Education at Kids Saving the Rainforest

By William Westwood, Educational Intern

Hi, my name is Will and I’m here to tell you all about Kids Saving the Rainforest and the fantastic educational programs that we are currently running.

Kids Saving the Rainforest (KSTR) began in 1999 in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica when Janine Licare and Aislin Livingstone were 9 years old. Janine and Aislin saw the rainforest disappearing from their beloved home and the negative impact it had on the animals, particularly the squirrel (mono titi) monkeys. They were kids who were inspired to save the precious rainforest and thus, Kids Saving the Rainforest was born!

Now, 17 years later, KSTR operates a variety of projects, including: reforestation, installation and maintenance of monkey bridges, a wildlife rehabilitation clinic and terrific educational programs.

One of our most recent educational initiatives is a kid’s camp. KSTR will invite local schools and youth groups to visit us on site. We will give a tour of our wildlife sanctuary, where all of the animals that we are unable to release take residence in safety and comfort. This gives the kids a chance to see local wildlife up close and with the help of an expert guide, learn all about the species and the stories of the individual residents. After the tour, the kids will have an outdoor class where they will learn all about conservation through games and special bio-artifacts!

Another educational project that we have recently adopted is hosting, via Skype, virtual tours of our sloth nursery, where we raise orphaned sloths to be released back into the wild. Here at KSTR we prioritize education, as it is our firm belief that it is through everyone’s efforts that the rainforest can be saved and protected for the amazing animals that call it home.

We encourage everyone, adult or child, to remember these key ways to help protect the wildlife around the Quepos and Manuel Antonio area:

• Do not feed the monkeys—not only is it bad for their health, but it encourages them to get close to humans and results in increased road accidents.
• Wild animals are not good pets! Their behavior is unpredictable, they get stressed in captivity, and taking them from the wild hurts the local populations, upsetting the careful ecological balance.
• Finally, remember to enjoy seeing the beautiful wildlife in the area or in the national park. They are incredible to see in their natural habitat and let’s make sure they can stay there.

If you would like to learn more come visit us and take the tour of our sanctuary to learn about local wildlife, please go to our website www.kidssavingtherainforest.org or phone 4070-0340. You can also contact us on [email protected].