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News “Fighting wildfires with knowledge”

Animalma by Sarah Campaigns, Nature protection , , , 0 Comment
News “Fighting wildfires with knowledge”

“What counts most in life are the helpers – and the helpers of the helpers”.

Project goal

In April and May 2025, Animalma is organising three two-day forest firefighting training courses for rangers and volunteer firefighters in northern Bolivia with the experts from @fire Switzerland and our local partner, the voluntary forest firefighters ‘Jaguares’.

The focus is on efficient tactics and the use of firefighting equipment, as well as topics such as crisis organisation, logistics and nutrition. The two weeks will also be used for a valuable knowledge exchange between the firefighters from Bolivia and Switzerland.

Click here for the campaign with the detailed project description.

Present status

The @fire specialists are currently in the middle of developing the course content and schedule, while Animalma is focusing on the funding and overall organisation of the mission.

Three months after the launch of our fundraising campaign Fighting wildfires with knowledge, we have already received an impressive CHF 7’045.- in donations. This amount will enable us to cover the costs of the roughly 60 participants and the organisation on site, as well as the logistics and accommodation of the Swiss team.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank the following donors for this significant milestone:

  • Nicolas Entrup
  • Jürg Stein
  • Christian Küpfer
  • Tanja Frei
  • Seifenkistenrennen Freienwil
  • All participants of the presentation 60+ in Oberentfelden
  • Fredi Keller
  • Raiffeisenbank Surbtal-Wehntal Genossenschaft
  • Andrea Spalinger
  • Helena Turienzo
  • Patrick Wigert
  • Alessio Gretz from the restaurant Weisser Wind in Freienwil
  • Christine Keller
  • Garage Louis Frey
  • Darleen Gloor
  • Daniel Müller with trigger it GmbH
  • all anonymous supporters

Next steps

Our next stopover target is CHF 9’000.- in donations to cover the catering for the experts during the two-week mission. Will you help us?

I HELP YOU

You can also support us by taking part in Animalma’s anniversary party on 8th of March 2025, with all funds raised going to this campaign.

The Final Stretch

The big final goal will be to finance the flights to Bolivia; first the @fire crew’s flights (CHF 8’500.-) and then Animalma’s (CHF 1’700.-).

All 6 people have offered to pay the travel costs to Bolivia themselves if the funding target is not reached. A wonderful gesture that emphasises the personal commitment of those involved in this project and deeply moves us at Animalma.

For the time being, we are sticking to the total funding amount of CHF 19’190.- and will continue to pursue this ambitious goal. Because from various past experiences, we believe in miracles and that together we can always achieve great things on a small scale.

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Every amount matters – every amount saves a piece of the Amazon.

Update birthday campaign 2024

Animalma by Sarah Animalma, Campaigns, Nature protection , , , 1 Comment
Update birthday campaign 2024

Small things are responsible for big changes. – Paulo Coelho

So many gifts…

…in the form of a donation were received for Sarah’s birthday in March 2024, so that we were able to count an incredible CHF 1’285.- in the donation pot.

Many thanks to Anita, Patricia, Max and many supporters
who prefer to remain anonymous.

Because we at Animalma wanted to increase the effect of this generosity and the joy of the voluntary forest fire fighters, we added unrestricted donations and were thus able to donate an impressive CHF 2’630.- to the Centro de formación de bomberos forestales voluntarios “Jaguares” (training centre for volunteer forest fire fighters “Jaguares”) project.

Thank you Darleen, Sina, Fabian and Simone for your trust.

The result

The generous help from Switzerland was used for the following fire protection and training materials:

  • 3 firefighting backpacks with 20 litre capacity from Fireline
  • 10 protective helmets from Portwest, resistant to high temperatures
  • 6 Motorola radios with 32, 40 & 56 km range
  • 1 Pulaski axe
  • 1 forestry shovel & 1 hoe
  • 3 rakes
  • 4 machetes
  • 1 McLeod multifunctional tool (for drawing firebreaks)
  • 2 tents & petrol for logistics within the fire areas
  • 10 accident insurance policies for the volunteers
  • 1 first aid kit
  • 1 printer & writing materials
  • 3 training courses

They will be of enormous importance in the upcoming and many other fire seasons. Once again, we are deeply touched by how we achieve great things on a small scale!

Below are a few pictures of the materials and impressions from two courses; one for the EBB rangers, one for the population and students of a small community within the protected area:

Many thanks on behalf of the Jaguar firefighters, Sarah and Animalma!

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Insurance for the rangers of Madidi National Park 2024

Animalma by Sarah Campaigns, Nature protection , , 0 Comment
Insurance for the rangers of Madidi National Park 2024
3 of the 27 rangers, who now have an accident and whole life insurance thanks to our help from Switzerland.

We help the rangers of Madidi National Park for the second time with an accident and whole life insurance.

The Madidi National Park in the Bolivian Amazon is the most biodiverse conservation area worldwide.

It is protected by 27 rangers; they are in the crossfire of illegal wildlife trade, exploitation (especially gold and wood) and slash-and-burn for meet and cocaine production.

It is a dangerous, hard job in the middle of nowhere, too often outnumbered.

The Madidi, its’ preservation and thus its’ rangers have become a strong part in our mission since first visiting this natural wonder.

Thanks to the Animalma anniversary in 2023, a donation from “Team Bolivia” and unrestricted donations, we were able to extend the accident and death insurance for the rangers of Madidi National Park for another year.

For the total amount of CHF 1’230, the 27 rangers are insured for a further 12 months from March 2024 in case anything should happen to them during their demanding work.

The insurance covers

  • Accidental death USD 10’000.-
  • Permanent partial or full invalidity USD 10’000.-
  • Reimbursement for medications USD 1’000.-

and has cost USD 51.72 per person.

The coverage started on 1st of March 2024 for one year.

The past year has shown that this form of support is of immense importance in an emergency. During the forest fires at the end of 2023, Ranger Alex Nay suffered serious lung poisoning during his missions and had to be transferred to a specialised clinic due to further symptoms. A cardiac arrhythmia (bradycardia) was diagnosed.

His basic insurance did not cover various investigations and medication, which was therefore covered by the accident insurance we took out.

Alex is now feeling better again and has been able to go on patrol again since February.

He would like to thank all Animalma donors for their help from afar during this difficult time. His story shows and confirms that our help is indeed effective.

We thank all guests from the Animalma anniversary ’23, the godmother of Janine Brechbühl as well as other anonymous donors, who gave us financial aid without a special purpose. You made this help possible.

It is thanks to you, that the rangers and their families can feel saver this year!

HELP US

Sarah’s birthday campaign 2024

Animalma by Sarah Campaigns, Nature protection , 0 Comment
Sarah’s birthday campaign 2024

After “to love”, “to help” is the most beautiful verb in the world.

Like every year…

…Sarah is sponsoring her birthday to do something good – in Bolivia of course.

This year all gifts in form of donations will go again to a small but vital project: a centre at the edge of the Bolivian Amazon with materials to combat forest fires and capacitating voluntary firefighters.
If fires or inundations occure within or nearby close nature protection areas (Madidi, Pilon Lajas, EBB), much needed help will be there quickly and efficiently.

All birthday donations will be used for the following materials:

  • Fire fighting backpacks & paddles
  • Protection clothes, goggles, helmets and gloves
  • Respiratory protection
  • Machetes and rakes
  • Training costs
I HELP YOU

Last year, the birthday donations went towards this project – which has already recruited 58 volunteer firefighters in the meantime and has also been given an official name:

Centro de formación de bomberos forestales voluntarios “Jaguares”
(Training Center for Volunteer Forest Firefighters “Jaguares”).

This project is a private initiative by Marcos Uzquiano, who has been a park ranger and nature protection activist for many yeras. He has been awarded by the IUCN for his tireless efforts and has given half of the award money to his project. Sarah wants to support his idea and ensure that this project continues to grow. 

Thank you so much for your support – every amount matters!

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Little animal welfarists going big

Animalma by Sarah #SOSLaSendaVerde, #SOSLaSendaVerde_Thanks, Campaigns , , 0 Comment
Little animal welfarists going big

Even freezing winter temperatures of 0 degrees did not stop the little acitivists with their sales booth

“I learned that you are never too small to make a difference.” Greta Thunberg

Anna, Finja, Iara and Kyran were among the youngest visitors of the Animalma anniversary in October 2022.

The four young animal rights activists were so inspired after the event that they started crafting the very next day and sold their creations in their neighbourhood.

Their handmade items – from bracelets to notebooks to plush bananas – were very well received and so they were able to collect an amount of CHF 300 in donations, which they handed over to me personally shortly before my trip to Bolivia.

With the proceeds, I was able to buy milk powder, vitamin supplements and nappies for the primate babies of Senda Verde, which the orphans urgently need and represent a major cost for the refuge.

And the Senda Verde staff were very touched when I told them the story behind this very special donation.

Thank you so much dear Anna, Finja, Iara and Kyran for your wonderful, inspiring commitment to help wildlife in Bolivia!

I want to help animals too

The miracle of the little animal welfarists as a gallery

Safety for the rangers of Madidi National Park

Animalma by Sarah Campaigns, Nature protection , , 0 Comment
Safety for the rangers of Madidi National Park
3 of the 27 rangers, who now have an accident and whole life insurance thanks to our help from Switzerland.

We help the green heroes, the rangers of protected areas in Bolivia – for example with an accident and whole life insurance.

The Madidi National Park in the Bolivian Amazon is the most biodiverse conservation area worldwide.

It is protected by 27 rangers; they are in the crossfire of illegal wildlife trade, exploitation (especially gold and wood) and slash-and-burn for meet and cocaine production.

It is a dangerous, hard job in the middle of nowhere, too often outnumbered.

The Madidi, its’ preservation and thus its’ rangers have become a strong part in our mission since first visiting this natural wonder.

A big donation made possible due to the Animalma anniversary was waiting to be spent meaningfully and sustainably in the beginning of 2023. The rangers lack all kinds of equipment to do their work well prepared and safely. Unfortunately, it does happen that donations in kind disappear without a trace.

This is why we decided to invest in an accident and whole life insurance for the 27 rangers of Madidi National Park. For many of them, it is the very first time to fall back on an insurance, if something happens to them while doing their vital work.

The insurance covers

  • Accidental death USD 10’000.-
  • Permanent partial or full invalidity USD 10’000.-
  • Reimbursement for medications USD 1’000.-

and has cost USD 51.72 per person.

The coverage started on 15th of March 2023 for one year.

We thank all guests from the Animalma anniversary as well as other anonymous donors, who gave us financial aid without a special purpose. You made this help possible.

It is thanks to you, that the rangers and their families can feel saver this year!

HELP US

Jungle magic

Impressions of our very first trip to Madidi National Park

Light for the Madidi

Animalma by Sarah Campaigns, Nature protection , , 0 Comment
Light for the Madidi

We help the green heroes, the rangers of the protected areas, in Bolivia – for example with batteries for the solar system of a checkpoint.

The checkpoint “El Bala” is located about one hour upstream in the Madidi National Park. A simple hut serves as both workplace and accommodation for the park rangers. They control the boats going in and out of the nature reserve and guard the national park.

For more than a year, the checkpoint had no electricity because the batteries of the solar system stopped working. As a result, the rangers had no light during their 20-day missions. They used power banks to charge their GPS devices.

Thanks to a donation from a zookeeper-friend and a contribution from Sarah, we were able to fund three batteries and their transport to El Bala. The checkpoint and its rangers now have power for the next two years.

Thank you dear Fabian for your renewed support – it effectuated a small big miracle in Bolivia!

HELP TOO

The miracle as a video

The mircale in pictures

The miracle on social media

Mission Matafuego: Fire extinguishing and protection material for park rangers

Animalma by Sarah #SOSBolivia, Campaigns, Nature protection , 0 Comment
Mission Matafuego: Fire extinguishing and protection material for park rangers

We help the green heroes, the rangers of the protected areas, in Bolivia – for example with fire fighting materials.

What started with a spontaneous call for donations for firefighting causes just before a trip to Bolivia in 2021, triggered the initial spark for our conservation efforts and established the contact to the rangers of the protected areas, which is so valuable for us.

Thanks to a large donation, we were able to buy three firefighting backpacks, four breathing masks and two fire extinguishers worth CHF 1’850.- and hand them over to the protected area “Reserva de la Biosfera Estación Biologica del Beni”.

These materials are very expensive, but the quality ultimately determines the effectiveness and safety during the operation and also the sustainability of the purchases.

The rangers are the people who know their protected area best and go out in case of fire; unfortunately often without the necessary protective equipment and extinguishing materials to effectively fight the fires and protect themselves in the process.

Therefore, we are especially happy about this first great success of the “Mission Matafuego” and thank from the bottom of our hearts…

……our longtime major donor, who makes such miracles possible again & again

& the company KPN for the materials including a conservation discount as well as

Benjamin Altofer & Marcos Uzquiano for the expert advice.

FIGHT FIRES

Our visit to the rangers as gallery

We are happy to share a few impressions of the Beni protected area and of the ceremonial handover of the donations below.