Case Study: Capel Manor

30 students from Capel Manor College volunteered as part of the Conservation & Environment project for 2 weeks at the Taricaya Ecological Reserve.

The four-hour boat trip from the airport was truly breathtaking, passing through the Amazon River, watching the city of Puerto Maldonado disappear in the distance behind us whilst the jungle closed in around us. It became peaceful, the jungle began to grow and so did the jungle noises. It was very surreal and filled every single one of us with pure joy.

Within the reserve is the Taricaya Ecological Reserve Rescue Centre, Peru’s first official animal rescue centre, which is run by an incredibly passionate group of staff members and volunteers.

An exotic mix of species can be found in the rescue centre such as:

• Spectacled bears
• Pumas
• Howler and spider monkeys
• Parrots

Activities carried out included:

• Bat monitoring at night
• Bird banding
• Animal feed preparation
• Enrichment for the rescue centre

We also ventured out onto the Madre de Dios River at night to go looking for caiman under the clear, night sky where all the stars could be seen. We could even see constellations like Orion’s Belt and the Milky Way! In London, you’ll rarely see a few handfuls of stars, so this was an absolutely breathtaking view.

The activities would find you exploring and walking deep into the rainforest. We crossed a rope bridge and stepped foot into a whole new world. It was an incredible experience to be able to live in the moment in the heart of the rainforest, admiring and taking in every single moment of such a naturally beautiful place.

We walked through swamps, trekked deeper and deeper into the jungle, even crossing paths with spider monkeys jumping between the trees and macaws flying over us. Not only did we explore the grounds of the rainforest, but we also climbed 45 meters high above the rainforest to the bird canopy to carry out bird observations as the jungle came alive early in the morning.

Halfway through the placement, we visited the Palma Real indigenous community to donate school supplies from Capel Manor and plant Ironwood saplings for the community to use as building materials once fully grown.