This morning was the last morning to the river since we won't have time to go before we have to leave tomorrow. It was raining when we were driving there but stopped soon after we arrived. There has been so much rain over the past fews days that the water was now 4 feet above where it was when we first went. Our swimming hole wasn't accessible! So we stayed down stream and just dipped in to wash because it was moving too swiftly to swim. We had to get back quickly because they were expecting us at the zoo early.
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| Kendra, "I really like butter!" |
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| He looks like Lela |
After some sweet rolls, eggs, and hot chocolate we loaded up and were off to the zoo! The zoo is owned by a retired couple (Arnulfo and Delia) and their family helps out. The husband is a a retired veterinarian and he and his wife have a passion for rescuing native animals from the illegal pet trade and injured animals. They are also on fire for the Lord. They are working with Andrea and Pato to start a church in their area. They have already been hosting weekly bible studies at their home. The wife was there to greet us with a very warm welcome. We helped Delia finished setting up the shelter area where we were going to be having a presentation from the ministerio de ambiente (Similar to our DNR/ EPA). We had a little over an hour before it was to start so Delia gave us a tour of the zoo and rainforst path. All of the animals in the zoo were either given to them to raise from the governement or they were injured/ raised by humans and couldn't be returned to the wild. Every animal has a name and personality to fit. You could see the relationship each animal had with her. She was so knowledgeable about each species. There was also a parrot that loved to talk in Shuar and she laughed just like Delia (I have a video I will post later). She explained that these weren't the idea habitats for them but they were constrained by the expenses of expanding, but they were doing the best they could. Even with the simple, small things they could do it was paired for love of the animals and the call of stewardship from God.
In the rainforest path, we got to try a new type of limon (lemon), see cinnamon trees, all sorts of cool fungi, a dragon's blood tree (it was a reddish liquid that they collect from the tree to put on cuts to heal it), and all of the beautiful fauna. Not only does this family have a passion for being good stewards for animals but also the forest itself. She explained to us that there are a lot of companies that want to come in and harvest trees on their property for good money. They won't allow them to do that because they want to protect the area and keep it natural. After our tour it was time for the presentation.
There were three people from the government that came. The first presentation was an overview of the animals that are native to this area and how Ecuador has adopted legislation following the IUCN guidelines for protecting animals. It is amazing to see how progressive Ecuador is being in conservation. Being from an ecology/ wildlife background, Ecuador is a unique place on this Earth, so I am so excited to see what this country is doing! The second presentation was from a veterinarian who spoke about illegal fishing and the black market trading and how they are trying to prevent that. They showed us videos from their motion sensor cameras that they put up in the forest to see what animals were around. There were videos of pumas, bears, and some birds. He then spoke about the education the government is doing in the communities. He said going into the schools and talking to kids has been one of the most effective strategies because they will tell their parents they shouldn't be hunting certain animals or fishing with chemicals or dynamite. They then started a video made by the government about Sangay national park, it had beautiful views of being above the clouds by the volcano and looking back down on the forest. Half way through the presentation a baby ocelot that Delia and Arnulfo are rearing wondered in. She was beautiful. She was abandoned by her mom and had stunted growth. We cannot post any pictures because they are a protected animal and the government doesn't want to promote people collecting ocelots for tourism purposes. They don't think they will be able to release her to the wild but hopefully they can find a home in a zoo for her at their zoo or another one in the area. I got to hold her for awhile and she thought that my fleece jacket was her mom so she was suckling on my jacket looking for milk. I was so happy. All of us were. I mean, we all go crazy over baby animals but this is so special to see a baby of animal that is threatened. It gives me hope that these populations can be protected.
Then it was lunch time. They had prepared cheese burgers and papas for us. It was a delicious meal for all of us to share before we got to work running fecal sample for the animals. Candace got the team organized a few people stayed back to run them and the rest of us went with Arnulfo to collect the poop. Nothing too eventful happened collecting the poop but then David almost got beat up by a toucan. After the fecals were done we got to explore their property and have some fun. There was a boat to paddle around in, ropes to get across the river and swings. Sara and I went with Arnulfo to talk with him about ways to improve the habitats for the animals with resources he has around. He was so eager to hear our suggestions and was very excited about a lot of them. He wants to really do the best he can for them. Later on he also showed us the quarantine facility for their new animals. He currently has owls there. Then it was time for goodbye. We prayed with them and headed off to Macas.
In Macas we stopped at a shop to buy gifts. There was a lot of Shuar things that we won't be able to get in Quito. Part of the group went to visit Lois Price (another missionary) to wish her a happy birthday. The rest of us headed home to start packing. Lizzy hasn't been feeling well the past few days so Andrea took her and Quigs to the doctor to see if they could help. Lizzy got some more medicine and she rested while we took care of the packing. Lasagna was for dinner. We were all hungry after the long day. After dinner, we gave our gifts to Pato and Andrea, Dan, and then Cid and Josline (they should up on Ecuadorian time for dinner). We all sat around for a couple hours. Andrea talked to a group of the girls on the couches and a few of us sat with Cid and Josline. At the table, Cid talked about what he wants to accomplish and it evolved to talking about how we have to listen to the call in our life of what God wants us to do. Dr. Oetzel and Dan had a lot of good insight in how to prioritize and find balance in your Christian/ veterinarian life. I think it not only spoke to Cid but all of the students sitting at the table. I know it spoke to me. It was a deep and heartfelt conversation and Cid was grateful to have Christian friends to share that with. Then it was time for goodbyes. We prayed together and even Fatima asked to pray and speak to all of us saying goodbye. There were a few of us crying as we left the house to get to bed. We of course still had some fun and laughs before falling asleep. God has been so good to us!
Thanks Katharine for doing the blog. It was good for me to hear of the way the Lord is using your love of veterinary medicine to minister in Ecuador. It was fun for me to see a few pictures of my son David. Hopefully he didn't get attacked or bitten by the critters he was wanting to help. :)
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