Costa Rica, a country rich in history, tradition, and scenery. Never could I have imagined all the fun new experiences and learning I would do on this trip. The first few days in San Jose, we toured the city and visited local attractions such as Doka Coffee plantation, where we learned how the coffee bean is grown and turned into one of the world’s most favored drink. We also visited La Paz waterfall gardens, which have many breathtaking views at multiple different falls if you can brave all the stairs. Our group volunteered our time to many different rescue organizations throughout Costa Rica. While at these facilities, we learned about conservation and rehabilitation efforts. Daily activities include preparing meals and medication for the animals, creating enrichment that provides the animals with environmental stimuli, and working on animal enclosures.
Food prep includes dicing various fruits, vegetables, and proteins for a variety of animals, including monkeys, cats, and birds, to name a few species. Some of the facilities we volunteered at, we hid part of the prepped food in various toys and enrichment to help promote the act of foraging in the wild. This way, the animals would not become dependent on human hands to feed them, as some of the animals we worked with were in rehabilitation with the hopes of being released back into the wild.
One of my favorite activities I got to be a part of was watching the medical team change a bandage on a sloth. One of the greatest injuries to wildlife in Costa Rica is electrocution, as power lines are not insulated. This particular sloth had to have its entire front limb amputated and had many other burns due to being electrocuted. The medical team carefully removed the old bandage, then cleaned and flushed out all the wounds, helped promote healing using a cold laser on the area of the amputation, and then re-bandaged the wound.
The group was also able to enjoy our time in the beautiful scenery that can be found all throughout Costa Rica, from rainforests to volcanoes and waterfalls, to valley lows and mountaintops, and beaches along the Pacific coast. I thoroughly enjoyed waking up to catch a beautiful sunrise and watching the sky be painted in oranges and pinks at sunset. I was also able to enjoy Costa Rica utilizing my other senses besides sight. Including the smell of Coffee at the plantation and the smell of fresh air after the rain in the rainforest. The sound of the rainforest as I fell asleep to chirping birds awakening me each day. I am so glad I was able to be a part of this trip and learning experience. Costa Rica is a beautiful country filled with traditions, history, wildlife, beautiful scenery, and so much more. I can now use the knowledge and experiences I learned and apply them back home at work. Gracias Costa Rica!
– Danae , SPC Costa Rica Vet Tech Study Abroad Program, July 2025