Project Partner: Merazonia Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre
InterVol volunteers from Birmingham and Nottingham groups have been placed with Merazonia since 2007. Merazonia is a rescue centre for trafficked and abused Amazonian animals located on 250 acres of rainforest, in Mera, Ecuador. Animals confiscated by the Ministry of Environment and the police are brought to the centre where the resident veterinarian gives them their first check-up in its clinic. Merazonia is one of a very small number of such centres in Ecuador and care for monkeys, kinkajous, cats, parrots and other mammals.
InterVol volunteers help to care for the animals, as well as support the maintenance of the centre. The funding and time we provide allows the centre to develop and grow to meet the need for animal rehabilitation and rescue in the region. There is ongoing work on both rehabilitating and providing release programs for the animals, if animals are too injured or imprinted for release then they are given a chance to live as naturally and comfortably as possible.
Over the past fifteen years InterVol volunteers have worked on and provided grant funding for a range of projects at Merazonia including constructing a range of new rehabilitation enclosures to rehabilitate rescued otters, oncillas and woolly monkeys; as well as funding GPS tracking collars for re-released juaguarundis .
Skills required: Knowledge and experience of conservation work.
Project duration: 4-8 weeks (negotiable).
Partner: Merazonia www.merazonia.org
Number of Volunteers: 4-6.
Read More
- Merazonia Volunteer Specification (read to inform your application).
- For the Ecuador project handbook, click here.
- You can read about Natasha Naidoo’s experience as a Merazonia volunteer in 2014 by clicking here.
- Watch these videos from Merazonia on their approach and life as a volunteer with them:
Feature photo by Stewart MacLean.
InterVol 