CONTRIBUTION
Every year, millions of wild animals, from jaguars to snakes, birds, caimans and monkeys, are victims of illegal trafficking in South America, especially in the Amazon. With the aim of combatting this illegal wildlife trade and ensuing environmental destruction, Comunidad Inti Wara Yassi (CIWY) came into being in 1992. This private-sector Bolivian NGO works to end the black market in animals through educational programs, research projects, and public campaigns. It runs three wildlife sanctuaries in the Bolivian Amazon, where CIWY rehabilitates and cares for wild animals rescued from illegal trafficking, forest fires and other situations of danger. Further, within their bounds it protects 1,300 hectares of virgin rainforest from poaching, logging, mining and forest fires.
CIWY was one of the first organizations in the country to fight for animal rights and environmental protection, setting up Bolivia’s first wildlife sanctuary in 1996. Today, CIWY runs three sanctuaries, caring for more than 500 rescued animals of 39 different species. At the moment they are implementing a new program, called “Guardians of the Jungle”, getting children to engage with conservation work. By this means they can erode demand, since these children are less likely to become recipients of trafficked wildlife, to keep wild animals as pets, to covet parts of them (fangs, skins…) as trophies or to take part in their illegal hunting.
Over the past 30 years, the Community has released thousands of rehabilitated animals into the wild and provided lifelong sanctuary to the rest. And CIWY has gained extensive experience in the specialized care of rescued wildlife, especially primates and felines, now also advising other organizations and government agencies.