Ecuador Animal Rescue

The Amazon rescue centre strives to rescue, rehabilitate and release wild animals native to the Amazon Rainforest of Ecuador. Therefore we work mostly with a wide diversity of small mammals, many different species of monkeys, a wide range of birds and some reptiles and small felines.

The role of the rescue centre is very important towards conservation in the Ecuadorian Amazon, taking on rescued animals and providing them a better quality of life, with the goal of re-introducing them to their natural habitat, giving them a second chance at freedom.

The project offers you the unique opportunity to experience 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.

The animals at the centre are likely to include caimans, charapa turtles, aussie parakeets, parrots, tucan, coatis, kinkajous, tayras, squirrel monkeys, tamarinds, tigrillos, boas and 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 feel free to share your ideas and be prepared to be as flexible as possible. In addition, you may have the unique opportunity to get involved in the supervised release of any animals back into the wild. 

At the centre a number of activities are performed directed towards wildlife conservation in the Amazon. These include:

• the rescue and rehabilitation of wild animals
• reforestation campaigns of native tree species
• maintenance of botanical gardens of Amazonian flora
• environmental education programmes in local schools
• increasing local awareness of conservation issues
• participation in environmental events and promoting ecotourism as an alternative source of income amongst others.

The rescue centre welcomes volunteers to help with the centres’ day-to-day activities, work on existing projects of enclosure enrichment, botanical studies in our forest, or help create new projects like new environmental awareness programmes in the local schools, building new islands as fenceless sanctuaries for the animals to name a few.

Volunteers require no previous experience with animals, though it is a perfect place to practice and learn for budding zoologists, animal carers and vets. Volunteers need to love the natural world, have the motivation to help and to learn, a willingness to get stuck in to projects, and a friendly personality.

Regular duties are the daily cleaning of all the enclosures and exterior areas where the animals live and the preparation / distribution of the food to all the species of animals sheltered at the centre. In particular seasons, volunteers regularly go on walks to collect wild fruits and leaves for the animals to include in their diets.

Activities vary each week a lot depending on the needs of the animals and the centre at the time. All volunteers have to participate in the wide variety of projects planned for the centre, from building bigger and better enclosures for the animals (a continuous all year round task), improving access paths to enclosures and continuous animal observation. 

07:30-08:00    Breakfast with the other volunteers
08:00-08:30    Morning meeting
08:30-12:00    Morning work
12:00-15:00    Lunch - time to rest and relax
15:00-17:00    Afternoon work
17:00-18:30    Dinner
18:30 onwards    Free time to go to Puyo and/or enjoy the surroundings

Please note: itineraries and activities are subject to change