As a volunteer, you will be helping at the Animal Refuge, a refuge for animals that need to recover from poaching or other human actions.
Many of these animals are endangered and really need the help provided at the Refuge in order to return to the wild and perpetuate their species. The Refuge also has many rare and important plant species, many of which have great medicinal, ornamental or nutritional value. Many of these plants are also endangered Panamanian native plants and also plants that have lived for centuries, making this an extremely important area for both local flora and fauna.
The center consists of a botanical garden where these plants are found, a wildlife refuge where animals are helped, and also places that can be visited by families, friends and nature lovers who want to learn about and help the species in the center.
Some of the animals that can be found at the center are jaguars, ocelots, pumas, red foxes, harpy eagles, white-tailed deer, peccaries, raccoons, macaws, white egrets, tapirs, anteaters, black cats, white-faced capuchins. There are four areas in the park where you will be able to volunteer to work as a volunteer.
As a volunteer, there are four areas in which you can contribute directly. The volunteer's involvement in each of these areas will depend on his or her skills and knowledge.
Fauna
This area consists of the direct care of the animals in their multiple needs:
Some of the tasks volunteers can expect to perform are:
Preparing and distributing food to all animals.
Cleaning the animal enclosures
Checking on the animals on a regular basis
Supporting in the veterinary clinic, assisting the professionals working there.
Flora
Activities within this area revolve around caring for the plant life in the park, which is extremely important to the overall functioning of the Refuge.
Some of the tasks volunteers can expect to perform include:
Planting new trees
Identifying pests and helping to eliminate them
Identifying plant species
Watering the park
Sanitary pruning
Transferring species from germinators to bags
Fertilization
Environmental education
The main focus of this area is to raise awareness about nature preservation and reducing risks to local flora and fauna, such as poaching or habitat destruction.
Some of the tasks volunteers can expect to perform are:
Visitor management
Deliver workshops to local communities on recycling and nature conservation.
Delivering educational workshops in local schools and public centers.
Create and teach educational activities for children to learn more about the flora and fauna.
Maintenance
Here are all activities related to maintaining the refuge and its grounds in good condition.
Inorganic maintenance requires volunteers to do things like:
Collecting inorganic waste.
Cleaning concrete poles and ditches
Scrubbing garbage tanks
Organic maintenance requires volunteers to do things like:
Collecting organic waste and disposing of it.
Collecting leaves and putting them at the base of trees.
Cleaning roads and trails
Removing invasive plants