Big Cat News! Even More Incredible Accomplishments From This Year’s Jaguar Adoption Project

Last week on the Wild Wire blog, we told you that, this past year, Earth Rangers across Canada and the United States adopted over 200 jaguars! Every jaguar adoption kit sold supported the International Conservation Fund of Canada (ICFC) and Osa Conservation. These organizations protect native habitat for jaguars in Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula, a beautiful and diverse rainforest ecosystem. Today, we’re here with even more good news – especially for future scientists and conservationists!

From Earth Rangers to Rainforest Protectors

You’re an Earth Ranger now – but did you know that you can be a ranger when you grow up, too? Wildlife rangers and park rangers are people whose job is to protect nature! They patrol protected land, monitor wild animals, combat poaching, work with local communities, manage natural disasters, and show tourists the beauty of nature.

Osa Conservation brings together dozens of volunteer rangers from all over Costa Rica to protect the natural resources of their home. These rangers are also known as Rainforest Protectors. In 2023, they carried out fourteen field expeditions to conserve wildlife in the Osa Peninsula’s rainforest — including, of course, jaguars! They patrolled 31,076.2 kilometres (19,309 miles) and logged 22,587 observations of 6,535 plant, animal, and insect species.

“We do not want generations to grow up without knowing was lives in these forests,” said Yolanda Rodriguez, one of Osa Conservation’s Rainforest Protectors. “What is in the forest is ours; it is our responsibility to protect it.”

Thanks to these Rainforest Protectors, the species that live and grow in the Osa Peninsula are being well-cared for. And future generations of conservationists and scientists have even more information about this incredibly biodiverse rainforest!

Want to Work in the Rainforest When You Grow Up?

If you want to protect the rainforest when you grow up, here’s some good news: You can! Osa Conservation has a beautiful campus in the middle of the rainforest where conservationists come from all over the world to study and learn.

In 2023, Osa Conservation gave five young conservationists full scholarships to live on the Osa Peninsula for six months and study the beautiful and unique rainforest ecosystem. These young ecologists and biologists had the chance to learn from more experienced conservationists and research wildlife that they wouldn’t encounter anywhere else!

From studying native plants to measuring the impact of microplastics to building treetop bridges for animals like monkeys, these young scientists all made the Osa Peninsula a safer and more comfortable place for jaguars. You made their scholarships possible by adopting jaguars. Maybe, a few years in the future, you’ll become a scientist and receive a scholarship of your own!

The Jaguars Thank You!

Or, at least, they would if they could talk! For now, please accept a big round of applause from all of us at Earth Rangers, and from our friends at Osa Conservation and the International Conservation Fund of Canada, for all your hard work protecting jaguars, supporting conservation science, and protecting the rainforest.