SeaWorld and Busch Gardens Conservation Fund undertakes mission in Latin America

A team comprised of Robert Yordi, Executive Director of the SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund and Vice President and General Curator of the parks of the United Parks & Resorts group, and Gisele Montano, Director of Species Sustainability for United Parks & Resorts, accompanied by the Marketing and Public Relations team based in Brazil, carried out a Conservation Mission throughout the country. The objective was to visit species research and preservation organizations that have already received funding from the institution, or that are classified as possible recipients.

Established in 2003, the SeaWorld and Busch Gardens Conservation Fund is a private, nonprofit foundation that provides grants for conservation projects around the world that support research, habitat protection, environmental education, and animal rescue and rehabilitation. The Fund has already allocated more than $3.5 million in 256 grants to 131 projects in 22 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, helping 36 different species of animals, with the first project in the region being awarded in 2004.

The countries in the region that have already received support are Argentina, Bahamas, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, and Venezuela.

In total, more than US$21 million in financial and scientific support has been granted to 1.6 thousand projects for the conservation of marine and terrestrial species and ecosystems on all continents of the world.

The mission in Brazil began in Fernando de Noronha, where the team met with researchers from the Noronha Sharks and Rays project, who monitor sharks around the island. The idea was to share knowledge and experiences between Gisele, who also participates in expeditions in the US to study shark behavior, and Bianca Rangel, leader of the Noronha project.

Directly from the island, the group headed to the Amanã Reserve, in the Amazon. There, it was possible to live a typical field experience with researcher Miriam Marmontel, leader of the Amazonian Aquatic Mammals Research Group of the Mamirauá Sustainable Development Institute (IDSM), where they stayed in a research lodge and participated in expeditions with community members to see giant otter burrows in the region's streams. Upon their return from the reserve, the group stopped by the institute's headquarters in Tefé (AM), where they were able to visit the laboratories that received a large part of the boto carcasses that were victims of the unusual mortality event that occurred in November 2023, probably due to the high water temperatures in Lake Tefé. On that occasion, the Conservation Fund acted quickly by approving an emergency grant to support IDSM in a range of efforts, including sample collection trips, health assessments, water quality monitoring, and essential resources including tents, swimming pools, tools, and medical supplies.

In the Amazonian capital, the team visited the Friends of the Manatee Association (AMPA), to which the Fund has already committed to make donations for the conservation of manatees. The investment will allow AMPA to increase the number of animals rescued, rehabilitated, returned and monitored in Brazil. It will also contribute to environmental education activities with teachers, children and their families, teaching them about the species, its role in nature and the importance of its preservation. AMPA is one of the main partners of the National Institute for Amazon Research – INPA, an autarchy of the Ministry of Science, Technology, Innovation and Communications – MCTIC, in the protection of aquatic mammals in the Amazon.

Straight from the Amazon to the Center-West of Brazil, the team visited the technical animal rescue group of the Pantanal of Mato Grosso do Sul (GRETAP MS). They carry out rescues of different species in danger, mainly due to natural disasters. Currently, they have a great demand for animals that are victims of the fires in the Pantanal. In Campo Grande, the mission included a visit to the BioParque, a state-run public aquarium that holds the title of being the largest freshwater aquarium in the world and that carries out important research work.

The group also spotted anteaters monitored by the Flags and Roads Project near the capital. The animals are monitored by radio and GPS signals to understand how they move around the region, as road accidents are their second biggest threat.

The day ended in Foz de Iguaçu, with a visit to the Bird Park, the only institution focused on birds in the Atlantic Forest, which included meetings with different park specialists in the areas of nutrition, animal care and associated conservation projects.

Located within the Iguaçu National Park, the group visited the Pro-Carnivoros Institute’s Iguaçu Jaguar Project. The project monitors jaguars in nearby regions, including areas of Argentina, and conducts extensive environmental education work with the local population with the aim of protecting these animals, which can be seen as a threat by local producers.

“This is my third visit to the country and I am always impressed by the beauty and biodiversity of Brazilian ecosystems. From the coast to the Cerrado, passing through the Amazon rainforest, there is so much to explore and it is incredible to see the passion of the people who are on the front lines of caring for animals. At SeaWorld we really care about animals and the protection of habitats and we want all Brazilians to also appreciate the natural beauties they have here,” said Yordi.

“One of the pillars of the Conservation Fund is the exchange of technical experiences between organizations and SeaWorld’s veterinary team. For me, this mission in Brazil has brought me a wealth of experience that I will take to our animal care, research and rescue projects in the United States,” said veterinarian Gisele.

“Our goal is to show that we have incredible conservation projects in our country and to bring this knowledge to tourism professionals. It is a cause that is in the company's DNA and it is very gratifying to make this relationship with our product, since the visit to the parks in Florida also helps to finance good conservation projects for species that are so important in Brazil,” explained Leonardo Fortes, Marketing and Sales Manager of United Parks & Resorts.

Funding for the SeaWorld and Busch Gardens Conservation Fund comes from a variety of sources, including contributions from SeaWorld’s corporate entity, United Parks & Resorts, and from the parks themselves through merchandise and special events. Partner companies also contribute to the Fund, and consumers can support the cause by making donations at the parks or online. United Parks & Resorts covers all overhead costs for the Fund, and every penny is donated directly to the projects supported. Applications for funding are made annually, however, in 2022 and 2023 applications were by invitation only. Organizations may receive one-time or multi-year grants.

Source: SeaWorld and Busch Gardens Conservation Fund