Thaky, a one-and-a-half-month-old male bear cub, and Chojñita, a 3-month-old female bear cub, arrived to our shelter a month ago after we received a distressed call from the Bolivian National Department of Biodiversity asking if we could shelter them. The cubs had become orphaned after their mothers were killed in illegal trafficking activities and were rescued by the police. 

Without their mothers, their condition had drastically deteriorated and we feared for the cubs’ lives. When they arrived at Senda Verde they were weak, malnourished, weren’t eating and were suffering from health issues: both were infested with Jigger flea (a parasitic insect that affects the skin); Thaky had chronic lung issues and was too weak to eat on his own while Chojñita arrived with intestinal parasite problems but had a quicker time adjusting. Now, thanks to the dedication, effort, love and attention from all our staff and veterinarians they are properly recovering but still require constant care and surveillance.

With these uncertain times making everything even more of a challenge, we need your help more than ever. Since we've had to close our refuge to visitors and students for so long, we've lost a huge amount of vital income. Similarly, we have not received as many volunteers as we used to, and that has also had a negative impact.

Senda Verde needs your support to give Thaky and Chojñita the home they deserve, somewhere they can be safe and loved, and give them a chance at a healthy, happy future! The cost to build and equip their new home, providing them with everything they need, including a special handling area, and a safekeeping system, will be $us 36,000.

Their new enclosure will give them a stimulating, diverse and rich environment, enabling the cubs to play, forage, explore, and have the space they need to develop their natural behaviors and thrive into happy, healthy adult bears.

Please help us raise these vital funds by donating now, every single donation makes a huge difference. No matter how much you can contribute, every penny donated makes a difference, every act of generosity counts. With your help, together, we can give Thaky and Chojñita the best future possible!

Regardless of everything going on in the world right now, we will do everything we can for the bear cubs as well as for the other 950 animals that reside in the refuge. We don't want to see them suffer, but we can't do it alone and we need your help to make it happen.

As a non-profit (501 c3 status), we rely on visitors, donations and grants to drive our mission to save and shelter animals rescued from illegal trafficking and destruction of habitats, as we thrive to inspire people to appreciate and take care of nature. 

The Andean bears are fading from our forests, don’t let their existence be just a memory.