Conservation worldwide

Sea turtle protection

We have been supporting the Aktionsgemeinschaft Artenschutz in its commitment to sea turtles since 2017. Thanks to the introduction of the Conservation Euro in 2019, an annual support of €10,000 was made possible.

So far (as of July 2022), just under €45,000 have been made available for the protection of the endangered sea dwellers. This enables the Kenyan NGO Bahari Hai, which works in the Ungwana Bay area, to secure nesting beaches and the clutches of five different sea turtle species.

Procurement of guard dogs to prevent human-animal conflict

The world's fastest land mammal is tragically in a race against extinction. Cheetahs are often victims in conflicts with farmers who defend their animals with guns against the predatory cats. Livestock guarding dogs drastically reduce these conflicts and thus deaths among the cheetahs.

We support the work of the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) in Namibia with the help of our friends' association with 25,000 € annually. This will significantly expand the CCF's guard dog program and reduce the herders' waiting time for a dog by half.

Sanctuary and reintroduction

The world's only sanctuary for bonobos near Kinshasa in the DR Congo rescues bonobo orphans that have lost their mothers through the illegal bushmeat trade. The young animals are lovingly raised for years and finally reintroduced into the wild in a protected area. The organization also carries out large-scale environmental education to win over the population for the protection of the animals.

We have been supporting the work of Lola ya Bonobo since 2013, most recently with €10,000 annually from our Conservation Euro. So far (as of July 2022), more than €60,000 have been raised in this way. In 2022, with financial support from Wilhelma, 14 bonobos were successfully reintroduced into the wild in the Ekolo ya Bonobo reserve.

Ranger equipment

Like all zoos that keep okapis and participate in the Okapi EEP, Wilhelma also supports the Okapi Wildlife Reserve in the Ituri Valley in Congo. There are living 5000 of the approx. 10,000 to 20,000 wild okapis. The Okapi Wildlife Reserve is committed to the conservation of the okapi's habitat.

We transfer 5000 US dollars annually to the project. This amount is used, among other things, for the equipment of the rangers and for PR projects that inform the population about the importance of this habitat.

Anti-poaching protection and environmental education

Bonobo alive, an association founded by behavioral scientists, has its research area in Salonga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The association organizes anti-poaching patrols in cooperation with the inhabitants of the respective villages in the national park and thus ensures the protection of the bonobos in the area. In return, schooling for children and general infrastructure are financially supported in the villages.

Mountain gorillas and other rare wild animals live in the Sarambwe Reserve in the east of the DR Congo. The Berggorilla & Regenwald Direkthilfe e.V. has been supported by us since 2009 through proceeds from the cell phone project and since 2019 also with the Conservation Euro. In addition to equipment for the rangers, the construction of patrol posts and the salaries of trackers were also financed.

Sanctuary and reintroduction

The situation of vultures, victims of poaching, targeted poison baits and power lines worldwide, is desolate. The populations have collapsed drastically, the health police of the skies can no longer fulfill their task.

The VulPro organization educates people about the situation of vultures in southern Africa, cares for injured animals until they can be released back into the wild, and breeds offspring to strengthen the dwindling populations. We have been supporting these efforts with €5,000 annually since the introduction of the Conservation Euro in 2019.

Reforestation of tropical forest

The survival of orangutans is threatened primarily by the destruction of rainforests in Indonesia and Malaysia. A major factor is the cultivation of palm oil. This short animated film informs about the consequences for the orangutans.

Since 2009, we have been supporting the reforestation to create new habitat for the red apes in the Lamandau Reserve on Borneo. Our local partner is the British Orangutan Foundation. Since 2019 it has received a total of €100,000 for the renaturation with native tree species that are particularly important for the orangutans. In addition to tree seedlings, the money was also used to purchase urgently needed working materials for the maintenance of the newly planted areas. The area replanted by Wilhelma connects two older forest areas and thus forms an important corridor for the animals living there. The area is also used for the reintroduction of confiscated orangutans, which are already having offspring there.

Since 2022, this project has also been supported by our friend’s association with 30,000 € annually.

Breeding and mitigation of human-animal conflicts

The pig with the mane and funny name has nothing to laugh about in its home country, the Philippines. Because the Visayas Warty Pigs raid fields, they are illegally shot by farmers. The number of animals has therefore been severely decimated. Together with the German Zoological Society for the Conservation of Species and Populations (ZGAP) and the Philippine Talarak Foundation, we support local breeding and help find ways to reduce human-animal conflicts.

Nest adoptions for Greater Hornbills and other hornbill species

The Hornbill Research Foundation of the Thai hornbill expert Prof. Pilai Poonswad has been fighting for 40 years for the protection of the highly endangered animals, whose beaks are traded like ivory. One focus area of her work is the Budo-Sungai Padi National Park in southern Thailand. To protect the birds, people from the surrounding villages are trained and employed to watch the nesting trees and protect the animals from poachers.

Wilhelma's trainees began supporting the project more than ten years ago with annual nest adoptions. Since the introduction of the Conservation Euro in 2019, we have been able to expand the funding to more than 30 nests each year.

WWF project at the Kuiburi National Park

Asian elephants are severely threatened throughout their entire habitat. Together with the members of "Team Elefant Stuttgart", we support the WWF's conservation project in Thailand. In Kuiburi National Park, various methods are being used to reduce the human-animal conflicts that arise.

Anti-poaching patrols and environmental education

With the construction of the new snow leopard enclosure, which opened in 2018, Wilhelma has entered into a cooperation with NABU to protect the animals in their home countries. In Kyrgyzstan, the unit "Gruppa Bars" fights poachers and their illegal trade in furs and bones of the animals. Locally NABU is doing important education work with herders and school children. By funding snow leopard-proof cattle pens, the association also prevents retaliation by herders against the cats.

This project has been financed by the Conservation Euro and donations made at the snow leopard enclosure. So far, over €57,000 were invested to protect these beautiful cats (as of July 2022).

Construction of artificial nest platforms and environmental education

The Greater Adjutant, also called Hargila in its homeland India, was very unpopular with local people because of its appearance and strong-smelling droppings. This led to massive persecution of the stork relative and the destruction of the large, old trees it needs to build its nest. A single woman, biologist Dr. Purnima Barman, turned things around: She began raising awareness among women in surrounding communities about the fate of the endangered bird. Today, over 10,000 women in northern Assam are organized in what is known as the „Hargila Army“. A great example of what is possible when the local population is involved in conservation efforts.

We have been supporting the project since 2019 with funds from our Conservation Euro and in 2022 - due to catastrophic floods in Assam - also from the emergency fund of our friend’s association with a total of 34,000 euros so far (as of July 2022).

Environmental education and protection against poaching

The saola, also known as the Vu Quang bovid, is one of the most endangered mammals of our time. Its existence was unknown to science until 1993. The animals live in impenetrable forest areas and are extremely shy. Today, fewer than 100 remaining antelopes are thought to exist in the forests of Vietnam and Laos, and there are no Saola in human care. We support the work of the Saola Working Group, which is trying to save the species from extinction.

Reintroductions

The Vinaceous-breasted Amazon has been doomed by many people's desire to have a parrot as a pet. Taken from the wild en masse, populations of this bird species have collapsed. The Brazilian NGO Instituto Espaço Silvestre (IES), under the direction of Dr. Vanessa Tavares Kanaan, has made it its mission to bring the animals into their care by educating the public. Many people surrender their animals to IES when they learn that it is important for the survival of the species. In a process lasting several months, the birds are prepared for a life in freedom and are released into the wild in Araucárias National Park. The former pets and their wild-born offspring are scientifically monitored.

We have been funding the project through our partner, the Zoological Society for the Conservation of Species and Population (ZGAP), since 2020 with €75,000 from the Conservation Euro to date (as of July 2022)

Purchase of rainforest

The increasing consumption of meat also in Europe leads to more and more loss of rainforest. In South America, areas of high biodiversity are cleared daily to create cattle pastures. In Ecuador, the precious rainforest areas, which are home to countless other species besides spectacled bears and tapirs, are threatened with destruction.

We are therefore supporting the Ecuadorian NGO Jocotoco daher bei der Erweiterung bestehender Schutzgebiete durch den Ankauf von Regenwaldflächen. Seit 2019 haben wir dafür über 250.000 € aufgewendet (Stand Juli 2022).

Research and purchase of rainforest areas

Ecuador's Andean forests are home not only to rare animals, but also to plant species still unknown to science. Through the NGO  Jocotoco, we have facilitated expeditions to search for magnolia species and financed the purchase of rainforest areas where specimens of the highly endangered species have been found.