Jingle Jam 2020 ‘Save a Species’ project update

Back in 2020, WDC was lucky enough to be a part of The Yogscast’s Jingle Jam – an annual charity live streaming event that takes place every December on the streaming platform Twitch. Through the support of this amazing event and the incredible donations of the Yogscast community, we were able to fund our project to save the Atlantic humpback dolphin from extinction.

There are thought to be only 1,500 mature individuals left on Earth. Only found along the west coast of Africa, they are critically endangered and in desperate need of our protection. We need to stop them becoming the first dolphin species to be hunted and eaten to extinction, and we are pleased to share an update on our project in Senegal to save them.

On 26-27 February 2022, our field team in Senegal used the vehicle funded by Jingle Jam for the first time when they conducted the first beach surveys of the year. They found the bodies of eight whale and dolphin species on the beaches.

None of them had signs of being entangled in fishing gear, but four did have signs of butchering, likely for human consumption.

Our next survey will take place in June.

Why are we doing this?

Collecting this information regularly means we’ll be able to understand what threats these dolphins are facing and what’s killing them – is it fishing gear entanglements, offshore gas exploration, hunting? The more we understand, the better we can protect them. You can read more about this project and what we are doing here.

How has Jingle Jam helped?

Thanks to the support from Jingle Jam 2020, we have been able to fund our teams, both here in the UK and in West Africa, to run these essential beach surveys, perform educational outreach to local communities and schools and engage with local authorities and fishing organisations to better protect the Atlantic humpback dolphins.

Jingle Jam 2020 funding also bought our much-needed 4×4 vehicle which allows the field team to travel more frequently and further, and in safety, to complete their work.

Once again we’d like to say a huge thank you to The Yogscast and all the Yognau(gh)ts who supported us during Jingle Jam 2020!