Today, WildAid announced that founder Peter Knights, OBE, is leaving WildAid to form a new charity focused exclusively on conservation efforts in Africa.  

"For more than two decades, Peter Knights has focused on designing and implementing demand reduction communications campaigns throughout the world. His award-winning high-profile programs have resulted in dramatic reductions in the illegal trade of wildlife products, including elephant ivory, rhino horns and shark fin soup. The WildAid team is grateful for Peter's extraordinary contributions to WildAid," said WildAid CEO Hank Lynch. 

His new charity, Wild Africa Fund, will be run jointly with his wife, Corie, and draw upon expertise from across Africa. Knights said, "I want to take my global experience to help create a future in Africa where the people, the wildlife, and the environment, can thrive together."

"WildAid will continue to pursue innovative and creative programs designed to protect wildlife from critical threats while protecting and supporting more Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in Africa and around the world. We are confident that Peter's new venture will only help the ongoing efforts to protect endangered species in Africa," added Lynch. 

Knights' Wild Africa Fund, based out of South Africa, will focus on mass communications aimed at changing public and policymakers' attitudes to poaching, habitat loss and human-wildlife conflict. It will also promote international and domestic wildlife tourism and support local wildlife organizations and the newly emerging carbon offset industry as a new source of conservation and sustainable development funding.

"Peter is a visionary who transformed the way that wildlife conservationists think about protecting endangered species. The WildAid Board congratulates him on his new venture and looks forward to collaborating with him going forward as part of the ongoing fight to protect wild animals in Africa," said Robin Ferracone, WildAid Board chair.   

WildAid is a U.S.-based nonprofit organization with a mission to inspire and empower the world to protect wildlife and vital habitats from critical threats. WildAid works to protect endangered wildlife by reducing consumption of illegal wildlife products, protecting priority marine areas with effective enforcement, and addressing the impacts of climate change through behavior change campaigns and by protecting large areas of blue carbon such as mangroves, seagrass beds, and salt marshes. WildAid has an unrivaled portfolio of celebrity ambassadors and a global network of media partners that leverages more than $200 million in annual pro-bono media support.