A baby howler monkey receives care at ARCAS. Photo credit: ARCAS.

Time for Change!

April is here, meaning three new projects are now featured at our Quarters for Conservation voting station. For the next three months, your vote will support a project of your choice—lemur conservation in Madagascar, wildlife rehabilitation in Guatemala or sloth conservation in Panama!

The Projects

Wild lemurs are endemic to Madagascar—that means they aren’t found anywhere else in the world! One hundred and twelve species live in the forests of the island, but today fewer than 10% of these forests remain. Conservation Fusion is stepping up to address this crisis by promoting knowledge and understanding of how single actions can impact the environment on a local and global scale. The funds raised through Quarters for Conservation will focus on engaging children and teachers in educational programs at 12 primary schools in Kianjavato, Madagascar. These programs aim to foster an understanding of and appreciation for the local ecosystem as the community plants trees to restore critical lemur habitats.

ARCAS is a non-profit organization in Guatemala created for a very specific and urgent purpose—to care for and rehabilitate animals rescued from the illegal wildlife trade. Since its establishment, ARCAS has grown into one of the largest and most complex organizations of its kind in the world with a vision of improving the chances of survival and conservation of threatened species and their habitat. ARCAS will use funds from Quarters for Conservation to develop more wildlife rescue and holding centers, environmental education facilities and central offices. Such facilities will strengthen enforcement efforts and provide better care to animals confiscated in the illegal wildlife pet trade. The Zoo aims to assist ARCAS in raising awareness about the destructiveness of wildlife trafficking in Guatemala and throughout the world.

CONAVI preserves and restores natural habitats in Panama. Off Panama’s Caribbean Coast is the tiny island of Escudo de Verguas (Verguas Shield), home to the most endangered sloth species, the pygmy three-toed sloth. Poaching and deforestation threaten to wipe out this animal, but with help from Quarters for Conservation, CONAVI will work with locals to prevent poaching, conduct field surveys, increase community awareness and promote sustainable use of sloth habitat.

Cast Your Vote!

Your admission to the Zoo already helps these projects—25 cents from each admission (and five dollars from each membership purchased) goes towards Quarters for Conservation. On every visit to the zoo, you’ll receive a “quarter” token to use to cast your vote for whichever conservation project most inspires you. If you’re extra passionate about any of the projects, feel free to drop in extra quarters or dollar bills! Together, our small corner of the world can help make a large impact on conservation everywhere.