The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is an international non-governmental organization working on issues regarding the conservation, research and restoration of the environment, formerly named the World Wildlife Fund, which remains its official name in Canada and the United States. It is the world's largest independent conservation organization with over 5 million supporters worldwide, working in more than 100 countries, supporting around 1,300 conservation and environmental projects. WWF is a foundation, in 2010 deriving 57% of funding from individuals and bequests, 17% from government source (such as the World Bank, DFID, USAID) and 11% from corporations.
The inspiration came from Chi-Chi: a giant panda that had arrived at the London Zoo in the year 1961, when WWF was being created.
Aware of the need for a strong, recognisable symbol that would overcome all language barriers, WWF's founders agreed that the big, furry animal with her appealing, black-patched eyes would make an excellent logo.
The first sketches were done by the British environmentalist and artist, Gerald Watterson.
The WWF logo changes
Based on these, Sir Peter Scott, one of those founders, drew the first logo, and said at the time... "We wanted an animal that is beautiful, is endangered, and one loved by many people in the world for its appealing qualities. We also wanted an animal that had an impact in black and white to save money on printing costs."
The black-and-white panda has since come to stand as a symbol for the conservation movement as a whole.
