Kelly G.
June 7, 2023
Hi guys! This is Kelly, the lead keeper of the herpetology team. In March of this year, I had the wonderful opportunity to volunteer for his week at the El Valle Amphibian Conservation Center (EVACC) in El Valle de Anton, Panama. The Atlanta Zoo has been working with this organization for several years, but due to COVID-19, we were unable to go out and help for some time. So when they recruited volunteers, I decided to apply for a professional development grant to go and help out at the Atlanta Zoo. Oh my God, I got a subsidy, so I went to Panama!
This was my first trip to Panama and I must say it was an adventure. Since I was traveling on a budget, I decided to take the local bus ($10 round trip) from Panama City to El Valle which normally takes about 2 1/2 hours drive to El Valle which he takes 3 hours. Taking the bus was a little longer due to the various stops and took about 4 hours to arrive. Now, when you think of a bus, you probably think of a nice big bus with everyone having seats and luggage storage underneath. But no, these are not traditional buses, but small minibuses for 15-20 people, decorated to the taste of their owners and usually with loud music played overhead, such as reggaeton, cumbia or bachata. is. Mine was decorated in pink and black and had “Psycho Bunny” as the logo. It was great! Luckily, I boarded at Panama City’s main bus terminal, Albrook Mall, so I was able to sit in my seat with all my luggage on my lap. By the time we got to El Valle it was full of people standing in the aisles but well worth the experience.
Upon arrival in El Valle de Anton, we were met by Edgardo and Heidi who run EVACC. I met Edgardo about 20 years ago, both when she was taking the AZA Amphibian Biology and Management course. At the time, they were just beginning to set up a center with a local zoo in El Valle, where he had one frog pod (a converted shipping container) where he rescued and reared Panamanian golden frogs. was doing. Time flies really fast!
The current center moved to a new location on the premises of Hotel Campestre in 2019. The center consists of three frog colonies (where animals are kept and live food is farmed) and a new visitor center. The visitor center is an old house, consisting of the EVACC headquarters, two cabins (which they rent out to visiting researchers and volunteers like me), a kitchenette, a gift shop, and a small native frog exhibit. . This exhibit and gift shop just opened at the end of 2022 and was added to support operations and highlight the great work of EVACC. For just $3 per adult and $1 per child, you can admire the frog exhibit and learn about Panamanian endemic amphibians, including the famous Panamanian Golden Frog, the national symbol of Panama. Here you can learn their stories firsthand from the people who actually helped save species from extinction. This is a real bargain. If you haven’t heard the story of the golden frog yet, read on.check out https://www.ranadorada.org/ and https://evaccfoundation.org for more information.
The visitor center is where I spent most of my time in Panama. I spent the morning tidying up all the habitats in the exhibition space, and after opening I stood at the front desk and talked to visitors. As a relatively new center, most of the people who walked through the front door were for the Sendero de Arboles Cuadrados (Square Trees) Trail.
EVACC manages the hotel and the hotel receives a portion of the entrance fee as another revenue stream (every little bit counts!). So it was my job to hone my marketing and sales skills and upsell them to come see the frogs and buy them souvenirs of their trip. Honestly, it wasn’t that hard. And most people happily entered the air-conditioned space (a must after a hike!) and chatted about frogs, EVACC, and conservation. I met a lot of nice people and was able to work on my mediocre Spanish as well. It was a very valuable experience!