Wildlife Jewels is a U.S.-registered 501(c)(3) public charity working locally and globally to advance wildlife conservation through education, outreach, and community programs. Based in Solana Beach and Corona Del Mar, California, the organization was founded by Azi Sharif and is driven, in her words, by “deep passion and unstoppable dedication to protecting wildlife from human-caused threats.”
The organization promotes public awareness to protect wildlife — amphibians, reptiles, fish, mammals, birds, and invertebrates — through a portfolio of programs that pair conservation with the arts and education. Recent work includes the ribbon-cutting of a new Solana Beach facility, an annual Newport Beach World Wildlife Day celebration, partnerships with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife on marine wildlife response (including the 2025 domoic-acid stranding response), the Egret Beach House program on coastal wildlife, and a Plant for Hummingbirds initiative featured in the Daily Pilot. Wildlife Jewels has received Congressional recognition and is a recent IUCN Member, joining the Union to bring its conservation, rescue, education, and arts programs into a global network dedicated to protecting nature.
The organization’s tagline — “Wildlife Are The Jewels” — frames the loss of amphibians, pollinators, and other overlooked species as a loss of irreplaceable natural heritage.
