Puyo, Ecuador: While volunteering at the children’s foundation in Ecuador, the group organized a field trip for 30 children and all of the volunteers on a Sunday to visit the nearby Centro Rescate de Los Monos (the Monkey Rescue Center), also called Paseo Los Monos. This is a rescue located an hour and a half from Banos in a small town called Puyo.
This is a sanctuary that houses about 65 monkeys of 5 different species, as well as a host of other animals including coatis, agoutis, tortoises, and talking parrots. Many of the animals that find themselves at the rescue have been the victims of the animals trafficking trade. Many have been kept as pets, and cannot return to the wild.
The sanctuary is set in the jungle, and most of the monkeys roam throughout the grounds but seem to return to the main structures for food and visitor affection.
Monkey Rescue Center – Paseo Los Monos
Paseo Los Monos is a rescue center for trafficked wild animals, mostly monkeys. The centre is located on a hectare of land inside primary forest, near to the town of Puyo. Currently in the center live 65 monkeys from 7 species – spider, wooly, white capuchin, black capuchin, squirrel, tamarin and saki. Other wild animals living in the rescue center are coaties, gautusas, turtles and talking parrots.
We are trying to help all the animals that arrive to our center. Animals that can rehabilitate are getting all the help required and animals that unfortunately won´t survive are getting love and all the attention to make their lives better.
The center is being visited by tourists on daily basis. The symbolic entrance fee is one of the main incomes. We are hoping to educate for local and foreign tourists by explaining them about the center and the different abuse problems.
We invite anyone with a passion for animals and nature to volunteer in our center and help us create a better life for animals in need.
We arrived on a rented chiva (open air bus) with the children, all of whom had never been to the reserve before. You could feel the excitement in them as we disembarked the vehicle and lined up to enter the reserve. As the group started to line up, we were greeted by 2 thieving monkeys who stole a bag of sandwiches off the bus. Luckily the group of volunteers made double the amount of sandwiches that morning, not knowing half would be consumed by feisty monkeys.
We entered the reserve and spent many hours interacting with these friendly creatures. They were well used to human interaction and the children has a blast! Some of them allowed you to rub their bellies, others jumped onto you head and demanded a ride while others still tried to steal anything at all from the visitors pockets like a game. The day was a ton of fun. When it was time to leave, the group of children and volunteers got back onto the bus all smelling like monkeys but wearing ear to ear smiles from the wonderful experience. As always, pictures are worth a thousand words. We hope you enjoy this photo essay of our day at the Monkey Rescue Center in Puyo, Ecuador.
Lainie Liberti is a recovering branding expert, who’s career once focused on creating campaigns for green – eco business, non-profits and conscious business. Dazzling clients with her high-energy designs for over 18 years, Lainie lent her artistic talents to businesses that matter. But that was then.
In 2008, after the economy took a turn, Lainie decided to be the change (instead of a victim) and began the process of “lifestyle redesign,” a joint decision between both her and her 11-year-old son, Miro. They sold or gave away all of of their possessions in 2009 and began a life of travel, service, and exploration. Lainie and her son Miro began their open-ended adventure backpacking through Central and South America. They are slow traveling around the globe allowing inspiration to be their compass. The pair is most interested in exploring different cultures, contributing by serving, and connecting with humanity as ‘global citizens.’
Today Lainie considers herself a digital nomad who is living a location independent life. She and her son write and podcast their experiences from the road at Raising Miro on the Road of Life.
