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Volunteers at ZooParc raise 26,000 euros for African wildlife
The volunteers of Stichting Wildlife at ZooParc Overloon raised a record 26,000 euros last year. The amount will benefit three conservation projects within the theme "Save our African Wildlife.
Each year, Stichting Wildlife volunteers work within a different theme. In 2023, the theme was inspired by the opening of two enclosures at the zoo a year earlier, wild dogs and Mhorrgazelles.
Volunteer coordinator at ZooParc Overloon Niels Meboer: "BICO and the Sahara Conservation Fund are projects working for these species. We also wanted to further expand our cooperation with Institute for Breeding Rare and Endangered Mammals (IBREAM). ZooParc was already providing animal samples of pygmy hippos for this project so that a tracking dog could be trained to track this endangered species. As a result, the theme was quickly chosen!"
General manager of ZooParc Roel Huibers: "In an inspiring way, the volunteers of Stichting Wildlife told the stories about the animals in the park and the threats to species in the wild in order to encourage visitors to do their bit as well. They raised money by selling bracelets and key chains, as well as by offering exclusive tours. I am immensely proud of the volunteers' efforts and the fantastic results." In 2023, eleven Schemer tours were given and Dinner at the Zoo took place four times, offered by Restaurant Boompjes in Overloon
Results
Last year, volunteers raised 20,000 euros for World Land Trust Paraguay. "World Land Trust used this amount to buy 80 hectares of land on the border of Paraguay and Bolivia. Rangers work hard here to protect nature and various animal species, such as the anteater, jaguar and tapir. So the money has gone to good use!" said Meboer.
2023 has also already seen some great results within the theme. In July, on behalf of IBREAM, a tracking dog traveled to Ivory Coast to track down pygmy hippos. Meboer: "Dwarf hippos are very shy and therefore not much is known about the species. The tracking dog tracked down a record number of pygmy hippos in a short period of time!"
The conservation organization BICO has built a school in southeastern Kenya to teach locals here more about the African wild dog. And the Sahara Conservation Fund has conducted research on the Mhorrgazelles by placing camera traps. Meboer: "Incredibly cool that the efforts of the volunteers in ZooParc are already producing so many great results so quickly!"
Again in 2024, the volunteers will be working on some conservation projects. Says Meboer, "We'll keep next year's theme to ourselves for a while, but I'm already confident that the volunteers will once again be 100 percent committed to breaking this record again!"
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