Festival of Wildlife Auction Success
As is tradition at our Wildlife Festivals, the final night auction is always a highlight. During our recent trip to the Falkland Islands and South Georgia, we're delighted to announce that an impressive £50,000 was raised in support of vital conservation initiatives in the region, with all the proceeds going directly to Falklands Conservation.
It was already an incredible trip before we’d even arrived at ‘Auction Evening’. It’s one of those evenings that I both crave and fear in equal measure. If, a couple of days before, there’s an enthusiastic buzz about the items we’re selling then it’ll be great, if it’s avoided in conversation then it’s going to be a more stressful evening!
Our Festival of Wildlife in 2025 was the most ambitious yet – we were travelling further, our Festival was more than twice as long as any we’d done previously, we had far more guests with us than we’d ever had before, a bigger Wildlife Worldwide team than we’d had previously and of course in every way, the risks were greater. We’d chartered the most beautiful expedition ship in the Southern Ocean – Magellan Explorer – and we were sailing first to the Falkland Islands and then on to South Georgia. The wildlife opportunities were simply exceptional …
… and didn’t it deliver! In South Georgia we breathed the same air as a million penguins, and we walked on the same sand as hundreds of elephant seals and Antarctic fur seals. In the vast expanse of ocean that connects South Georgia to the Falklands, we saw humpbacks, long-finned pilot whales and hourglass dolphins. All wonderful.
But then there was the Falkland Islands. This much under-rated archipelago in the Southern Ocean is a wildlife haven of extraordinary quality. Peale’s and Commerson dolphins inhabit the waters inshore, albatrosses and shags nest in spectacular numbers on the rocky cliffs and numerous penguins, seals, sea lions and other wildlife call it home too. And of course there’s a small, but loyal human population on the islands, most of whom are keen and dedicated conservationists. So, it was to Falklands Conservation that we decided we would donate the proceeds of our auction on the final night of the voyage.
The auctioneer duties were handled by the charismatic onboard historian Tennessee Blackmore, who really didn’t quite know what he was letting himself in for!
There were many ‘lots’ that consisted of Wildlife Worldwide ‘memorabilia’ and paintings by our resident artists Jonathan ‘JT’ Truss and Leigh Wolfaardt, and a beautiful sculpture by Nick Mackman. There were also books, wildlife prints, photography days with some of the photography leaders and even the ship’s flag. But the pièce de resistance was without doubt the ship’s chart donated by Magellan Explorer. It was made all the more special by the work done on it by the four exceptional artists onboard. JT did a pencil sketch of a king penguin, Leigh did a pen and ink humpback whale, Nick drew an elephant seal playing with a marker flag on the beach (that we had observed earlier in the trip) and Sergei from the expedition team sketched a fur seal. However much the ship’s chart was sold for, it was going to be a very special memento of the Festival of Wildlife.
Through jokes and humorous stories Tennessee encouraged the bids ever upwards and as they increased, Tennessee asked Photography Tour Leader Mark Carwardine if a conversation with Stephen Fry about a personal video message to the winning bidder might be possible. He was happy to oblige. The price crept up ever further, then Tennessee wondered if Mark might be able to ask Sir David Attenborough to sign it if a willing bidder was able to increase the amount even more. Mark agreed and the price soared once again.
It wasn’t the only item sold of course, there were contributions from almost everyone on the voyage – guests, staff and expedition team alike. This wasn’t a ‘young blood sprint’, this was an auction marathon; an auction that I’d be surprised if anyone would ever forget.
More drinks, music and dancing followed into the early hours – it was the last night of Festival of Wildlife 2025 after all!
When the final count was done, we raised a staggering £50,000 for Falklands Conservation.
It was an auction like no other, an auction of a lifetime.
Read the Falkland Conservation's update on which projects the donation will support. Alternatively, you can contact us if you're interested in joining us at any of our future Wildlife Festivals.
