Panama’s Most Well-Known WILDLIFE HEROES

The fight many worldwide organizations are putting up against poaching, illegal pet trade, trophy hunting, etc., is crucial. Panamanian organizations have taken a stand in defending, and even actively rescuing, local fauna.

Some organizations are dedicated to research, others to educating communities (particularly children) about the importance of conservation, and other organizations are dedicated to rescuing and caring for certain species.

The Pan-American Conservation Association (APPC) was founded in 2005 by Nestor Correa. This NGO’s mission is to preserve and protect Panama’s incredibly rich biodiversity. From its foundation until now, APPC has recused over 5,000 wild animals including ocelots, a jaguar, alligators, and monkeys. Their main rescue, though, are sloths.

APPC moved its rescue center and headquarters to the Gamboa Rainforest Resort in 2014, and it inaugurated the first Sloth Sanctuary in Panama in 2017.

Ricardo Moreno, a Panamanian biologist passionate about creating coexistence between jaguars and people, is founder and president of Yaguará Panamá. The organization focuses on research through data collection on the number of felines passing through and living on the isthmus.

Yaguará Panamá monitors individuals of specific species using tracking collars.

It’s important to know that anyone can help the conservation cause. Any action you take, no matter how small you may think it is, makes a difference.