Project Selva began when San Antonio Zoo opened an office in Iquitos, Peru where arts and crafts could be purchased directly from indigenous makers and then be sold in zoo gift shops. The project has now expanded to also include local Peruvian artists from the city of Iquitos, trained in the ancient Japanese art of gyotaku (the process of making fish prints by applying paint directly to the fish and transferring the paint to paper). You can find examples of their original works on this site. Funds generated by the sale of these collector-quality prints are used to maintain the office in Iquitos, and support the indigenous communities that, for countless generations, have served as stewards of this ecosystem and its incredible biodiversity.

With your help, we can continue to help our indigenous friends and provide an alternative revenue stream for their communities.

This project is made possible thanks to support from Roger Williams Park Zoo, Animal World and Snake Farm Zoo, Texas A&M University San Antonio, and Moody Gardens.