After spending ten years as a zookeeper and three years as a research assistant studying howler monkeys in Belize, Robin started the Wildlife Care Center of Belize. It was the first and only government recognized facility to hold, rehabilitate and reintroduce confiscated monkeys and birds back to the wild. The program is strongly research-based and follows established guidelines to evaluate potential release sites, develop rehabilitation methodology for each species, collect behavioral data both pre- and post-release and continue long-term monitoring of released animals to learn how they are doing. Robin provides internship opportunities to zookeepers and students to learn and improve animal care techniques and experience fieldwork in a tropical habitat. This isn't just a job, it is a life calling.
Most zookeepers care for animals in a captive setting but also have an interest in seeing them in their natural habitat. Robin went a step further and saw how one person might make a difference by using her knowledge and passion for animals to impact conservation efforts for their protection. Fifteen howler monkeys and sixteen birds have been successfully reintroduced in the past six years due to her efforts - animals which almost certainly would not have survived otherwise.
Robin led a "normal" life of a zookeeper in the U.S. for years. She now uses a machete to cut grass and collect browse for the monkeys. Howlers are primarily leaf-eaters and this is an extremely time-consuming but essential part of the rehabilitation process. Her wooden cabin now boasts solar power instead of candlelight, but there is still an outhouse and cold shower.
She never complains of the incredible heat or the bugs or the lack of a paycheck (the project is funded entirely from grants and donations). She just continues to work every single day from sun-up to sundown, ensuring the animals in her care have the best possible chance at survival. She is a phenomenal example of an environmentalist, conservationist and humanitarian.
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