Help to save animals in Ecuador's lakes region.

  Ecuador

• All Other Regions of Ecuador: 
Ibarra

Durations of Program: 1-2 weeks, 2-4 weeks, 5-8 weeks and 9-12 weeks
Typical Duration of Program: 2-4 weeks
Dates: Arrival in Quito every Sunday and Program starts every Monday

Description: Animals are being exploited and are dying. Be part of the solution to save them. Work with this Animal Rescue center and experience first hand he thrills of being close to spider monkeys, Galapgos turtles, lions and so many more! This is a experience of a liftime that cant be missed!

The center for wild life animal protection is a place entirely dedicated to provide shelter for all rescued animals, victims from illegal trade in the northern region of Ecuador. School and high school students permanently attend seminars related to environmental issues so they can take the lead in getting involved in ecological activities and eventually decrease the demand for wild species as house pets. The center works to enforce local government laws that protect these animals by making sure that bans are applied to any illegal trade. At the rescue center you will find mammals like: oncillas, lions, cusumbos, cuchuchos, soches, sloths, spider mokeys, barizos, macines, chorongos, chichicos; as well as birds like: macaws, peafowl, parrots, and chirlicres; reptiles like: boas, Galapagos turtles and more.

Due to the lack of economic support from the government and national entities, the rescue center has opened for the public. This has helped financially to keep the sanctuary running and has improved the services given to the animals.

Volunteers will be working at the center helping with the maintenance of the animal enclosures, where the most important thing about the day is taking care of the food animals receive and cleaning their cages. Projects are regularly varied, but they normally involve a lot of physical work, maintenance and building of new enclosures.

Highlights: Volunteer Role: The most important tasks are the feeding and cleaning of the animals, which takes up the majority of the time. The center is constantly looking for ways to improve, extend and enrich the existing cages and enclosures in order to provide the best possible environment, in which the animals can reinforce and nurture their natural instincts. For this reason, the center puts a great emphasis on improving their living conditions all the time. The work and the projects always vary, but it generally includes hard physical labor, such as the construction and maintenance of enclosures, and the improvement of the animals' environment in which they currently live. The center organizes guided school visits and educational talks to help to educate the local community, especially the children and to help stop animal trafficking.

Location: The center is located at about 15 minutes from the city bus terminal, in Ibarra. It is at 2300 m high above sea level. The climate is warm and often dry, with an average temperature of 18 degree C during day and 11 degree C at night. The center is located inside of a protected forest area.

Accommodations and Meals: (Volunteers will be staying at a volunteer residence. The residence has comfortable private rooms with: hot water, private bathrooms and Cable TV. The residence can accommodate up to 5 volunteers. The residence is a house thats owned by people very concerned about the maltreatment of animals and are regularly involved in the centre. The owners are known for giving people from around the world the chance to work on the conservation of the planet. The care and cleaning of the rooms is responsibility of the volunteers. Each volunteer will be responsible to keep his room clean. Breakfast, lunch and dinner will be served at the volunteer residence.

In your free time you can enjoy the following activities:

* Enjoy living in Ibarra! This is the capital of the province Imbabura. A colonial town with cobbled streets, located 115 Km north of Quito, at 2210m. Many tourists prefer this city for its pleasant weather and peaceful environment. The city has two plazas that are very well preserved: Parque Pedro Moncayo and the Parque Victor Manuel Peñaherrera (Flores and Olmedo), better known as Parque de la Merced. This clean, freshly painted colonial city is also known as the white city. Eat the delicious paila ice creams (whipped natural fruit) while walking around this city.

* You will only be 25 minutes away from Otavalo. This is the most famous Indian market in Ecuador, well known for its assortment of textiles and other crafts. Saturday is the main market day with an animal market also taking part in the outskirts of town. At the center of town, all streets are jammed with booths selling souvenirs to tourists.

* Visit Cotacachi Village: its narrow streets are full of stores that sell a great variety of leather goods.

* Visit the Cuicocha Lake: an impressive landscape of deep blue waters surrounded by hills. Take a hike around the lake. If you are lucky, you just might see a condor.

* You will only be 10 minutes away from San Antonio de Ibarra. This is a small village where everyone is in the business of carving wooden items. These items are sold in small shops around the village. You will find fantastic wood items!

* Go for a trip to San Pablo Lake. This is the largest lake in the province. Indigenous people fish early in the morning in their straw canoes, and also bathe and wash their clothes in this lake during the day. Inns, farms and restaurants where you can spend a weekend or just a day full of entertainment surround the lake. You can also take a boat ride around the lake or enjoy other water sports.

* You will be only 2.5 hours away from Quito. This beautiful city will take you back through 500 years of history, cultural sites and places you will never forget. Quito has colonial churches, structures and historical sites more than hundred years old such as La Iglesia de San Francisco, La Plaza de la Independencia, the mighty Basilica and more.

Cost in US$: From 335 dollars/ week and up

Experience Required: no

This Program is open to Worldwide Participants.

Application Process Involves:

• Online Application plus Application Assessment
• Other
• Written Application

Post-Program Services Include:

• Exit Debriefing Abroad
• Alumni Network
• Job and Internship Network

Year Founded: 2004