Fundacion Temaiken

Temaikèn Foundation is a prominent member of the Latin American Association of Zoos and Aquariums (ALPZA); the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA), and one of the few institutions certified by the American Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) in Latin America, a region currently facing the highest rate of biodiversity loss in the world (95%, according to WWF's Living Planet Report 2024).

We work with the vision that all living beings can coexist harmoniously on our planet. Our mission is “We Protect Nature Together.”

Our facilities include:

a) a zoo and aquarium, the Temaikèn Biopark;

b) a private protected natural area in the province of Misiones, the Osununú Natural Reserve;

c) a Species Recovery Center.

“One Health” approaches, a focus on ecosystem restoration, and mitigation of wildlife trafficking have become pillars that characterize most of our projects. We also reaffirm our commitment to combat biodiversity loss and contribute to stopping species extinction by joining the “Reverse the Red” movement and other relevant conservation communities.

In 2020, we signed an alliance with the IUCN to create a Species Survival Center based in Temaikèn. As the host organization, our main role is to articulate a diversity of actors with the aim of saving species and ecosystems in Argentina and in the Spanish-speaking countries of Latin America.

For the next 80 years, Fundación Temaikèn has assumed the goal of transcending 100 years and becoming a recognized conservation organization, with a world-class zoo that tells stories that inspire people to change their behavior and join the effort to save wildlife and all forms of life on the planet.

With this objective, in the coming years, the Temaikèn Foundation will focus on:

-Working in collaboration and generating synergies with the most prestigious organizations in the world to multiply the impact on conservation

-Conserving and promoting the conservation of the jungle and grasslands; the wetlands of the Delta and the ecosystems of Patagonia, through restoration and conservation plans for priority species in danger throughout the country: the marsh deer, the maned wolf, the yellow cardinal, the endemic flora of Teyú Cuaré, the leopard shark, the huemul, the Patagonian frog, the Andean condor, the apipé snail, the jaguar and the scarlet macaw.

• Mitigating the effects of wildlife trafficking in South America.

• Developing a sustainability plan that allows the biopark to be self-sustaining and to exponentially increase fundraising.

Temaikèn Foundation was created with the goal of educating for conservation. Its biopark is strategically located in the Metropolitan Area of ​​Buenos Aires, with more than 16 million inhabitants, and has become a platform to promote environmental citizenship. At Temaikèn, every action prioritizes the generation of educational opportunities.

A few years after the opening of the biopark, the Species Recovery Center (CRET) was created. CRET's work is based on the organization's experience in wildlife and strengthens the Temaikèn Foundation's role in conservation. Since its creation in 2005, it has assisted more than 17,000 wild animals affected by various anthropogenic activities. This has been an effective resource for the conservation of endangered species, to mitigate the effects of illegal trafficking, and to respond to natural disasters. Its work has been strengthened through collaborations and partnerships with key government agencies and other conservation organizations, with which we share protocols, best practices, and training programs. By always maintaining the highest standards, CRET has gained national and regional recognition, becoming a highly complex rescue center that assists individuals of endangered species from all corners of the Argentine territory and plays a key role in the breeding of endangered species. Its purpose is the recovery and reintroduction of these animals into the wild, ultimately strengthening the populations of these species. Argentina, with its 2.78 million km², is a federal country with 23 jurisdictions, 17 of which are partners of the Temaikèn Foundation.

Shortly after the rescue center began to operate formally, the Temaikèn Foundation deployed activities on site with the creation of the Osununú Natural Reserve in the south of the province of Misiones. Osununú has a permanent interdisciplinary team of park rangers, researchers and educators.

A milestone in the foundation of Osununú was the massive rescue of endemic flora in response to a flood that was going to occur due to the flooding of the area.