"Machia was the first park where Inti Wara Yassi set up home and is steeped in history. It is based mid way between Cochabamba and Santa Cruz near a small town called Villa Tunari in the centre of Bolivia on the edge of the Bolivian Amazon. The park itself is only a 38 hectare rented plot of land that IWY maintain on behalf of the local council.
We were both placed to work with monkeys, a mix of capuchins (above) and spider monkeys, which whilst not being our main reason for wanting to do the trip, rapidly became a love affair. Coral with her favourite 'Romeo' and Alice with 'Fidelia'. It is very easy to see why capuchin monkeys become pets, they are cute adorable little balls of fur that play with you a lot and are amazing to watch in the trees. It is important to remind ourselves however, that many of the capuchins came from family homes, and that they could not be contained, biting and breaking stuff are also favourite past-times! Some of the monkeys in the park have worse histories, some come from street entertainers, some were being sold illegally in black markets and some come from zoo's where they have been kept in small cages and taunted. The best place for these animals in in their natural habitat, the jungle.
Whichever monkey you fall in love with and whatever history they may have, one thing that you can almost always guarantee is that after working two weeks with these beautiful creatures, saying goodbye will be a very emotional experience."
Are you interested in volunteering in Bolivia? Gap year volunteer. Summer volunteering.
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