But we received some good reviews about the Center while we were at Leleshwa, and decided to give it a shot.

I actually thought it was a good experience, and yes, I enjoyed petting/feeding a giraffe. They have a single family of giraffes there. They are all Rothschild giraffes, which I had never seen before. Masai giraffes are much more common in the savannas–Rothschild are in Northern Kenya and I think significantly more endangered.

The Center is run by the African Fund for Endangered Wildlife, and there isn’t much there besides, well, the giraffes. The giraffes are there to raise awareness and offer educational opportunities about the species. Entry is about $10 US dollars. It’s a non-profit and also has a pretty good gift shop if you are still looking for something to take home from Kenya!

They are funny creatures. Allowed to roam freely, one giraffe would come over for the human feeding and then get tired of the noise and frenzied children, and saunter away. Pretty soon a different giraffe would wander over for a bit of feeding time, as he pleased. They certainly were in no hurry, and clearly came for the food not for the pets. None of them particularly liked the human attention, but those alfalfa pellets were quite attractive.

The tongue of a giraffe is long, like a dog, and scratchy, sort of like a cat but much more glamorous (cats/cat tongues are just weird in general…giraffes are much cooler). It’s also a weird blue/black and very prehensile. Good for eating Acacia trees and avoiding the spikes…also good for enveloping small, unwitting human hands and ensuring they consume the full handful of alfalfa pellets rather than just one at a time! Their fur was much softer than I expected–sort of like an Airedale? It was fun just to watch their mannerisms and annoyance with humans who wanted affection.

If you are on the fence but have some free time, the Giraffe Center is a good cause and all the giraffes seem happy as clams with freedom to roam/eat acacia as they please. I probably won’t ever see a giraffe that closely again, and it is incredible to see the lanky, curious creatures at arms length.

We barely made it, due to my husband’s propensity to pop the chain of the single-speed bicycle a bajillion times on the way there. And damn, is it hot when you are on the road without a breeze! But we got there in the nick of time (and got to see a slothy crossing the road…SCORE!).

Hold On Guys, My Claws Aren’t Meant for This!

In general, I always have mixed feelings on rescue centers for wildlife, as I really feel like wild animals should be, as their name suggests, in the wild. The quality and mission of these centers really seems to vary, and I often worry about their mixed messages regarding conservation and respect for wildlife.

Anyway (kicking soapbox to the side), the Jaguar Rescue Center is pretty neat. They also have a related preserve named La Ceiba (you can also go for a tour), where they sort of “test” their animals out of their care, with the capability to do a temporary or trial release in a protected area where they keep an eye on how things are going.

The tour lasts approximately 2 hours, and there is a lot to see. There were a few young cats (including an ocelot) that were being raised for release.  One of these was a tiny kitten in a tree that was cut down by a farmer (who then brought it to the rescue center to try to save)–so it’s quite small and had to be bottle fed for some time.

Many of their animals are set to be rehabbed and released; common issues include broken wings (owls), serious injuries from captivity (monkeys), or other behavioral or physical problems that the center is trying to heal/resolve.

Now, as with an adorable anteater with one eye that doesn’t climb trees, they do have some residents that live there all the time. Many of them roam completely freely, and head to the forest daily only to return for some tlc (read: easy food or attention).

Resident Toucan, Appropriately Named Tookie the Toucan. He Followed Us.

Freaking Adorable Anteater, Can’t Climb Trees So Has Termites Delivered to Him in a Tub Each Day.

They have a lot of monkeys, many of which are quite young. You are allowed in the monkey house…DH went in, and was jumped on by the outbreak monkey (you know the outbreak monkey with that little white face? It’s actually a capuchin) which is exactly why I did not go in. Monkeys? Diseases? Thanksbutnothanks. (Unfortunately, it’s still too soon to make ebola jokes otherwise I would have littered those all over this photo…)

I Made DH Shower with Wet-Wipes After This Encounter. Twice.

The one observation I had that disappointed me a bit (which isn’t limited to the center…it’s definitely a wider problem), is the general lack of Costa Rica staff or personnel. The center is run and staffed essentially by young volunteers taking a gap year, a break from life, etc. I fully understand that Costa Ricans, mostly, can’t just volunteer for free at a wildlife rescue center. And it seems like this center, in particular, does have pretty good community relationships, including working with schools.

Anyways–there are plenty of cute animals at the Jaguar Rescue Center in Punta Cocles! Even though you can see a ton of wildlife in the jungle on your own, I think it’s a good cause to support and it’s always fun to see the animals–particularly sloths, of course–up close. (Check out how different the two and three toed sloths are! More on sloths in the future.)

I’m Two Toed.

I’m Three Toed.