The journey of Curioso, the Andean bear rescued from shamanism that today inspires a video game

In Piura, there is a spectacled bear who has become an unexpected ambassador of the Peruvian fauna rescued from the still urgent problem of illegal trafficking. His name is Curioso, he lives in the Margarita Zoo sanctuary and is the protagonist of “Guardians of the fauna”, a video game created by local students that seeks to educate while entertaining.

Moved by the story, and with the motivation to contribute to a change, students and teachers of Toulouse Lautrec (@toulouselautrecperu) got to work in their creative laboratories. “We always made video games in short events, and over time they were dispersed. We wanted to create an environment with an impact,” explains Renzo Guido, coordinator of the Video Game Project Direction and Management degree at the educational institution. That initial structure found meaning when Margarita Zoo appeared along the way. “They told us, ‘We have a bear that might be the perfect fit.’ And everything started to take shape,” he adds.

The challenge was not minor: translating a complex problem—illegal animal trafficking—into a child-friendly experience. “The most difficult thing was to explain everything in a simple way, without losing the message,” says Mateo Cayo, a student of the course. “Children lose attention quickly, so you have to dose the information, hook them and continue,” he says.