Edition 42: Spring 2008

David Shepherd OBE FRSA, long an internationally renowned artist, became a conservationist in 1960 when he witnessed at first hand the horrors man can inflict on wildlife.  Since then, through his foundation and its supporters, he has raised millions to fund field projects working to save critically endangered mammals in their wild habitat.

1. Kafue National Park, Zambia
In terms of eco-tourism Zambia has massive untapped potential, especially in Kafue’s vast flood plains and its spectacular tracts of forest. Recovering from the ravages of poaching in the early ’70s and ’80s, this jewel is now teeming with an incredible diversity of wildlife. It’s also the site for the new Elephant Orphanage Project, which we helped establish to rescue, rehabilitate and release the few tragic victims who still fall prey to poaching.

2. Tsavo National Park, Kenya
I went to Kenya at the age of 18 to fulfil my dream of becoming a game warden – I was told that I wasn’t wanted.  Many years later I returned with the RAF; they commissioned my very first wildlife painting and I have never looked back. The red earth of Tsavo has always been a huge inspiration, though so have its anthills, gnarled dead trees and red elephants! It’s wonderfully rewarding for me that my daughter Mandy, and now my eldest granddaughter, Emily, both successful artists, have been similarly captivated by Africa. 

3. Hoenib River, Namibia
The remote beauty of this very special place captures the tragedy, drama, thrill and expectation of Africa. One of the last truly wild populations of black rhino survive here in the harsh terrain of the great Namib Desert. And the rare desert elephants drift reverently past like ghosts along parched riverbeds in their continual search for water. In painting these gentle giants in the Hoenib riverbed, it was almost impossible to capture their unique ethereal beauty. 

4. Livingstone, Zambia
Besides retaining the charm of its Victorian heritage, Livingstone sits at the crossroads of some magnificent, purely African attractions: the Victoria Falls; top wildlife destinations, such as the tiny Mosi–oa-Tunya National Park; and a glorious train. As a passionate steam enthusiast, I have long believed firmly in the potential of steam trains and tourism combining for conservation – in Livingstone it is working in style!

5. Mountain Zebra National Park, South Africa
The spectacular wide-open plains and deep craggy valleys are typical of this little-visited treasure in the Eastern Cape. My painting A Vision in Black & White was the second phase of a conservation success story that continues today. Having expanded the park by over 200 per cent we were able to help secure the future for the rare mountain zebra, establish a vital new black rhino breeding programme (after the species’ absence for over 150 years) and, last year, introduce cheetah who have just produced their first two litters of cubs.