MERAZONIA
Circa March 2017.
After deciding to take the long way to London, I knew I wanted to see the Amazon, I had a craving to be in the jungle. Inspired by the idea of being in the lush green rainforests, images of the jungle canopy and peering over the tree tops filled my head, even more alluring was the terrain that the lush foliage hid below.
Once again trying to make it a ‘as cost effective’ as possible trip, I went looking for options. One of the ideas that came to pass was volunteering at an animal refuge or sanctuary. This wouldn’t be the first time I’ve spent time at an animal refuge, the first being Borneo of course out of the love and interest in orangutans. After scrolling online comparing projects I found Merazonia. An animal refuge in Ecuador, along the fringes of the Ecudorian amazon rainforest. Merazonia deals with a range of animals, take in animals which have been orphaned, claimed back from illegal poaching and pet trade in hopes to rehabilitate them for release back into the wild.
Merazonia aptly named so because of the closest township of Mera which lies 2km’s away, a 5 hour bus ride from Quito, Ecuadors capital city.
I landed in Quito, a few days earlier staying at El Hostelito for a few days before making my way to Mera. At the bus depot, ticket in hand and just the brief instruction from Merazonia that the bus to Puyo would pass right through Mera after 5 or so hours. The only thing about these bus rides is that they doesn’t stop unless you tell it too. Only stopping at he first and final bus depots along the route. The bus was nearly halfway out of Mera by the time I realised I was there, just noticing a sign as we drove past. I hollered to the driver to stop and let me out. So right there and then, on the side of the road he stopped, on a random corner on the fringe of the town my luggage was unloaded and within seconds the bus was out of sight trudging down the road, me standing in the settling dust. Mera is a quiet town, not much really going on, I walked about 500 metres lugging my things down the dirt road before a lone taxi drove past.
Once I mentioned Merazonia the taxi driver ushered me in within seconds. We drove right to the other side of town (2 min max) then merged off road and drove for another ten minutes further toward the rainforest, the looming trees growing taller with every minute. At the very end of the dirt road and we apparently were there, although it didn’t seem like it, it was just the end of the road. Then there it was, a welcome sign, painted in bright colours that against the tree it was nailed upon caught my attention, just past that a a slight clearing through which I could see a river and THE bridge that lead to Merazonia.
I was to spend 2 weeks at the project, volunteering alongside a group of about 12 others all staying different ranges of time. Sitting on 250 acres of land Merazonia sits against a backdrop of towering jungle foliage. Its jungle life here, no electricity, dry drop toilets, dorm style accomodation and it’s moist a lot of the time, with the humidity of the jungle, things don’t dry out too well.
Merazonia cares for a range of animals, during my time there were various groups of monkeys including capuchin, howler and woolly’s . A large variety of birds called Merazonia home along with kinkajous and a baby sloth take up residency. Long term resident Pangui, a puma rescued from a hostel that kept her as a pet. After many years caged up she was unable to be released back into the wild. The refuge has a strict hands of policy, restricting the direct interaction between humans and animals. Minimising the imprint humans can leave on an animal and increasing the success rate of an animal returning to the wild.
Our bulk of work as volunteers was prepare food for the animals, clean out the cages of poop, food remnants and debris as well as reset them with new foliage, food and enrichment tools for animals for forage through. Being along the equator the days in Ecuador are consistent, the sun would ride and set at the same time, rising and 6:00 and setting at 6 in a most timely manner. The days were structured into periods of work, we would rise with the sun checking in on the ‘all-mighty’ white board that coordinated our days. Delegated into teams we would work on different habitats, breaking off for meals and finishing up around 5 in the afternoon.
The animal enclosures were built as a series of rooms that with a series of pulley systems, interconnecting bridges and gates. With some team work and serious patience we would lure the animals into one room and closing the gates between them which allowed us to enter and do our thang. The one thing I learnt from watching these animals was how instinctively smart they were, especially those pesky capuchins. They watched us as much as we watched them, and they learnt a trick or two. They watched us so closely they even copied our movements, playing with gates that if there weren’t locks they’d shimmy their way out. From time to time we were also tasked with other jobs including maintaining or adding to animal enclosures. One day the group took a hike set moving rocks up into the hillside for the building of a new enclosure. A new release enclosure was being built. It would act as a somewhat half house further into the jungle would allow animals to get used to being in the wild further away from the refuges main base. Hauling our rocks we set out into the jungle singing “I’ll make a man out of you” from Disney’s Mulan and ‘Hey Ho’ from Snow White and the seven dwarfs as we trudged up the hill. Once we reached the the new enclosure, waves of euphoria began to wash over, from the sense of accomplishment and for the mere fact we no longer had to carry rocks up a hill. Looking out across the rainforest back down over Merazonia was a moment of kindred sense of connection with what we were doing, why we were there.
We worked in all the weathers of the rainforest, from sunshine beating down on us to bucketing downfalls of rain. Always in our gum boots, or wellies as I like to call them we were always ready to get our hands, clothes and everything else a little dirty. As the sun set so did all light, we moved around by flash light and candle light. We also became vegetarians whilst there, with no electricity meaning no fridges or storage of meat. Except for Wednesdays because that’s when the weekly shop was done.
The days were long, but rewarding. It was peaceful work, using your hands and being in the rainforest. The hot warm showers at the end of the day were the best feeling. Eventually falling asleep with sound of the rushing waters of the river that ran through the sanctuary in the background. We would get a day off each week rotating between the team, and spend them in Banos, an hours bus ride away for some food, drink, getting supplies and most importantly wifi. All this work in attempt to one day release these animals back into the wild after their time in rehabilitation. Merazonia since has successfully been able to release many of these animals back into the amazonian rainforest.
With illegal wildlife trade sadly still a thriving business Merazonia work is far from done. Ranked third in the worlds list of illicit trade, wild animals are killed and captured for use as personal pets, eaten as bush meat, used as textiles or used for (unsubstantiated, absurd and downright stupid) medicinal purposes. The survival rate of animals during transportation is low. Many brutally stuffed into small inconspicuous spaces, after being torn from family members and their usually homes destroyed. Sale of companion animals is rampant in markets across south America. Even though illegal trade in wildlife continues due to the lucrative demand for product. In many instances local indigenous people caught up in the middle in order to make a buck. Whilst reducing supply is one of the primary ways to stop illegal wildlife trade and poaching the more effective way to ensure animals no longer need to suffer for the superficial wants of humans is through education and awareness to reduce demand and one day eliminate it. Maybe we’ll begin to value an animals life, rather than their ivory, shell or fur.
To find out more on Merazonia you’ll find them here - https://www.merazonia.org/en/
And to see more of my experience watch the video below.
