Poaching recently made headlines worldwide when Cecil, a beloved lion who was tracked by researchers as part of an Oxford University project, was killed by an illegal party of big game hunters in Zimbabwe.
On Saturday, September 26th, International Anti-Poaching Foundation (IAPF) is hoping to keep the urgent global issue in the spotlight by holding an anti-poaching fundraiser, co-hosted by Carolyn Chichester and Dora Frost, at the home of Peter Hallock and Craig Mowry in Southampton. The evening will include a discussion led by IAPF founder Damien Mander.
Prohibited trafficking of wildlife is currently one of the world’s biggest international criminal ventures. Poachers and other criminals are causing elephants, rhinos, tigers and several other species to the brink of extinction.
“It is absolutely crucial we support the rangers on the frontline who risk their lives every day as they go up against global syndicates and AK47s,” expressed Dr. Jane Goodall, a member of IAPF’s Advisory Board. “It’s a war out there, and wars are expensive.”
IAPF is a wildlife conservation organization dedicated to anti-poaching, with the mission of eliminating poaching in southern Africa and the other areas they operate in.
One of the species that IAPF is focused on keeping from extinction is the rhino. “It is critical that as a generation we can prove we can save this species, the rhino,” shared Mander. “It is the hardest to protect and if we protect it, all else is looked after.” The IAPF founder notes that the Greater Lebombo Conservancy plays a huge role in rhino conservation. “It is all that stands between most of the world’s rhino, and most of the world’s rhino poachers,” said Mander. “It is the area which has received the least amount of support, but stands to protect the most amount of rhino.”
Tickets to the anti-poaching fundraiser are $250. For tickets, contact Carolyn Chichester at 631-662-2605 or email beachplumcc@gmail.com.
For more information about International Anti-Poaching Foundation, visit www.iapf.org.