Kids Saving the Rainforest was the project that was the catalyst for the Global Wildlife Rescue Project coming into being. It was September 2019 and I was staying at a hostel near Manuel Antonio National Park. It was to be my birthday the following day and I was looking for something to do. I had hoped to go kayaking through the mangroves in search of caiman – but the tides and weather conditions weren’t suitable. I had to rethink my plans.
I knew I wanted my day to involve wildlife and the staff at the hostel recommended a trip to a local wildlife rehabilitation centre located in the jungle outside the nearby town of Quepos. It felt like a busman’s holiday (I worked for an animal welfare organisation in the UK at the time) but it seemed to be the best option for the day – so off I went.
There are two parts to Kids Saving the Rainforest. The first is the rescue and rehabilitation centre, which is off limits to the public (and rightly so). The second is a sanctuary site where those animals who would struggle to live in the wild come to live out their days. These include monkeys and parrots rescued from the pet trade and a coati who was born blind. Here they are able to live a wild-like existence without having to fend for themselves. They play a key role now in helping educate people about these species and how to look after them.
What struck me as I walked around the sanctuary was how much was being done with far fewer resources than their counterparts in wildlife rescues in the UK and elsewhere. It sparked an idea which grew into being the Global Wildlife Rescue Project.
No matter where you go in the world – if you were to go into most local wildlife rescue centres, you would find that 99% of the cases they deal with are caused by human conflict with wildlife. With Kids Saving the Rainforest – it’s mostly as a result of trees having been cut down to make way for new roads or building projects. This fragmentation means that Monkeys and sloths, who rely on the tree canopy for safe travel are now either forced down onto the ground to cross an area and are involved in road traffic collisions, or they try crossing open spaces on uninsulated electrical cables and get electrocuted. A simple solution is that rope bridges have been put up in key areas to provide wildlife with safe crossing points funded by Kids Saving the Rainforest. You can help support this amazing initiative by donating today.
I have seen first hand the incredible work that this project does. If you feel inspired to support them too – please follow the link below to donate. It’s only with the generous support from people like you that these projects are able to continue doing the amazing work that they do. Thank you.
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The Global Wildlife Rescue Project is a registered charity in England & Wales. Registered charity number 1188557.
Global Wildlife Rescue Project 