Join Alison in August, 2007 as she works with the Painted Dogs Conservation project and studies Painted Dogs in-situ at Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe. Find out more...
Watercolor sale benefits Painted Dog Conservation project
Alison Nicholls' painting "Ensnared" was inspired by her 2007 Flag Expedition to the Painted Dog Conservation project in Zimbabwe and, in particular, the time she spent with the PDC Anti-Poaching Unit. The painting recently sold and resulted in a donation of nearly US$1000 to the Painted Dog
"Ensnared" examines the complexities of bushmeat poaching and its effects on both wildlife and 'poachers'. The painting was juried into the current AFC Art of Conservation online exhibition and the text which accompanies the painting in the exhibition is shown below.
Ensnared In many African countries villagers set simple but deadly wire snares to catch ‘bushmeat' for sale or for their own consumption. The snares are indiscriminate and any animal, including endangered species, may be caught and suffer a long, lingering and painful death. However animals are not the only victims. Often the villagers are also ‘ensnared' in a vicious cycle of poverty and hunger, with bushmeat being their only source of income or food.
This is one of the biggest challenges facing conservation in Africa – allowing local people the opportunity to make a living by protecting their local habitats and wildlife. When the preservation of wildlife brings sufficient local jobs, poachers will become game rangers, protecting the source of their income. By doing so they are conserving and protecting their own futures too, breaking the vicious cycle of poverty and creating a new cycle of sustainable interdependence.
Direct Correspondence to:
Alison Nicholls c/o Nicholls Wildlife Art
3 Mitchell Place Port Chester, NY
USA 10573 Tel: 914-939-4023