The association founded by Berit Legrand organized its first gala on Thursday, December 4, at the Yacht Club de Monaco, celebrating a decade of action in favor of marine protection.
A gala evening where the ocean reigned supreme
Upon arrival at the Yacht Club de Monaco, guests passed between sirens perched on tall stilts and navigated aisles filled with young men in blue LED costumes evoking the shape of shells. It was a symbolic threshold into a world where the ocean reigned supreme. Fin whales, sperm whales, and Risso’s dolphins. In a room where tables bore the names of cetaceans, The Animal Fund (TAF) celebrated its ten years of existence with a tremendous celebration!
Founded in 2015 by Berit Legrand, TAF has established itself as a discreet but tenacious voice in the landscape of marine protection. The association, registered in the Principality, has spent a decade conducting deep-rooted work ranging from classrooms to the beaches of the Côte d’Azur, and from anti-plastic campaigns to awareness actions regarding whale hunting in Norway and Iceland.
“I left everything behind”
The founder’s son, Angelo Legrand, an entrepreneur specializing in sustainable development and a member of the association’s board, opened the evening by quoting American oceanographer Sylvia Earle: “No water, no life. No blue, no green.” It is a formula that has become iconic for ocean defenders, resonating with particular urgency as marine biodiversity erodes.
I realized that if I wanted to change the world, I first had to change myself.
Berit Legrand
Seated in the immense hall of the Yacht Club, guests watched a silk aerial dance performance before Berit Legrand took the microphone and shared her journey from the world of finance to full-time activism. “I spent many years in finance, always on the move, chasing goals and figures,” she confided. “Later, I became a trainer and coach. But despite all that, something was missing.”
She found that “something” in the realisation of the fragility of marine ecosystems. “I left everything behind and chose to dedicate my life to the ocean and the whales that protect our very breath.”
Educating consciences
Since its inception, TAF has deployed many initiatives. Its most structural pillar remains intervention in schools across Monaco and the Nice region. Volunteers educate students on the ocean’s role, producing more than half of the Earth’s oxygen, and the importance of cetaceans in regulating ecosystems.
They have understood that protecting the ocean is not just a mission, it is an urgency.
Berit Legrand
Clare Mepstead, a volunteer who works alongside Berit, noted the optimism found in younger generations: “What makes us optimistic is seeing that the youngest generations are perfectly awake to environmental issues like selective sorting.”
A night dedicated to the seas and oceans
The evening proved the association’s ability to unite all generations. Among the guests were former British marathon runner Paula Radcliffe, a TAF ambassador, and swimmer Noam Yaron, who recently swam from Monaco to Calvi.
An auction followed, featuring a helmet signed by Charles Leclerc which sold for 7,500 euros, alongside other lots such as a trip to Iceland and handcrafted jewelry. Citing American coach Tony Robbins “It’s not what we know, but what we do” Berit Legrand concluded with a challenge: “If whales give us life, will you join us in protecting theirs?”
