Project #3: La Paz Zoo

I am writing this whilst sat in the administration office of the zoo, trying to recover from intense manual labour!

Our time at the zoo is both rewarding and physically demanding in equal measure. No two shifts here are the same, but one thing is for sure - you will be sweating in your full length overalls by the end!

The zoo is not exactly what Europeans would normally find. It is home mostly to native species of the Andes, with none of the 'big ticket' animals you would expect (although there is a rescued circus lion who is extremely vocal!). Instead the pens are filled with Bolivian natives, such as jaguars and pumas, llamas and alpacas, sheep, rabbits and pigs.

The zoo works hard on its main project - raising awareness of and preventing animal trafficking. Most of the animals you see have been rescued from mistreatment in lives as mascots and family pets. The keepers work hard despite obvious funding issues to provide the best care for the animals. This includes a fully functioning on site industrial kitchen and abattoir, veterinary centre and dedicated keeper for animal enrichment, all providing fresh food, medical care and entertainment.

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As volunteers we've seen and done so much here, it's actually amazing. We've made honey milkshakes for bears, visited spider monkeys, petted a boa constrictor, watched physical therapy for baby flamingos, cleaned out the pens of turtles and for Joe, even helped battle a disgruntled ostrich (this was extremely funny as I tried to distract the VERY angry bird with single peanuts whilst Joe helped our teacher and chaperon Emmerson change and clean the water). The keepers are so keen to get us involved with as much as possible, it means we have been able to really get behind the scenes, even coming face to face with a slightly unwell but still incredibly beautiful jaguar who was receiving treatment at the animal hospital.

Whilst certainly very tiring (raking, cleaning and sweeping in the burning sun dressed in a thick and heavy set of overalls definitely takes its tole), the experience has been incredibly unique. It's something we will be telling stories about for years to come!