We recently held our spring Wildlife Conservation Expo, a virtual event dedicated to celebrating wildlife and bringing conservationists together with you, our amazing community of supporters. Expo is that special time of year when we can show you all of the tremendous work that you’ve helped make possible, and our Network’s conservationists shared their stories from the field with engaging presentations about protecting endangered wildlife.
If you couldn’t attend this spring’s Expo, or simply want to experience the magic all over again, here are a few of the highlights from the day!
- Jane Horgan of Cheetah Conservation Botswana (CCB) gave an emotional presentation about the importance of protecting cheetahs from poachers and paving the way for coexistence between cheetahs and pastoralists. She also gave a detailed overview of what it takes to track cheetahs across Botswana and CCB’s work with farmers and herders in local communities to prevent human-cheetah conflict.
- Conservation Through Public Health (CTPH), one of our newest Conservation Partners, shared a glimpse into the world of mountain gorillas in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Dr. Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka, Founder and CEO of CTPH, and her colleagues talked about their work protecting gorillas by promoting healthcare throughout local communities living around the park.
- David Kuvawoga, Operations Manager of Painted Dog Conservation (PDC), gave us a tour of PDC’s compound in Zimbabwe, where they work to protect painted dogs and promote their conservation to the next generation of wildlife defenders. This presentation takes you through PDC’s visitor center, their iconic children’s bush camp, their research and rehabilitation facility, and introduces you to their anti-poaching unit.
- Dr. Louisa Ponnampalam and Saliza Bono from MareCet talked about their research and work protecting dolphins and other marine mammals in Malaysia. This year marks MareCet’s 10th anniversary, and they’ve spent the last decade conducting vital marine mammal research that has shaped conservation policy and management plans. They’ve also developed a marine education program for local schools and trained local communities how to monitor and respond to incidents of marine mammal stranding. This presentation features a unique audio demonstration to teach us about bioacoustics and how noise pollution threatens marine mammals.
On behalf of all WCN staff, THANK YOU for attending this spring’s Expo. Without your continued support, none of these amazing conservation endeavors would be possible. Together, we have achieved so many remarkable wins for wildlife and their landscapes, and we always want Expo to be an exciting opportunity not just to highlight this impressive work, but to honor you for helping make it happen. We hope you had a great time reconnecting with us, your fellow wildlife enthusiasts, and the conservationists that inspire us all.
If you missed any presentations or want to rewatch your favorites, all of these Expo Talks can be found here.
Thank you for joining us at Expo and continuing to help us create a brighter future for wildlife. We’ll see you again at Expo this October!