Submitted by Daniel Wilson on the 2017 winter session study abroad program in Costa Rica and Panama sponsored by the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology…
Our next destination was Corcovado. We’re here because another location lost our reservation and judging by the scenery, we’re lucky those reservations were lost. Set just off the edge of the water, this eco-lodge is a heaven of tents and hammocks. One of the first things I noticed after settling into a hammock to read is a puppy trailing behind some other guests. I found it weird that someone would travel here with their pet, so I watched to see how they interact and quickly came to the realization that the puppy is a local. I called him over and petted him for a few seconds before he lost interest and wandered off down the beach towards Corcovado National Park. Curious, I ask a hotel worker about the dog and he confirms that the dog is a stray that hangs around the lodge. He goes on to tell me that the pumas in the area frequently eat dogs and that the lodge lost a dog they were looking after the previous year. This pup, he says, they’re going to try to look after better. Living in a country where people frequently view dogs as family members, it’s hard to wrap my mind around such an ambivalent attitude towards dogs. It’s even hard to imagine a dog being prey for another animal. As with all the dogs I’ve seen and interacted with, the ones from Corcovado and their fate will weigh on my mind.