Africa

It’s no exaggeration to say that some of the world’s most iconic and beloved animals inhabit Africa. We’re pretty sure you could name at least ten animals who live there without even thinking. Try it! See, we told you so! This extraordinary continent has many, many wonderful habitats which are home, amazingly, to over a MILLION species. Sadly, a significant amount of wildlife in Africa is under threat; often, these threats are caused by humans. Like poaching, which can be devastating for animals, and activities such as farming, mining and other industries which are also damaging their environments. However, it’s not all bad. Some truly awesome people are working really hard to save wildlife at risk. Here at WildLife Foundation we work with many of them to protect Africa’s most famous and vulnerable animals: Lions, Black rhinos, Grévy’s zebra, giraffes, Painted dogs (also called African wild dogs) and Roloway monkeys.

Where we work

Many of these conservation projects happen in places such as Ghana and Kenya, in West and East Africa, and we also work with partners in Madagascar, the big island off the east coast of Africa.

Our projects

Sera Wildlife Conservancy

The WildLife Foundation has awarded a three-year grant to its partners, Fauna and Flora International for use at their Sera Wildlife Conservancy in Kenya where the money is used to secure the habitat of the species that live there, including Black rhinos, Grevy’s zebra, Painted dogs, Giraffes and Elephants. This project will put in place a strategy to manage the Conservancy over the next ten years and will also look into how, for example, it can prevent drought through a water management programme.

Ol Jogi Conservancy

Financial support is vital to many projects, such as the Ol Jogi rhino conservancy in Kenya, run by Save the Rhino International It supports rangers to safeguard rhino populations and ensure their protection to enable the population can grow. In addition to previously funded projects at Ol Jogi, the WildLife Foundation is currently funding a project to provide cameras to monitor black rhino, and protect them from poachers.

Protecting Roloway monkeys in Ghana

Sustained by one of our grants, WAPCA (West African Primate Conservation Action) is undertaking field surveys in the Kwabwe forest in Ghana. This work is crucial for the conservation of Roloway monkeys and other primates. It is also working hard to clamp down on poaching. Rangers at Yorkshire Wildlife Park will also be heading to Ghana to work alongside conservation experts in support of the project in the near future.

Helping Lemurs with Helpsimus

The French charity, Helpsimus has also benefitted from WildLife Foundation funding to protect greater bamboo lemurs and red bellied lemurs in the Madagascan rainforest. This project has two aims: to study lemurs, and to educate nearby communities so local populations can help look after them.

Fundraising at Yorkshire Wildlife Park

So, when you visit Yorkshire Wildlife Park, you’re helping to fund projects all over the world like the ones above. We fundraise for giraffes and lions at the park via the donation stations near their enclosures or through special events like keeper talks. These generate funds which we can then pass on to some of our partners, like Fauna and Flora International , so they can put them to good use taking care of these animals.

Ripple Africa

We’re supporting Ripple Africa‘s , fish conservation projects, based on the shores of lake Malawi, protecting the critically endangered Chambo fish. They support local communities in protecting breeding areas, as well monitoring catches and supporting permit initiatives.