Costa Rica Wildlife – Against All Odds!

First let me explain the need. I have worked with animals and their care for all of my adult life in my profession and have an intimate knowledge of housing, and caging.

My work in Costa Rica has been far more challenging because of the lack of availability of proper housing to rehabilitate animals. Chain link fencing is readily available here and is perfect for larger animals like large cats, bigger monkeys, etc. However, I find when I work with a variety of smaller animals in which the chain link is inappropriate for a couple of reasons:

The smaller animals can quickly escape through the links and even large boa constrictors can come calling, slither in, and dine on the very animal I am struggling to treat. Thus, the need for strong, galvanized, small spaced wire.

It just isn’t available here in Costa Rica. Any wrought iron cage can be made here, but the small spacing and the fact that it isn’t galvanized makes it impractical.

He called me some months ago and the deep voice on the other end of the phone said “Hello Gloria, you don’t know me, but my name is Tom Wilks and I admire the work you are doing and would like to help you. What do you need?”

Rather taken aback at such a generous request, I wasn’t sure how to respond. Being a bit of a shy person when asking for help and never greedy, I didn’t know whether to ask for a box of band aids or something more challenging.

As we kept talking, he kept insisting something to the effect of “just name it”. Wow! Having struggled the entire eight years I have lived here for good quality welded wire to build rehab cages and finding it isn’t to be had in Costa Rica, I wondered if I dare ask.

So, closing my eyes and whispering softly, I asked for good welded wire explaining that it just can’t be had in the entire country. Without hesitating, he said he would see what he could do but had no knowledge about welded wire.

In the states I could be the welded wire queen having built several cages and some aviaries out of welded wire. I know all about the process. I had been searching on the internet and already knew of a website for a company out of Texas and told him I would send him a picture of what I needed.

As I hung up the phone, I shook my head thinking the possibilities were pretty dismal. The welded wire I was proposing would be quite pricey, and come in rolls weighing more than a baby elephant and most likely the price of shipment would be prohibitive. I felt there were too many stumbling blocks along the way. I had very little hope at the time.

But what I didn’t know was that the man on the other end of the phone would later jokingly refer to himself as a “pit bull” with a challenging project. Actually, having worked with hyenas some years back, I consider their jaws almost top of the heap in the tenacity arena, but few people want to be known as a hyena.

The first challenge came when Tom ordered the welded wire I requested and found the company no longer made it on the Texas site, so that necessitated Tom having to order it from another location. He finally managed to locate it and called me asking how many rolls I wanted?

Wow! I asked if two rolls were possible and he filled the order. I was ecstatic but still had misgivings about them actually arriving in Costa Rica. I knew shipping would be a tall order. We put our heads together and investigated a couple of options and ran into dead ends.

I felt so bad for Tom who had the wire paid for at no small price but we were stymied to get it shipped. I did all I could on my end and just hit a dead end. But Tom had connections and finally he ecstatically informed me it was headed off the coast of Texas and was ready to leave for Costa Rica.

But then, hurricane “Ike” struck the coast and again we were halted in ocean going shipments. We were both hoping that the shipment wouldn’t be lost in the hurricane disaster.

Finally, I received word that the wire had landed in San Jose! I squealed with delight and disbelief! I told Tom to just let me know where she landed and I would be there with a truck. But, you gotta know Tom. He insisted on nothing short of “home delivery”! And he did just that!

On the appointed day, driving up in a very large tourism type bus were my two rolls of welded wire. Just like ordering a pizza! Uhmmm, well, not quite! As Tom will quickly tell you, “it wasn’t just like falling off a rock.” He said it was the toughest donation he had ever made. And I am sure it was.

One of our happy recipients of new roomy, safe housing is a small Brown Hooded parrot that was severely injured as the result of children with slingshots. She came to me with abrasions on her eye, nose, the top of her head, severe gashes under the very mangled right wing. She was hemorrhaging so badly from the wing I was afraid I would lose her.

But (against all odds) she has survived and the wing has healed beautifully after having wrapped it for a month and five days, but may not have the flexibility to allow her to fly. The challenge of the knowledge of setting of this small wing is valuable knowledge to apply to future victims of similar fractures.

You can see her picture on day one with the blue “vet wrap” around her wing. Without proper caging for a small species, little “Nikki” as I have named her had to live first in a vegetable crate with a lid (they actually make great first cages for hatchlings and tiny birds).

She then graduated to a blue dog crate installed with perches. And now, with bandage off of her wing, she can gain more exercise in a new proper welded wire cage!!! Evidently this species is rather rare for our area.

This same welded wire is also appropriate for aviaries for the approved project of breeding the endangered Scarlet Macaws without danger of their babies being eaten by uninvited predators. This wire will go a long way in housing many needy animals!

Tom is an amazing man! And I am indeed humbled and extremely grateful by his generous donation and his tenaciousness to see a very difficult project through to its completion, no matter the odds! And I want to be the first one to warn anyone that if you ever want to grab a pit bull by the tail, it better not be Tom Wilks! Because he latches on and lands on all four “paws” ?

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Written by Gloria Dempsey. Zoologist in Arenal, Costa Rica.

If you would to contribute to the rescue and care of wildlife in Costa Rica and maybe help with the cost of a new portable X-ray machine, please send a US cashier’s cheque to our Zoologist friend in Arenal Gloria Dempsey:

Gloria Dempsey
5717-28 Nuevo Arenal – Tilaran
Guanacaste, Costa Rica.

Or you can email Gloria Dempsey at zoologist@welovecostarica.com

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.