Merazonia Wildlife Refuge is a wildlife rescue, rehabilitation and monitoring in Ecuador since 2004.
Merazonia Wildlife Refuge is a dynamic wildlife rescue and rehabilitation centre situated on 250 acres of rainforest in Ecuador. We focus on rehabilitating wildlife that has fallen victim to the illegal pet trade and deforestation, and volunteers from around the world help us with day-to-day care. We combine a passion for nature with a hands-off professional approach towards animal care, release, conservation, and wildlife monitoring.
Become a volunteer
Generally, we have between 10 to 20 volunteers from all over the world helping us care for, clean and feed over 100 animals. Our volunteers also help us to improve the centre, make animal enrichments and work on various projects. As our focus is on rehabilitation, Merazonia has a strict hands-off policy for most of its animals.
Currently, we house various species of monkeys (tamarins, capuchins, woollies, howlers), kinkajous (nocturnal mammals), a puma (who receives a minimum of human attention) and other mammals (sloths, coatis and tayras). We also house many parrots. We are a rescue and rehabilitation centre, so there are changes because of releases (yay!) or relocation of animals.
Requirements:
- The minimum time for volunteering is 3 or 4 weeks, depending of the time of year (from June to August we ask for a 4 week minimum). People wanting to volunteer for longer than 3 weeks take preference. Staying longer will also make your own experience better.
- You need to have a basic level of fitness, as most work is physical and walking up and down the jungle surroundings.
- Knowledge of English and/or Spanish is required.
- There are no requirements as to education and such, though we will try to take into account special interests and professional skills.
