Peru - Taricaya Reserve, Amazon Rainforest (2-14 March)
Project Overview:
Taricaya is an animal and nature sanctuary, focused on rehabilitation and release of wild animals endemic to the Peruvian Amazon. They have been running for over 20 years – starting small and growing organically into one of the most reputable centres in the region.
They have a wide array of different animals that have been rescued and are in their care. During our two weeks of volunteering there we came into contact with jaguar, tapir, toucans, tortoises, spider monkeys, bears, tarantulas, frogs, giant otters, howler monkeys, capuchins and many other incredible animals.
There is a very tight-knit group of staff that run the reserve – managed by Rachel who has been there since the beginning and spent more than 20 years in Taricaya (Sia and Anaya interviewed Rachel for their podcast series).
Key Insights:
Living within the Amazon Rainforest is a rare privilege – and has been a dream of mine since I was very young. To have the sights and sounds of the jungle surrounding us at all times was surreal. At the same time, living on the reserve is very tough – it is hot, humid, wet (nothing ever dries!) and isolated. We were over an hour by small boat away from the nearest town. The work can be demanding. Finding the balance between appreciating the uniqueness of our environment, whilst also acknowledging and creating space for how far out of our comfort zone each of us were being pushed was important. I think we got it right more than not, and we had to be open and honest with each other to help each other through it. So proud of my family for the way we embraced it all.
In spite of the tough conditions, Taricaya is one of the best organised and run sanctuaries we have worked in. The animal kitchen is clean and so systematically organised that it helps everyone work so harmoniously together. It would be so easy (and understandable) for standards to slip – and I think it is because the leaders and managers role model behaviours that uphold high quality that it becomes the norm for everyone else.
We’ve definitely learned a lot from our various projects about resourcefulness – and the team at Taricaya highlighted a slightly different angle. They would take great pleasure in taking things that were “broken” or ready to be discarded and find a way to repair and reuse. Rachel talks a bit about this in the interview with Sia and Anaya – that it is a cultural trait from the founders and leaders and something they actively encourage.
What our day looked like
Our daily schedule would be put up in the dining hall the night before. Typically our morning shift would start by 8am (occasionally much earlier), and finish by 11:30. After a break for lunch and to escape the midday heat, our afternoon shift would be between 2:30-5:30pm.
We were very hands on with whatever activity we were assigned. Our activities included:
Bringing produce in from local farmers (taking a small boat down the Amazon river to their farms, and helping to bring in fruit).
Creating enrichment activities for some animals.
Biodiversity monitoring (using pitfall, camera and butterfly traps).
Animal feeding and cleaning.
Helping maintain walkways and building shelter for animal enclosures.
Measuring and weighing nearly 1,000 tortoises that were being prepared for release.
Who we met
Rachel - Really inspiring figure, been devoted to this project for so long and is still full of enthusiasm and joy for the work she does. Keeps everything running smoothly, and maintains high standards. She was so informative and really helped Sia and Anaya engage with the activities.
Mauricio - one of the best guides we have had, Mauricio seems to have many different research projects and contributions that he is working on simultaneously. He is an all-action guide (he dived onto a snake), and supremely knowledgable about so much of the life in the Amazon - in particular the ironwood trees and frogs. We won’t forget the night-walk, where Div and I were wading around in a shallow pool with a Caymen inside!
