Conservation, Canopies and Cloud Forests

Lorenza Bacino's children are animal mad, so where better to explore the richly biodiverse rain and cloud forests of Costa Rica where they volunteer at a wildlife rescue centre?

- Lorenza Bacino

My 12-year-old son Max is obsessed with birds of prey. Sadly for him, I do not share his passion. In fact, I do not like birds at all, and so, much to his chagrin, he’s not allowed a bird of prey anywhere near the house. It’s an ‘over my dead body’ kind of situation.

Yet here I am, in Costa Rica, facing my demons, cleaning out a cage full of squawking green parrots about to peck my eyes out. One has already stolen my scrubbing brush and the children are laughing hysterically. I’m reluctant to wrestle it from the parrot’s clutches.

In a bid to support this passion, I’ve brought the family (Max 12, Isabella nine, and husband, age undisclosed) on a Hands Up Holiday (handsupholidays.com) to this tiny Central American country, home to more than 850 species of bird, 208 species of mammals and a staggering ve per cent of our planet’s biodiversity – all within 51,000 km2 or a mere 0.03 per cent of the world’s landmass. Nowhere on earth can boast as many different types of habitat concentrated into such a small space.

Costa Rica has taken great strides to protect this extraordinary abundance and diversity, and Hands Up Holidays specialises in trips where volunteering is an integral part of the adventure. We volunteered at a wild animal rescue centre in the Arenal area as part of our Costa Rica experience. So, that’s how I found myself in a cage full of squawking parrots.

The centre relies on visitors and volunteers for funding, and the message is clear. ‘The animals are not here because we want them,’ explained Francisco, the resident vet. ‘They are here because people do not know how to behave with them. Our aim is always to release them back into the forest and our goal is to spread the word that it isn’t OK to keep exotic pets.’