Chipembere Rhino Foundation (CRF) recently received an amazing donation of £1,300 (R25,195.30). The funds were raised by renowned artist, marine conservationist and environmental educator, Michael Carnegie.

During a charity night held at the Doghouse, St Merryn, the funds were raised through a raffle of his painting “Porthcothan 17:50”; the sale of prints; as well as donations; with the help from fellow RNLI lifeguards, Patagonia Manchester and local pub employees, amongst others.

Michael Carnegie (second from left) on the RNLI Padstow lifeboat off the Cornish coast where he works as a lifeguard.

An accomplished painter, Michael is best known for his painting of famous rhino conservationist, Dr Ian Player, founder of the Wilderness Leadership School.

Painting by Michael Carnegie of Dr Ian Player to celebrate his 80th birthday.

Michael also developed a marine wilderness education programme linked to surfing and applied to register a charity in UK to work with international students to help conservation in South Africa.

Michael Carnegie doing a presentation at Gone.Outdoor Supply Co that houses the Patagonia brand in Cape Town.

He has delivered many talks about wildlife poaching in Africa and about rhino poaching in South Africa. Check out this awesome video of Michael talking about conservation issues in South Africa at the 2015 Global Wave Conference

Michael Carnegie – Conservation issues in South Africa from Surfers Against Sewage on Vimeo.

Following a visit to Amakhala Game Reserve and raising the first £1,300 donation, Michael plans to work with students to do further talks and fundraising, including a second painting raffle and charity night.

“We are delighted with the donation! Donors like Michael Carnegie are really important to the Foundation as we rely solely on donor support,” says Brent Cook of CRF. “The funds have been allocated to K9 team replenishments and rhino tracking collars to monitor the rhinos’ whereabouts and keep them safe.”

To find out more about the fundraising drive or Michael’s art and conservation work, check out his website www.michaelcarnegie.com.