Costa Rica is an incredible country: it is incredibly biodiverse, harbouring so many beautiful species of flora and fauna that seem to spill onto pavements, houses and hillsides.
Costa Rica will forever be one of the favourite countries I have visited.
I volunteered at the Costa Rica Animal Rescue Center in 2017, looking after ill and injured animals that were brought in. In particular, I rehabilitated a sloth who had fallen from a tree, working with him until he could climb branches again and eventually climb trees. It was incredibly rewarding. The center receives many animals that were victims of the illegal pet trade, and aims to raise awareness about this in Costa Rica.
"Our work is our way of leading the change to more animal welfare and a sustainable way of living in coexistence with wildlife"
A one-hour programme could look at how dedicated vets and volunteers in either the monsoon or dry season live at the centre, rehabilitating animals and the day-to-day tasks. What I particularly liked about this centre was that volunteers came from all over the world, and there was a real sense of community. Over a season working at the center there is likely to be many animals in need, and many success stories of rehabilitation and re-release into the wild.
Animals at the center: two and three-toed sloths, parrots, owls, goats, howler monkeys, spider monkeys, marmosets, kinkajous, coatis, porcupines, peacocks
Key people:
Andrez Perez
Andrez is a key part of the center. He is local, and lives in the center to look after the animals full time. He is a veterinarian, and works in the small animal hospital there. He is the first port of call if any injured animal is brought into the reserve. He is lively, friendly, speaks good English and is in a band
Marielos Morice Poveda
Marielos is a warm, friendly and highly dedicated owner of the rescue center, with her husband Bernal Lizano. She is often to be found with the howler monkeys. She helps to coordinate the volunteers and run the sanctuary.
note: they are shut because of covid-19, but rely on donations and volunteer work to keep the center running. This could be an interesting documentary- the impact of covid-19 on nature in the tropics
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