This article was originally published for www.droppingknowledge.org

A 12 hours bus ride north-east of La Paz, Bolivia, on the banks of the Espíritu Santo River, where the Amazonian rainforest begins, lies Inti Wara Yasi, Bolivia’s largest animal sanctuary. Inti Wara Yasi, which means Sun, Star, Moon in Quechua, Aymara, and Guarani, the three indigenous Bolivian languages, was founded in 1992 by Juan Carlos Antezana, and was originally a place where poor and orphaned children from the city would come learn skills that allow them to earn a little money and eventually escape the slums. But more importantly, Juan Carlos provided his ‘children’ with a home, with a sense of belonging, and with hope.

Over the years, as nature started to play a stronger role in his youth program, Juan Carlos began to see the wonderful possibilities in bringing troubled kids and animals together. In 1996, Inti Wara Yasi became a sanctuary for injured, abandoned or abused animals – and a place where children play important roles in the rehabilitation and return of these animals into the wild. During these rehabilitations, strong relationships often develop between the kids and the animals based on trust, respect and empathy.

Alarmed by the increasing illegal trade of animals in Bolivia and by what he sees as the inability of his government to stop deforestation, slash-and-burn agriculture and loss of habitat for various animal species, Juan Carlos has turned Inti Wara Yasi into a leading youth organization that promotes environmental and animal awareness across Bolivia. Today, the sanctuary holds more than 1000 animals, ranging from Capuchin Monkeys and Parrots to Pumas and Ocelots.

Named one of Jane Goodall’s heroes (http://animal.discovery.com/fansites/janegoodall/heroes/heroes.html) and an Ashoka Fellow (www.ashoka.org), Juan Carlos and his team now regularly visit the slums and markets of La Paz and of other cities across Bolivia, hoping to lure youngsters away from a life of poverty and drugs, and rescuing animals that are abandoned and illegally sold. His environmental ‘brigades’ of Bolivian youths and volunteers from all over the globe, frequently organize marches and demonstrations across Bolivia and in neighboring countries. Juan Carlos hopes that one day he will be able to reach out to 70% of Bolivian youth, and that through their efforts, cruelty towards animals and the environment in Bolivia will stop.

www.intiwarayassi.org

Some Stats:

The Bolivian Amazon Rainforest is known for its vast biodiversity with over 2000 species of plants, more than 80 species of mammals and around 650 types of birds.
In Bolivia, 140,000 hectares of forest are destroyed each year by timber companies and by slash-and-burn agriculture
The global wildlife market is worth over $20 billion annually.
Baby capuchin monkeys—crying and weak– tied to logs waiting to be transported out of northern Bolivia. In Bolivia, Baby capuchin monkeys sell for about $3.50 each. In the United States, they are sold as pets for $3,000.
Around 70% of Bolivian children live in poverty.
About 2,000 fifteen-to twenty-year-olds from five of Bolivia’s nine regions have joined the Juan Carlos’ movement.

Sources: Ashoka, No Compromise, Inti Wara Yasi, Quest Overseas, Havoscope, UNICEF, Animal Planet