00:00The sanctuary is a really beautiful place.
00:04There's iguanas and there's peacocks and there's toucans.
00:07You can hear all the birds, you can see all the animals.
00:10But by far, the most rewarding part is being able to release the animals.
00:14Once you get involved with the project, it pulls at your heart.
00:17You see the work that's being done and the positive changes.
00:21Those little things are what keep us going and keep us having hope for the future,
00:25that we can see that things are actually changing.
00:28My name is Amy Venech and I have been working at Rescate Wildlife for a little over four years.
00:42Rescate Wildlife is the largest wildlife rescue center in Central America.
00:47We receive over 3,000 wild animals a year.
00:50Our main goal is to always rehabilitate and release them.
00:54In the sanctuary, we have about 125 different species of animals.
00:58We have about 700 animals that are permanent residents.
01:01And then in our hospital and rehabilitation center,
01:04there's anywhere between 100 to even 400 animals at a time that are in process of rehabilitation.
01:10Over the last 35 years, we've released over 25,000 animals back into the wild.
01:14So there's lots of animals that have passed through our door.
01:17The main reason why animals are brought here is very broad.
01:21We receive animals from the public.
01:23So people that have had them as pets, people that have found certain animals,
01:27even animals that are hit by cars.
01:29I wouldn't say the majority are mistreated, but there are definitely cases that come in that are mistreatment.
01:34Those cases are the ones that really belong to your heartstrings.
01:37Those cases can be completely infuriating.
01:39But we're actually happy that they're here now, so that now they get the care that they need in order to live a better life.
01:49The rescue and rehabilitation process varies a lot depending on the animal.
01:54If an animal has come in that has had very little contact with humans,
01:58they have a very good chance of returning back into the forest where they belong.
02:02If an animal has come in through the pet train, there could be the behavioral issues,
02:08there could be nutrition issues.
02:10If it's not a candidate for release, then it will come into our Lifetime Care Sanctuary.
02:15I'm a veterinarian here in the Wildlife Rescue Center.
02:19We work with all animals that ingress, mammals, reptiles, animals.
02:24But my main role is with the animals.
02:27The animals are one of the animals that we most receive per year.
02:34So we charge us to review the animal, do a physical exam,
02:38take tests to do diagnostics, radiography, ultrasound.
02:42Also, right now that we're in the fishing season,
02:47I charge me well to do the diets,
02:49review the temperatures, and be very above the fish.
02:56So I had always been interested in wildlife ever since I was a child.
02:59And eventually, I had become a volunteer here.
03:03And it kind of developed into a larger role.
03:07The volunteer programs, they're basically like internships.
03:10We have a vet internship program that is very intense.
03:13And then we also have another, which we call our wildlife internship.
03:17Everyone who works here loves what they're doing.
03:20It's something that we're all passionate about.
03:22I've always dreamed of discovering exotic animals.
03:26I'm really surprised by the animals that there are here.
03:32It's really incredible.
03:33There's all the observation of snakes,
03:35the preparation of the enrichment for the big animals,
03:39the small animals, the small animals,
03:41the small animals, the little dinner for the macos.
03:44It's very diverse.
03:46And I'm really surprised.
03:48This internship really helped me discover a lot about myself.
03:51My experience here, I find it every day.
03:54And frankly, I learn it every day.
03:57The mimics, the docs, how to have habits.
04:00It's really a great experience.
04:02The exotic vet trade is still high on the list,
04:07and it's still a huge problem for us.
04:09The center tries to address certain issues.
04:11A lot of it is through education.
04:13We receive thousands of kids per year that come in through school groups.
04:16Education is very, very important.
04:19I love to do education because you can see the change in people
04:24and their communities and families.
04:27It's very important to educate new generation's kids
04:30because they are the ones that are going to, in the future, make decisions.
04:35What I say, we're planting the seed.
04:37We're just planting the seed to have better consciousness
04:39about how to treat animals and what to do in certain cases.
04:43Education is one of our key pillars.
04:45If we're not able to educate, the things are not going to change.
04:48And this is something that we can see within Costa Rica,
04:51which is actually really amazing.
04:52The generations down below are no longer having birds in their home
04:55or wild animals in their home.
04:57Mentality has definitely changed within Costa Rica.
05:04The majority of our funds come through the sanctuary.
05:07Donations are also a big part.
05:10And we've also just launched an adoption program
05:13where people can symbolically adopt.
05:16And this is a great way that people can also contribute
05:19in order to keep everything going.
05:21Everybody making a difference is like the cherry on top.
05:24Sometimes we have to step back and look at the whole picture,
05:27just physically see change.
05:29What I learned while working here is that every animal
05:32and every individual is different.
05:35I learned to meet them, to know their personalities.
05:38This place is amazing.
05:39There's no place in the world that I've been that compares to this.
05:44So the animals within our sanctuary, they can't be released into the wild,
05:49but we can see that this is a positive impact.
05:52And you can't feel anything else but happy.
05:55And we're all happy.
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