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Hola a todos!
I´m now on the homestretch of my Latin American adventure and reflecting on a series of amazing experiences. In retrospect, I must say that the last month has been one of the most unique and outstanding I have ever spent.
I finally pulled myself out of the big city and made it to my intended destination of Villa Tunari, a small village in the Bolivian tropical rainforest and home to the animal refuge known as Inti Wara Yassi. Here in the Parque Machia situated in the thick Amazonian jungle I spent an incredible 30 days that is hard to put into words.
First, a little background on the refuge: Inti Wara Yassi is a non-profit organization founded by two kind-hearted Bolivians concerned about the welfare of wild animals in the country´s diverse habitats. It is a 30 hectare sanctuary in the jungle that is home to many animals wild and captive, and a place where great things happen. Almost all the animals that arrive at the park are rescued from previously hazardous or inappropriate situations, and given the chance at a normal life. In Bolivia there is sadly little regard for the
well-being of the country´s wildlife, and as a result many are killed or exploited in terrible ways. Many of the animals that arrive in the park have been rescued from zoos, circuses, hotels, unfit and abusive owners and places where exotic animals simply do not belong. When possible, they are rehabilitated and released into the wild, and others who are unable due to traumatic histories are at least given peace and refuge for the rest of their days. The park is run and funded entirely by international volunteers whose accommodation fees pays for the animals´ food, medicine and supplies. Volunteers stay for a minimum of 2 weeks and often much longer as they fall in love with the project and animals with which they work. Currently Parque Machia is home to about 300 monkeys (squirrel, spider, capuchin and nocturnal), many birds (parrots, macaws, toucans, hawks) small animals (turtles, tejons, tayras, snakes) as well as big cats (ocelots and pumas)and one spectacled bear. Injured and rescued animals continue to arrive weekly.
Before I arrived a travel friend had reccommended that I work with a puma named Roy who was a running machine and reputably the strongest in the park.
Quirqui, the 15-year old grandpa Puma relaxes in his retirement home
Quirqui sadly spent most of his life in the confines of a small cage at the Oruro zoo. He was kept outside during the cold winters, which did damage to his muscles and bones, and was often peed on by a lion in a neighboring cage. Inti wara yassi intervened, and with the help of the mayor of Oruro were able to free Quirqui and allow him to live comfortably in the open space of the parque Machia. Though he is very arthritic due to his hard past, he walks a little bit and enjoys the freedom of his own space and the love and regular visits by volunteers. He is much happier these days... As such they needed fit volunteers who could keep up with him during the long days. I voiced my request upon arrival and luckily they told me that a position had just opened up with that particular cat. This, I learned, was because one volunteer had just twisted his knee the day before and another had broken his ankle on the trail a week earlier. Roy, nicknamed "the machine", apparently had a long-standing reputation for breaking his volunteers. Hearing this, I wondered what I was getting myself into.
At any rate, I got a crash course training and immediately began working with Roy alongside another French volunteer. Aside from cleaning his cage in the morning the work essentially consisted of walking and running Roy´s jungle trails for about 6 hours a day, everyday, for 30 consecutive days. Though fun and exciting, it´s difficult to describe just how challenging this work really is. Roy is 5 years old, very active and 150 lbs. of pure running muscle. He has three trails of various lengths, and they are all quite technical and demanding as they meander for miles over steep jungle terrain, climbing and descending treacherous muddy slopes, gnarled tree
roots, rock cliffs, climbing cascading streams and jumping/ducking massive fallen trees. Whereas other pumas walk less challenging terrain and take frequent breaks to nap or smell the flowers, Roy almost never stops. Rather, he maintains the same cadence regardless of trail difficulty, often running descents and challenging you to keep up all day long. His rope leash is about 15 feet long, and very contrary to intuition, the other end is tied around my waist. This is so that when he gets truckin´ he cannot escape altogether, but it also means that I have to stay on my toes all day or I might get dragged downhill on my face (which has happened on several occasions). On flatter sections I actually encourage him to run, and sprint behind at full speed, feeling as though I´m going to take flight on the end of the rope - it´s an amazing rush. I eventually adapted to the crazy trails and the speed of our walks, covering an average of 15 miles of jungle terrain per day. This daily challenge is compounded by 85-90 degree heat and 100% humidity, and I often sweated so intensely that I finished each day feeling as though
my buddy Roy, the 5 year-old, 150 pound jungle puma
Roy´s mother was killed by hunters when he was a tiny cub and he was sold with his brother on the black market. He ended up at Inti Wara Yassi at about 2 months of age and has since spent 5 happy years in the park. I´d been swimming in my clothes. Add to that occasional torrential downpours, soggy boots, mosquitoes, sandflies, venemous snakes, spiders, scorpions, millipedes and giant poisonous ants and you have a recipe for exciting workdays. That being said, you do get used to it all and learn to love the work.
One thing that took a bit more getting used to, however, was Roy´s "jumps". All the pumas jump volunteers somewhat regularly, whether as a playful pounce or as a more aggressive attack to display their discontent. Roy has a couple predictable "jump spots" on the trail where he frequently protests, and his preferred method is lunging at you, wrapping his front paws around your calf and biting down hard just above the knees. Though he is not trying to seriously injure you he is frighteningly strong and will chew on your quadricep with near bone-crushing strength while holding you tight. For this reason we walk with two volunteers, as it often takes a second person to help pull him off by the leash while you try to pry his thumb claws from behind your leg. I was pretty frightened during my first couple jumps as I realized just how
much stronger he is than I (and the fact that it is very unnatural to have your leg locked in the jaws of an angry beast). Ultimately I learned to better prevent and control the jumps, though it was still an adrenaline-pumping experience every time. I will likely be bringing home a couple souvenir scars from the encounters. Despite his little hissy fits, Roy and I developed a wonderful relationship and he would often give me the head nuzzle and purr with no hard feelings at the end of the day.
On a much lighter note, I also undertook a night time babysitting position with a newer arrival to the park. Once every few nights I stayed with Luna, a 6 week-old baby puma cub who had arrived with her tiny sister after their mother was killed by hunters. Sadly, her sister died after only 2 weeks and Luna is still fragile. At night I would bottle feed her milk and sleep with her in bed. Still skinny and weak, she would often cuddle up under my armpit or neck to get warm at night and was a great snuggler. She still weighs less than 2 pounds and
occasionally battles illnesses, but seems to be improving and gaining weight and strength. I have felt the paternal instincts kick in, waking up in the middle of the night to check on her and feeling immense joy just in holding her close. I´ve also watched her learn to jump and climb, and take great pride in her accomplishments. It has been incredible, and is truly difficult to let her go, though I have high hopes that she´ll grow into a big and healthy cat.
All in all, this has been the most difficult 9 to 5 that I´ve ever worked. I finished each day battered, bruised and utterly exhausted, but with a huge smile on my face. The animals have left their mark on me, as have the many wonderful volunteers who pour their heart into the work in order to keep the park operating and the animals safe and happy. I highly reccommend it to anyone planning a South American trip and will consider another visit of my own in the future (check out www.intiwarayassi.org).
Thanks for following and look for me in the near future. I´ve got a brief photo excursion in the southern salt
flats of Uyuni and then a couple days in La Paz. In only a week I´ll be flying back to Denver on the 13th and I quite look forward to seeing some of you there. To the rest, be well, and be in touch.
Andrew
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Christopher
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Great Pictures!
You're doing amazing things Andrew! The girls are counting the days for your return.