Conservationist and wildlife artist for over 50 years
David Shepherd was a British artist, conservationist and founder of the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation, a conservation charity which funds projects across Africa and Asia, with a mission to protect the natural environment, engage local communities in wildlife conservation, and help tackle wildlife crime. A few of their many conservation achievements include establishing Zambia’s first Elephant Orphanage, the Pangolin Protection Programme in Zambia, and saving the Amur tiger from extinction through fighting uncontrolled poaching.
Originally starting as an aviation artist with the RAF, a turning point came when they flew David out to Kenya in the 1960s. It was here that he painted his very first wildlife painting, a rhino on the runway, and became interested in conservation when he came across over 150 dead zebra around a waterhole that had been poisoned by poachers. He established the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation in 1984 to fund vital wildlife conservation efforts, which has since donated over £7 million to projects across Africa and Asia. David Shepherd passed away in 2017.
Do you have a single most influential or defining moment when you knew that you wanted become a conservationist?
Yes. The RAF flew me to Kenya in the 1960s. Bored with paintings of aeroplanes I was asked instead to paint something different. I painted a rhino on the runway; it was my first wildlife painting.
In 1984 you established the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation (DSWF), what was the motivation behind this?
From that moment in Kenya I began my life as a wildlife artist and a conservationist. And, as sales and commissions picked up I started to donate my work to raise funds for wildlife conservation through a variety of NGOs and initiatives. In the 1970s, for example, I teamed up with Indira Gandhi’s Project Tiger and my painting Tiger Fire raised over £130,000 to help protect India’s beleaguered tiger population – then estimated to be as few as 1,200. In 1984, I decided to launch my own foundation and, with the support of my family and my daughter Melanie, the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation was born. It is my way of giving something back to the animals that I love and that helped make me a successful wildlife artist. Art still forms the beating heart of our fundraising.
How can we change local attitudes towards nature?
Education is key. Our funding of education programmes across Africa and Asia and in the UK help develop a real sense of the importance of the wild world as an intrinsic part of our existence. We engage local communities in finding long-term, sustainable solutions to protect their native wildlife and support alternative income generation schemes to keep people from poaching.
Enjoy a tailor-made safari to Kenya taking in the big cats and game of the Masai Mara Reserve. After catching a flight here, you will be able to spot game en route during your transfer to Naribor Camp. Due to the stunning location of the camp there may even be a number of resident game wandering through the grounds as you arrive.
From 7750 per person
Take in the best of Kenya in ultimate luxury. Head up to the Laikipia Plateau for exclusivity and adventure, spending your days exploring the vast terrain on game drives, nature walks, camel safaris or on horseback. Finally head to the iconic Masai Mara and stay here or in one of the surrounding private conservancies.
From 17500 per personWhat have been the biggest success stories for the DSWF to date?
Conservation successes are hard won but I’m hugely proud of what we have achieved. Among our successes are:
What are the biggest challenges faced by DSWF as a charity and how do you overcome them?
We understand that wildlife is not at the top of everyone’s giving list – it can be difficult for people to relate to wild elephants, rhinos, tigers … they are not part of people’s normal, everyday life experiences. But, there is a wider and growing realization that this beautiful world of ours will not survive if we continue to plunder its natural resources by destroying swathes of forests and wild spaces, polluting it and driving wildlife to extinction.
Our education programmes in the UK and overseas provide us with amazing and positive feedback from children and their teachers.
The other huge challenge to wildlife survival is the illegal trade in wildlife and that’s why we work so hard both at a grass roots level; by training and equipping anti-poaching and park protection teams, and on the world stage by campaigning for the closure of domestic ivory markets and the end of the trade in tiger parts. The message that saving wildlife saves us all is vital and it’s one that I think young people are really beginning to take to their hearts.
Can we as members of the public do anything that genuinely helps preserve the natural world?
Of course. It is only through collective efforts that we can drive change. From careful consideration of what we consume – from the food we eat and the items we buy – to providing financial and physical support for conservation (by donating or volunteering) we can all help to make a difference. Being optimistic about the successes we can collectively create is vital too.
What has been your best natural world experience to date?
There have been so many! As an artist working in the field my experience of wildlife and the natural world has been a cornerstone of my existence. Sitting with the wild elephants at Savuti in Botswana as they dust bathed in the setting sun was unforgettable.
Who is your personal Natural World Hero and why?
Like many, I admire David Attenborough for introducing so many people to the natural world through film and television. Education is at the heart of protecting the natural world.
Where is your dream natural world destination that you haven’t visited yet but would like to?
Antarctica. One of my daughters went with her family last year and the experience and photographs they shared when they came home was magical.
What natural world insight would you like to leave us with?
The natural world is too precious and too beautiful to lose. Without wildlife and wild spaces the world would be a bleak place. We must protect it.
