Amazing Ecoparks in Costa Rica!

         

        Did you know there are six species of toucans? Have you walked in a rain forest with the chatter of wild animals around you? I did that within the safety of a Costa Rican EcoPark. Volunteer tour guides walked us around the park of rescue animals. The facility mimics their natural habitats and cares for them. The national government must grant permission to release them into the rainforest. Some of the wild animals never get approval to exit due to permanent injuries or socialization. They will live their lives in this preserve being fed and cared for.

Humans are to blame for many injuries of these lifetime residents of the EcoPark. Wild animals have been mistreated in local homes or chained up outside. For example, an ocelot hides in a treetop wooden box in the EcoPark by day and only comes out at night at the EcoPark. He is fed and cared for by employees from a distance. The ocelot was found injured in the rain forest. He was left there in a box with a bowl of water and a hamburger. The ocelot will never be released into the wild because he doesn’t have the necessary survival skills. The EcoPark has a 24-hour phone for animal emergencies and will pick them up for care at the refuge.

Many of the park residents were mistreated as house pets. There are monkeys that were fed only beer and hot dogs. One of the monkeys was so malnourished that he lost his fur and his skin turned brown and black permanently. Some pet monkeys were released into the jungle and almost starved. Some pet boa constrictors grew too big in family homes and were returned to the jungle permanently injured. The tour message is those wild animals need to be left undisturbed in their natural habitats. 

It can be dangerous inside the EcoPark too. A large wild duck is allowed to wander around the refuge and it pecked my husband’s foot until it bled. We saw a huge crocodile behind a fence with his mouth wide open. It looked like he was trying to catch food, but it was his way to cool down. The guide warned us that crocodiles are very dangerous and snap their mouths quickly when they eat small birds, frogs, and fish. Sloths are long-armed furry creatures that lie on tall, tree branches and sleep all day or night. They only come down from the tree to poop. Then they rub their bottoms in the dirt to dig a hole to bury it. Flies and bugs burrow into their bottom fur, so they scratch themselves for hours on the tree bark. Monkeys and other animals poop from the treetops, so look out below!. 

There are a variety of snakes in glass aquariums that are native to this country. The guide gave us snake tips. Snakes only bite if they are attacked. Don’t try to suck snake bites because the venom can kill you. Go to a hospital immediately. Don’t put a tourniquet around your snakebite because it can stop your circulation and you could lose a limb. Some snake bites don’t even hurt, but you need to go to a doctor anyway. There are two different kinds of venom. One venom is for snake bites that hurt and the other is for painless bites. You can walk into any hospital in Costa Rica and they will know which venom to give you. Now I will view animals in the wild with new respect. They fit into the ecosystem in a planned way, but humans often disrupt them. Always be kind and careful with wild animals. We need to respect nature and its natural pattern. As they say in Costa Rica, “Respetar a los animales!”