Belize Adventure: Animal Volunteer

Hello, my name is Greg and I am a senior at Northeastern University. I am a Biology major and Psychology minor pursuing a career in Veterinary Medicine. In order to gain more pre-veterinary experience and to help animals in other countries, I am travelling to Belize in July to volunteer there for two months. I will be participating in two volunteer programs during my time there.

The first is at the Caribbean Wildlife Centre, which is also known as ‘The Best Little Zoo in the World’. The centre is a zoo that houses 125 different native species, many of which are rescued or rehabilitated animals. It also provides visitors to the facility with a great deal of education concerning wildlife in Belize. My duties there will include food preparation, animal husbandry practices, animal encounters/introductions, animal infant/orphan care and visitor education.

The second is at Wildtracks, a non-profit conservation that participates in primate and manatee rehabilitation. The primate rehabilitation center focuses on providing care and re-introducing both the howler and spider monkeys into their natural habitats. These monkeys are endangered due to the pet trade and decrease in forest coverage. The manatee rehabilitation center duties include behavior monitoring, manatee companionship in the water during early development, calf rescues, public awareness discussions and pool maintenance.

During the past couple of months, I have been saving up money for my trip so that I will be able to fully experience the country and be able to participate in all aspects of the pre-veterinary work that I signed up for. This is where you all come in. I would appreciate any donation to help me for this trip of a lifetime. Any amount that you would feel comfortable donating is greatly appreciated, as no amount is too small. Thank you in advance for your kindness and I cannot wait to come back and share my experiences with all of you.