One of Costa Rica’s main attractions is our plentiful wildlife. Tourists come to see monkeys, sloths, toucans and more in their natural habitats. But it is called wildlife for a reason — it sometimes strays from its natural habitat. Live here long enough and you may encounter our animal friends in untypical places. Here are a few examples compiled from myself and my family:
The Bats in the Roof
I lived for several years in a house in a rural area of Costa Rica. Not long after it was built, we observed bats entering a tiny opening in the roof each morning at dawn. As we had no problems with mosquitos I guessed these were the insect-eating variety. I wanted to keep them close by — just not in the ceiling. We built a bat box, tried to seal the small holes (bats can squeeze through dime-sized apertures), climbed a ladder and banged on the roof. Nothing worked. When it came time to sell the house, I opened my wallet and paid a specialist to come in and relocate them.
The Snake under the Chair
My in-laws live on a farm in a remote area of the Osa peninsula. Their house sits on a knoll overlooking hectares of flat forest and pasture. An open-air corridor runs the length of the house, fronted by a small garden. My sister-in-law was up at dawn. She took her coffee to the corridor, sat in a rebar rocker, and as she sat a large snake slithered out between her feet and into the garden. She wasn’t sure what kind of snake, but as the deadly terciopelos are common there, we all agreed it made a better story to say it was indeed a terciopelo — and the legend became fact.
The Frog in the Indoor Shower
More than once I have slid open the plexiglas shower door and been greeted by a fat, complacent toad loitering near the drain. I had recently cleaned the screen for the drain and forgot to replace it. The outside drain was about the same circumference as inside. I could never figure out how these enormous amphibians got in, because they never fit back down the drain. I would scoop them up with a shovel and deposit them back outside — and then put the drain in its proper place.
The Scorpion in the Shoe
This happened to me once, and the shoe was actually a rubber boot. I saw a movement inside the boot just as I was about to stick my foot there. Shook the boot and a toxic-tailed Alarcon came out. I didn’t need to be stung to learn my lesson that day. Out in the campo, always shake out your shoe or boot before inserting your foot.
The Monkeys in the Kitchen
My daughter and a friend rented a small house a hundred meters off the main road atop Manuel Antonio. The back of the house faced a swath of jungle. There was a barred window, but no glass — instead, several screen panels had been wedged into place. The nearby Titi monkeys figured out how to shake the screens loose. They would then invade the kitchen and grab up any edibles lying around. My daughter solved the problem by moving to another place.
The Geckos on the Ceiling
And crawling the walls. Always an acceptable sight for me, as long as there are not armies of them going up and down the house like in some weird dream. Like the bats in the ceiling, they consume insects and help keep the upper reaches of the house clean of spiders. They also consume crickets, helping reduce the local noise level. The drawback is that they are known to bark, and to freely deposit those digested insects, leaving behind tiny pellets along the edges of the room.
The Crocodile in the Urban Estuary
“Urban” is used relatively here. It has happened more than once in downtown Quepos. As Quepos is built on filled-in wetlands and sits slightly below sea level, the numerous streams and mangroves nearby make it a perfect setting for wayward crocs.
My list would not be complete without mentioning the occasional bird that flies into the house through an open door or window and goes into panic mode — while my dog barks and leaps, and I try to keep her from snatching it out of the air while simultaneously ushering the bird back into the tree out front.
Pura Vida!
Read more of Don Mateo’s writing at donmateoinparadise.com
