Selva Viva - Volunteers and graduates Welcome to the information site for volunteers and graduates. The aim of the site is to give you an impression of life in the Ecuadorian jungle, to provide information about participating in one of the Selva Viva projects and to give some tips to help all travellers to prepare for their trip to Ecuador. You must call ahead if you want to take part in one of the projects. All of the Important bookings are co-ordinated by Simi Rutihauser • •

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You should make your plans approx. 6 months ahead, because it is very difficult to take requests at short notice. To run amaZOOnico we need 7-8 volunteers, but it is more comfortable if there are about 10 volunteers. This gives the volunteers time to work on other things as well as taking care of the animals and guiding tourists. Research work is important for the whole Selva Viva project and there are always many research opportunities here. It would be if ideal we had graduate students, as well as people with their Masters or Phd’s, in addition to the volunteers.

Simone Rutishauser: [email protected] Volunteers and graduates - work The animal rescue-centre amaZOOnico It offers a new home to wild animals that have been confiscated from the illegal trade or are no more ‘useful’ as pets. At the moment we have approx. 500 animals, 40 of which are monkeys. A third of the animals can be released into the wilderness, another third are tame and walk freely around the reserve, and the final third die. Volunteers typically take part in feeding the animals, observing of animals, hand-raising the young, and guiding tours through the centre. The tours are held in Spanish, English, French and German. No worries, once you master the basic vocabulary it is not very difficult. New volunteers receive the tour written in German, English, French and Spanish and may go along with the old volunteers to get an impression the tour. Guiding a tour is often a good opportunity to get in touch with new interesting people. The food for the animals is bought from local people and volunteers are responsible for bringing all the different fruits to the bodega (the room where the food is prepared). This can involve carrying whole bushels of bananas, big boxes of papaya, and other items that are relatively heavy. The forest protection project Selva Viva It is possible to accompany the rangers on tours, during both the day and the night, and to help with the opening of the frontier-lines as well (This sometimes involves working with a compass, bush-knives, and paint to mark the trees) The eco-tourism hotel Liana Lodge In October 1998 we started a small but very comfortable eco-hotel that we call Liana Lodge. This new eco-tourism project helps to finance amaZOOnico and Selva Viva, giving us a more stable future. Good ideas and collaboration are always welcome.( For example, landscaping using the local plants around the lodge) Also translators for the jungle-tours are always welcome. (Volunteers from amaZOOnico often help with this)

Volunteers and graduates - FAQ - working hours Volunteers give a hand where they are most needed, and when possible, work in the area where they have the most interest. • • • •

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As a volunteer you work for five days a week, from 7 am until approx. 6 pm. The days off (each person gets two a week) are arranged at the beginning of the week to ensure that everyday enough volunteers are working. In the morning from about 7-10am volunteers begin the day by preparing the food and feeding of the animals. During the week days two local women prepare lunch at 12 o’clock for all of the volunteers. During the weekend volunteers prepare their own lunch. Volunteers are also in charge of preparing their own breakfast and dinner every day, which is always a group effort. Tourists usually arrive between 9:30 am and 5 pm. In the afternoon the second feeding starts at 1 pm. The day ends when all of the animals have been fed and taken care of, and the last tourists have left.

Volunteers and graduates - FAQ - living conditions The living conditions are primitive for European standards, but for Ecuadorian standards they are quite luxurious. You will be living in a house on the river with 8-14 other volunteers. Depending on the number of volunteers you will either share a room with another person or have a room for yourself. There are two bathrooms with cold water showers and toilets, and a kitchen that is shared by the whole house AmaZOOnico offers food and accommodation, but this does not include special things like alcohol, sweets, cigarettes, hygienic articles etc. Once a week a truck with food arrives that has been ordered the week before. If you need it, you may buy drinks (Cola, Beer) from the bar. All of the water is drinking-water, and there are always lemons or other fruits if you want to make juice. In this area there are not that many mosquitoes, but there are a lot of sand flies during the daytime. You can use repellent, but this is not very useful while working, as you sweat a lot and would need to keep applying it throughout the day, which again is not so good for your body. Most people get used to the bugs after a while. The most useful anti-mosquito item to buy is a crème called ‘Mentol Chino’ (sort of tiger balm) in Tena. This will help against the itching. In the past, volunteers have recommended taking vitamin B pills or garlic pills because it apparently keeps some of the bugs away. Scratching is always a bad idea, as wounds get more easily infected in this climate. Volunteers and graduates - Who are they ? Volunteers are people who come to work for 2 (minimum)-6 or more months in the rainforest-project, Selva Viva. Most volunteers will be working in amaZOOnico, but there are also opportunities to work with the forest rangers or at the hotel Liana Lodge on special request. We are always looking for

veterinarians, vet.students and zoo keepers for amaZOOnico. Other scientists (biologists, environmental scientists, geographers...) and experts of tourism are also very welcome. Other professions can be useful as well, depending on the expertise and situation. The most important aspect is that volunteers are flexible, feel at ease in primitive conditions, and have a love for animals. There is an international mix of volunteers, so English is usually the common language. As a volunteer you should be able to guide tours in Spanish and in your own language as well. Any knowledge of other languages is of course good to have. Volunteers pay 100 American dollars a month for their food. Travellers cheques are NOT accepted. Undergraduates are mostly students of environmental sciences or biology. For this we choose a subject that is important for Selva Viva and for the student as well. We have already had students studying the following subjects: the oil problem, eco-tourism, the waste disposal problem, inventory of the wildlife, building up a tree surgery, and now cartographic records. These student projects last for about 16 weeks. Students help two days a week with the normal work at amaZOOnico and pay also 80 American dollars a month for their food. NO travellers cheques please. Postgraduates • • •

Patricia Kehrli, from ETH Zurich, studied wild Pigmy Marmosets for 5 months as part of her dissertation. Angelika Raimann completed her PHd about rainforest regeneration. At the moment Stephanie Lienenlüke, from the Institute Theodor-Buveri from the the University of Würzburg, is doing her PHd on the reintroduction of a group of spidermonkeys.

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Dr. Alrun Schmiedeknecht from Germany was here during a 2 month research-stay.

Selva Viva - Kontakt Contact information: Angelika Raimann (Ecuador) Apt. 202 • TENA / Napo Ecuador from Europa 0059 3 99 800 463 (best from 13:00 until 23:00 MEZ) phone/fax: from Ecuador 099 800 463 (best from 07:00 until 16:00) email: [email protected]

For the individual projects see: • • •

amaZOOnico forest preserve / GSR school

If you are interested in volunteering at amaZOOnico this pamphlet will give you some information on what is expected of our volunteers and what you can expect at amaZOOnico. Do I need to speak Spanish? Having a basic knowledge of Spanish is a requirement, as it will make it easier to communicate with local people and make your stay here more enjoyable. We prefer that volunteers speak at least two of the main four languages used at amaZOOnico; Spanish, English, German and French. We offer guided tours in each of these languages. The more languages you speak, the more versatile you will be. We expect you to be able to do tours in Spanish as well as in another language. What kind of work will I have to do? Working at amaZOOnico is varied, and not always easy. You will be working five days a week and have two days off. The day generally starts at seven and ends at five (or until the last tourists leave and all animals are cared for). The work can be hard, especially with Our first concern is the animals. We have resident and temporary animals. All must be fed daily and their enclosures cleaned. At times medical care may need to be administered. The hard work consists especially of the carrying of whole banana trunks and other fruit which we buy for the animals from local people. AmaZOOnico's main source of income is giving guided tours. You will be expected to guide tourists around amaZOOnico, giving information about our projects and animals. In addition to the regular work it might be necessary to perform other duties like, forest patrol, joining tourist tours as a translator, site management and sometimes even some administration.

What are the living conditions like? Do I have to pay for anything? You must arrange your own transportation. You will have to pay for your flight to Ecuador as well as transportation to amaZOOnico. For food and lodging at amaZOOnico you have to pay 80$ U.S. a month. Once you are here, you will stay in one of the two volunteer houses. Each room has a bed and we provide sheets, a pillow and a blanket. Mosquito nets may or may not be available. There is no electricity at amaZOOnico. Evening light is by candle light. A gas stove with an oven is provided in one of the volunteer houses. In each of the two volunteer houses there is a bathroom with toilet, sink and shower. Only cold running water is available. Food is provided and brought on a weekly basis to amaZOOnico. The food is very basic and includes such items as pasta, rice, canned tuna, eggs, flour, powdered milk and fresh vegetables and fruit (depending on what is available). As spices (other than garlic, salt, pepper and oregano) are expensive and difficult to obtain, you may want to bring a few of your own favorite spices. A local worker prepares the lunch meal during weekdays which is shared at the main house. The volunteers are responsible for preparing their own breakfast and dinner and lunches in the weekend. Water is freely available. We provide coffee, tea and cocoa. Beer and sodas are available at the tourist bar, however you must pay for these items. If you wish to go to Ahuano (nearby local village) or Tena you will need to arrange and pay for your own transportation. A canoe to Ahuano is 15-20$ U.S. (depending on time of day) and the bus to Tena is about 2$ U.S. Other items of a personal nature (i.e. stamps, film, post cards, batteries, flashlight, treats) are all at the expense of the volunteer. How do I get there?

AmaZOOnico is located in the Orient region of Ecuador. From Quito, take a bus to Tena (best at 7:00 am). The bus ride is about 5-6 hours and costs approximately 6$ U.S. From Tena, there are a couple of different options. If you contact Angelika ahead of time (at least a week if you send an email or phone) with your anticipated arrival time, you can take the Santa Rosa/Campacocha bus (office: Centinela de Tena) at 14:30, buy a ticket till Selva Viva. Tell the bus driver that you want to get out at Selva Viva or Puerto Barantilla, and look for a sign on the left hand side saying Selva Viva/Liana Lodge. We will arrange a canoe to pick you up at Rio Barantilla. The bus ride from Tena is about 2 hours long and costs about 2$ U.S. If you are unsure about an arrival time, you also can take a bus from Tena to Ahuano. From Ahuano arrange for a canoe to take you to amaZOOnico. This last option is expensive as the canoe can cost you about 15-20 $. Do I need any vaccinations? For this information, it is best to contact the travel advisory clinic in your country. You should be up to date on all your regular vaccinations (tetanus, diphtheria, poli, hepatitus). Rabies is endemic in this part of Ecuador, and since you will be working with wild animals, a rabies vaccine is recommended. It is always best to consult the health professionals in your country for the latest information. In this region there is no malaria, so you don’t need any anti-malaria pills. How long can I stay in amaZOOnico? Because it takes a few weeks to train our volunteers, we request that you be able to stay at amaZOOnico for at least two months. The longer you can stay the better for us. In Ecuador, you can easily receive a 3 month visitor’s visa upon entry to the country. This one can be prolonged till up to 6 months.

For a longer visa you must contact the Ecuadorian consulate nearest to your home location. Usually you will be required to submit two passport photo’s, a police check and a medical check for infectious diseases. Contact the consulate nearest you for more up to date information.

C/O AmaZOOnico, Apt. 202,Tena/Napo, Ecuador, or e-mail, only in case of emergency, to Angelika Raimann: [email protected] You can also phone us from Monday to Friday (09:0016:00): 00593 (0)99 800 463

What should I bring?

For any questions about volunteering you can write to Olivia Conrads: [email protected]

You will need loose fitting, comfortable work clothes. Do not spend a lot of money on special safari type clothing, you most likely will be throwing out all your work clothes when you are finished volunteering at amaZOOnico (they will get stained and moldy). It is preferable to wear long pants while working. There are lots of biting types of insects here. In addition to clothes, you should also bring a pair of rubber boots (this is the rainforest and it does get very muddy), as well as some type of rain poncho (these can be purchased very cheaply in Tena). You should bring a towel, wash cloth and your usual personal items. Although mosquitos are not a problem, there are a lot of cockroaches. Mosquito nets may or may not be available. Since there is no electricity, a flashlight is an excellent idea. Entertainment is up to you. There is time for reading, playing cards, listening to music. If you wish to do anything like this, bring it with you (along with batteries). You should also bring your own dictionary. Feel free to bring your own spices, and cook book. Life at amaZOOnico is very simple.

I hope you will consider volunteering at amaZOOnico. The setting is beautiful and peaceful. The work can be challenging and rewarding.

VOLUNTEERING at amaZOOnico

How do I communicate with my friends and family? How do I communicate with amaZOOnico? You can e-mail home from Ecuador. There are a lot of internet cafes in Quito. In Tena, there are several places with computers for e-mailing. Service is slow and not always working, but it is available. Friends and family can write to you;

March 2006

www.amazoonico.org