Chuffed was ‘stuck’ in Golfito for quite some time, with engine and paperwork woes! During that time I recognized the people in Golfito and the surrounding areas lacked the resources needed to provide the ideal health care for their pets. Stray animals were common, and this lead to more unwanted puppies and kittens, worm and flea infestations and disease spread. This has a knock on affect on the wider community as children contract communicable diseases, the streets become polluted from animals scavenging trash and wildlife populations are devastated with disease and hunting.
local children watch on as animals are treated in an INDIGENOUS guaymi community, high in the costa rican mountain ranges
From November 2017 to March 2019 we worked with Costa Rican veterinarians and local communities to have clinics in 10 locations: Golfito, Pavones, Palmar, Rio Claro, Playa Zancudos, Playa Blanca, Puerto Jimenez, Playa KauKau and two indigenous communities. During these clinics over 700 animals were neutered, and countless others have received medications for illnesses and parasite control.
A memory I shall never forget was visiting the indigenous villages in the mountains near Golfito. Many of these communities are completely cut off during the wet season, only able to exit on horseback. There are no veterinarians in their community, but there was a very real need for veterinary care. We were able to not only provide neutering services to these communities but also educate them on how to best care for their pets and provided food and medication for all the animals seen.
two sloths get cuddly at alturas wildlife sanctuary
While a lot of the work we do is focused on domestic animal health, we also work with wild animals. My veterinary soul-sister, Dra. Sandy Selvatica is a wildlife veterinarian for Alturas Wildlife Sanctuary. I had the pleasure of working with Dra. Sandy on numerous wildlife cases, we made a great team and remain close friends.
We also worked closely with local marine turtle rescue organizations. The nearest hospital for wildlife was more than 4 hours away from Golfito, a stressful trip for turtles that may only need simple and quick treatments. We removed fish hooks from multiple sea turtles during our time in Golfito, working under the guidance of Costa Rican sea turtle veterinarians in the larger cities. We also assisted with research and other treatments, such as blood collection and administering medications.
Chuffed was in Costa Rica for almost two years, and I truly loved the wild natural world that it is famous for. We feel very grateful to have been able to help so many organizations and animals while we were there, and very lucky for the amazing experiences we got to have.
Want to know more? Follow our journey on CHUFFED ADVENTURES and consider making a donation to our cause by clicking HERE.