In early October we again attended the Wildlife Conservation Network Expo in San Francisco. WCN supports many independent wildlife conservationists, such as ‘Save The Elephants’, who work to save endangered animals – from African Painted Dogs to Spectacled Bears - in 37 countries. Many of these conservationists attend the annual Expo to exhibit their films and give presentations. At last year’s Expo, for example, we learned about the Saola, called the last Unicorn, a large highly threatened beautiful antelope which barely survived in the mountains between Vietnam and Laos, despite the heavy bombing of the region during the Vietnam war. It was just one of several new discoveries we encountered at the 2015 Expo. So when WCN’s CEO Charles Knowles ask JK to perform with “Notorious”, a fine regional band, at this year’s pre-Expo welcome party we made our way to the Bay area once again. The party was attended by numerous donors and conservationists, the band and JK’s performance were well received and a good time was had by all that night. But the really important event was the Expo itself of course, which took place the next day. Approximately 40 conservationist NGOs manned their booths and provided information concerning their purpose and campaigns. Whether on behalf of Lions, Grevy’s Zebras, Cheetahs, Okapis, Polar Bears, Snow Leopards, Penguins or other animals in dire need of protection, all representatives passionately explained what’s at stake, often using film footage to illustrate the urgency of their mission. One of the presentations of particular interest to us was given by the ‘Wild Dog Conservation’, headquartered in Zimbabwe. After numerous trips to Africa we finally had our first encounter with these fascinating wild dogs during our stay at Elephant Watch Camp in Samburu last May. We also met several conservationists from different parts of the world, including two women from Uzbekistan who work on behalf of the Saiga Antelope which is in steep decline in its Central Asian and Russian homeland. Altogether WCN’s Expo was once again energizing and inspirational and we hope its roughly 1000 attendees will spread their gained knowledge and awareness and promote much needed support for the non-profits dedicated to preserving and protecting the many creatures at risk. We encourage you to visit https://wildnet.org to see the various wildlife programs WCN supports. You may find that the plight of a certain animal, perhaps the Cotton-top Tamarin, or the Ethiopian Wolf, - just two of the dozen or so animals listed – inspires you to support the people who fight for its survival. JK & JMK
