CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) — More than 40,000 families and wildlife enthusiasts gathered in Charleston for the annual Southeastern Wildlife Exposition for three days of education, entertainment, and awareness.
More than 40,000 families and wildlife enthusiasts gathered in Charleston for the annual Southeastern Wildlife Exposition for three days of education, entertainment, and awareness.(Live 5)
SEWE officials say they reached record sales for general admission tickets and had overall success throughout the weekend.
“The energy across the peninsula during this weekend is something that you can’t really find anywhere else,” SEWE Marketing and Sales Director Meagan Trotta said.
From families and friends to wildlife enthusiasts, people came together for an unforgettable experience connecting with our environment.
More than 40,000 families and wildlife enthusiasts gathered in Charleston for the annual Southeastern Wildlife Exposition for three days of education, entertainment, and awareness.(Live 5)
“South Carolina is known for doing conservation right and SEWE is a part of that. conservation as a team sport” cartographer Travis Folk said.
SEWE provides such a diverse range of opportunities From Dock Dogs competitions and Birds of Prey demonstrations to art and vendor markets.
“We paint the things that we love and the people that come here love the things we paint and sculpt and carve. So, it’s just a wonderful experience for us all to enjoy.” artist Henry Von Genk said.
More than 40,000 families and wildlife enthusiasts gathered in Charleston for the annual Southeastern Wildlife Exposition for three days of education, entertainment, and awareness.(Live 5)
Officials say they also heard great feedback from new demonstrations they implemented this year.
“We had some canine demonstrations with the police department in Marion Square and we also had the new Turtle Survival Alliance demonstrations there, which were great,” Trotta said.
Those experiences continued to live shows by Busch Wildlife Sanctuary, where you could truly engage with wildlife and see the importance of giving animals a second chance at life.
“See them, look at them like they’re old friends and they’re reuniting with them, and it’s like, ‘Oh we missed you,’ and they almost told them stories about the past two years. It’s just, wow. You know, that’s some impact that these people have created this bond with them.” Busch Wildlife Sanctuary CEO Amy Kight said.
More than 40,000 families and wildlife enthusiasts gathered in Charleston for the annual Southeastern Wildlife Exposition for three days of education, entertainment, and awareness.(Live 5)
These connections are what help promote awareness to protect wildlife for generations to come.
“Consider wildlife rehab a band-aid and education being something leading more to a cure,” Kight said. “If people can understand these animals and the way they behave in the natural wild, they’re going to understand how you can coexist peacefully with them.”
And while many who attend share the same passion, they are also able to walk away with something greater.
“It’s conservation as a team sport and any way you can talk about conservation, whether it’s land trust like the Lowcountry Land Trust or the Nature Conservancy, that they’re doing on the ground conservation, or somebody like SEWE, a group like SEWE, that’s really celebrating the emotion and power of conservation and hunting and being outdoors,“ Folk said.
“I see a lot of artists come in and I give them techniques and advice. I love, you know, sharing my ideas,” Genk said.
Even beyond fellowship, the impact of SEWE will go far beyond the Lowcountry.
“We are able to raise this money and kind of invigorate it back into these other nonprofit organizations that we work with,” Trotta said. “We have over 40 nonprofit organizations that exhibit and partner with sewe and so, we’re able to kind of be a rising tide for all these boats, they’re able to further their mission.”
There are also more events on the horizon.
“We’ll actually have our second annual SEWE at the Bluff, at Palmetto Bluff, which is kind of a smaller version of SEWE, but with some of our top exhibitors and brands and artists all coming together,” Trotta said.
SEWE at Palmetto Bluff is taking place March 19-21 in Bluffton.
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