Backstage in Hamburg: Donation Cheque Presented to the IOGF

Some evenings stay with you. This one did too.

At her sold-out concert at Hamburg's Barclays Arena, we presented Sarah Connor backstage with a donation cheque for the Iberian Orca Guardians Foundation - the foundation she launched together with Janek Andre to save the last Iberian orcas from extinction.

Why this project?

For us at caremare, it's clear: if you put "care for mare" on your banner, you have to show up where the protection of our oceans is needed most urgently. And few populations in Europe are as acutely endangered as the Iberian orcas in the Strait of Gibraltar.

Fewer than 35 animals of this unique killer whale population still live between the coasts of Spain, Portugal and Morocco today. They are Europe's only orcas - and they are fighting for survival on several fronts at once: illegal fishing, ghost nets, noise pollution from shipping traffic, and not least human aggression, triggered by encounters between orcas and sailing yachts that are frequently misread.

What the Iberian Orca Guardians Foundation does

Sarah Connor and Janek Andre founded the foundation in November 2024 with a clear mission: Educate. Protect. Act. The foundation's work rests on three pillars:

• Patrols in the key regions of Barbate, Tarifa and Tangier, to actively observe and protect the animals
• Education and media work, to replace the distorted image of the "attacking orca" with facts and scientific findings
• Conflict resolution between humans and animals, in particular supporting sailors in orca territories

The foundation is now a network partner of the German Society for the UN Ocean Decade and works closely with marine biologists, conservation organisations such as the Captain Paul Watson Foundation, and local communities.

A donation meant to make a difference

"Why do I want to protect them? Because their grace, strength and beauty move me deeply, because they show us how we could live in harmony and as part of a greater whole, because we exploit their habitat and they have no voice."
- Sarah Connor

It is precisely this conviction that underpins our partnership with the Iberian Orca Guardians Foundation. With every caremare product, a share of the proceeds goes toward protecting our oceans - and with it, into projects like this one. The presentation in Hamburg was, for us, far more than a symbolic gesture: it is a promise that the biodiversity of our oceans is a tangible part of everything we do.

What happens next?

In the coming months, Sarah, Janek and their team will channel the funds directly into on-the-ground protection work - whether patrol missions, educational materials, or the recovery of ghost nets. We will report back here on how and where the donation is being put to concrete use. Because for us, transparency is just as much a part of genuine commitment as the donation itself.

And there's more to come: this partnership has since grown into our donation campaign care4orcas - with every purchase made using the code CARE4ORCAS, you directly support the last Iberian orcas. Read more in the campaign post.

A heartfelt thank you to Sarah Connor here - not only for an unforgettable concert evening in Hamburg, but above all for her passionate commitment to the oceans and their inhabitants. We're proud to walk part of this path together with her.