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A wildlife preserve run by the Foundation for Wildlife Conservation, Inc.,
partnering with the Zoological Society of Milwaukee (Wisconsin, USA)
 Saving a Wilderness
Imagine you are a beautiful jaguar, stealthily stalking your prey; or a spider monkey freely swinging through fresh air from tree to tree; or a Morelet’s crocodile, patrolling pristine waterways. Now imagine that the water is murky and polluted, trees are disappearing, and, rather than being the hunter, you now are the hunted. This situation is far from imaginary. In the Central American country of Belize – known for its large expanses of wilderness – poachers are hunting endangered species, waterways are facing increasing pollution, and wildlife habitat is disappearing due to agriculture and development. You can do something about it. You can sponsor an acre in Runaway Creek Nature Preserve.
What is Runaway Creek Nature Preserve?
To save a key wildlife corridor in central Belize, the Zoological Society of Milwaukee and the Foundation for Wildlife Conservation, Inc.,* purchased 6,009 acres and created a wildlife sanctuary. This preserve includes a tropical forest, grassy savanna, limestone hills, and waterways and marsh areas around the Sibun River. This unspoiled sanctuary is home to howler and spider monkeys; tapirs; jaguars, ocelots and other cats; Morelet’s crocodiles; jabiru storks and vividly colored resident and migratory songbirds; delicate tropical butterflies; and exotic plants, including a rare kind of passionflower that is the only larval food source for the Eueides lineata butterfly.
Why is it so important?
Many of the animals and plants that live at Runaway Creek Nature Preserve face extinction throughout Central America. Belize is one of the few Central American countries where we still can make a difference. Purchasing the Runaway Creek Nature Preserve was only the first step. We’ve hired staff to maintain the property, and put security measures in place to keep poachers out of the preserve. We’re continuing to pay off the debt incurred when we bought the property, and looking to purchase nearby land threatened by development. We’re also conducting important field research that will help conservation in all of Belize. But we can’t do it alone.
*The Foundation for Wildlife Conservation, Inc. (FWC), is the Zoological Society’s conservation partner. The FWC manages the Runaway Creek Nature Preserve in conjunction with the Zoological Society.
Save an Acre today!
Join our conservation team to protect Runaway Creek Nature Preserve in Belize. Sponsor an acre of this preserve for a year for only $50. You’ll be helping the Foundation for Wildlife Conservation, Inc. (FWC), save this sanctuary. The FWC manages the land in conjunction with the Zoological Society of Milwaukee. Plus you’ll get these benefits:
- An acre in your choice of five zones
- A decorative animal mask/poster
- Information on Runaway Creek Nature Preserve
- A map locating Runaway Creek Nature Preserve in Belize.
- One-year enrollment in our electronic “Notes from the Field.” Get firsthand reports via e-mail from field researchers on the Runaway Creek preserve and see how your contribution makes a difference.
- A certificate of recognition
Pick Your Habitat Zone
 Crocodile* Zone:
The Morelet’s crocodile patrols the waters of Runaway Creek Nature Preserve and the bordering Sibun River. This crocodile also hunts in the preserve’s extensive caves and its seasonal wetlands. Elsewhere in Belize habitat loss and poachers threaten these majestic creatures.
 Jaguar* Zone:
These stealthy cats need a large territory to hunt. As their habitat is destroyed, jaguars must expand their range to search for prey, ultimately encountering humans who kill them out of fear or for profit. Runaway Creek is one of the few remaining areas large enough for jaguars as well as other wild cats to roam.
 Spider Monkey* Zone:
Acrobatic spider monkeys swing throughout the forest canopy, grabbing branches with their strong, flexible, prehensile tails. Habitat destruction often forces them out of the treetops into lower areas, where humans and other predators hunt them. Fortunately, these creatures still have a comfortable home at Runaway Creek Nature Preserve.
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Photo by M.P. Kahl / VIREO
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Jabiru Stork* Zone:
At 5 feet tall, with a wingspan of 8 feet, these elegant storks are among the largest flying birds in the New World. These graceful giants are threatened or endangered throughout Central America (although plentiful in South America). Runaway Creek Nature Preserve is one of the few places in Belize where jabiru storks nest. Of eight jabiru stork nests known to exist in Belize, three have been found on or near the preserve.
Passionflower* Zone:
Diverse plants are found on Runaway Creek Nature Preserve. A rare species
of passionflower grows in the preserve’s limestone hills. This
vine, which boasts fragrant white blossoms, is the exclusive larval
food for a rare butterfly, the Eueides lineata.
*Although these plants and animals have been chosen to represent certain zones, they live in multiple zones on the property.
Yes, I want to Sponsor an Acre!
Yes, I want to Sponsor an Acre as a Gift
QUESTIONS? Call (414) 258-2333, 24 hours a day, seven days a week or e-mail us at saveanacre@zoosociety.org |
