“Look deeply into nature, and then you will understand everything better.” Albert Einstein
Dear Animalma-Family
In a month’s time, I will finally be travelling to Bolivia again. I’m really looking forward to my home of heart, to visiting our projects and, of course, especially to seeing what our donations are achieving on the ground.
A big personal highlight will be the 10-day jungle trip deep into the Madidi National Park. We will be travelling by raft in the “Alto Madidi”, spending the night in a tent, trekking through the Amazon without any civilisation or mobile phone reception. Pure nature – a dream come true…
Before I embark on this adventure, I would like to share with you my favourite achievements since spring.
Insurance for rangers extended
As communicated in the last newsletter, we used half of the donations from the 2023 anniversary celebration and unrestricted donations to extend the accident and death insurance for the 27 rangers of Madidi National Park.
Since the beginning of March 2024, they can therefore feel safer in their demanding and dangerous job for another year. This is nature conservation on the front line!
…to the blog post of this story – including the personal fate of Alex, who needed our insurance last year.
“Margay mesh” for Senda Verde
The other half of the anniversary donations went to the Senda Verde Wildlife Refuge. & they could really use this help – with the arrival of another jaguar, they had to make changes in the big cats area.
The Margays’ existing enclosure was converted for the jaguar and the Margays were given new accommodation. With the CHF 1’000.- from Switzerland, they were able to buy the high-quality wire mesh fence for Sascha and Asjari’s enclosure.
A big thank you from the Senda Verde team to everyone who took part in the Animalma festival!
Birthday campaign
At the beginning of March, I launched my annual birthday campaign – an incredible CHF 1’285.- in birthday donations reached me from all over Switzerland for the “Jaguares” volunteer fire brigade. Thank you very much!
& because this project, which trains, equips and coordinates volunteers from the local population in and around nature reserves to fight forest fires, is so valuable to Animalma, we have contributed donations with no specific purpose.
After careful consideration and deliberation, the Jaguares were able to buy
- 3 fire-fighting backpacks
- 10 safety helmets
- 6 radios
- various shovels, rakes, hoes, an axe and machetes
- 10 accident insurance policies for the volunteers
- 2 tents and petrol for logistics
- 1 first aid kit and
- 1 printer & writing materials
and carry out 3 training courses.
Muchas gracias from initiator Marcos Uzquiano and the now 58 volunteer firefighters who, thanks to you, will be able to manage the upcoming fire season more effectively and safely.
Here you can find the official campaign update with the final account and all purchased materials.
Article in the Glückspost
Susy Utzinger herself presented us with a wonderful highlight: an interview with writer and journalist Blanca Imboden. The result of this two-hour conversation appeared in Glückspost at the end of March. You can read the article here:
Article “A life for the animals of South America” in the Glückspost
New page under “Knowledge protects”
Not only Blanca but also I wrote in spring: Introducing a country as multifaceted as Bolivia and bringing it closer to you is not that easy and yet it has long been my wish.
In the “Knowledge protects” section, you can now find an overview of our country of assignment, its beautiful, unique aspects and also the tough challenges that we face time and again under
What marvellous milestones, aren’t they? Definitely fitting for our 10th anniversary, which we are celebrating this year. I’m excited to see what else this anniversary year will bring us.
First of all, I’m travelling to Bolivia. & as experience has shown that I always unexpectedly come across animals, nature reserves and/or activists on site who are dependent on our support, I am sharing with you my travel campaign
I will take all donations received with me to Bolivia and use them exactly where they are needed most urgently and effectively – whererever it may be.
I would like to thank you in advance for your support – be it in the form of a financial contribution or by forwarding this campaign and sharing it on your social media channels.
I wish you, dear Animalma family, a wonderful summer! The next newsletter will follow in autumn at the latest and I am sure it will again be full of wonderful highlights made possible by your support.
Muchas gracias y saludos,
Sarah from Animalma