Volunteer in a Wildlife Sanctuary in Bolivia

Working as a volunteer in CWIY’s wildlife sanctuaries is hard work, but incredibly rewarding. It is a unique experience in which you live close to nature in the Amazon rainforest, work with magnificent rescued animals, and contribute to their rehabilitation and quality of life. You will surely make new friends from around the world and leave with memories to cherish forever. CIWY works in the following fields:

Wildlife Rescue:

CIWY works with the appropriate authorities in accordance with the law (Environmental Law 1333, Article 111) to rescue wild animals from places like markets, fairs, zoos, circuses, restaurants and private residences. Some animals are brought to us by the Bolivian police, and others are turned in voluntarily by people who had irresponsibly kept them as pets. We act as custodians of these animals, given that the government has neither the tools nor the resources to do so.

Animal Care:

Our professional team assesses each animal to develop an individual care plan that addresses their physical health and their psychological wellbeing. Many of the animals arrive suffering malnourishment, parasites, broken bones, digestive issues and psychological trauma. Unfortunately, most of these animals cannot be released into the wild because humans have deprived them from learning survival skills from members of their own species. When this is the case, we provide the best quality of life possible, including a personalised diet, an adequate space in accordance with their individual needs and the specific needs of their species, exercise, and daily environmental enrichment to promote natural behaviors.

Rehabilitation

The ultimate goal of rehabilitation is to release an animal back into the wild, but in many cases this is not possible. Thanks to years of hard and dedicated work, CIWY has managed to rehabilitate and reintroduce individuals from different species back into the wild. We have had particular success with capuchin monkeys, squirrel monkeys and howler monkeys, as they can practice survival skills together in the sanctuaries and be released as groups into the wild.

CIWY is receiving volunteers at the 3 sanctuaries:

Parque Machía
Parque Ambue Ari
Parque Jacj Cuisi

For most volunteers, work begins at 7:00 am and ends at 5:30 pm. There are two breaks (breakfast and lunch) that usually add up to 2.5 hours. You can find the specific hours of the different work areas on the page of each sanctuary. As a volunteer, you receive one day of rest per week.