WildArk is pleased to announce it will receive a grant from The Lion’s Share, a conservation fund hosted by the United Nations Development Programme that asks brands to contribute a small percentage of media spend from advertisements featuring animal images to wildlife conservation and animal welfare projects.
Animals have been used in advertising for over 150 years as a powerful way of making an emotional connection with a target audience and building brand identity. Alarmingly, many of the most popular animals used in these advertising campaigns are either endangered or threatened in the wild, and face a precarious future.
Record high heatwaves and drought have provided fuel to fires burning throughout Australia, devastating local communities, ecosystems and wildlife. This latest grant from The Lion’s Share will directly support efforts to treat and rehabilitate injured wildlife throughout New South Wales.
Part of the grant will be donated to the Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital, a newly established non-profit organisation that focusses on the conservation of wildlife through treatment, rehabilitation, research and education. Specifically, this money will be used to help build a semi-trailer size mobile hospital, with full veterinary facilities including state of the art x-ray and MRI capability. The mobile unit will be capable of relocating anywhere during times of crisis such as bushfire, flood and drought, to rescue and operate on injured wildlife.
WildArk will donate part of its grant to WIRES Wildlife Rescue to build mobile care units for carers in the field. Photo: © WIRES
“The Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital is deeply appreciative of the support offered by The Lion’s Share,” said Founder and CEO, Dr. Stephen Van Mil. “At a time when Australia is experiencing the most catastrophic bushfires in its known history, wildlife are being wiped out and injured in their billions. There has never been a greater need for dedicated wildlife hospital services, especially with mobility. Thank you to WildArk for creating a relationship between The Lion’s Share, the United Nations Development Programme, and the Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital.”
The remainder of the money will be donated to WIRES, Australia’s largest wildlife rescue organisation, to build mobile care units, that are predator proof and can be assembled anywhere for WIRES carers to rehabilitate and ultimately release injured wildlife.
“We are so thrilled to be part of The Lion’s Share program and would like to thank the UNDP for their support,” said WildArk co-founder Sophie Hutchinson from Byron Bay, Australia. “We will provide updates on progress of how this much needed funding will be utilised in the field and hopefully some positive stories of wildlife being rescued, cared for and released!”
WildArk is a global conservation effort that was founded in 2016 to help support the protection of species and ecosystems worldwide.
One hundred percent of this grant’s funding will be delivered to the above-mentioned organisations.
Find out more about our efforts to rebuild after the bushfires here.