Worldwide Conservation Efforts Awarded More than $1.5 Million

from Disney Wildlife Conservation Fund

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla., August, 2007 – From purchasing land for conservation in Guatemala to protecting dolphins in Florida, and studying the interaction between elephants and bees worldwide conservation efforts recently received a $1.5 million boost from the Disney Wildlife Conservation Fund (DWCF), bringing the total amount of awards from the fund to more than $11 million.

The DWCF funds – which are awarded to non-profit environmental groups and universities – will go toward 97 programs in 41 countries that are focused on saving animals and habitats. Recipients were chosen from more than 260 applications reviewed by Disney scientists, veterinarians and other animal experts. Among the projects receiving support are:

• Purchasing 4,000 acres of land in an integrated conservation/community in Guatemala to create a community-managed buffer zone and establish a protected wildlife reserve for research, ecotourism and subsistence organic farming.
• Studying the serious problems that fishing gear poses to bottlenose dolphins in Sarasota Bay to help save the dolphins from death or disfigurement.
• Studying the interaction between elephants and bees in Kenya and the use of the bees as an elephant deterrent for crops and trees. Studies will determine how elephant respond to bees and how they change their movement patterns to avoid bees, thus saving crops in threatened villages