Last year, my cousin and his son Xander volunteered at the Costa Rica Wildlife Rescue Center, right outside of San Jose. I have always wanted to work with animals and thought it would be a nice volunteering opportunity for my daughter Naomi prior to her bar mitzvah.

We arrived late on Wednesday, July 10, and Xander was here—this year old enough to travel alone—to greet us. The center has four groups of animals informally called: 1) Birds, 2) Hoaves, Scales & Tails, 3) Nocturnals, and 4) Fluffballs.

One pays $50 per night per person for room and all meals (and they do a great job catering to different dietary restrictions). Breakfast is served sharp at 7:30 a.m. followed by a team meeting at 8 a.m.. After that, we were assigned an animal group to prepare their morning food. We feed the animals and clean their enclosures. Lunch is served at noon, followed by an afternoon meeting and preparation of food/feeding animals. The nocturnes get fed at 4.30 p.m. All volunteers are served dinner at 6 p.m. In between feeding the animals, all the volunteers have free time. The place is rustic but clean, and we were lucky to get our own room, whereas most volunteers stay in dorms. There is also a pool to enjoy when it isn’t raining.

• Getting to cuddle with raccoons and coatis. Did you know that raccoons are super clean animals? They usually live by streams and wash their hands continuously throughout the day and always before eating. They also wash their food. They are curious, smart, cuddly, and mischievous.

• Seeing a sloth poop (they only do this once a week, so a rare thing to see). It looked very happy! 

• Getting to know the friendly peccary named Queso. Unlike the other peccaries at the rescue center, he is not aggressive, loves to be cuddled, and enjoys his daily walks.

• Dietary lecture by a veterinarian from a larger zoo. Did you know that the size of the food and how it is cut is super important for wildlife held in captivity? 

Next on our trip, we will head to La Fortuna for some more adventures (hiking, volcano, hot springs, and river rafting).

- Katarina & Naomi.