On today’s adventure, we went to the nature reserve to watch and feed rescued animals. However, today’s journey couldn’t have started without us having a delicious breakfast. A lot of us actually stepped out of our comfort zones by this meal alone. Unlike your typical American/Canadian breakfast, there were things like rice, beans, and fries, which to us Canadians would be more of a lunch/dinner food. However, after taking a bite of the food, we all loved it, even the beans, which most of us claimed to dislike.
After eating breakfast, we made our journey to the nature reserve. The bus ride was a good 40 minutes, but it was perfect as it gave some of us extra time to catch a nap, listen to music, or socialize with others. We finally made it to the nature reserve, then immediately got into the touring. After about two minutes, we saw a cute little sloth. Oscar, our tour guide, informed us that there are two types of sloths, the two-toed ones and the three-toed ones. Oscar then proceeded to show us a video of a sloth attacking a person after they helped the sloth cross the street so that it wouldn’t get hit by a car.
Everyone always says that sloths are kind, cuddly creatures, that are slow and couldn’t hurt you, but clearly from that video, there are much more than you would imagine. We learned that despite what everyone tells us, sloths are not something you want to mess with. We saw various different types of animals like sloths, birds, lizards, and insects. In fact, we saw a total of 3 sloths, and we are very fortunate and lucky that we did because apparently only 2% of people see one sloth. And we saw 3; that is a once in a lifetime experience that no camera or photos could ever replicate.
We wrapped up the tour and sat down to get a nice lunch. It was so delicious! We were introduced to a Costa Rican specialty, empanadas. There were two choices for us to select from: chicken and potato. Most of us decided to try one of each for the thrill of it. They were delicious. All the plates emptied and we were going back for seconds. There was a gift shop across from where we ate lunch. In the gift shop, we could purchase ice cream, and some even bought a little souvenir for themselves or a loved one. The people who got ice cream finished up and started to prepare for the next part of our adventure. The lunch filled us up just enough to make it through the rest of our day.
After a delicious lunch of empanadas and sweet, fresh fruit, we headed out to meet more wildlife. This time was split into two sections. First, we prepared food for the animals, specifically different kinds of monkeys. We measured, cut, and prepared fruits and chickpeas for them, before placing the food in stimulation containers. Then, our tour guide Oscar took us to see the animals.
Our first sights were birds, where we saw macaws (scarlet and green!), parrots, and a toucan. One bird in particular caught our eye: a red and green macaw hybrid that was a result of cross-species breeding. Although it was beautiful, it also segued into a much sadder conversation about the bird-selling black market. Every bird in the nature reserve had been mistreated in the past, whether it was a lack of space or injured or clipped wings, and the hybrid was no different. In the wild, birds aren’t supposed to breed with other species. However, humans who participate in illegal trading create them so they will make a larger profit. This shocked us, as we genuinely couldn’t understand why anybody would want to hurt an animal.
Our next stop was the monkeys, and they were absolutely adorable. It was really interesting to see the differences between the monkey breeds, with some being super friendly and some…not so much. The incredibly athletic monkeys jumped, ran, and one even tried to throw a rock! Watching them really made us appreciate how capable they are. I mean, I don’t think any of us have the balance or strength to hang by a tail for hours on end! The last enclosure was home to wild cats, and we had fun watching them leap from obstacle to obstacle. Then, we returned to the food we had prepared earlier, and we got to feed the animals! The monkey I prepared food for seemed to really enjoy his food, and it was rewarding to help out such a great cause.
But the most thought-provoking moment happened at the end, when one of our ALIVE leaders asked Oscar, if we could only take one lesson back to Canada, what would he want us to remember. He said to never forget that we have a responsibility to nature, and that we should always keep fighting for it. This conversation reminded us that we have a voice, and we need to continue to use it for Mother Nature. It is never too late to protect the flora and fauna that we are blessed to have on our earth.
