Check out our brand new guestbook, photo album and resource articles!Welcome to the official blog for Amazon Community Animal Rescue, Education & Safety (Amazon c.a.r.e.s.). Please subscribe to our no-spam list for updates!! We seek better health & living conditions for ALL living beings of the Peruvian Amazon region. We believe that all living beings are deserving of appropriate care, respect, and protection from cruelty & neglect. Please read about us, visit our photo album, and PLEASE make a donation if you can. Every dollar makes a difference to the homeless and ill cats and dogs of Peru's Amazon region. Prior to Amazon c.a.r.e.s., they had no "voice." You can save a life today!
THANK YOU FOR VISITING!
Astronomy has always fascinated me, and now that I live in the Amazon, I am constantly amazed at the beauty and clarity of the millions of twinkling diamonds in the sky. For the first time I can easily pick constellations (albeit backwards) and I can see the Southern Cross!
New stars are discovered daily, and that is the topic of this blog entry. However, I am not speaking of astronomy or entertainers.
There are millions of underappreciated “stars” that make a grand difference in the world in which we live.
Sadly, I have not appreciated two of the biggest philanthropic stars I know.
Luckily, they have received a lot of gratitude from the many people and animals they have helped.
Ironically, these two people are the ones that instilled the philanthropic instinct in me.
I am talking about my parents, Bob and Betty Mednikow of
It is hard to say whether or not they support my charity work in the Amazon. They are proud and they know I am changing lives. When I received a Doris Day Animal Foundation Award last year it helped validate for them that my work was indeed making a big difference. Yet, as one can easily understand, they fear for my health and safety, as I live in what is considered the most remote area of the World. They also want me to “make money,” which is understandable.
Currently I scrape by, living in poverty by American standards, and I am the primary funder for Amazon CARES. They support me in a myriad of ways, the most important being emotional support and the payment of some rather high medical expenses!
But this year, for my recent birthday, they both stepped up to the plate to give me a gift that will truly keep on giving for many, many years. My father wrote me an email on my birthday. I did not have time to read it, so I printed it and took it to my jungle home. I have since tried to call him without success, to let him know how much his email and birthday gift mean to me. His loving words and actions made me cry from joy. It is the kind of e-mail a daughter keeps forever.
My parents are making a significant donation to Amazon CARES so that we can purchase something we desperately need --- a boat! Iquitos is surrounded by water. There are few cars. People get around in 3 wheeled moto-taxis. My jungle facility is remote, accesible by small dirt roads. Unfortunately, even the smallest amount of rain will turn these paths into muddy pits, and moto-taxis can´t pass easily. I now wear rubber shoes everyday because at any time I may be dumped on the side of a muddy road, or I may have to help PUSH a stuck moto-taxi out of a muddy rut. People here buy boats, not cars. I live on the Itaya River(one of the rivers that surrounds Iquitos, a tributary of the Amazon River. 
Our new animal refuge (under construction) at Cabo Lopez.
The Worldwide Veterinary Service, a British charity, has made a world of difference to Amazon CARES. Their volunteer vets will be arriving in exactly one month for a 12 day veterinary expedition. We have been extremely busy (and strapped for cash!) preparing our new jungle facility for their visit. Above: Bobby, the first dog named in honor of my father, and my father, Bob Mednikow, SUPERSTAR! Above: Betty Mednikow, SUPERSTAR, is pictured with three of her rescued pets. Nathan is the black dog. We will be naming the boat in their honor and in memory of Nathan, a rescued dog that my parents loved for many years. He passed away in April 2007. I have named dogs in honor of Bob & Betty before, but I have already named TWO more dogs in their honor. Pictures will follow!
We have been suffering without good transportation options to bring in building materials, groceries, bottled water, etc. Just the other day we rented one of a few larger trucks in town to deliver a large supply of wood, mesh wire, and dried leaves bound together for roofing material. The truck totally got stuck in a huge muddy area of the road. We could not get it unstuck, and ended up unloading the supplies 20 minutes from our facility, paying a guardian to keep an eye on the materials overnight (it was already getting dark), and the next day, my employees who I very much admire, carried all of these heavy materials to our property!
My Mom and Dad may never be fully aware of the HUGE difference they are making in MY life, the future of Amazon CARES, and the lives of THOUSANDS of animals! This may not be the biggest donation they´ve ever made, but it will, without a doubt, go farther than any donation they’ve ever made! It will make a bigger impact than any donation they have ever made! 
Don´t miss other great articles (such as those below) in our blog archives! Subscribe to our blog to receive updates on Amazon CARES! (We do not SPAM or SHARE your personal infomation!!)
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