Kids Saving the Rainforest – March 2019

Hello Quepolandia readers! Its Karma Casey, spokes-kid for KSTR. I just got back to Costa Rica, and I’m ready to help you learn more about saving the rainforest!

This month I will be talking to you about the Kids Saving the Rainforest wildlife rescue center, and some of the animals being helped there!

First things first, every animal that comes into KSTR goes straight to the veterinary clinic. There our clinic team comes to the rescue! They determine what is wrong with the animal, and quickly do what is needed to help save them. Take for example Senor Dona, a two-toed sloth I talked about in one of my previous articles.

Dona had a very bad day, getting electrocuted and then falling onto the road and being hit by a car. But luckily Kids Saving the Rainforest came to the rescue! Poor Dona used to be paralyzed from the waist down. As you may have read in my other article, the KSTR clinic/rescue team have tried everything they can to help Dona, even teaming up with an acupuncturist to help this very determined sloth regain the use of his back legs.

I am very happy to tell you Dona is doing really good! He has now graduated from the clinic and is in the rescue center, or rehab as it is called at KSTR. Rehab is the next stage towards release back into the wild. This area is far away from everyone, making it more natural for the animals. Some animals stay for a few short weeks until they are ready to go, but some like Dona have a long journey ahead of them before they can get back to their rainforest home.

After rehab is the next stage towards release, Boot Camp. Boot Camp is a really cool project that is a big football field sized area with a large wall around it so the animals are inside. It has lots of great trees for animals to climb in and eat leaves and grow strong and stay wild. Before being returned to their jungle homes, many animals are brought to Boot Camp for what is called a “soft release”. This is practice to see if the animal is ready to go back into the wild. Can it find food, water, shelter? Does it go up to humans or does it stay in the trees where it belongs?

Right now three healthy young two-toed sloths are roaming free in Boot Camp. Their names are Patty, Grubby, and Speedy (aka Jorge). Originally orphaned by their mothers and raised in the KSTR wildlife nursery, these three have been busy practicing all their wild skills are almost ready to be released!

If the Kids Saving the Rainforest rescue center team feels the animal is ready for release, it is brought back and set free into the rainforest home it came from! This is the best part of wildlife rescue, when the animal everyone has worked so hard to save gets to go back into the wild where it belongs. Let’s all keep our hopes up for our friend, Dona the sloth, and all the other animals the KSTR team is so hard at work saving.

If you find injured or orphaned wildlife that needs help, send a WhatsApp message to 88-ANIMAL. Our veterinary team can help come to the rescue! Speaking of that, Kids Saving the Rainforest is in need an ambulance to help in animal emergencies. Learn more at kstr.org about how you can help us reach our goal and help rescue animals in need!

Until next month readers. Keep it wild!