W1 Rescue and Rehabilitation site, Chiang Dao Thailand. Located next to Chiang Dao Wildlife Sanctuary, one of Thailands most valuable protected areas.

Wildlife 1 Foundation has purchased a 15 rai site directly adjacent to the Chiang Dao Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park in Chiang Mai Province northern Thailand. This site will provide the basis for the development of a wildlife rescue and rehabilitation centre within one of the few remaining viable habitats for wildlife in Thailand.

What You Can Do?

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Support us by making a donation, at present funds go directly to securing land and building facilities to care for abused and rescued wildlife, not overheads.
 
Your donation will help us:

- Purchase land to establish a wildlife rescue and rehabilitation centre in Chiang Dao northern Thailand

- Build facilities at the centre including enclosures and a clinic for the treatment of injured wildlife

- Rescue, care and rehabilitate (when applicable) wildlife that has been abused or seized in illegal trade

- Educate local communities and school groups on wildlife conservation issues

- Investigate illegal wildlife trade and provide enforcement assistance to authorities

- Increase awareness among the public and policy makers to increase support for wildlife conservation

Mission

Establish a facility to provide the foundations for wildlife rescue, rehabilitation and reintroduction when applicable.

The centre will enable abused and illegally traded wildlife to be treated and rehabilitated in a native forest environment. It will also provide a working facility to develop native seed propagation and dispersion techniques for forest restoration using wildlife.

Objectives

- Facilitate wildlife rescue and rehabilitation

- Build a facility to house and rehabilitate seized and rescued wildlife and where possible facilitate reintroduction to the wild

- Operate a volunteer program for the general maintenance and operation of the centre

- Awareness raising and education on wildlife conservation 

- Raise awareness through various media on the situation of wildlife and forests in Thailand and the region

- Increase awareness of wildlife trade and its impacts on bio-diversity, forest viability and communities

- Improve awareness and understanding of climate change issues and the connection to deforestation and biodiversity loss 

- Facilitate environmental education initiatives

- Serve as a venue for educational activities for children

- Provide a working resource for hands-on wildlife conservation programmes

- Provide employment and training for local people

- Provide training facilities for conservation based workshops and activities

Asiatic black bear kept in appaling conditions in a temple in Chiang Mai.

Responding to a Need

Thailand is a major transit country for the transport of illegally traded wildlife in the region and there is a major shortage of facilities to cater for the sometimes large volumes of confiscated wildlife that occur. The provision of a reception and rehabilitation facility can cater for wildlife that is victim to abuse and illegal traders and also provide basic quarantine of illegally traded wildlife from neighbouring countries.

There also exists a widespread lack of understanding of the link between the loss of habitat and the trading of wildlife. Commercial hunting is decimating wildlife populations across the tropics and may be one of the gravest threats presently facing rainforests. Research reveals that large-scale loss of wildlife is already affecting forest health and regeneration. Forest destruction is responsible for 2-5 percent per decade of global biodiversity losses. It is estimated that up to 137 species disappear worldwide per day, due to tropical deforestation and the associated consumption and trading of wildlife. 

There is also an acute lack of environmental education resource centres in Thailand that can cater to schools and local communities. Providing first hand experiences and exposure to wildlife for children and local communities has the potential to greatly influence their respect and appreciation of nature and the natural systems that support them.

Outputs

- Increased capacity to house and rehabilitate rescued wildlife

- Provision for basic quarantine of illegally traded wildlife from neighbouring countries

- Information distribution on wildlife conservation and forest issues in the region – particularly Thailand

- Propagation of native forest tree species seedlings

- Research on seed collection, storage, germination and propagation techniques for forest tree species in Thailand

- The restoration of forests through tree planting and assisted natural regeneration which will increase wildlife habitat, restore biodiversity and contribute to eco-corridors

- A hands-on learning resource for visiting groups

- Plug-in education programmes for visiting groups

- Increased awareness of wildlife conservation issues

- Increased awareness of the impact of deforestation on wildlife

- Increased knowledge of forest restoration practices and strategies

- Increased capacity for local people to manage their own forest restoration programmes

Above: Permanent water source and potential gibbon and primate pre-release site, Chiang Dao wildlife sanctuary

Facility 

The wildlife centre will be composed of permanent structures. It will include an office building, a storage and food preparation building, volunteer accommodation including bathroom facilities, a wildlife clinic for treatment of rescued wild animals and both sheltered, semi sheltered and open enclosures for wildlife.

The nursery facility will be composed of permanent structures with both sheltered and enclosed areas, semi sheltered areas and open areas. It will house an office, a storage room for supplies, a protected area for seed germination, a large room for education purposes able to hold at least 30 persons at any one time, a semi sheltered area with benches for seedlings and pricking out work, and an exposed area for standing down of seedlings.

Working on indigenous tree species propagation for forest restoration with the abbot of Wat Nong Tao, our neighbour

For more information or if you would like to volunteer or get involved in the building of the centre please contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Please support our work: 100% of donations are now going directly into building enclosures and a clinic for wildlife rescue and rehabilitation.