Leonardo DiCaprio Hosts Largest-Ever Fundraiser for Conservation, Raising $39 Million at Charity Auction

May 21st, 2013
by Emily Deemer.
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© Jemal Countess/Getty Images via Bloomberg

Last week Leonardo DiCaprio brought his Hollywood pals to NYC for an art auction at the famed Christie’s Auction House.  But this wasn’t your typical Christie’s auction.  The charity auction, organized by DiCaprio, was a conservation fundraiser called “The 11th Hour” and it raised $39 million for nature and wildlife conservation projects globally, according to Bloomberg.

The auction was originally estimated to fetch a total between $13 million and $18 million, but the $39 million blew that estimate out of the water, and 13 of the artists broke their record sale prices.  Some of the attendees included DiCaprio’s “Great Gatsby” costar Tobey Maguire, along with Bradley Cooper, Salma Heyek, and Mark Ruffalo.

© Christie’s Images Ltd. via Bloomberg
“Untitled (Leo)” by Robert Longo

The conservation projects benefited by the charity auction were hand-picked by DiCaprio, Robert F. Kennedy, an advocate for clean water, and Philippe Cousteau, grandson of the late undersea explorer and environmentalist Jacques Cousteau.  In a speech before the auction began, DiCaprio said the money raised would be used to conserve “the last wild places on earth.”

Many of the pieces of art from the auction depict endangered animals, such as Robert Longo’s “Untitled (Leo)”, a charcoal drawing of a tiger’s head.  Its value was estimated between $250,000 and $350,000, but it went for $1.6 million. Rob Pruitt’s technicolor glitter and enamel portrayal of a panda called “6:20pm, Late Summer” went for twice its estimated value, selling at $315,000.

© Artnet.com
“6:20pm, Late Summer” by Rob Pruitt

DiCaprio sits on the board of directors of the Natural Resources Defense Council, and his private foundation’s partnership with the World Wildlife Fund was responsible for doubling the number of wild tigers living in Bardia National Park in Nepal, as stated in the auction catalog.

The top lot honors went to Mark Grotjahn’s “Untitled (Standard Lotus No. 11, Bird of Paradise, Tiger Mouth Face 44.01).” Well-known art dealer Larry Gagosian bought it for $6.5 million.  Bloomberg states that Toby Usnik, Christie’s chief social responsibility officer, ” believes it was the largest-ever benefit for the environment.”  Less than 2 percent of philanthropy money goes to conservation, according to DiCaprio’s remarks in the auction catalog.

© Christie’s Images Ltd. via Bloomberg
Top lot of the auction went to “Untitled (Standard Lotus No. II, Bird of Paradise, Tiger Mouth Face 44.01)” by Mark Grotjahn

We say “Bravo,” Mr. DiCaprio.  We can’t wait to see what exciting conservation projects come out of this fundraiser.  Want to witness first-hand why tigers have captivated Leonardo DiCaprio’s heart and why he is so concerned about saving them?  Come on the Grand India Wildlife Adventure trip with Natural Habitat Adventures this winter!

Emily Deemer
Written By Emily Deemer.

Posted in: conservation, NHA News, Wildlife, WWF.
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Behind The Scenes- Making of the Great Bear Stakeout

May 16th, 2013
by Brad Josephs.
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My involvement in the film The Great Bear Stakeout, which depicts the Grizzly’s struggle for survival in the wilderness of the Alaska Peninsula, is thus far, one of my career highlights.

I actually don’t appear in this film that much, as I was mostly behind the scenes rigging up remote cameras, tracking wolves and missing bear characters, and of course guiding Natural Habitat Expeditions, but it was a true honor to be involved in such an amazing film, and work with the best bear experts, such as Chris Morgan and Buck Wilde, and the world’s top wildlife filmmakers.

What makes this film truly unique, is the use of remote cameras, such as Gopros, to see the world of Grizzlies super-close, and when no humans are watching.  This was my one of my major roles in the filming, as I worked with Tom Hooker (you gotta check out his site by clicking his name!!!!), who is quickly becoming one of the top specialists in remote camera wildlife cinematography. What an amazing film, what an amazing animal. I hope this film can help build appreciation for bears, and encourage conservation of their habitat.

Here is an incredible clip, called “A Grizzly Ate My GoPro!” that I filmed with a GoPro camera that placed on a rock next to a river! The first bear to appear is an older mother, and the second is her 3 year old cub. The bear only gently mouthed the camera, and didn’t even put a dent in it! Obviously the card was fine, and I actually used the camera many more times. I filmed this clip while I guiding a Natural Habitat Trip, but the BBC used it in the show. Anyway, check it out!!!

Here is a tour of our camp, and some explanation of how we stayed safe with the bears.

Last September was very stormy. Here is some footage during the worst storm of the season.

great bear stakeout, discovery, bbc, image, brad josephs

The BBC version of this film, which wasn’t cut down to make room for commercials, is available to view on youtube (see below).

I would like to say that even in remote regions of Southwestern Alaska, these bears could face serious threats from human development.  In my opinion, the proposed Pebble Mine, on the Alaska Peninsula, is the greatest threat of all.  Click here to learn more about this potentially devastating project.

Here’s to Bears!!!

Brad Josephs

Brad Josephs
Written By Brad Josephs.

Posted in: conservation, Field Reports, Learn, Miscellaneous, NHA News, Travel, Video, Wildlife.

The Most Endangered Animals You’ve Never Heard Of

May 16th, 2013
by Emily Deemer.
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Recently scientists from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) released a list of what they have deemed the 100 most threatened species of wildlife, plants, and fungi, hailing from 48 different countries around the world.  You won’t find the endangered usual suspects like tigers, leopards, pandas and polar bears on this list.  That is precisely why the endangered species on this list are so critically threatened – the ZSL and IUCN fear that the species on the list will be allowed to become extinct because they are relatively obscure and provide no obvious benefits to humans.

The report, aptly titled Priceless or Worthless, challenges us to rethink previous conservation efforts based on the perceived “value” of a species.  Dr. Simon Stuart, chair of the IUCN’s Species Survival Commission says that “[although] the value of some species may not appear obvious at first, all species in fact contribute in their way to the healthy functioning of the planet,” reported The Huffington Post.  Check out the full list of The 100 Most Threatened Species to see how we can address the threats each of these species face.  What do you think – are these species priceless or worthless?  Their fate depends on our answer to that question.

As you probably guessed, we agree with the authors of the report in that these species are priceless.  In honor of Endangered Species Day on May 17th, we wanted to highlight a handful of animals from the list we would surely miss if they became extinct.

Check out Natural Habitat Adventures to see some of the more iconic endangered species such as the Bengal Tiger on our Grand India Wildlife Adventure or the Mountain Gorilla on The Great African Primate Expedition.

Tonkin snub-nosed monkey
Population: <200
Habitat: Vietnam
Threats: Habitat loss and hunting

Photo via blogs.sandiegozoo.org

Hainan gibbon
Population: <20
Habitat: China
Threats:  Hunting

Photo via arsliberalis.gr

Greater bamboo lemur
Population: 100-160
Habitat: Madagascar
Threats: Habitat destruction due to slash-and-burn agriculture, mining and illegal logging

Photo via gambassa.com

Spoon-billed sandpiper
Population: <100 breeding pairs
Habitat: Breeds in Russia, migrates along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway to wintering grounds in Bangladesh and Myanmar.
Threats: Trapping on wintering grounds and land reclamation

Photo via birdlife.org

Vaquita
Population: <200
Habitat: Mexico
Threats: Incidental capture in gillnets

Photo via sonoranmarinelife.wordpress.com

Hirola
Population: <1000
Habitat: Kenya
Threats: Habitat loss and degradation, competition with livestock, poaching

Photo via itsnature.org

Red River giant softshell turtle
Population: 4
Habitat: Vietnam and China
Threats: Hunting for consumption and habitat destruction and degradation as a result of wetland destruction and pollution

Photo via Asian Turtle Program

 

Emily Deemer
Written By Emily Deemer.

Posted in: conservation, NHA News, Wildlife.
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Youth Art Contest Produced Incredible Wildlife Artwork

May 14th, 2013
by guest.
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When we saw the winning artwork from this year’s Endangered Species Day Youth Art Contest, it was so darn impressive we had to share it with you. The annual contest is sponsored by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Endangered Species Coalition, in honor of Endangered Species Day which falls on May 17th this year.  Kindergartners through 12th graders were tasked with drawing or painting one or more endangered mammal, bird, reptile, amphibian, fish, plant, and/or invertebrate found in North America. Below is a roundup of some of our favorite semi-finalists and the winners from each age group.

Of course our favorites were the animals that are the stars of our most popular Natural Habitat Adventures trips:

Polar Bears: We wish we could use this amazing artwork for the polar bear tours in our next Nat Hab brochure!

By Amanda Liu, grades K-2, © Endangered Species Coalition

By Aleese Smith, grades 3-5, © Endangered Species Coalition

Orcas: These drawings and paintings look like they could be straight from our Whales & Wildlife of the San Juan Islands trip!

By Keertana Sreekumar, grades K-2, © Endangered Species Coalition

By Ian Hsiao, grades 6-8, © Endangered Species Coalition

By Jordan Lei, grades 9-12, © Endangered Species Coalition

And now for the winners…

1st Place for grades  9-12: MemoRee’ Plaisance’s Jaguar looks very realistic at first glance, but if you take a closer look you see that the spots are filled in with messages like “Please help save the jaguar.” Very creative.

© Endangered Species Coalition

1st Place for grades 6-8: a surreal depiction of an Albatross by Kevin Huo.

© Endangered Species Coalition

1st Place for grades 3-5: Anisha Kundu’s serene watercolor painting of a Humpback Whale.

© Endangered Species Coalition

1st place winner grades K-2: a colorful rendition of a Garter Snake by Hannah Chacko.  Is it just us, or are these drawings getting better and better the younger the kids are?

© Endangered Species Coalition

And the Grand Prize Winner: a modern cubism approach to the American Burying Beetle with a touch of tissue paper, by Ava Bribriesco.  Can you guess what grade she’s in?

© Endangered Species Coalition

She’s only in KINDERGARTEN!  Go Ava!

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Written By guest.

Posted in: NHA News, polar bears, Wildlife.
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Nat Hab’s Own Brad Josephs Stars in New Discovery Channel Program on Alaska’s Grizzly Bears

May 9th, 2013
by Emily Deemer.
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We are proud to announce that Nat Hab’s very own guide Brad Josephs will be starring in Discovery Channel’s “Great Bear Stakeout,” a two hour special about the vulnerable American grizzly bear population of Alaska’s wilderness.  It is premiering on Discovery Channel this Sunday, May 12 at 9pmET/PT.  Viewers have seen short clips of grizzly bears in other documentaries on Discovery Channel, but this program will bring viewers closer to the lives of grizzlies than producers ever thought possible, showing them the best of months’ worth of footage that documents their hibernation preparation, mating rituals and feeding habits.  Co-produced by the BBC, it premiered to rave reviews on BBC 1 in the UK on April 23rd, and many are calling it the best bear documentary to date. An added bonus: the film is narrated by the friendly and familiar voice of John Goodman, the Emmy and Golden Globe-winning Roseanne actor.

“Parsnip and her cub Pushki are the stars of the film. Our team tracked and documented their struggle for survival for an entire summer.” -Brad Josephs

Brad Josephs has been an Expedition Leader with Natural Habitat Adventures since 2005.  He is a trained wildlife biologist who knows what a bear will do before the bear even knows it. He co-stars with fellow naturalists Chris Morgan and Buck Wilde in the film.  “This was one of the highlights of my career as I was given the chance to work with fellow bear lovers Chris Morgan, and Buck Wilde, and the greatest film wildlife crew in the world,” says Josephs.  Morgan was also impressed with the cast and crew: “When you’re working with the creators and cameramen from Frozen Planet and Planet Earth, you know you’re going to come away with something special.”

After the show, you can join Chris Morgan on May 13th for a live Facebook chat from 3-3:30pm Mountain Standard Time at facebook.com/ChrisMorganWildlife and a live Twitter chat from 3:30-4pm Mountain Standard Time by following the hashtag #GreatBearStakeout.

“The speed, agility and power of these grizzlies is a sight to behold.” -Brad Josephs

The cast and crew lived alongside the bears for a full five months, and captured every moment with “specially designed camera gear [that] filmed the bears in a new way and spy cams rigged throughout a vast area lending an intimacy rarely seen.”  The team was able to intimately get to know the personality and toils of three grizzly bears in particular (Parsnip, Van, and Alice) and follows their stories throughout the program.  If you’re going out for Mother’s Day this Sunday, make sure to set your DVR to record this epic Discovery Channel special, you won’t want to miss it!

“We call this bear Van, because like Evander Holyfield, or Van Gogh, his ear is damaged. He is biggest bear I have ever seen in 17 years working in the Alaskan Wilderness.” -Brad Josephs

Emily Deemer
Written By Emily Deemer.

Posted in: NHA News, Travel, Video, Wildlife.
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Top 10 Cutest Mother/Baby Wildlife Photos: A Mother’s Day Tribute

May 7th, 2013
by guest.
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Moms love us unconditionally, they are the glue of our families, and they work extremely hard usually receiving little praise in return.  This is every bit as true in the animal kingdom as well.  In honor of Mother’s Day, we put together a list of our favorite wildlife photos of proud mamas and their cubs, pups, calves, hatchlings, and more.  Don’t forget to call/text/email your mom today!  Send her a link to these adorable photos – she’ll love it and you’ll get brownie points!

10. Galapagos Sea Lion, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
You can see these endangered pups on any of our Galapagos Islands tours.  Although the pups start swimming in the sea with their mothers less than two weeks after birth, mothers take care of them for about three years.

© travellerspoint.com

9. Mountain Gorilla, Uganda
This photo is from one of our gorilla tours, The Great African Primate Expedition.  This baby weighs only 20-30 pounds until he’s about 3 years old, although he’ll grow up to be 200-400 pounds! They live in mom’s nest until they are 4 to 6 years old.

8. Grizzly Bear, Alaska
This photo was taken on one of our Alaska wildlife trips, Ultimate Grizzlies: Kodiak to Katmai.  The grizzly bear mother usually gives birth to two cubs in January or February, while still hibernating! The cubs will stay with mama bear for 2-3 years.

7. Borneo Pygmy Elephant, Borneo
This photo was snapped on NHA’s The Natural Wonders of Borneo tour. Did you know the average female pygmy elephant will birth roughly 7 calves in her lifetime, with a gestation periods between 19-22 months?  Elephants have the longest gestation period of any mammal in the animal kingdom. 

6. Baboon, Tanzania
This mother and baby baboon were spotted one of NHA’s African Safaris, Secluded Tanzania Safari.  This baby must be less than a month old, as mother baboons carry the infant close to their stomach as they travel, holding it with one hand during the first month.

5. Giant Panda, China
Did you know a baby giant panda is only the size of a stick of butter when it is born, about 1/900th the size of its mother?  See giant pandas and explore remote, little-known wildlife reserves on one of our new China trips like The Wild Side of China: A Nature Odyssey.

© LA Times

4. Olive Ridley Sea Turtle, Mexico
This photo technically isn’t a mother and baby, but it’s so cute we couldn’t resist including it. This hatchling never made it to sea with its siblings and was released into the sea by researchers during our Mexico Sea Turtle Odyssey tour. Once sea turtle hatchlings emerge from the nest, they use environmental signals to find the water such as the beach slope and the moonlight reflecting on the ocean horizon.  Artificial beachfront lighting from human development is a major problem because it directs these very small turtles inland away from the water.

3. Polar Bear, Churchill, Canada
This photo is from one of NHA’s Churchill polar bear tours, where you are bound to see a few sets of patient polar bear mothers and rambunctious cubs.  Baby polar bears are born in a maternity den with their eyes shut and with hardly any fur.  They don’t leave the den until their mother breaks through the snow and ice that has sealed the door shut.

2. Bornean Orangutan, Borneo
Orangutans only give birth once every 8 years and don’t mate until their 20′s, so their rate of reproduction is very slow. A mother orangutan will nurse her baby for up to 7 years, and the female offspring will stay with their mothers until their teen years to gain necessary parenting skills.  Photo from NHA’s The Natural Wonders of Borneo trip.

1. Amur Tiger, Russia
“Stop mom, you’re embarrassing me!”  Sounds familiar doesn’t it?  Did you know that baby tigers are born blind, and don’t gain full vision in their baby blue eyes until about 2 weeks old?  Sadly, about half of all tiger cubs do not survive more than two years due to human habitat destruction, starvation, freezing, and accidents.  You can safari in India’s Ranthambore National Park – superb tiger territory – with Nat Hab Expedition Leaders on India’s Tigers & Wildlife: A Photo Safari.

© mirror.co.uk


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Written By guest.

Posted in: Fun facts, NHA News, polar bears, Wildlife.
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