David Shepherd is known internationally as an artist and ambassador for wildlife. In 1960 he become a conservationist overnight when he witnessed 255 zebra lying dead around a poisoned waterhole in Tanzania. Since then, with the help of supporters across the world, the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation (DSWF) has given away over £3million in grants to save critically endangered mammals in their wild habitat and benefit the local people who share their environment.

DSWF is an adaptable and flexible, non-bureaucratic organisation responding promptly to conservation threats by supporting trusted, reputable individuals and organisations operating in the field. Lean on administration but generous on funding, DSWF supports a range of innovative, vital and far-reaching projects throughout Africa and Asia, achieving real results for wildlife survival by:

• sending undercover agents into the field to investigate illegal wildlife crime
• training and supplying anti-poaching patrols
• establishing nature reserves and other protected areas
• working with governments to establish conservation laws and regulations
• educating wildlife consumers about the plight of the animals they 'use'
• teaching young people about endangered wildlife through art and school projects

"Since time immemorial, one species became extinct every century. Today, one becomes extinct every hour. Wildlife around the world is being decimated by an awesome onslaught of threats ranging from habitat destruction and hunting, to pollution. Another serious threat - wildlife crime - is alone worth a staggering US$8 billion annually, second only to the illegal trade in drugs. People have slaughtered 98% of the world's black rhinos…we have wiped out more than half of Africa's elephants and three sub-species of tiger have disappeared forever. Join me in my fight for the survival of critically endangered mammals and their habitat. We need your help today - tomorrow will be too late".
David Shepherd OBE FRSA

Recent achievements of DSWF include:

• training and equipping every forest officer in India's famous Sunderbans Tiger Reserve
• uncovering ivory cartels in Zambia, seizing thousands of pounds worth of ivory and arresting poachers
• reducing poaching in Russia, allowing Siberian tigers to increase from 100 to over 400 in the wild
• purchasing land next to one of South Africa's National Parks, home to the last 800 surviving mountain zebra, extending the park by over 200%….
• our Active Conservation Awareness Programme ' When the Buying Stops, The Killing Can Too', has reached over 40 million homes across Asia and with the support of film idol Jackie Chan has persuaded many to stop consuming wildlife
• funding undercover operations of Africa's first cross-border Task Force fighting wildlife smuggling

However

• some experts predict that on present trends, tigers may become extinct in the wild by 2010
• the male population of Asian elephant (the tuskers) are being poached at a rate of 10% each year with less than 1,500 wild elephants surviving
• 98% of the world's black rhino have been slaughtered for their horn and the poaching still continues

This is why we need your support NOW to fund practical field work, anti-poaching and law enforcement projects to known individuals and organisations.

DSWF currently supports 17 vital projects in: Namibia, South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Russia, Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, India, the Congo, Mongolia and China. By clicking the links on the left you can find out more about the important work we are actively supporting around the world. Funding is vital to the continued success of these projects and essential in enabling DSWF to implement new initiatives to fight the continuing onslaught on the world's remaining wildlife species.

DSWF is a UK-based organisation, benefiting from the active support of leading wildlife experts around the world and many celebrities. It publishes bi-annual editions of its magazine ' Wildlife Matters' and raises funds through country wide 'David Shepherd' chat shows, exhibitions and other events, membership, appeals, corporate sponsorship, legacies, adoptions and the DSWF trading Company which offers a variety of David Shepherd Merchandise.

PLEASE JOIN US TODAY IN THE FIGHT TO SAVE SPECIES STRUGGLING AGAINST EXTINCTION

Click here for membership details

If you want to help you can donate online, by post or by telephone. Wildlife desperately needs your help - Just click in the projects below - you don't have to be a member to donate. ….

Click here to donate online

REMEMBER - 100% OF ALL FUNDS DONATED TO SPECIFIC PROJECTS GO DIRECTLY TO THE FIELD

And remember, if you are a UK tax payer we can increase your donation by 28% through GIFT AID - just click here to GIFT AID your donations or contact the office for a form, which just needs your signature!

The project pages are regularly updated with the latest news from the field reporting how your donations and support are making a crucial difference to the future of wildlife in Africa and Asia. To see the latest news on how your donations and support are making a difference in Africa and Asia click on the relevant project and the project update is shown by link at the bottom of each project summary.