Destinations: Central and South America , Costa Rica
Activities: Field Research / Volunteering
Are you feline catty? If so, we have the purrfect project for you - working in the north of Costa Rica in an animal rescue centre. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to work with magnificent creatures like jaguars, pumas and ocelots. This under-resourced centre was originally set up to deal with the catastrophic effects of poaching and subsequent capture by local authorities. The projects strives to reintroduce the animals into the wild when they have fully recovered. If you are an animal lover, enjoy working outdoors (and with others) then there are plenty of activities to get your teeth into including feeding, cage cleaning, guiding, sign-making, maintenance and helping out with an environmental educational programme. So, if you fancy a brush with some of Costa Rica's greatest assets then this is a project to pounce on!
Day by Day Itinerary
Project details:
Are you feline catty? We have the purrfect project for you – working in the Alajuela province of Costa Rica with a Wildlife rescue centre.
La Marina Rescue centre concentrates on the care of those animals that have no hope of returning to their natural habitat. The animals have been maltreated, staved and put in situations of high stress. At the centre they are given the care and attention to improve their quality of life. They also have a breeding centre that aims to reintroduce the offspring of some of the species they manage back into the wild.
Why volunteer at this project:
The centre is not officially funded and volunteers therefore can make a massive difference by caring for the animals and maintaining/improving the facilities. This placement gives you the opportunity to work along side some of the most amazing animals as well as have a base in one of the most diverse ecosystems in Central America.
What kind of skills you need to go on this project:
You need to love working with animals and be keen to get stuck in and involved! You must be prepared to help with maintenance and do hard manual tasks. Volunteers will need to be able to work in a team and must love working outdoors.
Your role as a volunteer:
There are many tasks you can get involved in including feeding the animals, Cage cleaning
Help guide groups through the project, assist in the environmental education programme, infrastructure maintenance and sign making
You will work 5 or 6 days a week with one day off to be arranged with the project host.
You will be able to be more involved with working with the big cats the more Spanish you have for safety reasons. On a typical 4 week placement you can expect to get involved with the cats after 2 weeks dependant on your Spanish level after this time.
Where the project is based:
La Marina rescue centre is based in the Alajuela province about 4 hours away from San Jose. There are hot springs located in nearby La Fortune and Arenal which will be a good way to relax after a hard days work.
You will need to arrive into San Jose airport (SJO) on the specified arrival date.
Please note: This project has limited capacity and so your place will need to be confirmed with the team in country before you book your flights.
Departure Dates
Departures available year round. Please call for details.Prices
Base Price: £745Cost Per Extra Week: £150
Prices displayed are based on the lowest season base price and assume double occupancy. Prices may or may not include administrative fees, taxes, meals, airfare (where applicable) and Single Supplements. Cancellation penalties, blackout dates and other restrictions may apply.
