Want to know more about volunteering with us during an expedition? Well look no further! This blog post from Lauren, who came with us in 2019 is all about the amazing things you will experience and the beautiful people you will meet.
As always, if you have any questions, email us! We are here to make sure you are safe, comfortable and confident while volunteering!
In silence we hiked up the stairs, ascending the 70m Mayan temple in the dark. The air was warm and humid. The moon seen only in glimpses through the trees until we cleared the jungle canopy; then it hung as if suspended in the mist. Sitting on the top steps we looked over the forest that has stood for longer than time can remember, sitting on a temple that was here before any of these trees were even seeds. The city of Tikal was at one time almost completely cleared of forest by the ancient Mayan civilization, but now the ceiba trees reach higher than some temples and archeologists meticulously extract succulents from royal suites. We sit atop Temple IV, also known as The Temple of The Two Faced Serpent. Built in 741 it's the perfect place to watch the forest wake up, not only because of its position above the trees but because of its position in history. For hundreds of years it has sat on the edge of the city, then forest and now UNESCO heritage site and watched the sun rise.
Our volunteers visit Tikal National Park when they volunteer with wildlife, not only to see deeply important local historical sites but also to see the animals. To hear weaver birds call to each other, to see toucans bounce from branch to branch, to catch sight of grey foxes darting between stelas, to experience howler monkeys slowly crashing towards each other while babies learn to navigate above the ground, to silently "awww" when we see families of coati's sniff around the ground for grubs and other treasures. We come to see these animals interacting with nature as wild animals should. They are part of their almost infinite seeming wild home territory. Something that can only be imagined when we are volunteering in their enclosures. Something that seems so far from reality when they start their rehabilitation journey at our wildlife hospital partner site.
Our volunteers help the medical and behavioral rehabilitation of animals who have been stolen from the wild by animal traffickers, or were hurt and rescued after they have been injured by humans. Just like a human hospital, the animals start in small areas so they can be observed, given medication and correct food. Unlike humans these animals do not understand we are there to help. These animals that come from the vast expanse of the wild only see humans as predators and things to be feared. The tricky part is we want to keep it that way. We don't want these animals to be tamed or happy around people- they can't be released if they are. This means while volunteering we don't talk, pet or hug the animals. We clean the enclosures to make sure they don't get sick from bacteria, we prepare appropriate meals to make sure they get healthy and strong and we provide enrichment so their brains are engaged while they are in recovery - think about how bored you were at the start of 2022!
Seeing these animals in the hospital and taking part in their care both provides a deep sense of purpose and a deep sense of sadness. These animals shouldn't be here, they shouldn't have been taken from their families or their homes. BUT we are working for the good guys- the heroes who help these animals every day, from before we were there helping, to long after we leave. We are making sure that the animals get to be released again some day, back where they belong, maybe one day finding themselves climbing up the side of a Mayan temple that has stood for more than a thousand years.
Sitting and watching the sunrise, hearing the forest wake up, seeing the sun illuminate the Mayan roads the same way they have for thousands of years, there is something more than serene about it- there is something hopeful. And this is the very reason we wake up at 3:30am and walk back into the park with our guide. So we can record a core memory in our minds that morning and know when we get back to the hospital we are part of something bigger. We can know that because of us the animals we volunteer with will one day get to watch the sunrise as free animals- they too will be able to live again as they are supposed to, as wild animals in these wild spaces.
B Corps are certified by the non profit B Lab to meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. We have been a B Corp since 2013 and since then we have always been in the top 10% of quantifiable benefit to the environment and the communities we operate in.
