Stefanie Powers’ professional career in films, television and theater began at age 15, but her love and protection of animals goes back to her first recollection and earliest memory.  Her mother provided her with a stepfather who raised thoroughbred racehorses and who collected the odd exotic animal to dot around the stud farm or to rescue from an undesirable fate.  Thus, she grew up surrounded by animals of all descriptions.

Later Stefanie found a baby Malaysian Sunbear for sale in a pet shop in West Los Angeles and, convinced that he would fall into the wrong hands, she "rescued" him, thus opening the doors to the world of wildlife, veterinarians, collectors, protectors and conservationists.  But it was through her relationship with William Holden, whose many years in Kenya had caused him to pursue conservation activities—long before the notion of wildlife endangerment had reached the popular culture—that her interest grew.  Through his work as co-creator of the Mount Kenya Game Ranch several East African species have managed to escape extinction by captive breeding and by export to zoos and zoological parks in Europe and North America. After his death, Stefanie, along with Holden’s former partners, created the William Holden Wildlife Foundation (a U.S.-based public charity) in an effort to carry on with his desire to back up species conservation with an education program appropriate to the local population of Kenya and bordering countries.  Today, the Foundation’s Education Center serves as many as 10,000 students per year. In addition, the rural outreach effort involves over 2000 students and their families in on-going programs by providing libraries and field installations.

Ms. Powers is involved in the repatriation of the once-endangered bongo to its native habitat near Mount Kenya (it is the symbol of the William Holden Wildlife Foundation), is a Fellow of the Los Angeles Zoo, is on the advisory board of the Zoo Atlanta and the Columbus Zoo. She has received many awards for her work with WHWF as well as her work and strong supportive relationship with Dr Biruté Galdikas (The Orangutan Foundation), Dr. Betsy Dresser (Center for the Reproduction of Endangered Wildlife - Audubon Zoo, New Orleans), Karen Sussman (a project reuniting the American wild horse with the Lakota Sioux Nation on Indian lands) and Grace Belcnore (California Equine Retirement Foundation for rehabilitation of retired racehorses). Ms. Powers is a frequent keynote speaker for causes dear to her heart such as Farm Sanctuary (humane treatment for farmed animals), and the Bushmeat Crisis (alerting and uniting people to the effects of over-exploitation of forests in Africa and the world and its disastrous effect on wildlife).  She has been honored by venerable Explorers Club with its Lowell Thomas Award for her conservation efforts.

In addition, a ground-breaking opportunity arrived with Jaguar Motor Company of North America in 2003 when Ms. Powers was appointed Conservation Consultant and wrote the by-laws for the Jaguar Conservation Trust, a full spectrum conservation program for the Jaguar cat.  This marks the first time in motor industry history that an automobile company has dedicated itself to the preservation of the very species from which it derives its name.  The Trust awards annual grants to organizations that preserve, protect and propagate the jaguar, and Ms. Powers, working with judges in each country, selects the winners.  She is also involved in Jaguar’s parent Ford Motor Company’s efforts to save the wild mustang and is on the advisory board of the newly-formed Vanishing Herds Foundation in India, whose primary effort is the protection and preservation of the Gujarat Asiatic lion population dangerously in peril of extinction.

It is safe and accurate to say that Stefanie Powers leads a double life, one in front of the camera or on a stage and one in absolute dedication to the preservation of animals and the natural world.