Animal Wildlife Rescue in Guayaquil, Ecuador

  Ecuador

• All Other Regions of Ecuador: 
Guayaquil

Durations of Program: 1-2 weeks, 2-4 weeks, 5-8 weeks and 9-12 weeks
Typical Duration of Program: 2-4 weeks
Dates: multiple dates year round

Description: Mad about animals?

If you are then this is the perfect project for you in the perfect country. Given the huge amount of wildlife in Ecuador it's no wonder that a few of them need a helping hand once in a while. This wildlife centre comes to the aid of around 300 wild animals of about 30 different species so its the perfect opportunity to see an array of hopping, bouncing, flying, diving and swinging creatures first hand (if you can get them to sit still long enough.) Duties include feeding, cleaning and of course cuddling as well as getting out and about and assisting with plant identification in the tropical forests and mangroves.

*Project details:
This Wildlife Rescue Centre was founded over 20 years ago and is the first of its kind in Ecuador. The centre rehabilitates and provides care for around 300 wild animals of about 30 different species. In addition, there are 3 captive breeding programmes in operation all involving endangered species: the American crocodile, the spider monkey and the Guayaquil green macaw. All the animals at the centre are either donated by the public or rescued from the illegal pet trade. The centre also farms shrimp, tilapia, banana and cocoa with an emphasis on aquaculture.

*Why the project needs volunteers:
A lack of financial resources and commitment from long-term government funded programmes makes it necessary for the centre to look to volunteers to assist them in all that needs to be done at the centre. The expertise, human resource, and economic backing provided by international conservation agencies and by smaller private groups such as i-to-i is essential to the survival of the small non-profit wildlife rescue centre.

Find out more about i-to-i, watch their short video here: http://video.i-to-i.com/site-videos/video.html

Highlights:
* Working with a wide range of animals in the widlife centre
* Enjoying Guayaquil's famous nightlife
* Exploring the cities numerous parks - including one with tame iguanas!

Qualifications: What kind of skills you need to go on this type of project:
The most important requirement for this project is a strong love of all animals, enthusiasm, and flexibility, as well as the readiness to be involved with some of the more basic duties that will be required. Be ready to roll up your sleeves, get dirty and work hard! There are horses on site and you may be able to take horse rides out into the surrounding areas.

Your role as a volunteer:
Duties may include feeding the animals twice daily, cleaning and repairing all animal enclosures, building new enclosures, assisting in wildlife health care, maintaining animal behaviour database and bird sighting database, and assisting a botanist with identifying plants in the mangrove and tropical forest. You are encouraged to learn as much Spanish as possible before you go - knowledge of beginner Spanish will be key to communicating with the project staff.

Cost in US$: USD 1295.00 for 2 weeks, USD 330.00 for every week thereafter

Experience Required: no

Typical Volunteer: If you are interested in immersing yourself in another culture while giving your time to a worthy cause, then you are a typical i-to-i volunteer. We invite you to join the i-to-i community of dedicated volunteers aged 18-80 who are working on community development, building, teaching, and conservation projects across the globe. Together, we make a lasting impact that changes lives and helps preserve the planet through hundreds of worthwhile projects around the world.

Age Range: 18-80

This Program is open to Worldwide Participants. This Program is also open to Families, Couples and Individuals

Participants Travel to Ecuador Independently or in Groups

Typically Participants Work Independently or in Groups

Post-Program Services Include:

• Alumni Network

i-to-i Meaningful Travel's Mission Statement: i-to-i is an award-winning organization providing unique opportunities for you to travel, work and live abroad. Thousands of travelers aged 18 to 80 have joined our volunteer vacations and over 50,000 have learned to Teach English as a Foreign Language through our tailor-made TEFL courses. With over 400 projects on 4 continents, you can join the worldwide i-to-i volunteer community on an extended adventure in areas such as teaching, community development, sports coaching, conservation, building or internships in tourism, marketing, journalism, or health.

Year Founded: 1994