The model
A sanctuary, not a shelter.
Zoneto Hero is a self-sustaining, modular and replicable model. It brings together animal welfare, ecosystem regeneration, technology and its own economy, so that protecting lives doesn’t depend on donations alone.
Why a new model
Rescue alone doesn’t break the chain.
Abandoned dogs reach the páramo, form feral packs and come into conflict with livestock. The usual response, poison, ends up reaching the Andean condor, the spectacled bear and the white-tailed deer. Caring for animals one by one is essential, but it doesn’t change what happens in the ecosystem. There was no integrated model connecting animal welfare with ecosystem protection, so we started building one.
Three pillars
What holds the model together.
Each pillar supports the other two: real care gives the model its purpose, self-sufficiency makes it last, and transparency makes it trustworthy.
-
Pillar 01
Real animal welfare
A home, not just a temporary shelter. Every animal receives permanent veterinary care and individual follow-up, and responsible adoption gives many of them a new family.
- Permanent veterinary care with Dr. Joaquín Montalvo, veterinarian, graduate of Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ)
- Individual follow-up for every animal
- Responsible adoption
- Area to rehabilitate injured wildlife and return it to its habitat, in development
-
Pillar 02
Smart self-sufficiency
Each module is designed to sustain itself. Producing its own energy, water and food aims to lower operating costs, reduce its footprint and make the sanctuary less dependent on outside resources.
- Solar energy
- Its own water management
- Regenerative food production
-
Pillar 03
Radical transparency
From day one, income and expenses are reported to sponsors and volunteers, backed by photos and invoices. See how we report.
- Public reporting of income and expenses
- Photos and invoices as backup
- Individual record of every animal treated
The module
One unit, designed to be replicated.
The module is the territorial unit of the sanctuary. It works on its own and follows a standard protocol, so the same model can be built again in another place, and then connected to a network.
-
Animal care
Veterinary care, individual follow-up and a home for every animal.
-
Module
Self-sustaining, modular and replicable. Module 1 is the next stage.
-
Solar energy
Its own clean power supply.
-
Water management
Its own water collection and use.
-
Regenerative food
Food production that restores the soil.
-
Wildlife rehabilitation In development
An area to care for injured wildlife and return it to the páramo.
What we do today
The pilot is already working.
In Imbabura, the pilot has validated the model’s distributed animal care, operations and self-sufficiency. This is what we do every day.
-
Rescue and distributed care
Rescue, rehabilitation and daily care for the animals under our direct care, across several locations.
-
Community veterinary campaigns
Vaccination, deworming and sterilization for local communities, with an individual record of every animal treated.
-
Responsible adoption
Finding each animal a responsible family that is ready to give it a home.
-
Documentation and reporting
Every expense, procedure and result is documented and shared with sponsors and volunteers.
Music with purpose
Music keeps the cause alive.
Zoneto Music is our economic engine: an international community of artists with purpose and live music experiences. A percentage of every show goes directly to Zoneto Hero, so protecting lives doesn’t depend on the will to donate alone.
“The economy sustains the mission. The mission gives meaning to the economy.”
-
Zoneto Music
Live experiences and partnerships with purpose.
-
A percentage of every show
Goes directly to the cause, after covering the artists’ and the production’s costs.
-
Zoneto Hero
Food, veterinary care and the sanctuary model.
Roadmap
From a proven pilot to a Latin American network.
The model already works. The next step is to concentrate it in a first territorial module, and then replicate it.
-
Done
Proven pilot
Distributed animal care, operations and self-sufficiency, validated in Imbabura.
-
Next stage
Module 1
The first concentrated territorial module, with a wildlife rehabilitation area.
-
Goal
First international replica
Colombia or Peru, with a standardized protocol.
-
Vision
Latin American network
Connected modules sharing one central transparency platform.
We’re not asking for everything to be solved. We want to scale a model that already works.
Help build Module 1