Wildlife volunteering in Bolivia
Description of Wildlife volunteering in Bolivia
Situated next to the stunning town of Coroico in Bolivia, two hours from the country’s capital of La Paz, this project is based in a truly incredible wildlife sanctuary, which cares for illegally trafficked animals that have been rescued from lives of captivity and cruelty. Established in 2003 as an ecotourism project, the sanctuary began taking in monkeys and parrots that had been rescued from traffickers. Today, the sanctuary is dedicated to the conservation of wildlife and flora in the area.
The problem of animal trafficking in South America has worsened in recent years, as exotic and rare animals have a high monetary value when sold into the pet trade overseas. For this reason, many of Bolivia’s native species are under threat from traffickers, and their populations in the wild are slowly declining. This sanctuary aims to reverse this trend, rescuing animals that were otherwise destined for the international pet trade, and that have been snatched from their natural habitat.
Volunteers on this project play a vital role in the care of the animals at the sanctuary, enriching their lives with feeding programmes and husbandry tasks. This also means that the sanctuary’s permanent staff are less occupied with the day-to-day running of the sanctuary itself, leaving them with more free time to rescue other animals in danger of being trafficked.
The overall aim of this project is to have a direct, positive impact on the wildlife species in the region, to prevent other animals from being trafficked, and to create a sustainable eco-tourism venture. The money invested in this project by volunteers and other sources also goes towards local community initiatives, helping to educate indigenous people about the importance of animal conservation and the threats facing their environment due to trafficking.
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The project based at the Bolivia Wildlife Sanctuary aims to significantly reduce the number of wild animals trafficked for the pet trade in the country, by rescuing those subjected to a life in captivity, and by educating local people about the importance of protecting these animals in the wild. Since its conception, the sanctuary has rescued and rehabilitated many animals of countless species, with all possible being released back into the wild. It has also managed to raise a number of baby monkeys through the surrogate parent programme.This work is vastly important because it allows animals that would otherwise have been sold into a life of captivity and misery, another chance to live freely and often back in their natural habitat. It also means that awareness of the value of wildlife species in this area is raised, as more and more tourists visit the sanctuary and learn about its work.
People
The interaction of the project staff and volunteers with the area’s indigenous communities is also vitally important, as it unites the local people with the common goal of conserving the indigenous species, flora and fauna. The sanctuary is well on its way to becoming a vitally important ecotourism destination, which impacts positively and sustainably upon the surrounding environment and communities. This outcome will greatly benefit the area's local people as well as the animals resident at the sanctuary itself.In addition to this, many of the staff members who work in the sanctuary to care for the animals and also to mentor volunteers are employed from the local communities. Bolivia's remote areas are often stricken with severe poverty, and it is this which forces many local people to turn to animal trafficking as a source of income. Carrying out the conservation work at this wildlife centre is essential in displaying the money that can be made by local people through the success of responsible, eco-tourism ventures that have the well-being of the area's wildlife at heart. This will hopefully mean that underprivileged locals do not need to turn to trafficking to make an income anymore; a good result for the community and environment.
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