece to the audience and for all proceeds to be donated to a wildlife charity of the winning bidder’s choice. The beautiful acrylic representation of a redshank, completed in only 90 minutes, was won by Natural History TV presenter Nigel Marven, who decided to donate the £400 bid to our pangolin projects at DSWF.

We are extremely grateful to both Chris and Nigel, not only for raising awareness of the plight of the pangolin, but also for contributing to our mission to save these unique scaly mammals.

Chris and Nigel with the completed piece 

The illegal trafficking of pangolins continues to grow exponentially, with approximately one million traded in the last decade alone. At DSWF, we employ a holistic approach that targets all levels of the illegal wildlife trade. We fund vital outreach campaigns in both Asia and Africa, aimed at changing consumer behaviour through educating communities about the severe consequences of hunting these endangered creatures. We are also pioneering new research projects in Zambia and Uganda that seek to improve current understanding of pangolin behaviour, populations and poaching hotspots. This data allows for the formation and implementation of successful conservation initiatives.

We still have so much work to do if we are to save this enigmatic species from extinction.

Wildlife TV Presenter Nigel Marven snaps a rare picture with a pangolin

If you are able to help us continue our fight, then please consider joining our DSWF family by becoming a Wildlife Shepherd. As a Wildlife Shepherd, you will receive our bi-annual magazine, ‘Wildlife Matters’, and an annual update on the pivotal work your regular donation is helping to fund.

Every donation, large or small, makes a difference.