Interview With The Founders Of Merazonia Animal Refuge In Ecuador

By Kate | Permalink | No Comments | April 5th, 2007 | Trackback

Merazonia, a refuge which will soon work with trafficked animals in the town of Mera, Ecuador, was started in 2004 by a group of travelers with similar animal welfare volunteer experience; the team is currently putting the finishing touches on their living quarters. Volunteers are much needed to assist, and you can find comments from and contact information for previous volunteers on the same page.

The Merazonia team was kind enough to do an email interview for the Volunteer Logue. Find out how they met and got started, what advice they have for others who would like to form their own organizations, how a typical day goes, and what plans they have for the future.

“Four of us originally began this project (the website says three, but Frank jumped on shortly after and he’s basically an originator as well). Three of us had met at Inti Wari Yassi, an animal refuge in Bolivia, and we met our fourth partner at Santa Martha Rescue Center outside
of Quito, Ecuador. None of us had any formal training in animal welfare or care—we came from diverse backgrounds, a psychologist, computer engineer, journalist, and student. I believe what has kept us going to create this refuge is our collective experience as volunteers at other South American refuge centers. Though each of us had followed a different path, we all had a connection to animals, and found working closely with them to feel joyful and purposeful. We had started as travelers, and found the connection to community, the environment and the animals to be so much more rewarding, and simply more worthy of our travel funds and time.

“As for advice to others who would like to begin their own organizations, I believe the most important part is to become connected to the country and culture you will be working in. Once you understand these specifics, it is more heart, patience, and experiential learning. Our most challenging experience has been the process of clearing invaders from our land, and thus being intimately involved with Ecuadorian legal proceedings, which seem perfectly designed to elicit frustration. The most rewarding experience is to meet volunteers from around the world who bring their own spirit and ideas to the project. We are small enough that we are able to integrate volunteer ideas, experiences, and talents into the project.”

Read on to Part 2 to discover what a typical day is like and also what the Merazonia team has in mind for the future.

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