Date: 23 feb - 05 march
La Senda Verde is an animal rescue center located in the amazon basin in Bolivia. LSV house over 350 animals - monkeys (Spider, Squirrel, Capuchin and Howler), dogs, bears, loads of birds, wild cats, a caveman, a snake, two tyras, a bunch of turtles.. - all rescued from animal trafficking or been mistreated.
For example some of the monkeys have been kept as pets in Bolivian families, and when the monkey misbehave, the only way the family knows how to calm it is by beating it half dead. Another is the poor birds whom got there wings cut so they cant fly away and escape, or the caveman who they found living in a aquarium outside a restaurant, as an attraction.
At LSV the animals get another chance of happiness.
We volunteered at La Senda Verde for ten days, where we worked at four different stations, three days at each station.
B I R D S
When working at the birds station, our tasks were preparing food by cutting fruits and vegetables and make a bird cake, feeding the birds twice a day and cleaning their cages. And of course - bird enrichment! How can the birds at LSV get a better and happier life? We made swings, gave them new sticks and leafs, and hid the food inside leafs or around the cage so they had to look for it.
Sam the Tucan got a shower on hot days, and he liked it when you threw the food for him to catch (he was best at catching the red food).
It was a lot of fun working with the birds, they were so chatty! These eight amazon birds lived together in one cage, and if we would be laughing of something, they would all copy and laugh as well. Or there was this amazon bird who used to live in an animal clinic. It knows all different kinds of sounds, a screaming cat, a dying dog, a telephone and alarm clock are only some examples.
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| Tash preparing bird food |
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| The crazy duck who always was hungry. |
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| Sam the tucan |
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| Camillas food game for Sam |
M I S C E L L A N E O U S
At misc. you work with a mix of animals - wild cats, two bears, five loco dogs and 50-60 turtles and tortoise.
The dogs - the tasks consist of running around the whole center looking for the dogs and then feeding them, and on a warm day give them a lovely shower - which of course they hate. haha.
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| Cafe hanging out with a monkey |
The cats - assist the vet in feeding them.
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| Beautiful cat |
The bears - Volunteers are not allowed in the cage, so the vet went in the cage, cleaned and put the food on the table. In the mean time to distract the bear one volunteer was tricking the bear with peanuts while the other was guarding the door. If the bear was turning around and walking against the cage - we had to call out that the bear was coming.
LSV have to bears, Tipnis which is the young, small bear, and Aruma which is bigger, around 150kg.
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| Tipnis |
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| Tricking Tipnis with peanuts |
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| Aruma |
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| One happy, hungry bear |
Turtles and tortoise - This station is quite similar to the birds. The task consist of preparing food, cutting fruits and vegetables and making a turtle jelly. And then feeding time! We gave them their food on a plate in the cage, and after that we had to carry all the lovely turtles and tortoise to the plate so they all got a fair chance of eating. And in the end you have to count them all, so no one go missing.
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| Collecting tortoises |
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| Cuddling time between the tasks |
Q U A R A N T I N E
My favorite area. New animals are quarantined before they enter their designated areas. There is a mix of animals in quarantine, there are monkeys, turtles and tortoise, birds, two tyros (whom I refused to feed, crazy animals) and one pidgin. We´re not sure what the pidgin is saved from..
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| crazy tyrons |
These animals are often afraid and not very glad for people. So in this area you spend a lot of time getting to know the animals, and let them get to know you and trust you. Specially with the monkeys, they need extra time to trust you.
Monkeylove
When I we´re in quarantine there were six different monkeys. Martina who doesn´t trust or like anybody, so we were told to leave her alone.
Tupac who likes jumping on your head and shoulder, and walks to the river.
Loki likes it if you sit down next to the tree and he will come over to you and lay on you leg (the fatter the better).
Pepe the crazy one who loves to play, sometimes a bit to rough. James (a volunteer) was his favorite, I stayed far away.
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| Pepe in action |
Abu was one of the new monkeys, and it took extra time to earn her trust. But after a couple of days Abu would jump on our heads and hang around.
Abi was the other new monkey, and more scared than Abu. It took a long time to earn his trust. But after a couple of days Abi would hold our hand, and slowly sit on them and cuddle. If you ever left him he would cry out loud.
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| Getting to know Abi |
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| A sad Abi, we had to leave him and go for lunch |
M O N K E Y S
Monkeyland! Every volunteers favourite station. There are over 90 monkeys, and four different types - Spider, Squirrel, Capuchin and Howler monkeys. In monkeyland the task consists of feeding the monkeys, play with them and get to know them (and of course also here there is some cleaning involved).
Some of the monkeys are very kind and like to share their food when you´re feeding them. They´ll sit on you lap, force your mouth open with their small hands, and put whatever they got in your mouth! jummy! and hey - you cant say no, the monkey might get angry and bit you. smile and accept! (and spit it out when the monkey looks another way)
(til Mor Bjerga - no worries. eg fik ingen mat og apekatt basselusker inn i min moon. ennå frisk og fin)
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| hard working volunteers |
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| Playful capuchins |
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| cute howlermonkey |
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