I NEED YOUR HELP PLEASE READ, Tigre Salvaje, Panama

jpfloors · 05-22-2008, 03:26 AM

Hi everyone. Let me start by saying the above is a satelite image of Tigre Salvaje Wildlife Refuge. First I want to give everyone some information on how I found this and then I'll get to why I need your help.

Well as everyone here knows, gas is going up, our economy is going down, and I feel it's time to GET OUT. I have been on a conquest the last few weeks searching for a home ANYWHERE basically below where we live, and not too far below the equator, that's inexpensive, plenty of land in order to make life for myself and family self sustaining. I was considering properties Ecuador, Panama, Peru, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico (as many of you know I already wanted to retire there anyway). Until I found this one!

This is the road to the property, and Tigre Salvaje, located in Punta Burica, Panama. That's the Pacific on the left side of the picture.

This is the house that I'm considering purchasing. Yes, those are bananas!

I knew immediately that I needed to look into this more, and more, and more, and more. All I found was myself there already. It had always been my dream to get my degree and work in the wilderness as a field researcher for the CDC. Well that dream came to a crash when I got sick from internal bleeding (cause still unknown) many years ago and I was forced to drop out of school. When I came upon this, while not the same thing, it's along the same lines and my dreams and goals started to come back to me!

As I read, I learned a lot of horrible things are going on here. To start there are pochers killing off a lot of the animals, and a lot of the land in this area was cleared to build a light house and for pig farmers (further inland). Many of the animals that once inhabited this area are gone. Others are highly endangered.

[picture here removed by a moderator for an unknown reason, pm if you would like to see the picture]
This monkey was killed to confinscate her baby to sell on the streets from $6-25.

This baby monkey was confinscated from a pocher going to sell it.
[picture here removed by a moderator for an unknown reason, pm if you would like to see the picture]
This monkey was killed only for eating a cocoanut!

The monkeys are losing their forests! There are three species there. Mothers are being killed for their childred so they can be sold on the streets. Hunters from the pig farms also lay and await monkeys trying to eat their cocoanuts, which is grown to feed their pigs. The monkeys are out of food resources from the deforestation and have learned and addapted to open cocoanuts in order to eat.

Conchs are highly endangered here as well. Pochers capture them, crack off their shells on the beaches, leave the sharp broken shells and take the conch's to sell.

Sea Turtles here are also endangered. Pochers also catch the turtles to sell for food, and their dogs end up eating their eggs.

Waters are poluted in order to quickly harvest shrimp, thus birds and wildlife are eating from the poluted water and getting sick and dying.

Their goal is to plant many of the indigenous plants and fruit trees in a reforest effort as well as to rehabilitate animals that were confinscated for made sick due to man. They have been harvesting eggs before pochers dogs can get to them and incubating them. They're going to be just short of their goal of releasing 2000 turtle eggs since the project began in 2004. They take in wild animals that were taken by pochers and nurse them back to health and reintroduce them into the wild or nurse the babies into adulthood and teach them how to live on their own. They provide bird houses for birds that have lost their homes due to deforestation or pochers taking their nests and babies in order to sell them. They protect the land from the pochers as best as possible.

Right now their project is under threat. The government, shortly after they began the project, decided to deem the land for tourism and told them they had two options, build a hotel, or have the land sold out from under them. I personally find this interesting that the government of Panama would consider this as I believe the nearest international airport is over 4-5 hours away, the only way to currently get there is by seaside during low tide, an hour drive this way, and the beaches there are very rocky. They solved this problem 3 years ago by building a few buildings and renting them out. Mostly they go to students for only $25 a night ($50 for anyone else that isn't helping with the project), and this includes 3 meals a day (what a deal). While this appeased the government, now it's under threat due to finances.

I've already decided regardless of what's going to happen, I'm going to set up a non-profit organization to help them with finances, but my ultimate goal is to move down there myself. My partner and I really want to personally be apart of this project first hand! I also am trying to plan a trip down there in the next month or two. All of these things costs money... which I really don't have at the moment. Granted, I'll have the money to purchase the house when I sell my own, but still need finances for plane tickets and to set up the non-profit organization. If anyone is able to help at all to save these animals and the forests, even if it's just $1, please contact me! Any donations will be tax deductable (I'll give you a receipt for it) and when I do move down there (as you can tell what time I'm posting this, I couldn't sleep I'm already excited!) there will always be a room for you to stay in! Even if it's just a word of encouragement and thoughts and prayers (am I allowed to say that here?). It all counts!

Thanks,
Josh

hydrojeff · 05-22-2008, 05:48 AM

i will help out, if you find the guy who killed the mother primate and kick his ass!!!!!!!!!!

lorax · 05-22-2008, 08:38 AM

I'm in. Now I know where I'm vacationing! And of course once I've got my place set up here in Ecuador, you boys are welcome to visit.

BTW - The third picture down in the monkeys in trouble is actually a highly endangered and little-studied semi-aquatic cat species called a Jaguarundi, which is something I've been trying to help protect further South in Ecuador.

jpfloors · 05-22-2008, 08:55 AM

Thanks Lorax. Actually it's a Kinkajous Monkey... here is a picture of a healthy one. It does kind of look like a cat species. Very cute!

Richard · 05-22-2008, 10:13 AM

The cost of retiring in Central America is actually very expensive. You might consider a location with more natural resources, a stronger economy, and a smaller, more educated population -- for example, New Zealand.

jpfloors · 05-22-2008, 10:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Richard

The cost of retiring in Central America is actually very expensive. You might consider a location with more natural resources, a stronger economy, and a smaller, more educated population -- for example, New Zealand.

The house I'm looking at is only $27K, houses here in FL at 1200sf go for about $200K plus. How much in Cali? $1,000,000? It's not that expensive if you're growing your own crops year round, including BANANAS

you harvest natural resources, such as wind and solar power, distil your own water, don't DRIVE (where am I going to drive in the middle of the jungle?), raise your own animals.. such as chickens, goats, etc., and there is PLENTY of fish in the sea! If you're able to make yourself selfsufficient, what money is there to need? But what does any of that matter if you're saving a species, whether it be a rare species of banana only grown there or a baby monkey that lost it's mother and might of been sold on the streets for only a few dollars? There really isn't a comparison there! The only thing I'm worried about is, how am I going to get my nanas there! LOL Hope they don't get confinscated if I have to smugle them in...

Dean W. · 05-22-2008, 01:53 PM

Good luck w/ your move, JP.

mskitty38583 · 05-22-2008, 02:22 PM

josh, i think it is a very bold move you are making. i wish i could do it. the only thing i can say is that poachers are not very nice people. and i wish you the very best and my prayers go out to yall. and i agree....find the poachers, dont kick their ass.... put them in the ground. a protected species is something that needs to be taken care of by all not just a few. lmk if i can help in anyway. when are yall going? send me a pm. sam

momoese · 05-22-2008, 02:37 PM

Wow that's pretty ambitious. A few years back I looked into moving to New Zealand and found it to be quite expensive as so many rich people are buying up real estate there. It also appears the locals are getting annoyed with people buying the land that they can now only dream of.

Like MsKitty said, these poachers are very dangerous so watch your back if you get involved in this.

Best of luck to you if you decide to go for it!

jpfloors · 05-22-2008, 02:37 PM

We're considering going next month, but it all depends on funds. Right now I'm e-mailing the people that started the project to also get their input. I then am going to place fund raising ads on E-bay as well as myspace (OMG I thought I'd NEVER SAY that one LOL, I always said "myspace is for kids" LOL). I would like to raise some kind of money, at least get our tickets purchased with half of the money, pay what legal fees that must be paid to start a non-profit organization, including website.. and show up down there and suprise them with the other half of the funds. I don't know how far fetched my goal is for a month or two, but we'll see. There is always hope! And I do believe, one person can make a difference!

lorax · 05-22-2008, 02:47 PM

Thanks, josh - laid out it is remarkably similar to a Jaguarundi...

Richard · 05-22-2008, 08:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Richard

The cost of retiring in Central America is actually very expensive. You might consider a location with more natural resources, a stronger economy, and a smaller, more educated population -- for example, New Zealand.

In this statement, I was not referring to the price of real estate. But certainly one member of CRFG just bought nice farmland there for $1k (US) per acre.

lorax · 05-23-2008, 10:39 AM

Well, as a Canadian in South America, I've found it to be less expensive all around. Not sure about the Central American countries, but it's possible that they're more costly.

jpfloors · 05-23-2008, 11:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lorax

Well, as a Canadian in South America, I've found it to be less expensive all around. Not sure about the Central American countries, but it's possible that they're more costly.

Lorax just finished telling me the other day that gas in Ecuador is only around $1.50 a gallon if that says anything!

mskitty38583 · 05-23-2008, 11:26 AM

1.50 a gallon? thats cool. just one question...how far do you have to go to get a gallon of gas? havent seen that here in a very long time.

dablo93 · 05-23-2008, 04:10 PM

you story is great and I wish you very, very much succes with it!!!! :

CookieCows · 05-23-2008, 05:43 PM

What incredible bravery you have to set your life on this course. I'm so greatful for people like you. Be safe and keep a journal!!

Deb

05-22-2008, 03:26 AM	#1 (permalink)
jpfloors Banana Nut jpfloors's Photo Gallery Location: Rockledge, FL (The Space Coast) Find me on the map! Zone: 10a Name: Josh Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 663 BananaBucks : 5,820 Feedback: 12 / 100% Thanks: 136 Thanked 84 Times in 60 Posts Welcomes: 54	I NEED YOUR HELP PLEASE READ, Tigre Salvaje, Panama Hi everyone. Let me start by saying the above is a satelite image of Tigre Salvaje Wildlife Refuge. First I want to give everyone some information on how I found this and then I'll get to why I need your help. Well as everyone here knows, gas is going up, our economy is going down, and I feel it's time to GET OUT. I have been on a conquest the last few weeks searching for a home ANYWHERE basically below where we live, and not too far below the equator, that's inexpensive, plenty of land in order to make life for myself and family self sustaining. I was considering properties Ecuador, Panama, Peru, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico (as many of you know I already wanted to retire there anyway). Until I found this one! This is the road to the property, and Tigre Salvaje, located in Punta Burica, Panama. That's the Pacific on the left side of the picture. This is the house that I'm considering purchasing. Yes, those are bananas! I knew immediately that I needed to look into this more, and more, and more, and more. All I found was myself there already. It had always been my dream to get my degree and work in the wilderness as a field researcher for the CDC. Well that dream came to a crash when I got sick from internal bleeding (cause still unknown) many years ago and I was forced to drop out of school. When I came upon this, while not the same thing, it's along the same lines and my dreams and goals started to come back to me! As I read, I learned a lot of horrible things are going on here. To start there are pochers killing off a lot of the animals, and a lot of the land in this area was cleared to build a light house and for pig farmers (further inland). Many of the animals that once inhabited this area are gone. Others are highly endangered. [picture here removed by a moderator for an unknown reason, pm if you would like to see the picture] This monkey was killed to confinscate her baby to sell on the streets from $6-25. This baby monkey was confinscated from a pocher going to sell it. [picture here removed by a moderator for an unknown reason, pm if you would like to see the picture] This monkey was killed only for eating a cocoanut! The monkeys are losing their forests! There are three species there. Mothers are being killed for their childred so they can be sold on the streets. Hunters from the pig farms also lay and await monkeys trying to eat their cocoanuts, which is grown to feed their pigs. The monkeys are out of food resources from the deforestation and have learned and addapted to open cocoanuts in order to eat. Conchs are highly endangered here as well. Pochers capture them, crack off their shells on the beaches, leave the sharp broken shells and take the conch's to sell. Sea Turtles here are also endangered. Pochers also catch the turtles to sell for food, and their dogs end up eating their eggs. Waters are poluted in order to quickly harvest shrimp, thus birds and wildlife are eating from the poluted water and getting sick and dying. Their goal is to plant many of the indigenous plants and fruit trees in a reforest effort as well as to rehabilitate animals that were confinscated for made sick due to man. They have been harvesting eggs before pochers dogs can get to them and incubating them. They're going to be just short of their goal of releasing 2000 turtle eggs since the project began in 2004. They take in wild animals that were taken by pochers and nurse them back to health and reintroduce them into the wild or nurse the babies into adulthood and teach them how to live on their own. They provide bird houses for birds that have lost their homes due to deforestation or pochers taking their nests and babies in order to sell them. They protect the land from the pochers as best as possible. Right now their project is under threat. The government, shortly after they began the project, decided to deem the land for tourism and told them they had two options, build a hotel, or have the land sold out from under them. I personally find this interesting that the government of Panama would consider this as I believe the nearest international airport is over 4-5 hours away, the only way to currently get there is by seaside during low tide, an hour drive this way, and the beaches there are very rocky. They solved this problem 3 years ago by building a few buildings and renting them out. Mostly they go to students for only $25 a night ($50 for anyone else that isn't helping with the project), and this includes 3 meals a day (what a deal). While this appeased the government, now it's under threat due to finances. I've already decided regardless of what's going to happen, I'm going to set up a non-profit organization to help them with finances, but my ultimate goal is to move down there myself. My partner and I really want to personally be apart of this project first hand! I also am trying to plan a trip down there in the next month or two. All of these things costs money... which I really don't have at the moment. Granted, I'll have the money to purchase the house when I sell my own, but still need finances for plane tickets and to set up the non-profit organization. If anyone is able to help at all to save these animals and the forests, even if it's just $1, please contact me! Any donations will be tax deductable (I'll give you a receipt for it) and when I do move down there (as you can tell what time I'm posting this, I couldn't sleep I'm already excited!) there will always be a room for you to stay in! Even if it's just a word of encouragement and thoughts and prayers (am I allowed to say that here?). It all counts! Thanks, Josh __________________ I'll show you my banana if you show me yours!!! Last edited by jpfloors : 05-23-2008 at 08:24 PM.

05-22-2008, 05:48 AM	#2 (permalink)
hydrojeff Bananacitus Location: orange city,FL Find me on the map! Zone: zone 9b Name: jeff Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 221 BananaBucks : 797 Feedback: 8 / 100% Thanks: 55 Thanked 30 Times in 30 Posts Welcomes: 75	Re: I NEED YOUR HELP PLEASE READ, Tigre Salvaje, Panama i will help out, if you find the guy who killed the mother primate and kick his ass!!!!!!!!!! __________________ Jeff

05-22-2008, 08:38 AM	#3 (permalink)
lorax <div style="color: Yellow;">Banana Coloured</div> lorax's Photo Gallery Location: Ecuador, South America Zone: 12/13 Tropical Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 349 BananaBucks : 1,704 Feedback: 0 / 0% Thanks: 34 Thanked 107 Times in 73 Posts Welcomes: 82	Re: I NEED YOUR HELP PLEASE READ, Tigre Salvaje, Panama I'm in. Now I know where I'm vacationing! And of course once I've got my place set up here in Ecuador, you boys are welcome to visit. BTW - The third picture down in the monkeys in trouble is actually a highly endangered and little-studied semi-aquatic cat species called a Jaguarundi, which is something I've been trying to help protect further South in Ecuador. __________________ I speak for the trees.

05-22-2008, 08:55 AM	#4 (permalink)
jpfloors Banana Nut jpfloors's Photo Gallery Location: Rockledge, FL (The Space Coast) Find me on the map! Zone: 10a Name: Josh Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 663 BananaBucks : 5,820 Feedback: 12 / 100% Thanks: 136 Thanked 84 Times in 60 Posts Welcomes: 54	Re: I NEED YOUR HELP PLEASE READ, Tigre Salvaje, Panama Thanks Lorax. Actually it's a Kinkajous Monkey... here is a picture of a healthy one. It does kind of look like a cat species. Very cute! __________________ I'll show you my banana if you show me yours!!!

05-22-2008, 10:13 AM	#5 (permalink)
Richard Hermitian Operator Richard's Photo Gallery Location: NW San Diego, CA Find me on the map! Zone: 9+ / 10- Name: Richard Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 2,001 BananaBucks : 1,992 Feedback: 1 / 100% Thanks: 290 Thanked 437 Times in 292 Posts Welcomes: 550	Re: I NEED YOUR HELP PLEASE READ, Tigre Salvaje, Panama The cost of retiring in Central America is actually very expensive. You might consider a location with more natural resources, a stronger economy, and a smaller, more educated population -- for example, New Zealand. __________________ . . . http://www.plantsthatproduce.com

Members currently in the chatroom: 0
	The most chatters online in one day was 14, 11-13-2007. No one is currently using the chat.

05-22-2008, 01:53 PM	#7 (permalink)
Dean W. Dean W.'s Photo Gallery Location: Cedar Park, TX Zone: 8b Name: Dean Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 1,166 BananaBucks : 6,553 Feedback: 5 / 100% Thanks: 610 Thanked 203 Times in 191 Posts Welcomes: 182	Re: I NEED YOUR HELP PLEASE READ, Tigre Salvaje, Panama Good luck w/ your move, JP. __________________ Dean

05-22-2008, 02:22 PM	#8 (permalink)
mskitty38583 banana junkie mskitty38583 's Photo Gallery Location: sparta, tn. Find me on the map! Zone: 6-7 Name: mskitty Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 3,410 BananaBucks : 13,574 Feedback: 22 / 100% Thanks: 13 Thanked 407 Times in 351 Posts Welcomes: 37	Re: I NEED YOUR HELP PLEASE READ, Tigre Salvaje, Panama josh, i think it is a very bold move you are making. i wish i could do it. the only thing i can say is that poachers are not very nice people. and i wish you the very best and my prayers go out to yall. and i agree....find the poachers, dont kick their ass.... put them in the ground. a protected species is something that needs to be taken care of by all not just a few. lmk if i can help in anyway. when are yall going? send me a pm. sam __________________ WELCOME TO THE GATOR NATION "kokomo" beach boys:

05-22-2008, 02:37 PM	#9 (permalink)
momoese Organic Mechanic momoese's Photo Gallery Location: West Los Angeles CA Find me on the map! Zone: zone 10 Name: Mitchel Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 1,719 BananaBucks : 17,337 Feedback: 8 / 100% Thanks: 17 Thanked 242 Times in 132 Posts Welcomes: 82	Re: I NEED YOUR HELP PLEASE READ, Tigre Salvaje, Panama Wow that's pretty ambitious. A few years back I looked into moving to New Zealand and found it to be quite expensive as so many rich people are buying up real estate there. It also appears the locals are getting annoyed with people buying the land that they can now only dream of. Like MsKitty said, these poachers are very dangerous so watch your back if you get involved in this. Best of luck to you if you decide to go for it! __________________ Mitchel

05-22-2008, 02:37 PM	#10 (permalink)
jpfloors Banana Nut jpfloors's Photo Gallery Location: Rockledge, FL (The Space Coast) Find me on the map! Zone: 10a Name: Josh Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 663 BananaBucks : 5,820 Feedback: 12 / 100% Thanks: 136 Thanked 84 Times in 60 Posts Welcomes: 54	Re: I NEED YOUR HELP PLEASE READ, Tigre Salvaje, Panama We're considering going next month, but it all depends on funds. Right now I'm e-mailing the people that started the project to also get their input. I then am going to place fund raising ads on E-bay as well as myspace (OMG I thought I'd NEVER SAY that one LOL, I always said "myspace is for kids" LOL). I would like to raise some kind of money, at least get our tickets purchased with half of the money, pay what legal fees that must be paid to start a non-profit organization, including website.. and show up down there and suprise them with the other half of the funds. I don't know how far fetched my goal is for a month or two, but we'll see. There is always hope! And I do believe, one person can make a difference! __________________ I'll show you my banana if you show me yours!!!

05-22-2008, 02:47 PM	#11 (permalink)
lorax <div style="color: Yellow;">Banana Coloured</div> lorax's Photo Gallery Location: Ecuador, South America Zone: 12/13 Tropical Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 349 BananaBucks : 1,704 Feedback: 0 / 0% Thanks: 34 Thanked 107 Times in 73 Posts Welcomes: 82	Re: I NEED YOUR HELP PLEASE READ, Tigre Salvaje, Panama Thanks, josh - laid out it is remarkably similar to a Jaguarundi... __________________ I speak for the trees.

05-23-2008, 10:39 AM	#13 (permalink)
lorax <div style="color: Yellow;">Banana Coloured</div> lorax's Photo Gallery Location: Ecuador, South America Zone: 12/13 Tropical Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 349 BananaBucks : 1,704 Feedback: 0 / 0% Thanks: 34 Thanked 107 Times in 73 Posts Welcomes: 82	Re: I NEED YOUR HELP PLEASE READ, Tigre Salvaje, Panama Well, as a Canadian in South America, I've found it to be less expensive all around. Not sure about the Central American countries, but it's possible that they're more costly. __________________ I speak for the trees.

05-23-2008, 11:26 AM	#15 (permalink)
mskitty38583 banana junkie mskitty38583 's Photo Gallery Location: sparta, tn. Find me on the map! Zone: 6-7 Name: mskitty Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 3,410 BananaBucks : 13,574 Feedback: 22 / 100% Thanks: 13 Thanked 407 Times in 351 Posts Welcomes: 37	Re: I NEED YOUR HELP PLEASE READ, Tigre Salvaje, Panama 1.50 a gallon? thats cool. just one question...how far do you have to go to get a gallon of gas? havent seen that here in a very long time. __________________ WELCOME TO THE GATOR NATION "kokomo" beach boys:

05-23-2008, 04:10 PM	#16 (permalink)
dablo93 dablo93 's Photo Gallery Location: Randstad North Find me on the map! Zone: Z8b-Z9a, wet cold winters and mild summers Name: daen Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 753 BananaBucks : 3,541 Feedback: 0 / 0% Thanks: 83 Thanked 154 Times in 104 Posts Welcomes: 119	Re: I NEED YOUR HELP PLEASE READ, Tigre Salvaje, Panama you story is great and I wish you very, very much succes with it!!!! : __________________ -=

05-23-2008, 05:43 PM	#17 (permalink)
CookieCows Member CookieCows's Photo Gallery Location: Kentucky Find me on the map! Zone: 6-7 Name: Deb Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 568 BananaBucks : 3,055 Feedback: 2 / 100% Thanks: 197 Thanked 83 Times in 79 Posts Welcomes: 77	Re: I NEED YOUR HELP PLEASE READ, Tigre Salvaje, Panama What incredible bravery you have to set your life on this course. I'm so greatful for people like you. Be safe and keep a journal!! Deb __________________

05-23-2008, 05:55 PM	#18 (permalink)