Last month we traveled to San Francisco, California to attend the annual Wildlife Conservation Network (WCN) Expo. The Expo showcases the conservation work by WCN’s network of 14 wildlife projects around the world. (We were chosen as their newest Partner earlier this year — click here to read how we were chosen and what that means for us.) Over 1,000 people attended. Shivani gave a passionate presentation on Ewaso Lions to a packed auditorium and we met hundreds of enthusiastic conservation supporters throughout the day at our table.
One of the highlights of the day was when Jeneria got the chance to meet the legendary conservationist, Jane Goodall. The two of them shared a special moment and discussed the importance of engaging his generation of Samburu warriors in lion conservation. Jane is truly a visionary and and inspiration — as is our very own Jeneria. We were so happy to see them brought together like this.
Jeneria, our senior field officer, meets Jane Goodall, legendary chimpanzee conservationist.
Jane and Jeneria.
We took advantage of being in the United States for the Expo and traveled around giving talks, meeting with partners, and raising funds for lion conservation. Over the course of a month, we visited 7 cities in 5 states and Canada. It was Jeneria’s first time in the United States. It was his first time for many things actually – from swimming in the ocean to speaking in front of a crowd of 1,000.
We deeply thank everyone we met with and who supported us — we were inspired and motivated by all the support, it keeps us going! Special thanks to the following people for hosting us:
- Carter Safaris, Linn and Beale Ong, and the Academy Art Museum of Easton
- Luke Dollar and the National Geographic Big Cats Initiative
- Rebecca Rose and the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium
- Chip Owen
- Julie Scardina, Julie Byford, and SeaWorld Busch Gardens
- Wildlife Conservation Network (WCN)
- Debbie Elliott, Harriet DiCicco, Christie Smith, and the Potter League, Rhode Island
- Providence Country Day School, Rhode Island
- Kim Renk and the Sequin Store in Newport, Rhode Island
- Nas and Ravi Panwar
- North Park Secondary School, Toronto
- David Suzuki Secondary School, Toronto
Luke Dollar from the Big Cats Initiative with Jeneria at the National Geographic headquarters in Washington, DC.
We gave a talk in Easton, Maryland, hosted by our friends, the Ongs.
Beale Ong took us out on the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. It was Jeneria’s first time ever on a boat!
Shivani gave a talk at two schools in Ontario, Canada.