I met Carol Patrick in 2009 while preparing my second book on Costa Rica. Carol had invited me to visit her Osa Wildlife Sanctuary, where she has devoted several decades to rescuing numerous orphaned, injured, or confiscated animals entrusted to her by Costa Rican authorities.
I loved the story of her life-changing journey!
When she decided to leave her career as a commodities broker in San Francisco to open a Bed & Breakfast in southern Costa Rica, she never imagined she would one day become the happy “prisoner” of mischievous spider monkeys. Her adventure began with scarlet macaws, followed by monkeys, and Carol discovered her true calling. She converted her property into a refuge, replacing her human guests with endangered wildlife. To allow the monkeys to grow up in freedom—their only chance of joining a wild troop someday—Carol prioritized the animals. Every area was fenced off to prevent access and avoid damage, but the animals were never confined. As Carol likes to say: here, it’s the humans who are in cages, not the monkeys!
Her golden rules: constant and attentive presence, adequate and high-quality food, and for those that need to be kept in enclosures, perfect cleanliness and environmental enrichment. Her approach works wonderfully. She successfully releases all rehabilitated species around the sanctuary, which is bordered by the Piedras Blancas National Park.
During my stays with her, I witnessed her boundless dedication and commitment to young Geoffroy’s spider monkeys, which she patiently raised to return them to a wild and free life, as well as baby Mexican tamanduas, opossums, sloths, kinkajous, scarlet macaws, and many others that made their free lives with her.
