A Legacy of Action for Animals
It all begins with an idea.
1945 | Foundation Established
Otto Abraham established the Abraham Foundation as a private family foundation, originally supporting academic and cultural institutions of the time.
1993 | A New Direction
Under the leadership of Otto’s granddaughter, Nancy Abraham, a lifelong advocate for animal welfare, the Foundation began focusing on wildlife protection and land conservation.
Nancy Abraham in Tanzania
1995 | Celebrating Unsung Heroes
Nancy launches the Abraham Conservation Awards in Nepal to honor individuals making extraordinary, often unrecognized contributions to conservation. The awards later expanded to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, celebrating park wardens, activists, local leaders, and journalists whose work often goes unseen.
Nancy Abraham (center) at the Abraham Conservation Awards in Democratic Republic of Congo
1998 | Support for Asian Elephants
Nancy Abraham recognizes Lek Chailert as a pioneering hero for Southeast Asia’s captive elephant population and becomes one of Elephant Nature Park’s earliest and most steadfast supporters. She played a pivotal role in helping Lek bring the original vision of a sanctuary-based rescue center to life. Nancy’s support provided crucial stability during the park’s formative years, establishing a strong foundation for its long-term success.
Lek Chailert with a rescued elephant
2000s | A Sanctuary For Hope
Nancy becomes a key supporter of Lola ya Bonobo Sanctuary—the world’s only facility dedicated to the lifetime care of bonobos orphaned by the illegal wildlife trade. For decades, her commitment played a crucial role in advancing the sanctuary’s mission to rescue, rehabilitate, and protect these endangered great apes, found only in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Nancy’s support not only helped provide lifelong care for rescued individuals but also contributed to broader conservation efforts aimed at preserving one of humanity’s closest relatives.
2002 | From Confiscation to Canopy: The Journey Home
Amid an escalating deforestation crisis in Central Kalimantan, support for Orangutan Foundation International’s (OFI) orphan care program became more critical than ever. Thanks to Nancy’s steadfast commitment, every rescued orangutan orphan received the urgent, individualized care they needed to survive—and ultimately thrive. As the number of orphans doubled from 60 to more than 120 individuals in just a few years, her support made it possible to continue rescuing orangutans from untenable conditions, including those confiscated from the illegal pet trade or found clinging to life in decimated forest patches after their mothers were killed.
Nancy’s dedication ensured that these vulnerable young orangutans did not just survive but were given the chance to return to the wild. Her support fueled the entire process of rescue, rehabilitation, and rewilding—from expert veterinary treatment and daily forest school training to long-term behavioral care and eventual release back into protected forest. Without Nancy, many of these orphans would have languished, unable to reclaim their rightful place in the wild.
Orangutan in Borneo
2003 | Protecting Tigers and Livelihoods in Bhutan
When Nancy Abraham first traveled to Bhutan, over 70% of the population lived in rural areas and depended on subsistence farming. Livestock was central to their survival, and the loss of even a single animal posed a serious economic threat.
At the same time, Bhutan was home to declining populations of tigers and snow leopards—species the government was eager to protect, both for their ecological value and their potential to attract international ecotourism. But these predators often preyed on livestock, placing them in direct conflict with local farmers who, in turn, resorted to killing the animals to protect their herds.
Nancy Abraham with the Prime Minister of Bhutan
To help resolve this crisis, Nancy launched and personally funded the Bhutan Conservation Livestock Fund, a program that reimbursed farmers for livestock lost to tiger and snow leopard attacks. The initiative successfully reduced retaliatory killings and allowed both wildlife and rural livelihoods to coexist.
Years later, the Bhutanese government adopted and assumed full responsibility for the compensation system ensuring its long-term sustainability. Nancy was later honored by the Government of Nepal for this groundbreaking approach to human-wildlife conflict.
2006 | Laying the Groundwork for Lomami National Park (DRC)
The Foundation began supporting the TL2 Project of the Lukuru Wildlife Research Foundation, helping to establish Lomami National Park, the first new national park in the DRC in over 50 years. Nancy’s leadership helps secure vital co-funding from the Arcus Foundation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The Foundation supports the park until 2022, when management transitions to the Frankfurt Zoological Society.
2007 | Wild Horse Rescue Center Florida (WHRC)
Seed funding from the Foundation enabled the Wild Horse Rescue Center (WHRC) to purchase its first property. In 2012, the Foundation helped launch WHRC’s international volunteer program, and in 2014, it funded the purchase of a larger site, allowing the organization to expand its rescue efforts.
Today, WHRC is fully self-sustained and serves as a sanctuary for 49 horses, two burros, 18 dogs, two cows, two pigs, one goat, five ducks, two guinea pigs, and nearly three dozen chickens.
2010s | Defending Borneo’s Rainforests
The Foundation has played a critical role in protecting over one million acres of rainforest and helping to defeat a proposed highway through Sabah that would have destroyed essential wildlife corridors—a victory Sir David Attenborough called “a gift to the Earth.” It also supported the designation of the Lower Kinabatangan Floodplain as a globally significant biodiversity area and helped establish Sabah’s first Sun Bear Sanctuary.
Nancy Abraham with the Prime Minister of Malaysia
2010s | Restoring Water, Reviving Wildlife in Hwange National Park (Zimbabwe)
Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe’s largest and oldest game reserve, was originally established in 1928 without permanent water sources, making it challenging for wildlife to thrive. To address this, over 60 man-made waterholes were created, many relying on boreholes powered by diesel engines. Over time, lack of maintenance led to the failure of these boreholes, resulting in severe water shortages during dry seasons and significant wildlife mortality.
Recognizing the urgent need for sustainable water solutions, the Abraham Foundation funded the repair and rejuvenation of these critical boreholes. This initiative not only restored essential water sources for the park's diverse wildlife—including elephants, lions, and over 100 other mammal species—but also helped stabilize the ecosystem and support the local tourism industry.
Today, Hwange National Park stands as one of Zimbabwe's premier wildlife destinations, attracting visitors from around the world and serving as a testament to the impact of targeted conservation efforts
Nancy Abraham in Africa
2013 | Wildlife Action Group (WAG), Malawi
The Foundation welcomes WAG into its network, supporting anti-poaching patrols and wildlife protection in two key reserves.
Nancy Abraham’s hands-on involvement and close collaboration have contributed to increased elephant populations, expanded ranger forces, and dramatic reductions in poaching.
2015 | Partnership for Elephants in Sri Lanka (CCR)
The Abraham Foundation forms a critical partnership with the Centre for Conservation Research (CCR), an organization dedicated to the conservation of Asian elephants and their habitats in Sri Lanka. This collaboration focuses on addressing the growing threats to the wild elephant population in Sri Lanka, particularly from human-wildlife conflict, poaching, and habitat fragmentation.
2018 | Going Public, Going Global
The Abraham Foundation becomes a U.S.-based 501(c)(3) public nonprofit, expanding its global impact and reach.
2018 | Launch of Trunks Up
In partnership with renowned elephant conservationist and longtime ally Lek Chailert, the Foundation launched Trunks Up to protect Asian elephants across Southeast Asia. Since its inception, Trunks Up has supported Elephant Nature Park and the care of over 5,000 rescued animals, provided emergency food relief to more than 2,000 captive elephants during the COVID-19 crisis, and launched a foster program that now supports over 100 elephants in Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia. In 2024, the initiative began construction on a state-of-the-art clinic for elephants and small animals, further strengthening its commitment to long-term care and protection.
2023 | Wildlife Madagascar Joins the Mission
The Foundation partners with Wildlife Madagascar, dedicated to conserving the island’s unique and imperiled biodiversity. Through this partnership, the Foundation supports initiatives that protect the island’s last remaining forests, restore degraded habitats, and safeguard critically endangered wildlife—especially lemurs, bats, chameleons, and rare birds.
By investing in local leadership and long-term ecological stewardship, this collaboration reflects the Foundation’s commitment to place-based conservation rooted in trust, science, and deep respect for local people and culture.
2024 | Parrot Protection Project (DRC)
IIn collaboration with the Lukuru Wildlife Research Foundation, the Foundation helps launch the Project to Protect Parrots, focused on the rescue and protection of African grey parrots and the disruption of the illegal wildlife trade.
This effort deepens the Foundation’s long-standing commitment to high-impact, underfunded grassroots conservation in the Congo Basin.
THE FACT CHECK: <br/>AF STATS
It all begins with an idea.
Countries Operated:
Thailand
Laos
Cambodia
Sri Lanka
Congo
Malawi
Madagascar
Vietnam
China
USA
Kenya
Antarctica
South Africa
Mexico
Species Protected:
The Abraham Foundation, through its diverse initiatives, supports the protection of over 550 species globally.
This includes a wide range of mammals, primate, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and plant species, many of which are critically endangered or endemic to their respective regions.
Acres Preserved:
1. Lomami National Park, DRC – The Abraham Foundation helped establish this park, which covers approximately 8,000 square kilometers (or about 1.98 million acres).
2. Borneo’s Rainforests – The Foundation has played a critical role in protecting over 1 million acres of rainforest in Borneo, particularly in Sabah, helping to preserve essential wildlife corridors and areas for endangered species like orangutans and pygmy elephants.
3. Thuma Forest Reserve, Malawi – With support from the Abraham Foundation, the Wildlife Action Group has been involved in the protection and restoration of over 700,000 acres of forest, with deforestation in the area almost entirely stopped and significant regeneration of native forest.
4. Wildlife Madagascar – While exact numbers vary with specific initiatives, the foundation supports the protection of 150,000 acres in Madagascar, particularly focusing on the last remaining forests, lemur habitats, and other endangered wildlife ecosystems.
5. Other Projects (such as the Parrot Protection Project in DRC and other smaller initiatives) – Although the exact area protected is difficult to pin down for some of these newer initiatives, these efforts are likely to safeguard tens of thousands of acres of land across various conservation sites.
Estimated Total:
Based on these figures, the Abraham Foundation could be estimated to have contributed to the protection of over 3 million acres of land globally, depending on the inclusion of ongoing or less-documented projects.