DESCARGA AQUÍ EL TEXTO EN ESPAÑOL COMO ARCHIVO PDF

Tapir’s House (La Casa del Tapir) is an international, non-profit conservation initiative led by AndígenA Foundation in partnership with other organizations from Latin America. We integrate science and education to raise awareness about environmental problems in the search for practical solutions. Love for nature is at the heart of everything we do. And it starts with that connection we make with people and wildlife every day. Because when the environment is safe, all life thrives.

BACKGROUND 

Tapir’s House arose on 2010 as idea of the venezuelan geographer Denis Alexander Torres and the colombian biologist Sergio Sandoval, both professionals with a successful background in wildlife conservation issues in Latin America. Through Tapir’s House we have been working like a virtual center for spreading scientific and popular information about all tapir species. Our aim is fostering the environmental education and the public interest regarding these enigmatic creatures in order to reinforce another conservation intitiatives worldwide with emphasis in Latin America.

Although tapirs are not so charismatic animals like, for instance, the giant panda or mountain gorilla, the public interest regarding their conservation is getting attention step by step. As sample, our Facebook page is followed by more than 2,600 people from around the world and our educational materials are used by hundreds of teachers and students through Latin America.

Our main aim is to produce a greater educational impact through the virtual scene and beyond. In order to reach this goal, we will need definitively your generous attention and support.

BE A WILDLIFE CONSERVATION ALLY

Since the beginning, we have kept our activities as a volunteer work, but we can't do it alone! Nevertheless, we must recognize an important and valuable support offered by a group of friends, honorary members and people identified with our cause. Our supporters play a crucial role, and we need loyal and committed partners like you. Join this noble cause by becoming a partner to sustain tapir conservation efforts. Your support makes a world of difference.

A FUTURE WITH TAPIRS

Time, which sometimes acts for or against the conservation initiatives, it has allowed us recognize that ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION is the most effective strategy to guarantee the tapir conservation as well as the nature as a whole. Tapirs are endangered species due to poaching and habitat loss. Without education, people's rasing awareness will never be reached to recognize the importance of these creatures and their habitat, which goes beyond the economic or aesthetic values. Recognizing the tapirs' ecological and cultural importance will make us their true protectors.

During last 3 years, we have kept an active environmental education work through the virtual scene on Internet and occasional visits to several localities through Latin America. Today, La Casa del Tapir is highlighted as a leader in the Tapir Conservation international scene.

“In the end, we will conserve only what we love; we will love only what we understand and we will understand only what we are taught.” — Baba Dioum, 1968.

A sample of educational materials produced by Tapir's House

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR NOW? 

During october 2022 – january 2023 period, we want to carry out a special educational work to share awesome facts about tapirs in several schools from Venezuela. Also, we want to celebrate several virtual encounters to talk about the work carried out through our Tapir’s House during last 3 years.

In Venezuela, we will carry out the environmental education work in alliance with Guarenas Repano Foundation and Esfera Foundation, who carry out important tapir conservation tasks in regions where the species is in serious threat to extinction.

Saving the tapirs and their habitat will contribute towards:

• To conserve the tropical ecosystems, especially the rainforests and cloud forests.
• To protect the watersheds vital for the people and to irrigate the lands and to produce electric energy.
• To protect the soil from erosion so that the land will continue to support agriculture and to prevent natural disasters.

AIMS

Increase people awareness in favor of tapirs’ conservation and their habitats with emphasis in Venezuela:

• by developing hands-on, education activities for various grade levels.

• by using in the environmental education, the most updated information about tapir ecology.

• by creating and distributing educational materials for free use in educational centers and other community-base organizations.

• by using the south american common tapir as a “focal species” for the biodiversity conservation in some wild areas from Venezuela, especially national Parks.

Evaluate the effectiveness of the environmental education for future implementation in specific areas of the tapir’s range in Venezuela:

• by measuring attitude changes in students and parents regarding the tapir conservation within the work areas.

WHAT DIFFERENCE CAN A FEW DOLLARS MAKE?

Maybe one single dollar means nothing to many people, but for us in Latin America is a concrete possibility to sustain a wonderful long-term wildlife conservation project based on environmental education as strategy to spread interest and love for tapirs' conservation and their habitat. One single dollar can help us to sustain our active work to spread the word in favor to wildlife conservation.

Every contribution that you give to this campaign it will allows us to provide education to our closer neighbors, especially children from the urban and rural areas and sustain our informative page about tapirs on Facebook and blogspot, both entitled "La Casa del Tapir".

Your support is a precious opportunity to recognize the real value of the nature and our responsibility with its future. Please, give us your sincere support today and so we together can make a difference to the environmental awareness raising.

WHAT THE MONEY RAISED WILL BE USED FOR?

The money raised through this campaign it will allow us to sustain the educational initiatives during next quarter (october 2022 – january 2023 period). We will produce new original educational materials in order to reinforce a distance learning program through our page on Facebook “La Casa del Tapir” and our website: https://lacasadeltapir.blogspot.com.

We Want:

• Print out a series of educational sheets to give to the children during our visit to the educational centers.

• Pay professional fees linked to the production of educational materials (pamphlets, posters, educational sheets, multimedia slideshows, etc.).

• Pay administrative expenses (communication: mail, phone, internet, etc.).

• Pay hosting and domain for our Website.

• Eventually pay the living expenses (meals, accommodations and fuel) during the visits to educational centers (mainly elementary schools and high schools): 1 visit each 15 days / 3 people.

PROJECT OUTPUTS

• Publication of regular information through our Facebook Page “La Casa el Tapir” and website which can be freely used as educational tool by teachers at schools as well as the general public.

• Production of a new pamphlet focused on tapir natural history and conservation.

• Production of a series of sheets and educational games focused on the tapir conservation in Venezuela.

• Production of a coloring book about lowland tapir.

• Development of a series of virtual conferences and talks as part of a Distance Learning Program.

OUTCOMES

• Students and their parents will get qualified information about tapirs and related environmental conservation issues.

• Children and adults will wake up a stronger awareness and commitment toward the tapir conservation and the environment.

• Government’s staff and community leaders will assume a more active role to reinforce local conservation programs.

• Our environmental education initiative will be used as a joint model for other conservation programs in Venezuela and eventually in neighboring countries.

UPDATES         

We will be providing updates and work progress through our Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/LaCasaDelTapir/ and the website:   https://lacasadeltapir.blogspot.com/