Do you love wild animals? But above all, would you like to contribute to a center that is dedicated to rescuing these animals so that they return to their natural environment? You have this option with the Rescue Center Costa Rica, located in La Guácima de Alajuela.
Starting this month, the center opened its doors to families and the general public. Visitors will enjoy a expert-led tour lasting approximately one hour. The center has a great variety of rescued animals in the process of re-integration to their natural habitat.
There are also picnic areas where visitors can bring their food so they can also enjoy the facilities, always under safety protocols of social distancing.
If you are interested in visiting the center, you should call 6048-1115 and coordinate your day and time of arrival. You can also find out on the website or on their social networks. The entrance ticket has a value of ¢ 6,000.
More than a decade rescuing animals
Since 2009, Vanessa Lizano began a long journey that began on the family farm in Limón, with the rescue of a two-toed sloth she named Camila. Thus, many other animals began to reach her by different means, which automatically became the only animal rescue center in Moín.
“At that time, many other animals came to us and this situation made us discover more about the fauna of the place and that Moín was one of the beaches with the greatest nesting of leatherback turtles, and we began to seek the support of institutions that would help us take care of them, as was the case with Sea Turtle Conservation foundation”, explained Lizano.
During those years, Vanessa trained professionally with Widecast and at the World Bird Sanctuary in Costa Rica. This experience allowed her to become an expert in animal care, rescue and reintroduction of animals in their natural environment.
In 2019, she moved her project to La Guácima de Alajuela, and from that moment on it was called the Rescue Center Costa Rica.
This center receives all kinds of animals that are wildlife. It operates with professionals in veterinary medicine, biology, zootechnics and volunteers who are students in the fields familiar with the care of animals and their health.
The project is financed through local visits, donations and volunteering
As of this year, the center obtained permits from MINAE to function as an official Animal Rescue Center and Zoo. Now, its founder is focused on opening a wildlife hospital. It will also seek to expand the release center and has other plans, for which it requires public support. “We also want to be able to monitor the animals that we release through monitoring collars, to make sure that they are well within their natural habitat,” Lizano mentions.
