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Last week I got to have a chat with online magazine The Scavenger about the work Nafisa and I have been doing through Animal Works to promote conservation.  Check out the article here.  I also got to send off our first grant to the orphaned elephants at the Wildlife Trust of India’s orphanage in Assam, India, which was a great feeling, and hopefully will be the first of many grants we send over to conservation projects in the developing world through Animal Works.  Keep us in mind if you’re looking for a Christmas present for an animal lover this year.  Nafisa still has some elephant and orang-utan art left, and a few elephant prints too, and we really appreciate your support.  Check out the Animal Works merchandise and what else you can do to help here.

Let’s face it, there’s a shortage of elephants, lions and hyaenas here in Australia.  On the other hand, we do have a wealth of very unusual and extremely cute little fuzzy animals, not to mention our amazing marine life.  And on our back door step, we have the magical world of the South Pacific.  In the last few years, since being based in Sydney, I’ve been determined to get to know the finned and furred critters a little closer to home as well, and being married to a keen diver who actually moved to this part of the world because of the reef, for Andy’s recent 40th birthday we ended up in a little piece of paradise – the Cook Islands. (more…)

Just a quick note to advise a change to this week’s talks at the Animal Works’ exhibition at the Landship Gallery in Mosman:  The talk on Thursday has been canceled, however I will still be there today at midday with a preso on elephants.  And I forgot to mention in my last post that Nafisa has done several amazing orang-utan portraits in addition to her elephant ones, following her recent trip to Borneo, so if you get a chance to come along today it is the last day of the exhibition.  The orang-utan works have been selling particularly fast, but there are still some left so don’t miss out!  All the art is at very reasonable prices and all proceeds go to Animal Works.  See you at the Landship Gallery, Headland Park, 1100 Middle Head Rd, Mosman.

It’s your last chance to check out Nafisa’s elephant art at the Landship Gallery, Headland Park, 1100 Middle Head Rd, Mosman… The exhibition is on for just the next 3 days. This beautiful art is selling fast, so don’t miss your chance to bag yourself a beautiful piece of elephant art that will accumulate value and contribute to elephant conservation in India.  What an amazing Christmas present this would make for someone special in your life.  I’ll be at the exhibition talking elephants on Wednesday and Thursday at midday too, so come along for a chat and a chance to learn more about the plight of elephants worldwide.

If you miss out on the exhibition or you don’t live in Sydney, check out the art online at http://www.animalworks.com.au .  There’s more info on the talks at the gallery by zoologists and conservationists at http://animalworks.com.au/blog .  Look forward to seeing you there!

For just three weeks in October you can see Archibald Packing Room Prize winner Nafisa’s beautiful elephant art at the Landship Gallery, Mosman.  Half of the proceeds go to elephant conservation through Animal Works – go to http://www.animalworks.com.au if you want to see how we are helping to reduce human-elephant conflict in India.  There will be all sorts of animal people and zoologists speaking over the course of the exhibition from 1st October, as well as some very special animal exhibits!  Hope to see you at the opening on Saturday 2nd October at 2pm, hosted by Glenn A. Baker.  Details are below or email us for more information – animalworksaustralia@gmail.com

Looking forward to raising some funds for elephants this Friday night (24th Sep) in Brisie at the Griffith University Debating Society!  Come along for my talk about elephant conservation and a debate about ecotourism.  Should be fun!

Ever wanted to work on the edge of a national park in Africa, teaching local kids about conservation?  I know a lot of you would kill for something like that, right?  Paid jobs in Africa like this are hard to come by.   Chipembele Wildlife Education Trust is currently offering a two year contract for a Conservation Education Project Officer.  The salary’s not bad and they throw in accommodation and a 4×4 for  your time there.  Plus it’s the opportunity of a lifetime to do something really special in an amazing part of the world.  If you think you could be the right person for the job, contact Anna at info@chipembele.org for a position description.

You could be forgiven for thinking that we conservationists live in a world of doom and gloom.  I mean seriously, one species going extinct after another, the list growing and growing… more habitat being destroyed – and it’s been going on for YEARS!  It’s a wonder people in my trade aren’t wearing straight jackets by my age…  (more…)

My partner in crime at Animal Works, award winning artist Nafisa Naomi is looking for volunteers to help man her elephant and orang-utan art exhibition in Mosman at the Landship Gallery from 2nd to 21st October 2010.  If you can spare a few hours to help out, drop me a line as we’d love your help!  Half the profits from the exhibition are being donated to Animal Works’ projects, so if you live in Sydney here’s your chance to do something to help wildlife without actually leaving the city!

A new study just out of Cornell University suggests that elephants fear humans even more than dynamite blasts.  Elephants become increasingly nocturnal in the presence of high human activity, but not apparently due to dynamite blasts from oil prospecting in Gabon.  I’ve noticed this in places like Kasane, northern Botswana too, where elephants in large herds seem to wait until the cover of darkness to cross major highways full of traffic before they cross the road.  Really makes you think about our impact as a species, when the world’s largest land mammal will actually change its daily behaviour to avoid contact with us.  Read the article here.