Have you ever dreamed of saving the rainforest? For two young Americans in 1990s Costa Rica, such a dream would someday become a reality. At just nine years old, the girls had an inextinguishable passion for wildlife protection, eager to make a difference to the world around them. The girls set out selling handmade crafts on the roadside, continuously raising cash to put towards rainforest conservation. Little by little, the girls' dream evolved into something far greater, and eventually, the sanctuary was born!
Since its inception, the sanctuary has continued to grow from strength to strength, helping hundreds of local, in-need animals, including sloths, birds, monkeys, and adorable anteaters!
By becoming a volunteer on this project, you will play a vital role in the everyday running of the centre, working hard to protect the many animals that call this sanctuary their home. Your assistance with activities such as maintenance, food preparation, monitoring and enrichment will be crucial in helping the centre to run smoothly and to ensure that the region's wildlife has a safe haven for years to come.
Itinerary
Day 1
Arrive at the project site from the airport (transfer fee not included) and you will have time to settle in and meet all of the other volunteers. You will be shown around all of the facilities including the laundry room, pool and kitchen.
Day 2-14
Project days - Volunteers will be working from 8.30am until around 5.30pm. The latter part of the day may be spent walking the animals, but please note all activities can change very quickly due to the nature of the project!
Day 15
After a farewell lunch, you will need to make your way from the project site back to the airport.
Project Activities
On this project, you will get the chance to take part in a wide variety of activities. Below are examples of some of those included in this project.
Enrichment
You will take part in both environmental and nutritional enrichments. For the environmental enrichment activities, you will head into the rainforest to find the leaves of native trees to make the animals’ enclosures as close to their natural habitat as possible. During nutritional enrichment, you will come up with ways to make the animals forage for their food, much as they would in the wild!
Enclosure Cleaning
You will help to clean the enclosures of the animals to ensure that all of the animals resident here have a hygienic environment in which to live.
Food Preparation and Distributing
You will spend time collecting and preparing food and water for the animals at the sanctuary before distributing the correct foods to each of the species.
Rescue & Release
If a rescue or release takes place during your time on the project, you will be invited to join the team and witness them in action! Whether watching a monkey being rescued or seeing a sloth make its first stretch towards freedom after having being rehabilitated at the centre, this activity will be a memorable and enjoyable part of your time in Costa Rica.
Boot Camp & Nursery
A visit to the on-site 'boot camp' and sloth nursery is a fantastic way for you to learn about the project's efforts to protect these adorable animals, from their rescue right through to their eventual release.
Sloth Tracking
Once per week, you will head out in search of a sloth which has previously been rehabilitated by the project team, collared, and released into the wild. The sloth's collar contains a tracking device which will allow the project team to locate the animal; when this happens, you will help to undertake behavioural observations from a safe distance.