Biography

Founder and Director, Leslie grew up in Costa Rica. Her father was one of the first property developers on the Pacific coast, laying the foundation for ecotourism in the Nosara region. Many years later, back in the United States and working as an Occupational Therapist and Outdoor Adventure Ropes course entrepreneur, with her own growing collection of birds she traveled to the jungles of Peru to study wild macaws. This led her back to her roots in Costa Rica in pursuing her lifelong dream of operating a bird refuge center, for parrots and toucans. Later, the bed and breakfast were started as a guesthouse when friends stayed while visiting. Today, Leslie’s vision for breeding and refuge for toucans has quickly grown into a fully functioning wildlife rescue center. Her care goes beyond toucans and now heals sloths, otters, owls, spider monkeys and much more!

Biography

Janet is the Toucan Rescue Ranch’s Veterinarian Director. She obtained her DMV from Escuela de Medicina y Cirugía Veterinaria San Francisco de Asís in 2006. During her studies, she worked with Aviarios Sloth Sanctuary 2005-2006 and interned with the Dallas World Aquarium in December 2006 (exotics). Janet interned with the Wimberley Veterinary Clinic in Texas in 2007. She opened her private veterinary clinic in Curridabat, San José in 2008, and became a consultant to the zoo in Playa Bonita, Moín, Limón (Paradero Ecotour) in 2008. At TRR, she conducts examinations, medical logs, maintains MINAE procedures and protocols, and oversees surgeries. She manages the overall health of all of the animals in Toucan Rescue Ranch’s clinic and works closely with the veterinarian supervisor, Ana Maria. Her role as a veterinarian has evolved into more management tasks since obtaining her MBA.

Biography

Carol has worked and volunteered all over the world including countries like Malawi and the Philippines. She has a professional background in IT development and consulting. Carol was one of the original volunteers at Toucan Rescue Ranch, coming every Saturday for a few years to help founder, Leslie Howle, prepare the various diets for the rescued animals. Since her earlier years with us, her position has evolved into an administrative role. Now, she works part-time as an advisor to the administrative team and as the project coordinator. As the project coordinator, she maintains and monitors project plans, schedules, budgets, and expenditures. Carol also assists with financial management and writes company procedures and protocols. On a rare occasion, you might also see Carol giving a tour for our Educational Walks.

Biography

Zara Palmer is the Marketing Manager and Fundraiser/Education Supervisor at the Toucan Rescue Ranch. She is from a small town called Clark Fork, Idaho, USA. Zara graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in business administration and marketing from Lewis-Clark State College in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. She has been helping Toucan Rescue Ranch since 2013 with crowdfunding campaigns, where she’s helped build new enclosures for various animals at headquarters and the Release Site.

Since 2015 she’s lived in Costa Rica on and off and is responsible for the marketing, fundraising, and branding strategies of the center. She oversees the Adoption Program, social media, corporate sustainability programs, crowdfunding, community events, and overall marketing and brand awareness. Zara assists with administrative tasks and is the supervisor for the tourism department of Toucan Rescue Ranch.

Santiago Garcia Dobles is a veterinarian supervisor. His major is in Veterinary Medicine from Costa Rica National University. He started at Toucan Rescue Ranch as a local TCU volunteer. Soon after he was given the opportunity to work as an HQ Clinic Intern where he earned his major degree by writing the results of the internship focused on wildlife casualties, diagnostic approach, and therapeutic treatments. After finishing his internship, he worked alongside Dra. Janet Sandí, Toucan Rescue Ranch’s current Animal Care Coordinator, at different wildlife organizations as well as a backup for the vet staff at TRR.

As a Vet Supervisor, he shares the responsibility of keeping a record of all wildlife casualties and correlating said casualties to potential threats that local fauna face. As a part of the Medical Team, he assists in the diagnostic approach such as diagnostic imaging with X-rays and ultrasonography. As well as other diagnostic methods such as laboratory tests. He supports the team with surgical procedures and other therapeutical methods such as the use of regenerative medicine techniques, which include the use of tilapia skin and collagen. Santiago is in charge of the preventive medicine protocols implemented for the welfare of the animals in the sanctuary.

Tesa Mendoza Blowey is the Release Site Supervisor and oversees the last stage of rehabilitation for many animals under our care. She studied Wildlife Conservation Biology at the University of California Davis, where she specialized in animal/human conflicts and wildlife management. Although she grew up in the United States, her mother is Costa Rican and would bring her to visit every summer. She fell in love with the immense diversity of the tropics and while adventuring in the depths of the rainforest, her passion for saving wildlife grew. She spent a summer in college volunteering at the Toucan Rescue Ranch headquarters where it was truly cemented in her that she wanted to spend the rest of her life working in wildlife rehabilitation. After she got her bachelor’s degree, she interned at several wildlife rescue centers to gain animal handling and clinic experience before she found herself back at Toucan Rescue Ranch. She believes in the importance of educating communities on how to co-exist with wildlife, and that there is no better feeling than seeing an animal under your care back in the trees of the jungle.

Isaac Brenes Jiménez is currently studying biology with an emphasis on tropical biology at Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica. He is originally from a town in the south of Costa Rica named Pérez Zeledón. Isaac started working at Toucan Rescue Ranch as a volunteer in April 2021. Soon after, he applied and became an on-call tour guide.

Starting in August 2021, he became the Toucan Rescue Ranch’s full-time guide. In this role, he assists the Education Department with phone calls, educational tours, reservations, attending guests, parking, and general customer service.

Stephanie Valle Cubero is the Environmental Education Coordinator and a guide at Toucan Rescue Ranch. She studied Tropical Biology at the National University (UNA) of Costa Rica and she is getting a Lic. degree on Natural Resource Management at the Universidad Estatal a Distancia (UNED). She is currently doing her thesis on Environmental Education, and she hopes to have a long-lasting impact on the local communities’ view and relationship with wildlife. Stephanie has worked as a naturalist guide since 2010 and also worked for the Organisation of Tropical Studies (OTS) as a teaching assistant for field courses on Tropical Biology for undergraduate students from the USA. Even before studying biology, Stephanie volunteered for ONGs that fight for wildlife in Costa Rica, like UESPRA and PRETOMA, and she has been an activist for several conservation campaigns and always felt passionate about wildlife conservation. One of Stephanie’s interests is ornithology, she is part of a group of women birders who want to change the environment around this activity, making it more inclusive and using it as a tool for environmental education.

Dani Calvo is the marketing assistant at the Toucan Rescue Ranch. They studied Social Communication at Universidad de Costa Rica. Dani has a big passion for storytelling and social action, so working at the TRR has been a great opportunity to bring these together. As part of the Marketing Team, they support content creation, social media, crowdfunding, and communications. 

Ivette Sirias has lived in San Isidro, Costa Rica for 25 years. Her first job was at a company that offered laundry services, nine years later she became the administrator of the business until she got very sick and had to quit her job. After four years of recuperation, she started searching for a job but didn’t want to work at a stressful place that would affect her health. A friend told her about an open position at the Toucan Rescue Ranch and since Ivette has always loved animals, she applied. The day after the interview she was hired! Ivette has a very special place in TRR’s heart due to her charm and dedication. Ivette tells everyone that this job is like her therapy, she recovered her health. She loves working with animals and feels good about doing something useful and meaningful.

Ivette oversees daily operations in the outdoor animal kitchen where she advises volunteers and interns on animal diets, food preparation, and general care. She is the reason we are able to keep hundreds of animal residents and patient animals happy and healthy. Ivette has proven to be a crucial role at TRR. She works effortlessly with experienced and inexperienced volunteers and is a working component to the success of the Toucan Rescue Ranch!

As the Supply and Inventory Coordinator, Elena is responsible for managing orders that involve all departments of Toucan Rescue Ranch. She keeps products, supplies, and materials, to ensure stock for administrative and animal-related needs. Elena started helping Toucan Rescue Ranch as a volunteer with her mom, Ivette Sirias, in 2016. Since then, her responsibilities have significantly evolved and she assists with many facets of the nonprofit. Currently, she is studying Business Administration. Elena also assists our cook, Giselle Arce Chavarria in the kitchen with intern meals.

Alejandra is a zootechnical engineer who graduated from the University of Costa Rica. She graduated in 2021 with a thesis focusing on the effect of different levels of feed substitution balanced by a Californian red worm (Eisenia fetida), on zootechnical parameters and chemical composition of the tissue in the initial stages of blue tilapia (Orechromis aureus).

Alejandra earned a bachelor’s degree in the topic of nutrition of wildlife in La Paz Waterfall Gardens Nature Park, and that experience taught her that her goal in life is to work with wild animals. Likewise, in 2019, she received an animal facility management certification. She’s volunteered in Refugio Romelia, near Montezuma beach, and worked there with the turtles that arrived in November of 2020.

At Toucan Rescue Ranch she started as a tour guide in 2022. She loves TRR because she fell in love with its mission. Having the opportunity to teach people, not only from Costa Rica but all around the world, about wildlife and why people should care for them is something important to her. Her goal is not only to keep educating, but help with the animal nutrition, check on their diets, and help as much as she can with the knowledge on those topics with the animals in the sanctuary and the new arrivals.

Don Hector Ramirez was born and raised in Costa Rica. He grew up in San Josecito, Heredia where he developed a passion for agriculture and plants. In his own and other family gardens, he helped plant flowers. Jorge, Co-Founder, was looking for a person who could help with landscaping at TRR, and Don Hector was the perfect fit. He started at TRR several years ago helping clear and manage the yards, but then quickly moved to planting gardens and new plant life at TRR. He focuses on bringing native wildlife to the property by planting nectar rich plants and other plant life that encourages beautiful birds and insects all over Toucan Rescue Ranch. If you’ve visited and marveled at the beautiful landscaping, you can thank Don Hector for that!