Melody Bastani - Costa Rica
As part of my 2024 summer, I had the opportunity to spend the month of July at the Toucan Rescue Ranch in Costa Rica. The Toucan Rescue Ranch is a wildlife rescue center committed to the rehabilitation and release of the vast species native to Costa Rica as well as non-native species that have found their way into Costa Rica. These animals are brought to the Toucan Rescue Ranch by environmental government agencies that either confiscate the animals from illegal trafficking/ownership situations or collect injured animals found and reported by locals. They are extremely focused on treating while maintain the end goal of release back into the wild. This entails specific protocol when it comes to care, handling, and housing. These rules are put in place so that animals familiarize themselves as little as possible with humans and do not lose their natural survival instincts needed to survive in the wild. Animals may be deemed a poor candidate for release based on their injury. Those that are not releasable now have themselves a new home at Toucan Rescue Ranch. There are over fifty resident animals at Toucan Rescue Ranch each with their own unique story. Their enclosures are meant to mimic their natural habitat as best as possible along with individualized feeding and enrichment plans built around their specific needs.
As a veterinary clinic extern this summer, my position meant administering medical care and management for both resident and to be released animals. A typical day began with tending to clinic animals, giving their morning treatments, and taking them outside for exercise. As someone who has only done small animal experiences before, it was very eye opening to see how wildlife medicine greatly differs. There was not set schedule for the day as tasks were always changing depending on what came in that day. I learned how to quickly re-prioritize and shift gears as you could always be needed elsewhere. During my time there I was able to help out with taking radiographs, brainstorm treatment plans, run lab work and fecal floats, and perform fecal floats. One of my favorite jobs had to be orally tube feeding two baby Howler monkeys, Queen and Pepe. I learned how to appropriately handle raptors and got to be a part of multiple releases.
This was unbelievably rewarding to know that my small contribution to the health of that animal helped prepare it for its return to the wild. A learning curve I experienced this summer in wildlife medicine was learning not to get too attached to your patients as health status’ can change quickly. The vet team is working with limited resources often under less-than-ideal conditions therefore there isn’t always more that can be done for them. That being said, I also got to see how these circumstances brought people to collaborate, stay flexible, and become resourceful with what was available. The impressive feats the team was able to accomplish will always stick with me.
As I got to do this experience with my best friend, we found ways to take advantage of our days off in Costa Rica by traveling around. We visited all over from the Caribbean coast, the rainforest, to the Pacific coast. Traveling was just as incredible as we mastered how to get around using local transportation, experienced the culture and natural beauty Costa Rica offers, and, of course, practiced my Spanish with the locals
