Guatemala: Animal Welfare and Wildlife Protection

The volunteer project in Guatemala is run by a Center for Wildlife Rescue and Environmental Conservation, committed to preserving wildlife and its habitat. The main objectives of the Center are:

Since the establishment of the Rescue Center in Guatemala, it has branched out into other very necessary activities including environmental education, protected areas management, marine turtle conservation, sustainable community development, eco-tourism and reforestation. Its Environmental Education Department reaches out to over 8,000 children a year throughout the country.
The keystone project is the Wild Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation Center. According to a collaborative agreement with the Guatemalan government, the Center is responsible for the rehabilitation and reintroduction of all confiscated wild animals. The Rescue Center is the largest and most advanced of its kind in Latin America, caring for 400-600 wild animals of 35+ species per year. The Center was formed in 1989 by a group of Guatemalan citizens who were concerned when they saw their precious natural heritage, especially their wildlife, rapidly disappearing before their eyes. It was originally created for a very specific purpose: to build a rescue center to care for and rehabilitate wild animals that were being confiscated on the black market by the Guatemalan government.

The Center's main headquarters in Guatemala City offers training to teachers from the surrounding towns and villages in order to develop environmental education activities in local schools. In 2002, it inaugurated its Environmental Education and Interpretation Center on the grounds of the Rescue Center with the intent to teach local students and visiting tourists about the evils of illegally trading pets, while at the same time ensuring that the animals in the Rescue Center are not needlessly exposed to humans. Nearly all animals at the center have been seized from smugglers and are very young and need constant care and attention.

Note: The volunteer work described here takes place in different volunteer projects. The participation fee may vary depending on the project. The prices are therefore to be understood as reference prices. Please send us an inquiry, so that we can tell you the exact prices and project information.