Animal Rescue & Rehabilitation Centres (ARRCs) – Are you being conned?
If you are planning to volunteer at an ARRC, go in with your eyes open; consider the following (my opinion); o For some ARRCs the temptation to rip-off their volunteers is hard to resist. o Working in some ARRC’s may be counter-productive if they maintain a ‘stock’ of animals to attract volunteers. o There is a view some in western fund-raising circles that *all* South American ARRC’s are corrupt. First, here’s how an ARRC should work: Take one local (wo)man or family, who has a genuine concern for the local fauna, include some land probably owned by the man/family; build some infrastructure, animal enclosures etc, and there you have your ARRC(!) Over time, Police recover smuggled animals, mistreated circus/performing animals, illegally held pets etc. and they send them to the ARRC. The ARRC rehabilitates and releases animals into the wild where possible, and where an animal cannot be released (i.e in situations where it won’t survive) the ARRC provides them a peaceful and contented ex
