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Devastatingly, due to the continuing illegal trade in exotic animals, the lives of so many of Ecuador’s beautiful creatures remain under threat, and work opportunities for indigenous people continue to decrease as they lose their livelihoods to deforestation. Established in 2006, this animal rescue centre, located in the heart of the spectacular jungle, focuses on the active release of the rescued and partially rehabilitated animals brought into its care. It also works alongside local indigenous communities to help secure them a positive future.
Project Location
The project is located between various indigenous communities in the Amazon Jungle, about an hour away from the town of Puyo (35km).
Project Age Limit
Minimum 18 years, maximum will be based on potential participants’ health.
Location
The centre is located in the heart of the spectacular Amazon jungle at an altitude of approximately 900 metres. There is no extreme humidity and the climate is generally warm and pleasant with sunny days. Do expect a lot of tropical style rain though! It is also worth remembering that it does cool down a lot at night.
It is a beautiful and peaceful area, but much in need of conservation efforts.
Programme Information
The rescue centre is primarily an animal release and rehabilitation centre. Set up in 2006, the new centre offers the animals a completely natural environment in a beautiful and tranquil part of the Ecuadorian Amazon.
The existence of this centre represents the huge success of our rescue programmes, as there is now the capacity for the animals to be released safely and under supervision and control.
Where possible (and depending on government cooperation), animals that have been rescued and taken to the Andes centre, will be transported here and released into the stunning surroundings following an extensive rehabilitation programme. Before this release they will enter a unique liberation programme, which consists of specific pre-release treatments and protocols, to ensure that they are totally ready to re-enter their natural habitats.
As a volunteer you will play a crucial role in the lives of both the animals and people of the Ecuadorian Amazon. The centre works in partnership with an indigenous community in the jungle, and has established over 1,000 private hectares of pristine Amazon forest in which to release the rescued animals. In return, the project works to demonstrate to members of the community that it is possible to live by sustainable means in the jungle – to protect its animals and rainforest.
The centre hopes to ensure that their sense of pride in their livelihood is maintained, and to help local people to realise that conserving their beautiful surroundings is the most important thing they can do to secure their future and the future of their children. Work opportunities have been created for local indigenous people through education, the teaching of sustainable farming practices, the promotion of indigenous art and culture, and the establishment of eco-friendly tourism – a venture that can only succeed if the rainforest remains in its pristine and natural state and the safety of its animals is ensured.
Duties and activities that you will be involved with include:
The project offers you the unique opportunity to experience indigenous life in the Amazon whilst helping to secure the future of the forest, its people, and its animals. Not only will you have the chance to actively contribute to the rehabilitation and release of animals directly back into the wild, but you will also be able to work alongside and help a local indigenous community.
During your time on the project you will primarily be involved in the day-to-day care of the huge variety of animals at the centre.
The animals at the centre are likely to include a variety of monkey species, ocelots, parrots, macaws, wild pigs, tapirs, guantas and a variety of other South American species. Please bear in mind that numbers of animals at the centre fluctuate over the course of the year depending on demand for rehabilitation, which animals arrive and which have been released. The cleaning and feeding duties need to be done twice a day, which will involve close contact with the animals. You will also be involved with a large amount of physical work around the sanctuary, which may involve the cleaning and repairing of enclosures, as well as the building of new ones, repairing steps to allow access around the jungle, collecting bamboo in the Amazon and the general construction and maintenance of the park.
It is important to keep improving existing facilities to provide a natural environment for the animals and improving the process of rehabilitation so please come with lots of ideas and flexibility. In addition, you may have the unique opportunity to get involved in the supervised release of any animals back into the wild.
Within the community, there are many ways in which you can get involved and help the local people. You can work on the construction of plantations, dig and initiate fisheries for income generation, build local facilities, help with conservation education, etc. Although there is a lot of manual labour involved, it is extremely self-fulfilling to see the first-hand the benefits of your contribution to this crucial part of the rehabilitation and conservation process.
A Typical Day
- 7:30am-8:00am - Breakfast
- 8:00am-10:00am – Cleaning the animals’ cages and preparing and feeding them their food.
- 10:00am-10:30am – Morning break to discuss if there are any problems with any of the animals that have been observed. A chance to have a mid-morning snack, and organise the work teams for the various projects needed to be done throughout the day.
- 10:30am-12:15pm – Work on the wide variety of projects that need to be done (building cages, maintenance, food collection on walks, helping local people etc.)
- 12:15pm-2:30pm - House cleaning and lunch, with enough spare time to relax in a
hammock, go for a walk, or have a quick nap!
- 2:30pm-5:00pm – Continue to work on the morning projects or start new projects for the afternoon. Before finishing work for the day, the nocturnal animals need to be fed.
- 5:00pm onwards – Take it in turns to prepare dinner, shower, and relax for the evening!
Project Orientation
Participants will receive a full orientation from the on-site staff when they arrive at the project.
Accommodation & Meals
Volunteers live in a basic shared house with dormitory-style bedrooms (with 4/5 people per room). The showers are rudimentary but all have hot water, and there is filtered water in the kitchen. The house has a large communal grounds area overlooking the Amazon with views as far as Peru!. The kitchen is fully equipped and there is a fantastic area to build a fire. With no electronic facilities for washing, the local community offer a laundry service, which will cost you a few dollars per bag!
Everyone is expected to pull together and help out with chores and cooking. This makes for a wonderful communal experience. Please be sure to remember that the living conditions on this project are basic.
Project Support
You will have the full support and guidance of the project staff for the duration of your stay.
In addition you will have access to our 24-hour emergency number in the UK.
Free Time
You will have free time every evening, and you will generally have weekends to yourself. This leaves you with plenty of opportunities to explore the surrounding area and see a bit more of this beautiful country. The centre is 35km away from Puyo, the nearest city, which is about an hour’s journey by bus. Buses run to Puyo 8 times a day and are very cheap. Or you may prefer to simply relax at the project, observe the animals in your own time, or enjoy a few dvds!
Getting There
You will need to arrange your international flight to Quito. Puyo is approximately 5 hours from Quito by local bus and this is not included in the programme price.
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