THE HIDDEN PHILANTHROPIST 

SEASON 2, EPISODE 10

THE HIDDEN PHILANTHROPIST talks to JULIAN & STEPHANIE FENNESSY

SHOW NOTES

Summary –

In the beautiful country of Namibia, in Southern Africa, Andrew Purdie sits with Julian and Stephanie Fennessy from the Giraffe Conservation Foundation (GCF) – the only NGO in the world that concentrates solely on the conservation and management of giraffe in the wild throughout Africa. Before speaking with Julian and Stephanie on the podcast, Andrew spent a week in the field with the Australian/German couple and their incredible team. In addition to observing these iconic animals, Andrew assisted in tracking and tagging giraffe in the remote Northwest Namibia. Listeners hear the story of how Julian and Stephanie ended up in their field of expertise, their experience in creating the GCF, what their day-to-day activities involve, the challenges of conserving giraffe and halting their rapid decline, the importance of a strong funding base, and so much more. 

Key Topics & Chapter Markers –

• Julian’s early years studying and attaining his PhD, how he moved out to Africa, Stephanie’s role in GCF, Julian’s role in GCF [02:59]
• Funding to support GCF, sharing data across the globe, the team at GCF, the recognition of the foundation, tagging, locating and translocating giraffes [21:07]
• Success rates of relocation of giraffes, what their organisation is achieving, the greatest challenges the giraffes face, the future of Julian’s and Stephanie’s family, the future of GCF, what listeners can do to get involved [43:58]

Information –

• Get involved: Learn more or get involved with Julian & Stephanie at https://giraffeconservation.org/. You can also get involved in the following ways:
• Donate via the website – https://giraffeconservation.org/donate/
• Adopt-a-Giraffe – Follow our tower of giraffe in Namibia online in our adoption portal where we share updates and photos of our giraffe adoptees https://adopt.giraffeconservation.org/
• Shop for Giraffe – Check out the online shop (does not ship to Australia)
• Fundraise for GCF – Set up a Facebook fundraiser or Instagram fundraiser. 
• Host an in-person fundraising event, a dinner or an information session in your local community. Help us spread the word that giraffe are in trouble.
• Follow on social media and become an active follower.
• Host a giraffe themed event or party. 
• Leave a lasting legacy for giraffe conservation
• Shareable episode link: Here
• Email us: media@bennettwilliams.com.au
• Find us in the Top 80 Philanthropy Podcasts in the world (#42): https://blog.feedspot.com/philanthropy_podcasts/