Santa Clause Comes Early to Arenal Costa Rica! If these wild critters could talk they would say “muchisimas gracias” to you…

Maybe he wasn’t wearing the red fuzzy suit. And he may not even have a white fluffy beard. And, in fact, I have never seen him. But to us, here working for the benefit of suffering animals here in Arenal, Costa Rica and the surrounding areas, he is the true Santa Claus. But he didn’t work alone, he has some very helpful elves.

It all began some months ago; sometime in February as I remember. VIP Member of WeLoveCostaRica.com – Dennis Kuzara, (aka Santa Claus) contacted Scott Oliver (the first helpful “elf” in the process) on his website (WeLoveCostaRica.com) and inquired if anyone had need of a donation of 16 clinical laboratory microscopes.

Scott, long aware of the work I am involved with here in Arenal, and knowing how “needy” we are here, suggested Dennis may want to contact me. He did and the ball began “rolling” so to speak.

I excitedly accepted the generous gift and we began to discuss how to get them to Costa Rica from the north western United States. That was no small task. The combined weight of the microscopes (each about 10 lbs) was nearly 200 lbs. You can’t just slip it through the “correo” (Post Office).

I remembered Barry Wilson’s (another one of the “elves” helping us out) generous offer some few years back when he approached me in Arenal telling me about his shipping company and he was aware of my work and said if he could ever help me, he would be pleased to do so.

I quickly contacted Barry who very graciously agreed to include the microscopes on one of his personal marine shipments.

Ecstatic with joy, I now had the gift assured and a means to transport them. That left the connection of sending the microscopes from Dennis’s area via land transport some few states away to Anaheim, California where they would set sail.

After contacting Dennis about the offer of Barry to send the ‘scopes to me, we put our heads together to try to come up with a solution to the land connection. In the end, Dennis (you gotta love this Santa!) generously boxed and sent the scopes via land transport to Anaheim to await their final destination here in Arenal.

They arrived in Costa Rica some few weeks back and the other two elves (Arden Rembert Brink with the shipping company and husband, David) very graciously brought the microscopes to San Ramon to make our journey from Arenal shorter.

The scopes were packed in two (very heavy and well packaged) boxes and with my husband, Jim (my very hard working and well loved elf) and I brought them to my home.

Besides helping me out personally with a nice laboratory scope to use in my work here in Arenal, the joy I have had in donating the desperately needed microscopes to many of our country veterinarians I know and work with, is indescribable! Now, I get to share in the joy of being “the other Santa”.

Let me enlighten those of you from the United States in the difference in status and earnings of the veterinarians here in Costa Rica compared to the United States. especially out here in “the bush”.

The doctors operate on “a shoe string” budget, have almost no diagnostic equipment, not even a microscope, and certainly not a desperately needed X-ray machine to even film a dog’s leg, hit by a car, work long hours, and earn little more than the satisfaction of helping animals.

To these doctors, this microscope (If you bought it new, could easily cost $1,500) is Navidad (Christmas) for several years!

What difference can a professional microscope make? For those who don’t use them, let me just tell you a few of the uses:

1. Blood tests can be done to check for the now epidemic Erhlichiosis or other blood borne parasites.
2. Fecal tests can be done to differentiate the different intestinal parasites.
3. Skin scrapings can be done to differentiate between different types of mange, fungal infections, or bacterial infections.

In other words, in the countryside, without a microscope, you are literally “shooting in the dark” when trying to “guess” the best course of treatment in a sick animal.

In the included photographs are the personal lives of the first recipients of the microscopes and knowing each of their area of work and struggles, I know what a difference these microscopes will make in their area of practice. My joy will be repeated many more times with the donation of all of the remaining microscopes. Not one will sit idle.

To our “Santa” Dennis Kuzara and all of the “elves” who made this venture possible, our thanks can not be put into words, but can be read on the happy faces of these professionals who dedicate their lives to caring for the beautiful but sometimes injured and sick wild creatures of Costa Rica! God bless each of you!

Santa Clause Comes Early to Arenal Costa Rica! If these wild critters could talk they would say “muchisimas gracias” to you…

Article/Property ID Number 1907

Andrew Makarik

to@welovecostarica.com

Andrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.