Alpha 4: Once upon a time in a jungle far away

Alpha 4's Jen Donkin gives us a poetic insight into life with the rangers in Golfito Wildlife Reserve:

Once upon a time in a jungle far away,

Alpha 4 set off to play,

Armed with enough DEET to wipe out mosquitos,

We jumped on a bus and headed for Golfito!

After we arrived the rangers showed us around,

they showed us the sleeping area they had found,

but after the lightening, the thunder and the rain,

Alpha 4 were sleeping in the rangers station again.

The rangers - they taught us about the birds and the trees,

and we found out which ones made Jessica weak at the knees,

they looked after us well and gave us dry shelter,

which was the perfect spot for lots of Alpha 4 banter.

The work - it varied day to day,

but we finished by lunch and had lots of time to play,

with waterfalls and pools nearby in abundance,

and Golfito down the road there was plenty to entertain us.

From digging ditches in the rain and rebuilding jungle camp over again, Alpha 4 worked hard and tried not to complain,

The days off we had were a highlight for all,

dolphin spotting from a boat or on a beach with a ball.

The wildlife around was something to behold,

One sneaky pisote was always out braving the rain and the cold, We saw snakes and sloths and monkeys and moths,

It was always a surprise to see what the rangers had in a box!

Our bedrooms - they weren’t something to desire,

The bashers were held down by lots of wire,

Every night bug watching from a mosquito net,

Sleeping in the jungle is definitely not something we’ll forget.

Our time out on phase passed with a blink,

And our clothes survived being washed in a sink,       

Never in nineteen days have there been so many laughs,

We are Alpha 4 and we don’t do things by halves.