Location: Guatemala

Duration: Minimum 3 months commitment.

Cost: $50 USD initial reservation fee + $125 USD per week. Includes airport pickup,  in country orientation, accommodation. You should budget around $5 a day for food.

Travel: You will be met at the necessary local airport after transfering from Guatemala City International airport, where you will be met and taken to the Project HQ. Full instructions and assistance will be provided.

Work: Shadowing local Veterinary staff as they work to rehabilitate wild animals at the centre, whilst also helping out in the many other activities going on.

Introduction

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. 

As a student of veterinary medicine, it is important to remember that your stay at the Rescue Center will involve more than just veterinary work. You will be expected to perform the same types of chores as everyone else,  including house cleaning, cleaning cages, manual labor and washing dishes, all listed below.

The majority of the animals received at the Rescue Center are in poor condition having been confiscated from illegal traffickers who cram them into small boxes without food or water, and who sometimes drug them.  As a result, much of the veterinary work we carry out involves emergency and trauma medicine at our quarantine clinic.  Before coming to the Rescue Center, it is important to familiarize yourself with techniques of avian trauma and pediatric medicine. It will also help if you understand concepts of avian and wildlife nutrition. While the majority of the cases are birds (psittacines), there are also reptiles and mammals.
 
Please note that although we do perform medical procedures on the animals, opportunities to take part in such procedures waxes and wanes with the number of animals we receive and their conditions, and we cannot guarantee beforehand that you will be able to participate in such procedures.  Generally, our most active period is during the months May-July. However, even during the slow times it is still possible to have a meaningful veterinary learning experience at the Rescue Center by focusing on practical physicals, cage design, enrichment options, project design or becoming involved with outside community programs. Remember, it’s up to you to create your experience.

Daily Life

You will also 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.

A typical day at the Rescue Center might consist of the following.

TIME                                       DUTY
7:00                            Get up, feed the animals, clean cages
8:30                            Breakfast
9:30-11:00                Chores around the center
11:00                          Pick up food bowls, clean cages
12:00-14:30              Lunch & siesta
15:00-16:00              Feed the animals, clean cages
16:00-18:00              Individual projects, swimming, hiking, construction...
18:00-21:00              Dinner & socializing
21:00                          Bedtime

Much of the work that takes place at the Rescue Center is in the Quarantine Clinic and cages, where recently-received animals need immediate attention and special diets and medicines.  Parrot chicks must be fed with syringes by hand.  Baby monkeys still in shock and depressed by their separation from their mother must be cuddled and fed by hand. 

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.

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.

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.

Requirements 

Internships are arranged on an individual basis.  Candidates should initially send us a short essay explaining their personal motivation for participating in the program, their work plan and a CV (curriculum vitae).  Minimum stay for internships is three months and applicants should be able to speak at least some Spanish.

* No minimum or maximum age
* Minimum 3 months commitment
* Full travel & medical insurance
* Necessary Vaccinations
* Necessary flights & visas 

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.

Send us an email enquiry to find out more, or click the 'Join this Project' button below if you are ready to get involved.