3 months ago
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As part of a joint effort of non-governmental organizations Humane Society International/Latin America And Association Rescate and Conservación de Vida Silvestre (ARCAS) —40 animals, including 14 different species, were released into the Yaxha Nakum Naranjo National Park In Peten, Guatemala, after being rescued from illegal trafficking and undergoing a rigorous rehabilitation process.
Courtesy of the Guatemalan authorities of National Council for Protected Areas (CONAP), the animals were released into Maya Biosphere Reserve after becoming a victim of wildlife trafficking. Some of the rehabilitation activities included learning how to fly, jump, run, hide from predators and identify food in the wild.
“Keeping wild animals as ‘pets’ is a dangerous trend that seriously affects our ecosystems,” said Andrea Borel, executive director of HSI/Latin America. “Together with our local partner, ARCAS, we are working to give these animals, who should never have been removed from their homes, a second chance in life to grow and thrive.”
Endangered species are highly valued in the wildlife trade due to their rarity, leading to overexploitation and the black market, and pushing these species even further into the market. extinction.
The rehabilitation of these animals is essential to strengthening populations of endemic and threatened species in the Maya Biosphere Reserve, which have been significantly depleted and diminished in their natural habitats by human action. The release and rehabilitation of these animals is necessary to ensure the existence of healthy populations capable of adapting and reproducing in their natural habitat.
ARCAS provides physical, medical and behavioral rehabilitation of wildlife trafficking victims according to strict scientific management standards and then releases the animals into their natural habitat. HSI/Latin America and ARCAS have worked together in the protection and conservation of wildlife in Guatemala since 2004.