The ARA Project
Focus: Conservation.
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Project Description
The ARA Project is a Costa Rican licensed zoological park and non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation of the two native macaw species of Costa Rica: the endangered Great Green Macaw (Ara ambiguus) and the Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao). The ARA Project operates a breeding program and reintroduction projects.
The ARA Project has been breeding macaws since the 1980s and releasing macaws since the 1990s in conjunction with MINAET (Costa Rican Ministry of Environment, Energy & Telecommunications). The ARA Project's breeding centre has the largest collection of Great Green Macaws in captivity in the world.
Between 1999 and 2012, The ARA Project released over 80 Scarlet Macaws in the project's Scarlet Macaw release sites. These macaws have survival rates close to 90% and have successfully reproduced. In 2011, the first Great Green Macaws were released in the Manzanillo release site. It is the first Great Green Macaw reintroduction in the world. The breeding program and release projects are ongoing.
The breeding centre is where the breeding stock is kept and where the captive bred macaws are kept until they move on to a release site.
The macaws bred at the breeding centre are released and studied in the release sites. Volunteers are stationed at all three release sites: Manzanillo, Punta Islita and Tiskita.
It is possible to volunteer at the breeding centre and release site combined with an internship; The ARA Project can provide appropriate supervision and an evaluation/reference.
Volunteer Information
Costs & Benefits
Requirements
Contact information
Project Summary
Volunteer at the breeding centre:
The breeding centre is where the breeding stock is kept and where the captive bred macaws are kept until they move on to a release site.
It is possible to volunteer at the breeding centre combined with an internship; The ARA Project can provide appropriate supervision and an evaluation/reference.
Responsibilities of volunteers at the breeding centre are supervised by The ARA Project's breeding centre staff.
Responsibilities include:
Feeding macaws
Maintaining aviaries (mostly cleaning)
Observing behaviour
Environmental enrichment
Maintaining grounds around the breeding centre
Conservation education (optional)
The work schedule is six days a week. Work hours vary between 7 AM and 5:30 PM.
Volunteer at the Release Site:
The macaws bred at the breeding centre are released and studied in the release sites. Volunteers are stationed at all three release sites: Manzanillo, Punta Islita and Tiskita.
It is possible to volunteer at a release site combined with an internship; The ARA Project can provide appropriate supervision and an evaluation/reference.
Responsibilities of volunteers at the release sites are supervised by The ARA Project's field biologists. They vary depending on whether there are newly released macaws in the release site or new macaws in the pre-release aviary.
Responsibilities include:
Monitoring released macaws & collecting behavioural data
Collecting food & feeding newly released macaws in release site
Monitoring macaws in pre-release aviary & collecting behavioural data
Collecting food & feeding macaws in pre-release aviary
Monitoring nests
Processing data
Working in tree nursery (i.e. planting trees for foraging & nesting)
Release site maintenance
Conservation education (optional)
The work schedule is 6 days a week. Work hours vary between 5 AM and 5:30 PM.
The rate is $23 per day. It includes accommodation and meals at a homestay ($18 per day), and volunteering ($5 per day). The $5 rate for volunteering is used by The ARA Project for the expenses of the breeding centre (macaw food, veterinary care, aviary maintenance etc.). The rate has to be paid upon arrival and is not refundable.
Minimum age 18 years
Basic English language skills
Minimum availability two weeks
Ability to work in a team & independently
It is not required but recommended to have basic Spanish language skills. Experience with birds is an advantage; sometimes macaws need to be handled, for example, for deworming or moving between aviaries.
The ARA Project, Apdo.
1904-4050, 20101 Alajuela,
Costa Rica
Tel: +(506) 8389-5811
Email: volunteer@thearaproject.org
Website: www.thearaproject.org
Location: Alajuela, Costa Rica
Average cost per day: $23
Focus: Conservation
Skills needed: Over 18 years old, Spoken English, some Spanish would be useful, 2 week commitment
