BENSLEY BENSLEY
Collaboration

Suwanna Gauntlett | Wildlife Alliance

My real-life superhero is Wildlife Alliance founder Suwanna Gauntlett, who has dedicated her life to wildlife protection around the world. Founded in 1996, WA is an international non-profit organization that provides on-the-ground protection to endangered forests worldwide. When I first bought the Central-Park-size patch of Cardamom forest that Bensley Collection - Shinta Mani Wild sits on, my first concern was to find a sustainable way to police the forest. After years of searching, my heroine appeared as trailblazer Suwanna and her rangers...

They are an amazing, on the ground militia of armed soldiers that police the Cardamoms, enforcing Cambodia’s logging and wildlife protection laws 24/7.  They are the real deal, travelling in groups of four, armed to run loggers out of their makeshift camps, confiscate homemade guns and chainsaws, and rescue animals from snares. Shinta Mani Wild funds a dedicated Wildlife Alliance ranger station within the camp, and guests can join the rangers on motorbike for 2-6 hours of unforgettable patrolling.

Supporting their work on the front lines of conservation is essential, and all the more so since the pandemic, despite bans on wildlife meat consumption. The battle, and it is a battle, to keep the Cardamoms from becoming just another empty forest is never ending. Our goal is to have two more ranger stations and two more strong groups of ranger soldiers north of our Wild base camp, as these areas are under great threats of poaching and logging.

If you would like to support Wildlife Alliance, please take a look at:

For direct donations, head to: https://www.wildlifealliance.org/donate/