Founded in 2006 in partnership with a local indigenous family that lives in the Amazon rainforest, this centre works with the Ministry of the Environment and the Environmental Police to rescue and rehabilitate wild animals from the jungle that were victims of abuse and animal trafficking. This placement is ideal for people interested in biology, animal rights, conservation, and environmental policy. Remote, but beautiful, the property teems with its talkative residents: parrots, monkeys, turtles, wild cats, and other mammals who call the verdant, lush green surroundings of this idyllic tropical location home.
Beyond routine maintenance, the Center’s overworked staff needs support to achieve its long term goals, including moving the existing infrastructure and animals to a bigger location and most importantly, developing partnerships with local environmental authorities to advocate for protected areas where the animals may ultimately be re-released safely in their natural habitats.
This project site is located 35 km outside of Puyo, the remote capital of Pastaza province that divides the southern and northern regions in the Amazon. Off the dusty road to Arajuno, after jostling past indigenous Amazonian villages, you enter a lush tropical jungle canopy where mist rises off distant mountains, free range monkeys can be spotted, and the chorus of rescued animals and frogs fills the air.
This project is seriously understaffed and always needs assistance with the daily chores: cleaning the cages, feeding and playing with the animals, repairing the animals’ homes, constructing new edifices for incoming animals, and nurturing these traumatized species back to more stable mental health as well.
No specific qualifications are required. A background in veterinary science or biology is very useful, however, and a love of animals is essential as well. Experience working in environmental policy (administrative and legal level) would also be a plus
