This painting was created as a result of my visit to the Painted Dog Conservation project in Zimbabwe. I spent time with the Anti-Poaching Unit as they searched for wire snares. We found many. These are removed by the team and made into wire ‘snare masks’ for sale to fund the project. The text below explains the idea behind the painting.
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.
Ensnared, watercolor on paper 20×30″ by Alison Nicholls
This is one of the biggest challenges facing conservation in Africa – allowing local people the opportunity to make a living by protecting their local environment 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.
The original watercolor Ensnared was sold with 35% of the purchase price donated to Painted Dog Conservation in Zimbabwe. Limited edition giclées are also available, with a donation of 20% of the purchase price to PDC. See Purchase Options.
