Wildlife Sketches

Looking forward to 2012

David Dancey-Wood — 2012-01-24T14:57:13Z

Well here is my first post of 2012 nearing the end of january. 2012 already marked by some as the year of apocalypse as predicted by the ancient Mayan culture, me personally I shall not loose to much sleep over it. I believe the information is minimal and has been, exaggerated, blown out of all proportion and taken to heart by another band of conspiracy loving enthusiasts. For me 2012 is another exciting year for exploring new methods and techniques of drawing, developing compositions, learning about new species that I can study and depict in future pictures and hopefully maybe even get to travel a bit in the process. There is already far to much gloom and doom around us everyday to add another apocolyptic prophecy to the burden.

I would like to say that 2012 will be my year of the elephant as I have some exciting projects lined up involving many pachyderm activities. This would possibly be a little short sighted of me as I would also like to definitely develop more drawings of crocodilia and also carry on with other projects that have been simmering in the background.

Hopefully I will get to speak more of this in future posts, but I am glad to announce that in april I will be of on my travels again in search of new material to add to my increasing portfolio. This year I will be going to Nepal helping out in a wildlife survey of Bardia National Park. The project will mainly involve elephants but I am also keen to observe the local herpetological population. The expedition will be lead by the notable explorer Col Blashford Snell who has taken several other expeditions to this area in the past in search of an elephant so big it could easily have been mistaken for a mammoth and possibly even related to the ancient Stegodon. I will also, while in Nepal be taking the opportunity to observe and study the incredibly rare, fish eating crocodile, the Gharial in the south of the country. Nepal has never been a country that has been high on my list of priority destinations but I often find that is the way I stumble upon a real gem of a country that opens up complete new worlds for me. I am certainly looking forward to adding regular updates and posts on the blog, keeping everyone informed of how it is all going.

'Raja Gaj' the Mammoth elephant of Royal Bardia Nepa copyright SES Col Blashford Snell.

I would also like to mention that 2012 is a very special year for Monkey World Ape rescue centre whom I have been working with for the past 15 years. This year the rescue centre in Dorset will be celebrating their 25th anniversary with many celebrations and activities (please check the website www.monkeyworld.org for further details). It is also approaching the 5 year mark since Jim Cronin passed away. It is such a shame he won't be here to see the anniversary but I know so well of how proud he would be of the way Alison his wife has not only kept the place going but has pioneered the work, going from strength to strength making it the world class centre of excellence it is today.

Other projects this year will hopefully include going back to work with Sean Foggett of Crocodiles of the World in Witney Oxfordshire. I was so over the moon with the results of my Chinese Alligator picture that I have decided I would love to continue drawing more crocodiles and hopefully work closely with CROTW on this.

David and Sean AKA 'Crocman' from Crocodiles of the world.

Anyway despite what all the papers are saying and the bleak outlook of the economics for 2012 I am trying my best keep a positive attitude and lets hope it will be a good year all round.

Wildlife-Sketches.com

A year in the life of a wildlife art fan

Wildlife Sketches — 2011-12-23T14:09:45Z

A year in the life of a wildlife art fan

In the media, the end of the year is a time of reflection. When I reflect upon the previous year it often amazes me what has happened in the world that I have completely forgotten about, although at the time the event was greeted with excitement or incredulity.

I therefore decided that, for 2011, I would make an effort to write down events in my wildlife year. Hopefully the reader will find some of the entries interesting.

Jon in Madagascar 2011

January 2011.

A time of anticipation. Have submitted an article to Wildlife Sketches on why I’m interested in wildlife and art. I’m pleased with the way it looks, especially with David’s excellent prints for illustration. Hope readers find it interesting.

Heard from one artist who is going to paint a cheetah brother coalition I photographed at Ann Van Dykes last year.

Went to see David about the possibility of him drawing a King cheetah, my favourite big cat. I’ve hardly ever seen it depicted in art. I know he’ll do it better than anybody. Took photos for reference and had a great chat about the big cats and some of his hopes for the coming year.

February

The coalition painting is finished. I think it looks striking. The artist has also done another of a lying down cheetah. Hopefully they will both sell in these difficult times.

Heard from one of our South African friends that we met on safari last year. They’re off to the Mara in Kenya this year so we’re suitably envious.

We’ve been thumbing through the holiday brochures whilst outside it seems to do nothing but rain. Decided on Madagascar. Expensive but we’ll soon be too old to enjoy, or be able to afford, that sort of holiday so will go whilst we’re able and it’s still got some wildlife and habitat left. The David Attenborough series has been on tv. Fortunately we booked before it started as the series is bound to get others interested and accommodation and flights are limited. We’re not going to October due to wanting to go in the dry season when some of the leaves are off the trees and the lemurs have had their young. Hopefully, should be great for lemur and chameleon photographic references for artists, although I think that photographing in a rainforest is going to be really tough.

March

Put the final touches to an article on Giant Pandas and as Edinburgh zoo are acquiring a pair from China in the near future, thought it might be a good time to submit it for possible publishing on Wildlife Sketches.

Have also been seeing what all my favourite artists are planning for 2011 by viewing their websites. The exhibitions will soon be starting.

Finally decided to write an article about the kudu kill we witnessed last year. Quite pleased with the result but it needs polishing.

Bought books on Madagascan birds, mammals and language in readiness for our trip later in the year.

April

Found some brilliant footage of one of our destinations in Madagascar on You Tube. The guy who took it was very generous in spending some time answering my questions, especially about a lemur reserve we’re going to. Can’t wait for October to hopefully get some great shots.

Heard from Vince and am pleased he liked the panda article. It would be great if more people contributed to Wildlife Sketches.

Spotted my hundredth British bird species since Xmas.

May

Great to see David’s blog and new print of a Chinese alligator. Hope it sells well.

'A Mothers Touch'
Chinese Aligator by David Dancey-Wood 2011

David Shepherd’s exhibition of wildlife art is on at the Mall Galleries in London. Tempted to go as some of the work looks exciting. However, all the works are on the web so not sure I can justify the expense, although to see the real thing is always special.

Joined the Hants and Isle of Wight Naturalist Trust. They’ve got a 50^th anniversary wildlife photographic competition which I want to have a go at. Judged by Chris Packham, it would be brilliant to be one of the twelve winners who will get the chance to meet him and have their photos turned into a calendar. Is photography art? The way Chris Packham takes photos, I’d say definitely yes.

June

Had a final check on my article on King Cheetahs and sent it off to Wildlife Sketches.

Got busy taking photos for the photo competition.

Didn’t go to London as all of the paintings were on the web. Some stunning work.

July

Continued to take photos at every opportunity. Joined Flickr to enable me to take part in the competition. The whole concept of Flickr intrigues me and I hope I can cope with the technical side. The standard on Flickr is incredibly high but you’ve got to be in it to win it. Selected my favourite five and successfully submitted them.

Wildlife Sketches put my article on line and I’m pleased with the way it looks.

Checked the sequel article on my efforts to see and photograph a King Cheetah at De Wildts and sent that off.

Art exhibitions are gathering pace. Viewed NEWA exhibition on line and saw BBC Wildlife artist of 2011 winners in the magazine. Won by Stella Mayes whom I really rate. I am fortunate enough to own one of her pastels.

August

Second cheetah article published. I think they work well together and I hope readers enjoy them. I certainly enjoyed researching and writing these two.

Over eight hundred entries in the photographic competition so plenty of opposition.

Results announced. Didn’t win but enjoyed the experience and some of the winners are stunning. However, I heard that one of my photos might be included as a small additional photo. Great!

Wrote a requested article on Amur leopards. One of my favourite cats so will be interested to see how it is received.

Went to the MIWAS exhibition at Marwell . Great to see such a variety of subjects and styles. It is always fun to talk to the artists and to see old friends.

September

Spent over twenty hours at Marwell as the Snow leopards have had triplets. Met many interesting people to talk to while we all waited for the extremely shy cubs to put in an appearance. Finally got some really pleasing shots of the triplets and mum. One of the photos made a small appearance in the Marwell magazine and I had some generous comments on Flickr.

Heard the first inkling of David’s forthcoming exhibition at Eastleigh which is always an exciting event. The new print of a sleeping otter is superb!

Final preparations for the Madagascan holiday. Can’t wait!

'Forty Winks'

Sleeping Otter by David Dancey-Wood 2011

October

The holiday finally arrives. Late plane flights and all luggage lost got us off to a stressful start. However, two great lodges, fantastic people and wildlife to die for certainly resulted in many wonderful memories and an edit of 800 photos to work through. Amazing how many Brits were there as a result of watching Attenboroughs BBC series. As I thought, photographing in a rain forest in rain with foliage and leeches on my head was difficult! Eight species of lemurs were however photographed which was more than I hoped for. Should be another article or two in the trip for Wildlife Sketches.

November

Spent a couple of weeks editing the Madagascan photos and then getting them printed and put in a couple of albums.

We decided to have a go at a calendar on lemurs using our photos.

Decided to change all the photos in frames in our kitchen to have some of our best Madagascan photos on show. We also had three canvases done of lemur portraits which look great. The overall result we find pleasing and should give us a fresh look in the kitchen for a while.

Went to David’s exhibition at The Picture Framing Gallery in Eastleigh. A super exhibition and it was great to see his new originals. Thought the spider monkey and the frogs were excellent. Also thought the eyes on the fossa drawing were amazing. Shame we didn’t see any fossa in Madagascar.

Finished the month down at Marwell and actually got an hour of viewing and photographing the snow leopard cubs which have really grown.

Had an email from Marwell saying they wanted to use one of my earlier cub photos for a xmas card so am really pleased.

December

Great to see the pandas arrive at Edinburgh zoo. Need to plan a trip to see them as I’ve seen all the others that have been on our shores.

Saw my 125^th British bird species, a tree sparrow of all things. Don’t know how I missed recording it earlier in the year. It gives me a healthy total to try and beat next year.

Any spare time not going on Xmas preparation is being used on Flickr to make up new photo sets and to admire the work of others. Probably one of the most enjoyable things I’ve started all year.

Most of the holiday brochures have arrived for 2012 and a time of anticipation is again occurring . The yearly cycle of a wildlife art fan is therefore almost complete.

Jon relaxing in Madagascar

Wildlife-Sketches.com

There's still time to get your print for Christmas!!!!

Wildlife Sketches — 2011-12-16T15:07:37Z

There's still time to get your print for Christmas!!!!

UK Orders placed before Thursday 22nd December will be posted in time for Christmas as all our post is sent Royal Mail Special Delivery and will arrive within 48hrs of posting.

And remember it's FREE POSTAGE on UK Sales in December!!!

Wildlife-Sketches.com

December Shipping

Wildlife Sketches — 2011-12-13T08:50:21Z

Merry Christmas
and a
Happy New Year to Everyone.

During December
Wildlife Sketches is shipping all

Uk Sales
Postage Free!!!

Click the banner to go to our site

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EXHIBITION

David Dancey-Wood — 2011-11-01T10:56:16Z

David Dancey-Wood
Exhibition of original drawings and prints.

Come along for the the rare opportunity to purchase one of David's originals and get the chance to pick up one of his newly released limited edition prints. There will also be a huge back catalogue of prints both old and new, some incredibly rare.

The Picture Framing Gallery
41 High Street, Eastleigh
Hampshire, SO50 5LG

Sunday 27th November
12.00 - 4.00

Tel:02380647658

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Wildlife Sketches is on Facebook

Wildlife Sketches — 2011-09-30T13:55:40Z

Wildlife Sketches now has a Facebook Page. Please visit us there and Like our page, leave a recommendation or a comment. We'd love to hear from you. Most of David's drawings will be added to the Wildlife Sketches Facebook Page, and updates of exhibitions and new editions will appear both on Facebook and here.

We're hoping to have Competitions and Special offers too as soon as we have enough Likes!

Plus we have lots of new links to wildlife articles from all over. With many beautiful photo's and video links Wildlife Sketches Facebook Page is really going to capture your imagination.

David will continue to add entries here from time to time, and articles will also continue to appear here from all our favorites and hopefully some new writers too.

Wildlife Sketches Facebook Page

Please don't forget to 'Like' us. We would love to get get a large following so we can then afford to make even better special offers and more competitions!

We're looking forward to seeing you all on Facebook too, and reading your comments

Vince De Luca.

Wildlife-Sketches.com

The Kiss of the Wolf!

Wildlife Sketches — 2011-09-26T22:17:30Z

I found this great video on YouTube about Wolves. You'll love it for sure.

So here it is...It's called "The Kiss of the Wolf"

The music is great too. No idea what he's singing though!

Wildlife-Sketches.com

The Perfect Birthday Present!

Wildlife Sketches — 2011-08-24T18:15:58Z

Birthday Bliss!

It’s funny how we always seem to want something special for our birthdays, but can’t always have it.

Our birthdays are still great mostly, because someone special has always remembered us; and made us feel a bit special also. Then we’re often pleasantly surprised how many others have remembered too.

Recently I received and email request from Maureen in Scotland: she wondered if there was any chance I could locate a ‘Charlie’ print. Maureen already knew that this print has been sold out for a long time, but she was hoping I could find one for her. So, I set about trying to locate a print for Maureen. I made a few calls, and sure enough I found one available at a descent price. I immediately emailed the good news to Maureen, and she was delighted, she paid me with PayPal and I shipped the print up to Scotland straight away. The entire transaction took less than a week including delivery.

'Charlie' by David Dancey-Wood

Then I asked, as I often do, if the print was for herself or a gift for someone. Maureen explained that her sister, Diane, was a long time fan of Monkey World and especially of Charlie. In fact her sister had tried to get a ‘Charlie’ print before to no avail. They’d chatted about the possibility of finding one, but doubted if they were available reasonably priced.

After watching an old episode of the Monkey World programme on the telly, Maureen decided to have a look online and she found www.wildlife-sketches.com. So she emailed me her request.

Well, as you now know, she managed to get her ‘Charlie’, then had him framed, and on her sister’s birthday, Maureen gave Diane the surprise present.

Diane with her great birthday present

She was absolutely delighted and not a little surprised. Diane feels that "David’s drawing captures the essence of Charlie in all his glory “.

Maureen took this photo of Diane with her newly framed print.

I had to add this story to the blog because it is such a great story. What a brilliant birthday surprise!

Happy Birthday Diane,

Well done Maureen, you're a great sister.

As Maureen and Diane know www.wildlife-sketches.com can usually locate the print you want.

All you need to do is email us your request, and we’ll do the searching for you.

We also offer Gift Vouchers, available from our Shop Page which allow someone to order which ever print they like most. What a great Gift Idea!

Vincenzo De Luca.

Wildlife-Sketches.com

Elephants display intellingence

Wildlife Sketches — 2011-08-23T12:37:23Z

This is an article from National Geographic Italy. So I have translated it for you all because I just loved it, and I'm sure everyone will. There is also a link to the video here. And if you want to read it in the original Italian I have also left the link below.

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For the first time an elephant has been shown to be able to visualize a problem, plan a solution, and then put the plan into practice.

Kandula, and Asian elephant at Washington National Zoo, was filmed using a plastic cube to reach fruit in some high branches of a tree.

To imagine a problem: think of a solution and then put a plan into practice: is an ability we share with very few other animals, including Chimps, Crows and very few other creatures. From now on we can add Elephants to this short list.

Kandula is a seven year old Asian elephant at Washington National Zoo.

Please watch the video to see Kandula in action

Kandula the intellignet Elephant in Action

This was an experiment in which the fruit had been suspended on a high branch out of Kandula’s reach.

Apparently, Kandula gave it some thought, and then went to get the plastic cube. He rolled the cube underneath the branches with the fruit on, and stood on the cube with two feet to reach up with his trunk and get his prize.

Diane Reiss, a researcher into animal intelligence, maintains “Kandula had never used an object to step onto and reach other objects before, and had not arrived at this solution by trial and error. All the evidence shows the pachyderm had a spontaneous idea: He showed himself capable of working out a problem and putting a plan into practice”.

Researchers had left various objects available to Kandula to use to attempt to reach the fruit: for example, sticks, which he could use to reach up and hit the branch and make the fruit drop.

But Kandula did'nt use them. At first this left the researchers perplexed, until they realized that it would have been unnatural elephant behavior.

We know that elephants do use sticks, for example to scratch their backs. But never to find or reach food. This is because smell is so important to elephants, and they smell through their trunks. So they would not be able to smell anything if the held anything in their trunks.

The experiment was repeated over several days in 20 minute sessions. The first seven times Kandula just stood and looked at the fruit without trying to reach it or use any object to reach for it.

Kandula an Asian Elephant at Washington National Zoo
Photo Foeder/Reiss. CUNY

Dan Moore, one of the co-authors of this report (published in PLoS ONE) and also an associate director of the national zoo, reminds us that “Kandula is an exceptionally curious and intelligent elephant. We know all elephants are intelligent, but we think Kandula is one of the most intelligent”.

Moore also hopes that this study will draw public attention the plight of these Asian Elephants which are in danger of becoming extinct. “This type of research can help us to empathise more with animals, because it makes them more like us. And perhaps if we empathise, we will be more willing to protect them”.

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Here is the Italian article from National Geographic.

Eureka! E l'elefante scoprì lo sgabello

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Wildlife-Sketches.com

Amur Leopard reviewed

Wildlife Sketches — 2011-08-18T22:03:46Z

Amur Leopard

Visitors to zoos are usually thrilled to see big cats including the leopard. Few however, in zoos such as Colchester, Edinburgh and Marwell, realise that the animal they are looking at is not the successful predator of the African plains and forests, but the rarest big cat in the world, the Amur leopard.

The Amur leopard, also known as the Manchurian or Far Eastern Leopard, is superbly adapted to life in the harsh environment of a temperate forest habitat. It has longer legs and a thicker fur coat than other sub species and can cope with the snow it encounters. In colour, it has a pale coat with wide rosettes with darker centres, and its eyes are light blue-green. As such, it is one of the most attractive leopard species.

Great photo of an Amur Leopard cub

All photographs Copyright of Jon Isaacs 2011

The Amur leopard used to be widespread, being found in Russia, China and Korea. However, it has suffered many threats leading to a substantial decrease in its range. Whilst there may still be occasional animals in China, it is thought to be extinct in Korea and has only one known viable breeding population of approximately thirty animals in Primorsky Krai, Russia. It is officially designated “critically endangered” with less than fifty remaining in the wild.

Poachers, hunting for its skin, are only one of the problems it faces. It is also caught in snares set for deer and other mammals. Its prey, primarily Roe and Sika deer supplemented by boars, hare, badgers and racoon dogs are also hunted by humans whilst its habitat is frequently damaged by fire and deforestation. The leopard increasingly faces the threat of incursion into its forests by companies drilling for oil and gas, as well as the construction of pipelines and roads. There are also fears that, due to the few animals still in the wild, inbreeding could become a problem.

Mother and daughter

All photographs Copyright of Jon Isaacs 2011

However, all is not lost. There are approximately three hundred Amur leopards held captive within zoos in Russia, the rest of Europe including the U.K. and North America. They breed reasonably well and stud books are held to try and keep the gene bank as diverse as possible. This is important as all of the captive animals are thought to be descended from only nine individuals. There is talk of some wild bred leopards being caught to help widen genetic diversity. Another possible conservation idea is to reintroduce captive born Amur leopards to a reserve in Russia, such as Lazovsky. The W.W.F.runs an “Adopt an Amur Leopard” campaign to raise money and secure habitat for the species, as well as create anti -poaching teams and to establish educational programmes. As it is vital that people who live in close proximity to the leopard are also encouraged to support it, funds are being made available to recompense farmers for livestock killed by Amur leopards.

Within the world of wildlife art the Amur leopard is a popular subject. David Dancey Wood has superbly captured, in exquisite detail, a typical Amur leopard pose and this sought after print can still be obtained direct from Wildlife Sketches.

Jon Isaacs

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To view more of David Dancey-Woods drawings please click the banner below

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An audience with the King

Wildlife Sketches — 2011-08-02T11:00:47Z

By Jon Isaacs 2011

As we descended from the airbus onto the tarmac at Jo’burg International Airport, the warm air of an African Spring morning enveloped us. I allowed myself a grin. We were back in Africa and the new quest to see and photograph a King Cheetah was truly under way.

Passing swiftly through baggage reclaim and passport control, we were soon in transit to Cheetah lodge, our accommodation at the Ann Van Dyk Cheetah Centre.

We arrived an hour and a half later, up a dusty track at the foot of the Magaliesberg mountains. In front of us lay beautiful gardens and an extended farmhouse, the Cheetah Lodge. Warmly greeted by the assistant manager and Sebastian, the blue and brown eyed dalmation, we were given a conducted tour of our accommodation. The lounge walls were filled with prints and originals of the big cats, whilst on the coffee table lay a selection of mammal and bird books. Meanwhile the highly polished parquet floor was covered with rugs depicting cheetah and other cats. The whole place was my idea of heaven. The quest was getting better all the time.

We spent the afternoon relaxing in the garden, watching a myriad of birds ranging from woodland kingfisher to sunbird flying from bush to bush. Camera equipment was checked and settings decided upon, my fastest memory cards installed and lenses cleaned to perfection. Now all we had to do was wait.

The next morning dawned brightly, with not a cloud in the cobalt blue sky and the sound of Africa all around us. Having had breakfast, we were picked up at 7.45a.m by our guide Erika, an ecologist who had lectured at Pretoria University. She transferred us to the Cheetah centre, ready to witness the cheetah runs which were conducted in the cool of the early morning. I needn’t have worried about the problem of too many tourists as there were only about fifteen others, and after an introduction to the work of the centre, we made our way to the sloping meadow which contained the course where the lure of feathers and fur would travel, hopefully with a cheetah in hot pursuit. We stationed ourselves behind a wicker fence, the majority of the tourists close to where the three cheetahs would start their run, the three of us, with digital slrs, spaced equally, further down the course, where we hoped to get our action shots. The tension mounted as we were informed that the first cheetah to run would be Shaka, a King cheetah who was the slowest of the three and would allow us to get used to trying to photograph a speeding cheetah.

Photo Copyright Jon Isaacs 2011

Shaka cautiously emerged from the back of the land cruiser and, with the leash off, we waited for action. The lure hurtled off down the track and Shaka ambled after it. With me shooting at high speed he trotted past, and then cut the route so he was ahead of the lure on its return up the slope. Deciding that he would at least get some exercise, he suddenly looked mildly interested and moved into second gear to complete the run. His handler said she was really embarrassed by his performance and that he was sulking because she’d only returned that morning from holiday. Either way, I had witnessed and successfully photographed my first King Cheetah. Two spotted cheetahs followed. The first was a small female who rapidly went up through the gears, obviously loving every second of the exercise. The final cheetah, Graca, was the star of the show. With the land cruiser now turned end on we were told to expect an explosion and that’s what we got. The cheetah charged out of the back of the vehicle and reached sixty miles per hour in less than three seconds, even faster initial acceleration than an F1 racing car. The lure was in danger of being caught and destroyed. Hurtling around the course, Graca used non-retractable claws, specially designed pads and its lengthy tail to stay upright. Trying to keep up with it in the viewfinder was nearly impossible and I ended up with pin sharp shots of the tip of its tail as it thundered back up the track, finely powdered soil flying in all directions. Having completed its run Graca sank onto the ground, temperature off the scale and craving oxygen. It really was breathtaking and the crowd fell silent in appreciation.

Photo Copyright Jon Isaacs 2011

We left the running area, met up with Erika and continued our tour. Enclosures of honey badgers, including an albino named Blizzard, (Who had been rescued from the Cape where he would undoubtedly have died due to his visibility), caracal, wildcat, and brown hyena followed. At each enclosure we learnt much from Erika and enjoyed photographing the creatures exhibited. Then it was on to the wild dog packs, which were being bred for release, and an enclosure containing rare vultures, also part of an endangered breeding programme. Entering a large enclosure in our vehicle, we were pursued by one of the wild dog packs who knew we had their dinner. Running swiftly on either side of the vehicle, and jumping in mock attack from behind, it gave us a really good idea of how successfully they hunted. Eventually they received their food which disappeared under a mass of bodies, tails and dust.

To conclude our tour we were privileged to be amongst the first that season to be allowed to drive quietly down Lovers Lane, the area of smaller enclosures where the females are mated and raise their young. Stopping, we could see a small bundle of fluff at the rear of one of the enclosures. Using my longest telephoto I could just see the dark bodied youngster staring nervously at me. It was a young king, the first born that season. Further down the lane were two spotted cubs, and the difference in the coat could be clearly seen, even at that young age. Then it was on to see another female adult king who chose to ignore us, turning her back on us as she ate. However, even this was useful as it allowed me to get shots of the triple line pattern on her back, which is so characteristic of King Cheetah.

At the end of the tour Erika asked us if we wanted to see anything else, as she had a few spare minutes before her next appointment. I decided immediately that it had to be another meeting with Shaka and I enjoyed a happy ten minutes, on my own, photographing one of the rarest and most beautiful cats in the world.

Photo Copyright Jon Isaacs 2011

As we poured over our photos during the afternoon, an elderly lady was introduced to us at the Lodge. It was Ann van Dyk, the owner and guiding light of the centre. Despite being eighty she still works with a passion to protect and breed her beloved cheetah. It was a privilege to meet her and made me determined to contribute in some small way to her charity which is entirely self funding. Consequently, my wife and I are now the proud adopted parents of Jongozi, a handsome and extremely large male cheetah who resides at the cheetah centre. So, if you get the chance to visit the centre, or stay at the Cheetah Lodge, take it. You will have a fantastic time, be warmly welcomed by all the staff and the loveable Sebastian, and be contributing towards a breeding programme which will help ensure the survival of the fastest mammal on earth.

As a footnote to this article, Ann Van Dyk has written her own account of how she struggled to create the cheetah centre, save the South African cheetah from the edge of extinction, and accidentally bred the King cheetah for the first time in captivity. Entitled “The Cheetahs of De Wildt,” the book makes fascinating reading for anybody interested in cheetahs or general conservation and contains many superb colour photos. The ISBN is 978-0-620-38483-4 and the second edition was published in 2007. I’m afraid I don’t know the current cost as I bought my copy at De Wildts in 2010, but I think it’s roughly £20-25 or 250 Rand. The centre also has a website which can be accessed through googling Ann Van Dyk Cheetah Centre.

There is also another book by Ann van Dyk

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Thank you Jon. Another brilliant article. You paint a picture of heaven. beautifuly illustrated with your great photographs.
David Dancey-Wood has some beautiful drawings of Cheetahs. To view these and much more please click the link below.

Wildlife-Sketches.com

Emergency appeal for victims of the drought in Kenya, Somalia, Ethiopia

Wildlife Sketches — 2011-07-11T19:00:28Z

East Africa's Worst Drought in 60 years!

Please Help!

The Disasters and Emergencies Commission

Donate online now - Text ‘APPEAL’ to 70000 to donate £5

DEC East Africa Appeal | dec.org.uk

www.dec.org.uk/EastAfrica

Wildlife-Sketches.com

Wildlife Sketches back on track!

Wildlife Sketches — 2011-07-04T18:17:02Z

Thanks to everyone for their patients. Wildlife Sketches is back to normal and there shouldn't be any more delays for our customers. Hope you all have a great summer, and enjoy all the beautiful sunshine we're having right now.

And Jon Isaacs has just sent in another great article.

I'd also like to say thank you to everyone that has sent in comments to this blog. Keep them coming, we all enjoy reading them. So please let use know your thoughts about articles and David's drawings, and anything which is relevant to this blog.

All comments which are appropriate will always be published. However, spam comments are automatically deleted.

Vincenzo De Luca.

Wildlife-Sketches.com

In search of the king

Wildlife Sketches — 2011-07-04T17:16:00Z

In search of a King
By On Isaacs

To discover a new species, or rediscover an animal thought to have become extinct, must be the highlight of many naturalists’ lives and an experience which I can only dream of. To meet people who have devoted years to trying to find such a creature is a rare privilege, and one which came my way at the Romsey Town and Country show in Hampshire one September.

I was in the craft tent when I came across Lena and Paul Bottriell. They were selling copies of a book Lena had written. Having talked to them about their quest and been inspired by their enthusiasm, I was hooked, and promptly bought the book. It was entitled “King Cheetah. The Story of the Quest” and was about their efforts to confirm the existence of a new big cat species, the King Cheetah.

Having always been interested in wild cat species, their brilliantly written book made fascinating reading. Their aim, in the 1970’s, was to prove that the King Cheetah, also known as Cooper’s cheetah and originally labelled as a separate species by Reginald Pocock in 1927 (but retracted due to lack of evidence in 1939) actually existed, as it was only known from a couple of dozen skins. They were to spend years researching evidence of sightings, looking for photos, seeking more skins, and even mounting an expedition to try and prove its existence.

King Cheetah, Copyright Jon Isaacs 2011

The King Cheetah was only known at that time from a few ancient skins, stuffed specimens and reports. No concrete evidence of a living animal was available, although various witnesses were convinced of its existence. It appeared to inhabit land in the north of South Africa, including the Kruger National Park, and then west to embrace an area of Botswana, north to Zimbabwe and east to Mozambique. In most cases the habitat it was seen in tended to be woodland. In appearance, it seemed larger than the average cheetah, with long, silky hair, particularly on the neck. It also always had three broad stripes running down the centre of its back onto a striped and ringed tail, and irregular black blotches covering its sides and legs against a creamy background. As such, it appeared to be potentially one of the most attractive looking of the big cats.

The Bottriells eventually mounted an expedition in the Kruger National Park, one of the places where the animal had apparently been seen, to try and provide evidence of its existence. This took place in 1979/80 and included the novel use of hot air balloons as a method of covering the ground. They were largely unsuccessful in their quest, although they did get images on camera of a possible king. The interest in the cat would probably have waned had it not been for a stroke of luck at a cheetah breeding centre in South Africa called De Wildt.

De Wildt was established in 1971 to try to breed and protect the cheetah, whose numbers had crashed to about 600 in South Africa. Linked to Pretoria zoo, the establishment was set up by Ann Van Dyk and her brother, who believed passionately that the cheetah should have a future. Due partly to its almost identical gene pool and low sperm count, the cheetah has always been notoriously difficult to breed in captivity and it was Ann Van Dyk and her helpers who managed to find a successful way of regularly breeding them. In 1981, by chance, two ordinary female spotted cheetah sisters named Jean and Jumper, escaped from their enclosure and mated in another enclosure with a wild caught spotted male named Frik, who was from the area in which King Cheetahs were supposed to have existed. The sisters’ parents had also been captured wild from the same area. Both females produced a king cub within their litter, one being a male and the other a female. All the parents must have contained the King’s mutant or recessive gene which led to the birth of the two King Cheetah. As far as the scientists were concerned, the case was solved. They felt sure that the King Cheetah had a recessive gene which manifested itself in blotches instead of spots, similar to the variations of domestic tabby which can also be in spotted or blotched form. To the scientists, the King Cheetah was no more than a mutant variety of the ordinary cheetah.

The Ann Van Dyk Cheetah Centre, as De Wildt’s is now called, has raised over 800 cheetah cubs since its creation, including a number of King Cheetah. It is acknowledged as a world expert on cheetah breeding and conservation. Due to its success, the cheetah has been removed from the South African list of critically endangered mammals. The centre has also released some cheetah back into the wild in protected areas. However, despite its excellent work, the cheetah is still persecuted in South Africa and Namibia by some farmers. In the world at the present time there are approximately fifty King Cheetah in captivity, these being descended from the De Wildt’s Kings and perhaps up to ten in the wild.

So, is the debate about the origin of the King Cheetah complete? Not totally. Scientists still discuss many of the odd facts that link to this animal ie. why its guard hair appears similar to that of a leopards and apparently different to that of the ordinary cheetah, and why the skin patterns of King Cheetah are almost identical.

In the concluding chapter of her book, Lena Bottriell makes a strong case for the argument that the mutant gene of the King Cheetah is actually a gene responding to a different environment, ie. woodland instead of open grassland. She concludes that the King Cheetah could represent a mammal which is evolving before our eyes into a new species, sacrificing speed for size and strength; a more suitable camouflage for a woodland environment it can safely inhabit.

Whatever eventually proves to be the truth of the debate, there is no doubt that the King Cheetah is a superb looking and very interesting animal. Long live the King!

As a postscript to this article I have discovered an interesting clip on You Tube. Entitled “ King Cheetah” by moonbear 44, the clip shows part of an interview with the Bottriells and includes the only known footage of a King Cheetah filmed in the wild. Enjoy!

King Cheetah. YouTube Video from Moonbear44.

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For more information about King Cheetahs and their breeding program please visit

The Ann Van Dyk Cheetah Centre - De Wildt South Africa

Thank you Jon, really enjoyable article again. The photo's clearly show the coat markings you mention (the three stripes along the back) and they also show how well camoflaged the King Cheetah is in woodland and also in tall grass. The book sounds brilliant too. Might have a look on amazon later for it. To check if it's still available. It's amaing to think that there are probably no more than 60 examples of King Cheetah left though.

Vincenzo De Luca, Wildlife Sketches.

Wildlife-Sketches.com

Apologies

David Dancey-Wood — 2011-06-22T21:26:02Z

For anyone who has tried to contact Wildlife Sketches in the last week or make a purchase through the website wildlifesketches.com please accept our apologies for the lack of response. We are temporarily unable to deal with queries and any other matter due to illness.
We will endeavor to deal with all orders and enquiries as soon as possible and hope to be up and running at full speed within the next week. If there are any matters of urgency please direct your enquiries through the comments page of this blog.
We are grateful to all of you for your business and support and value your patience through this temporary inconvenience.

Many thanks

Wildlife sketches

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A Life Time of Waiting

David Dancey-Wood — 2011-05-24T10:28:00Z

How time flies, I can't believe how long it has last been since I last posted on the blog. I get very wrapped up in my work and when artworks take hold of me I find there is no time for blogs and such. Apologies to all who read my posts and were expecting something sooner.

Sometime ago I mentioned here that I was involved in a commissioned piece of artwork depicting the Chinese Alligator. The picture was originally to be a spectacled caiman but when the opportunity arose to draw one of the rarest reptiles on the planet I could not help myself from getting excited.

I have had a huge love of crocodiles ever since childhood. The highlight for any trip to the zoo was the reptile house and especially the crocodiles and alligators. These wonderful creatures strangely captivated me, (strange as they are not particularly mobile and will often sit for hours without movement,) not for any romantic reason that they reminded me of dragons or even dinosaurs. The reason they captured my imagination so intensely was that they are so exotic, they spoke to me of jungles and far away lands deep in the tropics, they were something completely alien to everything around me.

Becoming a professional artist later in life who specialized in drawing animals I hoped one day the occasion would arise to put one of these reptiles onto paper doing it justice and giving it the time a picture of this persuasion deserves. Receiving a commission for this subject is as close as I can get to a personal drawing dream come true. I have had an idea in mind for years and now I had the chance to realize it in pencil.

A simple drawing of an alligator would have been nice, but the topic needed more, something to captivate the viewer, maybe an insight into behavior. The perfect representation of alligators was to show the incredibly gentle way a mother alligator carries her young to the water without harming them in her ruthlessly powerful jaws. I was nervous that although I had a clear picture of this in my mind it may not turn out anything like it. Often I will visualize a picture years before putting onto paper with mixed results. Sometimes it ends up looking nothing like I had planned other times it is as though I have had a complete transfer from mind to paper. I must say when it happens like this it is incredibly satisfying.

This drawing was also another opportunity to raise the profile of yet another very endangered animals, the Chinese Alligator. The Chinese alligator is listed as a CITES Appendix I species, which puts extreme restrictions on its trade and exportation throughout the world. It is IUCN Red Listed as a critically endangered species. Efforts are underway to reintroduce captive-bred animals to suitable wild habitats, but thus far have not met with much success.

I had the chance to view Chinese Alligators up close and personal through a contact with a private crocodile collection this gave me invaluable time to sit and study these creatures to make sure if I was going to draw it I would get it 100 percent anatomically correct which I hope I have accomplished.

Prints will be released of the alligator in glclee form in an edition of just 100 with a percentage being given to the chinese alligator conservation fund. They should be available for purchase some time in june.

Wildlife-Sketches.com

Panda Crazy, by Jon Isaacs

Wildlife Sketches — 2011-04-08T09:48:00Z

Panda Crazy

(The Giant Panda, Global Megastar)

By Jon Isaacs

Whilst Aleksandr Orlov of meerkat.com fame may be heading for worldwide domination, there is little doubt that the Giant Panda still remains, for the present at least, at world number one in the animal popularity stakes. Ever since I’ve been alive, the Giant Panda has been an animal known and loved by nearly all of humanity. There are probably more fluffy toy giant pandas in existence than any other toy creature on the planet, and in terms of having a good press, the Giant Panda can do no wrong. You only have to look at the furore caused by Chris Packham with his suggestion that the money spent on preventing the Giant Panda from becoming extinct could be better used in conservation, to realise that the Giant Panda has got us exactly where it wants us, absolutely besotted.

And yet, it’s only since 1869, when the explorer/ naturalist Pierre Armand David sent the first skins to Europe that most of the world knew that such an animal existed. Apparently, even large areas of China knew little of the mammal because it was rarely depicted on Chinese art, and unless living in the mountains where it occurs, was never seen by the majority of China’s population. For scientists too it caused quite a stir, as they couldn’t quite work out how to classify it and which branch of the tree of life it should fit into. Most scientists now agree that it is a bear, if an odd one in that it is a carnivore which eats vegetation, but it appears also, in some of its characteristics, closely linked to racoons.

Whatever its origins there is little doubt that the Giant Panda has been heading down an evolutionary dead end for thousands of years. It is now incredibly limited in what it can eat and how much time it needs to eat ie. 12 hours in a day, in order to survive. The failure of the bamboo crop is a disaster for it, and in the 1970’s, when large areas of bamboo died, many pandas starved to death. The female also suffers from only being receptive to breeding for about 72 hours in a year with a window of 12 hours for successful impregnation. If she doesn’t find in that time a mate that she actually wants to mate with, another year has been wasted. Consequently, it was hardly surprising that after the 1970’s bamboo failure, there were thought to be less than a thousand Giant Panda in existence.

My own introduction into the world of Giant Pandas began when my parents took me to London zoo in 1959 to see the legendary Chi Chi. She had been acquired in September 1958 after the United States refused her entry. Initially she was to be kept for three weeks, but Regents Park then bought her for £12000 and made a fortune out of exhibiting her. I remember seeing her sitting on a bank behind a moat with her personal keeper feeding her copious amounts of bamboo. She didn’t do anything other than eat, and although undeniably cuddly looking, I did wish she would at least get up and walk about, but such seems to be the way of pandas. She was to remain at the zoo until her death in 1972. Attempted matings with An An of Moscow zoo failed and she is now to be viewed as a stuffed specimen at the Natural History Museum in London; a sad end to a lonely creature. However, on a happier note, she also lives on as the symbol for WWF, for she was the inspiration for Sir Peter Scott’s original version of their emblem, although that has since been modified

My next encounter with pandas came in the 1970’s, again at London zoo, this time courtesy of Mr. Edward Heath and his diplomatic overtures to the Chinese government. At that time China was heavily into sealing alliances by sending pandas as presents and, whilst on a visit to China as P.M. Edward Heath asked for, and received, a gift of two pandas for London zoo. These two were named Chia Chia and Ching Ching and they arrived in 1974. I remember seeing them in their purpose built, glass fronted and brick internal area soon after. They had an adjacent external exercise area, grassed and planted with bamboo. Whilst I watched Ching Ching consuming bamboo in the normal laid back position, Chia Chia was actually moving around, a first in my viewing of pandas. Unfortunately, Ching Ching was to prove sickly and she eventually died in 1985. Chia Chia had a better life and he moved to Mexico in 1988 where he sired three cubs.

My encounters with pandas then ceased until 2008, when my wife and myself decided on a once in a lifetime trip to China. The trip was amazing, and as well as visiting many of the sights such as The Great Wall, included a day trip to a panda reserve outside Chengdu. For me this was a highlight. We journeyed away from the sprawling city of 24 million, and up a winding mountainous road to the breeding centre. Passing stands of bamboo we arrived at the centre by mid morning, along with many Chinese tourists. The centre was catering for extra pandas that had been removed the previous year from the famous Woolong centre which had been largely destroyed by an earthquake. We soon saw our first adult panda, reclining in a paddock. Needless to say it was eating long stems of bamboo and wasn’t going to move for some time. We walked on past other bamboo planted enclosures containing adults of a fixed age. Consequently one, two, three and four year olds were in separate enclosures, and were to be seen lying or sitting on wooden platforms, sleeping or eating.

Eventually we reached the crèche where all the young pandas below the age of 8 months were exhibited. This huge area contained climbing apparatus, trees, a pond, grass and the obligatory stands of bamboo. Apart from being incredibly cute, these young pandas were energetic. Forward rolls, chasing pairs, sliding down and falling out of trees, sitting in the pond, gymnastics on the back of a sibling; movement was everywhere. Photographing them made up for the lethargy of all of the adults and it was actually hard to keep up with them, such was their variety of movement. As the time progressed, the humidity soared and with sweat pouring down my face, it was really hard to see clearly through the viewfinder. With their eyes being dark against the black eye patches I was also finding it a problem to get photos in which the eyes could be clearly distinguished from their background. The fact that all the Chinese tourists also wanted to photograph the pandas, but with themselves in the foreground, also added to the difficulty of getting decent shots. Eventually, regrettably, we were asked by our guide to move on as some of our group wished to be photographed holding a baby panda for a £100, the fee going to the panda breeding programme. As this was going to take a bit of organising a couple of us eventually managed to obtain permission to return to the crèche area to take further photos. We were greeted by a transformation in the behaviour of the juveniles. Worn out by the rigorous activity we had witnessed, and possibly sulking because they hadn’t been picked for the photoshoot, they were crashed out on climbing apparatus, in the forks of trees and lying on their backs in the grass. All appeared to be sleeping peacefully, or maybe what I was witnessing was a joint practice for behaving like a grown up panda.

This was my last sight of living Giant Pandas. I think that the cubs are probably the most attractive and photogenic creatures I’ve ever seen. The fact that they made such an impression on me was my excuse for using my remaining yen to purchase a cuddly toy Giant Panda at Beijing airport. Carrying it onto the plane caused much mirth amongst the group members but, secretly, I think many of them rather envied me my purchase. Later, as we flew home I thought about the plight of the Giant Panda and I came to the conclusion that Chris Packham just might have got it wrong. Any creature that can create such a feel good factor and produce so many smiling faces amongst people of such different cultures is undoubtedly worth saving. The Giant Panda is a global megastar who needs our help but who, in return, is capable of earning vast sums of money as an attraction. Consequently, I believe it can earn its keep in return for the considerable amounts of money that will need to be spent to breed up its numbers. Then hopefully, these captive bred specimens can be successfully reintroduced back into the wild which is where they undoubtedly belong.

Panda Crazy by Jon Isaacs 2011.

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This one's my favorite Jon. (Vince)

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This latest article from Jon Isaacs is so good that I have to apologise to everyone. Jon sent me this article some weeks ago. I am really sorry because this is a brilliant article about Pandas which Jon clearly enjoys so much. I'm certain everyone that saw your cuddly Panda on the air plane was truly envious. Thanks so much Jon, articles like yours make my day.

Vince De Luca.

Jon's other articles for Wildlife Sketches are listed in the side bar of this blog.

Wildlife-Sketches.com

How Much is Left?

Wildlife Sketches — 2011-01-18T16:28:00Z

A graphical accounting of the limits to what one planet can provide

This Web-only article is a special rich-media presentation of the feature, "How Much Is Left?," which appears in the September 2010 issue of Scientific American. The presentation was created by Zemi media

There are several short videos with this. They're all really interesting.

How Much is Left?Powered by Ergo:Ux

Wildlife-Sketches.com

Why I Like Wildlife Art.

Wildlife Sketches — 2011-01-11T18:10:00Z

Why I like wildlife art

By Jon Isaacs

Recently, somebody asked me how I became interested in wildlife art. As I started to reply I soon realised that it’s something I’ve been interested in since the age of six and that, over the years, my interest has been sustained by a variety of events.

At six I was already interested in animals and I can remember going to the local library, no children’s section in those days, and getting hold of a book on my mum’s ticket containing blurred black and white photos of African wildlife, including a rhino. I thought this was marvellous, and when my aunt and uncle came to stay they bought me a book by John Skeaping on drawing wildlife. The book disappeared many years ago but I can still remember the layout of several pages, including a page devoted to the upward flight and glide of a pigeon. I remember looking at the pen and ink sequenced drawings in awe and wondering how a person could work out such detail from a moving creature.

'Back to Front'
Penguins

Limited Edition Giclee Print By David Dancey-Wood

Copyright Hawksbill Fine Art 2010

As I grew older, I still enjoyed looking at animals in art. In art lessons at primary school I usually included animals somewhere in the picture. It was often a horse or a deer, (Which tended to be essentially a horse with antlers!) I also enjoyed seeing work by the late Ralph Thompson. He produced pen and ink prints, mainly of leopard and other cats, which were beautifully crafted with washes of ochre, blue, green and yellow to contribute to the markings on the animal and background. Occasionally, I still see examples of his work and experience the same old feelings of pleasure at what he was able to produce.

Growing up, and spending most of my holidays in the English countryside, I became interested in British Wildlife. I collected water colour or acrylic paintings of mammals I had seen or was interested in, and they provided happy memories of holiday sightings as well as a reminder of what was still out there to be discovered. Most of these pictures were small in size and beautifully detailed. I’ve always tried to get across to artists since those days that I’d much rather have small, finely detailed pictures than large impressionistic ones, partly because they suit the small size of many modern rooms; also, they tend to be cheaper, therefore I can buy more of them!

As a Primary school teacher I was able to bring my love of wildlife art to the classroom. For several years my school allowed the top year of children to choose from a range of art and craft activities on a Friday afternoon. I ran a half term course on wildlife art which, to my great pleasure, was always over-subscribed. The children learnt how to hold a paintbrush, how to mix colours, how to work with different types of pencil and to experiment with pastels and charcoal. The subjects were always animals, from the flightless cormorant to an imaginary animal from the future adapted to a certain environment. I know that many of the children thoroughly enjoyed the sessions. There were no National Curriculum pressures on them or me, there was no expectation to produce a masterpiece, (Although many of their results surprised themselves and me with the quality they achieved) and, most importantly, they could take their results home. They also learnt about the creatures they worked on, their environment and what humans were doing to the planet. The children also saw the work of professional artists which I occasionally took in for them to look at. Hopefully, some of my enthusiasm for the world of wildlife and its art will have rubbed off on them and eventually, their own children.

'Winner Takes All'

Wrestling Mongoose

Limited Edition Giclee Print By David Dancey-Wood

Having finally got to Africa in my forties, a whole new world of wildlife art opened up to me. To be able to see the big cats and all the other African wildlife in the flesh has been amazing. I discovered Gary Hodges pencil prints, often of African mammals, and started to avidly collect them. A time of awaiting the next limited edition prints had arrived. It was exciting. I met lots of other collectors of his work and we queued, exchanged memories of Africa and previous prints we’d obtained, eyed up each others purchases, and discussed the merits of the latest prints.

As I continued to visit Africa, so my collection of photos of animals grew, first in print and eventually digital. I met a young artist who wanted reference material on African animals for her own art and so I gave her photos of my latest trip. My interest in wildlife art had taken another direction. It is always a pleasure to help talented artists to produce sublime work and I get a real thrill out of seeing finished art which has evolved partly from reference material that I have supplied. It certainly beats just having the shots languishing on the computer. At the present time I have supplied reference material to wildlife artists working in pencil, water colour, acrylic and pastel. Each regularly produces stunning work and, as they all work in different medium and styles, I don’t feel there is a conflict of interest. Two of them have even completed commissions for me. I then get the best of both worlds in that I have a piece of art of a favourite animal that I have seen, and it is produced by one of my favourite artists.

'Pangolin'

Limited Edition Giclee Print By David Dancey-Wood

Having discovered David Dancey-Wood’s work, another strand of my interest in wildlife art has emerged. David is one of the most knowledgeable wildlife artists that I know. He really knows the background to a species he draws, its anatomical structure, its behaviour, its status in the wild and how it fits into the ecosystem. I also find such facts fascinating. I have enjoyed our chats relating to various species and also the opportunity to write on his website. David is highly enthusiastic to capture on paper the behaviour and exact detail of creatures that nobody else in wildlife art currently seems to consider worth depicting. To me, our world is rapidly becoming a fragile place, with the animals that inhabit it struggling to survive. I think it is increasingly important that the rare species which could soon become extinct are recorded for future generations, not only in digital print and film, but also through the eyes of top artists like David, who can often convey more of the animals’ character and behaviour than even the best of professional photographers are able to achieve. Whilst tigers and pandas deserve to be depicted, and frequently are, so to do less popular creatures ranging from aardvark to zebra.

'Old Curly'

Limited Edition Print By David Dancey-Wood

I know that I have been extremely fortunate to be able to see and buy the selection of wildlife art that I possess. The lifetime passion has sustained me through good times and bad, and many of my pictures have their own story as to how and where they were acquired. Hopefully, after half a century of being involved with wildlife and art, there are still a few more twists and turns in the road to be travelled of being a wildlife art collector.

Jon Isaacs.

'Mayan Monarch'

Young Jaguar

Limited Edition Giclee Print by David Dancey-Wood

To see more of David Dancey-Woods Prints

please click the banner below.

Wildlife-Sketches.com

A Snow Bear.

Wildlife Sketches — 2010-12-02T10:11:00Z

I found this photo on a twitter link

It's so good I had to post it here for everyone.

A Snow Bear.

This is brilliant!

I know everyone will appreciate this image, given the weather we're having at the moment

But, it reminds me of one of David's drawing too:

"Arctic Dreams" Sleeping Polar Bear by David Dancey-Wood 2008

Limited Edition of 295 prints, signed and numbered by David Dancey-Wood

Print Size:
21.5 x 11 inches or 55 x 28 cm

Available from www.wildlife-sketches.com for £66.00 + Postage

Wildlife-Sketches.com

Wildlife Sketches

Looking forward to 2012

A year in the life of a wildlife art fan

There's still time to get your print for Christmas!!!!

There's still time to get your print for Christmas!!!! UK Orders placed before Thursday 22nd December will be posted in time for Christmas as all our post is sent Royal Mail Special Delivery and will arrive within 48hrs of posting.

December Shipping

EXHIBITION

Wildlife Sketches is on Facebook

The Kiss of the Wolf!

The Perfect Birthday Present!

Elephants display intellingence

Amur Leopard reviewed

An audience with the King

Emergency appeal for victims of the drought in Kenya, Somalia, Ethiopia

East Africa's Worst Drought in 60 years!Please Help!The Disasters and Emergencies CommissionDonate online now - Text ‘APPEAL’ to 70000 to donate £5

DEC East Africa Appeal | dec.org.uk

Wildlife Sketches back on track!

In search of the king

Apologies

A Life Time of Waiting

Panda Crazy, by Jon Isaacs

How Much is Left?

Why I Like Wildlife Art.

A Snow Bear.

There's still time to get your print for Christmas!!!!

UK Orders placed before Thursday 22nd December will be posted in time for Christmas as all our post is sent Royal Mail Special Delivery and will arrive within 48hrs of posting.

East Africa's Worst Drought in 60 years!

Please Help!

The Disasters and Emergencies Commission

Donate online now - Text ‘APPEAL’ to 70000 to donate £5