Jungle Fever: The Summer I Spent Wrangling Coatis

Entry, Experiences
Lea Mehrkens, UC Davis

My field assistant in her make-shift mosquito netting

I spent the summer of 2011 in Monteverde, Costa Rica thanks to two research grants I received through UC Davis. I had lived there in 2007, when I studied abroad as an undergraduate, and had always wanted to return. I maintained contact with my professors in Costa Rica, and began brainstorming new research ideas after being accepted into veterinary school. It was with their help, along with my advisors in the Wildlife Health Center here at UCD, that I designed a research project investigating the prevalence of a zoonotic blood parasite, Trypanosoma cruzi, in the white-nosed coati population of Monteverde.

My living experience this summer was something I’ll always remember. I stayed with a homestay family for two weeks and then was able to rent a “house” in the jungle from one of my professors.  I use the term “house” loosely, because she called it the “Casa de Higueron”, or house of the fig tree. The house was located underneath a giant fig tree, so when it rained or there was a breeze, stone-like figs pelted the tin roof, making it impossible to make phone calls, watch movies, or even talk to my research assistant. One of the many, many giant bugs around our houseWe also had several scorpions, tarantulas, wolf-spiders, cockroaches, and rats as roommates.  The fruit from this tree enticed countless butterflies and even some monkeys to pay us visits, so we couldn’t complain too much.

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