The Wild Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation Center situated on 45 hectares of forested land in the north of the country. There are numerous different animals being brought in to be rehabilitated back to the wild. This is a very unique opportunity to get very close to some of the most unique species on the planet. In general, we expect volunteers to become a willing part of the Rescue Center team and to take an integral part in the day-to-day operations of the Center. We also expect that, barring physical limitations, all volunteers take an equal part in performing all tasks at the Center regardless of background, training or educational level. At times there is a lot of work, especially during the breeding season (June-August) when we receive the majority of our seized animals; other times there is very little to do. Likewise, at times we have 15 or more volunteers and you will have little to do; other times you will be the sole volunteer and will be asked to carry a heavier load. We ask for your understanding and cooperation in these matters. In addition, volunteers are encouraged to develop their own individual projects. If you see potential for such a special project, let us know and we will work with you to translate that idea into practice. In the past, volunteers have taken on projects such as developing interpretive exhibits and trails, studying the behaviors of animals in the Center and conducting educational activities in neighboring schools. It’s great to have ideas, but sometimes the difficult part is translating those ideas into practice.

You will help in feeding and caring for the animals at the centre which include parrots, macaws, spider and howler monkeys, margays, ocelots, coatimundis, taras and kinkajous. Nearly all of these animals have been seized from smugglers and are very young, needing constant care and attention. There are certain responsibilities at the Rescue Center and everyone is expected to pull their own weight and work as a team. The animals do not work on our schedule, rather they follow their own internal clock which insists that they eat early in the day. The time for your rest and relaxation is later in the day when high temperatures usually demand it.In addition to the regular daily feeding and care of the animals, there are usually  special on-going activities in which you can participate. These activities include:

• Construction of cages or extra buildings;
• Trail maintenance;
• Gathering of wild foods for the animals;
• Research into the wild diets of the animals;
• Giving tours and creating educational exhibits, and;
• Participating in additional environmental education activities and community projects.

Volunteers also make cage and enclosure improvements or “enrichments” by adding toys, perches and other stimuli that help the animal in their rehabilitation process. Perhaps the most satisfying work we carry out at the Center are the animal releases which we carry out 2-4 times per year. You may assist in these releases, but participation depends on space on the vehicles and many of the releases entail time commitments of 1 or 2 weeks.

Program Fee Include:

• Airport pickup
• In country orientation
• Accommodation

Requirements:

• Should be able to speak at least some Spanish
• Minimum 3 months commitment
• Full travel & medical insurance
• Necessary vaccinations
• Necessary flights & visas

Accommodation: At the Rescue Center, you will live in a spacious two story wooden building situated in a beautiful tropical forest with comfortable wooden bunk beds, "western" shower and toilet facilities and US-style 110 electricity. Volunteers eat and socialize at a separate spacious kitchen/dining room rancho and there is a very nice floating dock for late afternoon swims. There is internet service available at the Rescue Center. You should budget around $5 a day for food.

For information on application procedure please follow the given link: http://globalnomadic.com/index.php?pageid=87&pagetitle=Application%20Form%3E

Note: No commission is added to the cost of this project by Global Nomadic. We ask instead for a flat placement fee of £195 per project (paid securely via Paypal). We offer full pre-departure support, ongoing email assistance and a full range of discounts with our selected partners.