June 14: I’ve been here at Senda Verde for two weeks now, and what an eventful, amazing two weeks it’s been! I could write a book about everything that’s happened since I last updated my blog a week ago, but to keep this post from being super long, I’ll just focus mostly on today. Today was one of the best days I’ve had since coming to Bolivia, mainly due to my amazing session with Ajayu the bear at lunchtime today! I’ve been working with Ajayu every day since June sixth, when I was first given the job of helping out with him. I feel like so much progress has already been made in this first week or so- there’s a level of trust between us that definitely wasn’t there when we first met!
To start at the beginning of the day, today was my second day on the birds’ rotation, the same rotation I was on when I first arrived here. By now I feel like I definitely have the rhythm down here, and the shifts have been going very smoothly. I’m happy that this sanctuary has given me the opportunity to work with macaws and similar bird species, which was a type of animal that I was previous not at all comfortable with. I know, it’s weird. The girl who’s completely comfortable handling snakes, spiders, frogs, and rats, who loves crocodiles, who’s been SWIMMING WITH GREAT WHITE SHARKS… is afraid of birds. The huge beaks and talons on macaws have just always freaked me out a little bit, but it’s been so nice to get the chance to work up close with these gorgeous birds over the past couple of weeks and get more comfortable with them.
After the morning shift was over, it was time to go over to spend a bit of time with the puma that lives here at Senda Verde. A few days ago, Vicky, the owner of this place, gave me yet another super cool extra job that most volunteers don’t get to do- she asked me if I’d be willing to help feed and train the young puma that’s here. I’m the only female volunteer that gets to work with her, and the only volunteer that’s working with both her and Ajayu. My wildlife experience has been serving me very well here in Bolivia! I’ve been trying to keep the fact that I’m working with her on the down low here- I could tell that some of the volunteers were already jealous that I get to work with Ajayu. No need to make them even more jealous.
Like with Ajayu, I first have to develop a certain level of trust with “Pumita”, as she’s called, before I can start to train her. So, I’ve been going up to her enclosure every day with Rob and Charles, the other volunteers that work with her, so she gets used to me being around. She’s still quite young- less than a year old for sure. She’s definitely not full grown, and still has some cub markings around her face. She’s an absolutely gorgeous animal! The first time I came around her enclosure a few evenings ago, she only stayed in her little house, mostly out of view. When I went up this morning, though, she came out for a while to climb around the logs that are in her enclosure- progress!
After my session with the puma and a bit of down time, I headed back to the main area of the sanctuary at noon to feed Ajayu lunch. Candy, the vet, was busy with some monkeys in the clinic, so I grabbed the food and keys, and headed up the riverbank solo. My time with Ajayu is usually the highlight of my days here- I already love that bear so much!
I walked into his enclosure, calling out his name so as not to surprise the blind bear, as usual. The first time I fed Ajayu, I could tell he was very nervous. He seems so much more relaxed around me now that he’s used to me, and as such, I’m more comfortable around him. I sat down an arm’s reach away from him, and began to feed him watermelon right out of my hand. After a few minutes, he flopped over onto his back, paws up in the air, as I continued to feed him. He’d never been in that position with me around before. That’s a very vulnerable position for an animal, and it made me really happy that he felt comfortable enough tolay like that next to me- it showed a strong level of trust. He almost reminded me of a dog as he ate grapes and watermelon slices out of my hand. That being said, every time he lifted his paws and revealed those impressive claws, I was reminded that Ajayu isn’t a dog, or a cat, or any other house pet. He’s a bear, and he could do a lot of damage if he wanted to. I never let myself forget that when working with him.
I sat in Ajayu’s enclosure feeding him for nearly an hour, just me and that bear, before I left to head off to my own lunch. After lunch, and a bit more down time, I fed the birds of Senda Verde their afternoon meal, cuddling with a couple of capuchin monkeys along the way, then headed up the river again with Rob and Charles to feed the puma. With both of these extra jobs, my time here in Bolivia is getting very busy, but I absolutely love the work I’m doing, so I don’t mind that a bit! Like with the projects I worked with in Africa last summer, I feel like what I’m doing here at Senda Verde is really meaningful for the animals I’m working with. When I look at Ajayu’s face, injured by the cruelty of my species, I see the trust he’s put in me, and I like to think that I’m making the smallest difference in the world.
I guess this post is long enough. I love life so much right now! This post’s food for thought: “The reason I dedicate myself to helping animals so much is because there are already so many people dedicated to hurting them.”- Unknown
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