Puerto Iguazu bus (Photo: Daniel Mitsuo)
A rainy day in Iguazu can feel like all your anticipated memories of waterfalls and rainbows have been put through a paper shredder. The town is hardly built for indoor fun, and even the locals will just give you a hopeless shrug when asked for activities aside from the cataratas. But there is an alternative to hostel sulking.
The Güira Oga (“House of the Birds” in native Guarani language) is a wildlife refuge neighbouring the falls, and catering to the animals surrounding them. Although the one-and-a-half-hour long tour is completely outdoors, a poncho and throwaway shoes make it possible in less than ideal climactic conditions.
Luckily for foreigners, the tour begins with logistics. The centre itself is an easy ten-minute, $2 bus ride from the town of Puerto Iguazu, and the guides are bilingual, speaking to both English and Spanish-language visitors throughout the stay. Tourists are ushered onto a tractor-pulled trailer that leads them into the jungle where the animals are kept.
Toucan at Güira Oga (Photo: Rodrigo Soldon)
Although the sanctuary’s brochures and website feature a variety of local fauna, the park’s name is the most telling of what you will see when visiting. The tour consists of about 90% birds, with a smattering of monkeys, small mammals, and the odd crocodile.
There was no leopard sighting on this particular excursion, despite its prevalence on promotional materials. This can be disappointing to those coming in expecting an exotic petting zoo, but guide Cintia Da Rosa reminds us that Güira Oga aims to be just a means to an ends for the housed animals.
“We try to set them free as soon as possible,” she said, driving home the concept that the space caters to its inhabitants, not its viewers.
Sadly, many will never get this opportunity, as they die within 24 hours of entering the refuge. Sadder, human activity is what populates the rehabilitation centre; most of the injured animals are victims of poachers, automobiles, or wildlife trafficking. In a recent case, several wild birds were confiscated from the Ezeiza Airport in Buenos Aires. Those that were not found dead were transported back to Güira Oga for rehabilitation.
Seeing the occupants in action at the park, however, helps you believe there is still good in the human species. Two vultures square off against each other, oblivious to their onlookers; several small birds flirt and chase one another around their cage; and all except one of the Capuchin monkeys cuddled and showed off for their viewers.
At another point, a lone, hairy brown bottom protrudes through the primate cage; motionless and despondent. “She’s not allowed in right now,” said De Rosa of the large female perched on top. Apparently, she had taken a liking to one of the males on the inside, and had become a nuisance.
Bird of prey at Güira Oga (Photo: Rodrigo Soldon)
The only animals on the tour that exhibit apparent adversity are a small group of birds of prey. Each is leashed to its own post; each stares straight ahead, scowling at the new batch of tourists.
De Rosa explains that the restraints are for the wellbeing of the birds, many of which would meet certain death in the wild. The creatures are undergoing a flying boot camp in how to live and feed again on their own. The Güira Oga staff even created their own ‘robo-prey’, a remote-controlled scampering rodent that helps the birds perfect their swoop.
The centre receives institutional support from the Félix de Azara Natural History Foundation and the Ministry of Ecology, but depends on each guest’s $40 contribution to maintain the project’s independence. The refuge additionally accepts volunteers, for those who prefer a more hands-on rehabilitation experience.
Visit the Güira Oga website for more information on visiting or volunteering.
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