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Guatemalan Wildlife Preservation Organization

Placement number: 0026
Location: Guatemala
Preferred Languages: A knowlegde of Spanish is preferred but not essential.
Date: Anytime  (September to May for Sea turtle Nesting projects)
Minimum Period: Normal Volunteer 1 week
                          Intern 1 month

This placement is a Guatemalan non-governmental, non-profit organization, legally registered with the Guatemalan government and the IUCN, committed to preserving wildlife and its habitat. It was formed in 1989 by a group of Guatemalan citizens who became concerned as they saw their precious natural heritage, especially their wildlife, rapidly disappearing before their eyes.

The organization was originally created for a very specific purpose: to build a rescue center to care for and rehabilitate wild animals that were being confiscated on the black market by the Guatemalan government.

Since the establishment of the rescue center, the organization has branched out into other very necessary activities including environmental education, information-dissemination, ecotourism development, marine turtle conservation, reforestation and habitat preservation. Projects are undertaken in the Guatemala City area; the Hawaii area of the southern Pacific coast; and the remote, northern department of Peten.

Role of Volunteer

Peten

Our first and most established project is our animal rescue and rehabilitation center situated on 45 hectares of forested land on Lake Peten Itza across from the town of Flores in the northern Peten region of Guatemala, 45 kms from the world famous Mayan archaeological site of Tikal.

Volunteers at the center help in feeding and caring for the animals at the center which include parrots, macaws, spider and howler monkeys, margays, ocelots, coatimundis, taras and kinkajous.

Nearly all of these animals have been seized from smugglers and are very young, needing constant care and attention. There are also opportunities to take part in veterinary medical treatment, animal releases and wildlife surveys, though the scheduling of these activities is irregular and we can't guarantee you will be able to participate.

At the rescue center, volunteers live in a spacious two story wooden building situated in a beautiful tropical forest. Facilities include comfortable wooden bunk beds, "western" shower and toilet facilities and 12V solar electricity. Volunteers eat and socialize at a separate spacious kitchen/dining room rancho and there is a very nice floating dock for late afternoon swims. There is internet service in Flores, 10 minutes away by boat.

Hawaii

Our other volunteer program is at our sea turtle, caiman and mangrove conservation project near the town of Hawaii on the Pacific coast of Guatemala where volunteers assist in conducting nightly patrols of area beaches in search of nesting sea turtles, collection and burial of eggs in the hatchery and collection of research data.

Volunteers can also take part in the caiman captive breeding program, mangrove reforestations, educational activities in area schools and other community projects. The turtle season in Hawaii is from June to December with peak months of August and September for olive ridleys. For the much scarcer leatherbacks, the nesting season is December and January. For volunteers looking for a little more adventure and a more authentic Guatemalan experience, we also offer home-stays with families in more remote fishing villages where volunteers help in the management and data-gathering at community hatcheries and educational activities.

Home-stays cost $6 - $10/per/day. There is internet service in Monterrico, 10 minutes away by bus. Together with the British NGO AMBIOS, we are carrying out very important sea turtle research in the Hawaii area.

Environmental Education

We firmly believe that environmental education holds one of the keys to conserving the wildlife of Guatemala, and in addition to the projects mentioned above we host volunteers who are interested in helping out in our Environmental Education Program, though this requires a higher level of Spanish language ability.

In Peten, Hawaii and Guatemala City, we conduct a range of environmental education activities, including reforestations with school children, beach clean-ups, hatchling releases and ecotours of underprivileged children to Hawaii or Peten. We operate environmental education and interpretation centers which we hope will lead to a greater awareness among Guatemalans and visiting tourists about the need to conserve endangered species and their habitat.

We have recently joined forces with the Municipality of San Lucas to develop the Senderos de Alux Ecological Park in Cerro Alux, a cloud forest reserve in between Guatemala City and Antigua. We will be building an environmental education center and trails, a small petting zoo, a rescue center and a research station.

Volunteers at all of these projects assist in the development of exhibits, painting of signs and the development of bilingual educational materials and have the opportunity to accompany members of the Education Department on their visits to local schools and conducting field trips with local students.

Internships

We also host volunteers who want to conduct internships or practicum's as part of their university studies. These interns generally commit to a longer volunteer period and must be able to speak Spanish fairly well. Past interns have taken on specific projects such as the development of ecotourism activities, public relations strategies, inventories of flora and fauna and sea turtle research.

Cost

Volunteers are therefore expected to be fairly independent and self-sufficient. Volunteers are expected to cover their own travel expenses to the projects as well as to take care of their own personal needs in terms of visas, special diets, medications and communications with loved ones back home.

US$120 per week in Peten for food and lodging.

US$50 per week in Hawaii just lodging.

Travel

Airplane to Guatemala City, then bus to Flores or Monterrico, then boat to the projects.

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