By Sara Ballenger

The call of the wild could be heard in Los Altos Hills last Saturday, thanks to the Wildlife Conservation Network.

Some of the world’s leading wildlife conservationists were on hand for WCN’s public debut with its Wildlife Expo at Foothill College. Actress and conservation advocate Isabella Rossellini also made an appearance at the inaugural event.

The expo featured public presentations and discussions with conservationists and opportunities to view live cheetahs and snow leopards, courtesy of Barbara and Rob Dicely of Leopards Etc.

The conservation network was formed earlier this year by Los Altos Hills residents Charles Knowles and Akiko Yamazaki.

Knowles and Yamazaki wanted to create an organization that focuses on funding and supporting independent conservationists who are working to save endangered habitats and wildlife.

“We are looking to bring people together with the same goals and supporting them,” said John Lukas, president of the International Rhino Foundation and director of the Florida-based White Oak Conservation Center, who joined Knowles and Yamazaki in starting WCN. WCN is a non-profit organization, currently staffed by volunteers.

WCN hopes to act as a venture captialist firm, where one hundred percent of donor-designated contributions will go directly towards the conservationists and their projects, Knowles said.

“Conservationists are not money people,” said Oria Douglas-Hamilton, who works with her husband Iain to save elephants in several countries throughout Africa. “If this world and the conservation world can meet somehow with the vision to bring everyone together and Charlie get the sort of support he deserves, we can form a trust of people willing to give something back.”

The idea of giving something back, in whatever way possible seems to be a common thread for those involved with WCN.

Rossellini who has had a lifelong love of animals, found the best way to give back is through donations.

“I made more money than I ever needed,” Rossellini said. “I got the idea to give away money to conservation. That’s how I can contribute most effectively. I give the same steady amount year after year.” Rossellini added that steady funding is one thing most conservationists need, and its something WCN is striving to provide.

Building a sense of community centered around conservation is something WCN is striving for.

We have three goals,” Knowles said. “First to support conservationists out in the field working with a single species; to work with communites and become integrated with communites; and efficency, one hundred percent of donor designated funds go to the organizations.”

The organizations and conservationists that participated at the expo and are a part of WCN are as follows:

Iain Douglas-Hamilton, founder of Save the Elephants, who has been a leader in the fight to save elephants; Rodney Jackson, founder of the Snow Leopard Conservancy who works to provide solutions to conflicts between people and snow leopards; Lukas, who also founded the Okapi Conservation Project in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; Jim Sanderson, director of the Small Cat Conservation Project who is working to save endangered species of small cats around the world; Laurie Marker, director of the Cheetah Conservation Fund is working to halt the Cheetah’s decline in Namimbia, Africa; Tom Foose, director of the International Rhino Foundation who is working to protect rhinos from the illegal rhino horn trade; Claudio Sillero-Zubiri, founder and director of the Ethiopian Wolf Conservation Project, to protect one of the most endangered species of dong and the world; and Mitchell Kelly, award-winning cinematographer of “Wild Asia: At the Edge.”

Perhaps Cheetah conservationist Laurie Marker summed it up best by saying, “I think wildlife and humans can live together in peace.” WCN thinks so too.

For more information about WCN, logonto: www.WildNet.org.