In the jungle, Part 2
Trip Start
Apr 29, 2009
1
22
27
Trip End
Jul 10, 2009
Villa Tunari, Cochabamba, Bolivia
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
After two days of trying to go to the wildllife refuge park (first day i was sick, next day was too wet for it to be open) we got to visit. The Park is staffed by volunteers - namely travellers - (including my cousin who walks with the puma through the jungle). The Park takes animals that have been kept in zoos, circuses or families and often they have been maltreated or kept in really poor conditions. Many canīt be rehabilitated and will not go back to the wild because they are so reliant on humans and donīt fear them. So the volunteers are there to be with teh animals every day, all day, to allow them out into the jungle while still being watched and fed etc. These include many types of monkeys, a bear, some pumaīs, and mammals like caotis (like badgers with snouts), and brilliant looking parrots (mackaws?).
It is pretty surreal to watch a couple of people walk down the river following a bear, or hanging out waiting for it to finish its nap! We did not see the puma, as its out in the jungle on its walk everyday and isnīt there for tourists entertainment. But susan had plenty of photos. The monkeys were great though! The spider monkeys would climb on you wanting to be scratched. And the little wild yellow monkeys would also come down from the trees and get in on the lunch being served. There were just so many monkeys - either wild, or as part of the parkīs residents. All very very cute!
Getting out of Villa Tunari went something like this:
1. we ask a police man when the next bus might be
2. the very jolly policeman assures us that there will be no more buses today because there is a blockade further down the road, but maybe tomorrow.. ĻNo pasar! Dis is Bolivia!Ļ he laughed loudly
3. no one else has heard of any blockade yet
4. we are keen to get on the road, so we ignore the police advice and flag down a bus. Any bus
5. we get out of villa tunari no problem. Yep, this is Bolivia.
