Our director and founder, Claudine Andre, has just won the inaugural Badham-Evans Award for Women’s Commitment to Wildlife from the Twycross Zoo in London!
She was presented with the award at the House of Lords in London, and heaps of famous people were there, including Susannah York, Stephanie Powers and Miranda Richardson, each of whom helped draw attention to Andre’s work and the bonobo’s plight. Richardson, who I think we all remember for her performance in Merlin said: “Claudine’s dedication to these animals is remarkable. It is now our responsibility to join her efforts.”
The Badham-Evans Award was named after Twycross Zoo founders Molly Badham and Nathalie Evans, and will “honour other women who have committed their lives to caring for and saving wildlife worldwide.”
Claudine has survived civil wars, economic strife, and personal danger to protect bonobos, one of the rarest great apes in the world. She created the Lola ya Bonobo sanctuary in 1994 with one bonobo and we now have 63 orphaned bonobos at the 75-acre site near Kinshasa.
We love you Claudine! You are awesome!!
