We stayed at Martino's again.
Since we stayed there last year we did not take many new pictures.
If you are interested, you can look at out last years trip (Costa
Rica 00) to see more.
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We also visited Zoo Ave again...
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Zoo Ave primarily deals with animals that have been taken from the wild as pets. When they become problematic (a lot of work or unpleasant behavior) they are abandoned or turned over to Zoo Ave. They also receive animals that are confiscated from the illegal pet trade. They have a wonderful message to the public that is repeated over and over.... WILD ANIMALS DO NOT MAKE GOOD PETS. This is one of the Macaws on display - quite a showoff. |
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Another pretty bird! They are actually able to
release a lot of these kids. When a bird is not releasable it gets
to spend it's life at Zoo Ave, being VERY well cared for.
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Pretty birds, but man, have you ever heard what kind of noise they make!!! That is probably one of the reasons they are abandoned by their owners. Also, a hand raised bird becomes VERY dependent on the person who raised it and they need and DEMAND a lot of attention. Fortunately for us we were also able to see some of these birds in the wild, where they belong! |
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One more parrot, almost hidden in the leaves.
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Monkeys just hanging out at Zoo Ave. People also take and raise Monkeys as very inappropriate pets. Some of the monkeys at Zoo Ave have very sad stories. |
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This mom has a baby hanging on... Zoo Ave has a breeding program for many of the endangered species that they have. Lisa could have happily spent weeks just observing the monkeys. |
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This little baby wanted to see us... |
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Before coming to Costa Rica, Lisa arranged for
a backstage tour of the facility.
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After touring the main zoo, we were met by the Director (Dennis Janik) who led us on our tour - here we are hiking to the cages out back and areas where animals are being acclimated to be returned to the wild. |
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Everything is in GREAT shape - they have a really aggressive release program and a lot of cages were empty. Zoo Ave also takes in orphaned and injured wildlife but we think that most of the animals they get come from the illegal "pet" trade. |
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They were in the process of building new walk-in cages with running water and a cleanup area. These are smaller cages within a large cage to prevent "self release" although a lot of critters that are released on the grounds of Zoo Ave choose to remain there, flying and walking around and amazing (us) tourists. |
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Like any nonprofit organization, Zoo Ave needs help!
If you would like to send a donation so that they can continue their
important work, it can be mailed to: If you would like to visit they are in Alejuela - Ph. (506) 433-8989 |
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