Supporting a New Generation of Wildlife Champions

The Owston’s civet is only found in the Annamite mountains of Vietnam.

An Nguyen has never seen a tiger, a leopard, or a rhino. Though much of the forests in his home country of Vietnam once teemed with such iconic animals, they are now largely empty of wildlife due to hunting, snaring, and habitat loss. This is why An protects what wildlife is left in Vietnam’s Annamite mountains—like the Owston’s civet, the Annamite striped rabbit, and the large-antlered muntjac.

In another part of the continent, in the breathtaking mountains of Nepal, Monsoon Khatiwada is trying to save an endangered animal few have heard of, the dhole—gorgeous fox-like canids with fiery orange coats. Dholes have a reputation among local people as livestock killers, and are the focus of much human-wildlife conflict. Monsoon aims to change those perceptions through education and community outreach activities.

Both An and Monsoon share a fierce dedication to protecting wildlife in their home countries. They are also two of the most recent 14 WCN Scholarship recipients. Founded over a decade ago, the WCN Scholarship Program seeks out and nurtures the next generation of emerging conservationists, providing them with opportunities to learn new skills, collaborate with their peers, and build life-long relationships as they pursue graduate degrees.

Fishing cats are medium-sized wild cats endemic to South and Southeast Asia.

To date, WCN has proudly supported 102 graduate level scholars across 36 countries, from Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe, and Latin America. These scholars work on a diverse range of species, some very well-known—like snow leopards, cheetahs, and giraffes—and others—such as fishing cats, dholes, and the Owston’s civet—that are more obscure. With the aid of these capable and devoted scholars, endangered wildlife in nearly every corner of the globe has a stronger chance to thrive.

Here are this year’s 2018 WCN Scholarship recipients: