Hi, I'm Jennie. World-traveler, photographer, dancer, model, artist, biologist, and founder of JennieoftheJungle.com. This blog is all about my stories, my experiences, and how I can help you. I hope to provide helpful and fun information for people traveling on a budget, especially to tropical destinations, and offer information to other conservation-minded people who are interested in saving wildlife and its habitat.
Feedback and questions are always welcome. Thanks for reading!
Wildlife Rehabilitation in Guatemala with Jennie of the Jungle
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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!
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