Wildlife Rehabilitation in Guatemala with Jennie of the Jungle

Last August I took a group of dedicated wildlife lovers to work with ARCAS Rescue Center in Flores, Guatemala, and what an adventure it was!

The JOJ Guatemala crew


ARCAS is a sanctuary and rehabilitation center where orphaned and injured wildlife is taken in and nursed back to health or cared for until it is suitable for release back into the wild.

Three of our JOJ members were new to traveling abroad, and new to working with animals, and so I had the immense pleasure of watching their eyes light up as they had the chance to connect with the rescue animals at the sanctuary.

Cary and the macaws


Macaws, parrots, toucans, peccaries, monkeys, and deer were just a few of the animals we had the opportunity to work with. We spent our days making diets for the animals, feeding them a mixture of fruits, veggies, and forest berries and leaves. We got to hang out with them as we cleaned their enclosures, and there is nothing that brings a smile to your face quite like being in the presence of adorable jungle animals.

Devin and the parrots


Some of the animals aren’t able to be released back into the wild due to injury or other reasons, and it was hard keeping those little guys off of us! They just wanted to explore and help out with the cleaning.

Pesky parrots


Both naughty and adorable


My best friend at the sanctuary was a friendly curassow whom I spent most mornings with, followed closely by a cute paca pair who loved bananas!

Curassow selfie



Another curassow selfie



And a third...


The pacas!

When we weren’t at the sanctuary, we boated into the nearby town of Flores, the almost-island surrounded by Lake Peten. We all fell in love with this town and its quaint riverside hostels and restaurants. Tuk-tuks escorted us around the island and kayaks transported us around the lake. The sunsets were unparalleled, and the cocktails were pretty good too!

Lake cocktail


Boating in Lake Peten

More boating!


And more cocktails!


Friends in Flores


Part of the volunteer trip included a trip to the Mayan ruins of Tikal, famous for their size and beauty. Watching sunrise from Tower IV was a spectacular experience. We even caught sight of the second rarest falcon in the world, the orange-breasted falcon, preening in the morning mist. And howler monkeys accompanied us as we watched the forest awaken from our perches at the top of the world.

On tower IV

Misty monkey

Misty ruins


JOJ co-leader Aron made a short video experience of our time at ARCAS, with plenty of cuteness included!



If you’re interested in tropical wildlife rehabilitation, check out my upcoming trips at www.jennieofthejungle.com.

Thanks, ARCAS Guatemala for a wonderful experience!

The friendly deer!

This curassow loves the camera

My favorite sight to see - a giant smile!

Peccaries

Resident spider monkey

Curious paca


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