David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation

08/10/2026

Last week our Education Team were at Northmead Junior School trialling a brand new workshop. We focused on understanding the important role rangers play in protecting black rhinos in Namibia and how they can possibly tell them apart using maths.

Watch this space for more exciting Education updates!

Head to our website to access our expertly designer curriculum linked resources - https://davidshepherd.org/education/

06/10/2026

Calling young artists around the world

Entries are now open for Global Canvas 2027, and this year’s theme is ECOSYSTEM ENGINEERS – the incredible species that build, shape, and transform the habitats around them.

Draw it. Paint it. Sculpt it. Collage it. Stitch it. Build it from recycled materials. Be bold. Be imaginative. Let your creativity speak for wildlife.

Open worldwide
Ages 4–16
Free to enter
Entries close 16 February 2027

Find out more about the theme, prizes and how to enter via the link ihttps://davidshepherd.org/wildlife-art/competitions/global-canvas/

18/08/2026

This is coexistence in action.

In Tanzania’s Ngorongoro Conservation Area, our conservation partner KopeLion works alongside local communities to help people and lions live safely alongside one another.

Last year, 32 Ilchokuti (community lion guardians) received training in wound treatment and livestock health. They monitor lion movements, alert herders when lions approach livestock and help locate missing animals — reducing conflict and helping keep vital lion corridors open.

Protecting livelihoods today while safeguarding the future of Ngorongoro’s lions.

Your support can help make work like this possible.

Donate to our Summer Appeal today. Link in bio.

11/08/2026

One month until Wildlife Artist of the Year.

For almost two decades, Wildlife Artist of the Year has brought together extraordinary art and a shared commitment to the natural world.

This September, we return to Mall Galleries with more than 170 original artworks, each offering a different perspective on the wildlife and wild places that inspire us.

As the countdown begins, step inside last year’s exhibition and get a taste of what awaits this September.

Wildlife Artist of the Year 2026
8–12 September | Mall Galleries, London
Free entry
Drawn from the Wild. Collected for its Future.

30/07/2026

Loved at home. Persecuted in the wild.

Our cats and dogs are family. We would do anything to protect them. We would never leave them to suffer.

Yet for their wild counterparts, suffering is an everyday reality.

Lions are killed for their bones, teeth, claws, and skins as part of the illegal wildlife trade. Painted dogs are caught in wire snares.

No life should be worth less simply because it’s wild.

Donate today to help protect painted dogs and lions.

https://davidshepherd.org/donate/painted-dog-lion-appeal/

27/07/2026

No life should be worth less simply because it is wild.

This suffering would be unthinkable for the dogs and cats we love at home. So why do we accept it for their wild relatives?

Once caught in a wire snare, an animal’s struggle pulls the wire tighter and tighter, causing devastating injuries or an excruciating and slow death.

Since 2001, more than 30,000 wire snares have been removed from one region alone in Zimbabwe.

Donate today to help protect painted dogs and lions. https://davidshepherd.org/donate/painted-dog-lion-appeal/

18/06/2026

We are so excited to share another selection of artworks from our Wildlife Artist of the Year 2026 finalists.

The creativity, skill and diversity of work submitted this year has been truly exceptional, and these artworks are just a small glimpse of what visitors can expect to discover at Mall Galleries this September.

Swipe through for another peek of the extraordinary artworks heading to Mall Galleries this September.

17/06/2026

There's more than three lions worth supporting.

As football fans rally behind the Three Lions, wild lions continue to face a battle of their own.

Lions have disappeared from 94% of their historic range, driven by habitat loss, human-wildlife conflict and illegal wildlife trade.

Through our conservation partners, we work to protect lions, strengthen their coexistence with local communities, and support a future for one of Africa’s most iconic species.

Donate today and help ensure lions remain part of the wild, not just our history.

02/06/2026

02/06/2026

A huge congratulations to our WAY'26 Finalists !

Selected from over 1,400 entries across 60 countries, this year's finalists have secured their place in the Wildlife Artist of the Year 2026 exhibition, representing an exceptional collection of contemporary wildlife art from around the world.

We cannot wait to showcase their incredible work at Mall Galleries, London, from 8–12 September.
All artworks will be available to purchase online via davidshepherd.org from Thursday 27 August and throughout the exhibition. 50% of all sales proceeds are generously donated by the artists to support our fight against illegal wildlife crime and the protection of endangered species in their natural habitats.

Swipe through for a glimpse of this year's exhibition.