BLOG 8: Animal Rescue Center and Caribbean Vibes

For today, we have no special plans; first, we'll visit the animal hospital very close to our lodge, which grandly calls itself the 'Jaguar Rescue Center,' even though there have never been any jaguars in the area and therefore none to rescue today.

The animal sanctuary is dedicated to the rehabilitation of abused, injured, orphaned, and confiscated animals. Its main goal is to heal injured animals and release them back into the wild. However, in some cases, this is not possible, as the animals have lived too long or solely in human care, are inherently ill, or may pose a threat to the local population upon release, according to Costa Rican authorities.

The center was founded by Italian biologist Sandro Alviani (+) and his wife Encar García, a Catalan biologist, who runs it with the help of volunteers from around the world. The center is home to numerous mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians.

The numbers for 2024 show that a total of 1146 animals arrived at the station. Of these, 513 could not be rescued and have died, 446 (almost 40%) were released back into the wild after receiving care, and 187 had to remain in the station for various reasons. As a normal visitor, you only see the animals that remain at the station; those that are to be released back into the wild are understandably kept as far from humans as possible.

The Jaguar Rescue Center is not funded by the government but relies on the support of the Cocles community, donations, and entrance fees. The lack of state support is interesting in that, according to a recent government decree, native wild animals in Costa Rica can no longer be kept in captivity by private individuals. If the police encounter such a 'pet' in the region, it is confiscated and taken to the Rescue Center. As this law is relatively new, previous owners are not currently being punished, but this is expected to change in the foreseeable future.

As this is our last day on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica, we drive to the beach of Cocles. The nice beach bar 'Spicy Coconut' offers delicious tropical cocktails and good snacks. The friendly Hungarian waiter Laszlo, like many others in Costa Rica, comes from Europe; it is a destination for young and older Europeans, with many Germans and Swiss – we haven't met any Austrian expatriates yet.

After replenishing ourselves with reggae music, we take a stroll along the beautiful coast – thankfully, it's not raining for once…..