Paradise Gardens, Boquete
Posted by Lee on June 9, 2007
Often when people move to Boquete they bring their dreams. For those who seize the opportunity Boquete is a opportunity to fulfill those dreams. Paul and Jenny Saban moved to Boquete with their dreams and their Macaws. Now through great dedication and investment they are providing to the community Paradise Gardens an Animal refuge and educational center.
Drive up the Volcancito road about 0.6KM, just past Fresca Mary’s on the right you will see this sign.
Park your car and walk into a wonderful experience.
Jenny and Paul have created a place that saves unwanted, abused and abandoned animals as well as a home for their long term Macaw pets from England. ANAM and many individuals have decided Paradise Gardens is the place to bring the disenfranchised and unwanted.
Sebastian and Paige are visiting a Kinkajou (Potos flavus), also known as the Honey Bear. A nocturnal fruit eater.
This baby Howler Monkey is a temporary resident and here you can see Paige literally with a monkey on her back. Howlers do not do well in captivity and efforts are being made return it to it’s habitat.
A white – Faced Capuchin also a Panama native. Each animal has a story as to how and why it is in the gardens.
This African Bird came via a compassionate pet store owner who actually purchased it from a disinterested owner and donated it.
If you have ever done the drive from David to Santiago you have probably seen the vendors selling Parrots along the road. These two were lucky they ended up still green and in the gardens.
This traumatized bird is lucky to be alive. Yellow parrots bring a premium price and since they are rare the vendors bleach the birds. Most do not survive, this bird is still suffering but is lucky to be alive and in a sanctuary.
This is a Margay (Leopardus wiedii) , a child’s pet, kept in a box until it out grew the box and was more than it’s owners could handle. The Margay now has it’s home in Paradise Gardens in a large enclosure. It’s tail is permanently kinked from it’s original home.
Paul having a discussion with one of his Macaws
The newest structure at Paradise Gardens is the amazing butterfly house. Some of the skills Paul developed in the UK are demonstrated in the wonderful stonework.
A potential local resident dining outside the butterfly structure.
Paul and Jenny receive many donations of animals and the cost of enclosures and feeding them requires a stream of cash so please visit and donate to their efforts.
Comments
23 Responses to “Paradise Gardens, Boquete”Leave a comment, and if you'd like your own picture to show up next to your comments, go get a gravatar!
Great post. I want to see the place now.
it is a truly wonderful place
Great article! We’ll be driving up to Boquete and Volcan next month and we’ll definitely put the Gardens on our list.
Thanks!
Mike
Thanks Lee and family for giving this lovely and interesting place such good exposure.
Paul and jenny are amazing people and a trip to their Gardens will delight All age groups.
Easy to get to Easy to find.
Coming into Boquete Turn left at the road by the big Tourist Center…it is a short way up on the right. Please leave a donation…
Erin
dear lee and jennifer,
we loved the garden in boquete. and this looks en-
chanting and such generous and kind people. ellen
Hi Lee and Jennifer….
Hope a ll is well..love your website… things have been hectic here in new york.. was able to catch your site glad to see pic of the kids they look great.. eric enjoyed his visit with sebastion in arizona…will try to send pix of the family and the new princess julia……take care and be well…
love, cuz sanndi
Paradise Gardens is a paradise indeed for two and four legged animals alike!! It is a beautiful and tranquil oasis for all. I am excited about moving to Boquete and being a volunteer. This is such a special place and Paul and Jenny are compassionate and loving and it shows in this garden of paradise they have created.
Yay for the animals! Those animals are very lucky to have ended up in such caring hands.
I just went there this summer (July 2007) and it is truly a fabulous place. Paul and Jenny have created a beautiful sanctuary in Boquete. Their love of nature and wildlife is inspiring. If you’re going to Boquete, Paradise Gardens is a must
Paul and Jenny have a great place. They’ve worked hard to give the animals a home. It’s an incredibly beautiful place that is growing everyday. The animals are very lucky. It’s one place I could go several times and enjoy more each time. It’s so cool to see Paul and Jenny talk to the animals and see the animals respond. That takes a lot of lovin’.
this place is truly magical – i visited in december and was overjoyed by the amount of time and love these people are giving to these animals. a true refuge and sancuary for those recovering…well worth your visit and donation dollars!!
We visited paradise garden on the 21.02.2008
It was a very pleasant visit and we admired their marvellous job in paradise garden. With such a short period of time, Paul and Jenny have created a wonderful ‘heaven’ to the animals. Their unconditional love to the animals just like the parents nurturing their child. Very touching !
They are real and genuine. YOU MUST NOT Missed this place if you are visiting Boquete.
I will be back ! :O)
Hello, great pictures.
I am currently writing an article about Paradise Gardens, hoipefully I can raise some awareness of the good work Paul and Jenny are doing over there.
I hoped I could use some of your pictures? If that’s OK, could you please drop me an e-mail just to let me know.
Thanks, Adam
What a beautiful place. The kindness of the owners has worked miracles for the birds and animals. If you have never sung/growled (chatted) with a Margay you must come try it. Thanks for a wonderful experience.
Tina and Joe, soon, we hope, to be neighbors
I visited a few weeks ago and was so impressed that I ended up volunteering there. At first I said I could only spare three days as I only have two months to travel from panama to mexico, but when the time came I couldnt leave and ended up staying there fore two weeks! It was really nice to be part of such a positive project and the owners and volunteers there are really warm and friendly. Oh and by the way, they´ve just rescued a baby white faced capochin monkey. so go and fall in love with the place like I did.
The “Paradise Garden” is really an enchanting place if you love animals, fauna and flora. A volunteer will give you a rewarding and passionate tour; strolling through a lovely natural world you will encounter some incredible animals. You will be spellbound by the Geoffroy’s Tamarins, tiny monkeys with some really unusual features: remember the movie “Gremlins”! The Margay can reach up to a meter in length without counting the tail, the cat was purring and cuddling against the fence. They have two babies Ocelot and a huge selection of birds. On the way out we met the owner, which are from England, some loving and dedicated people working hard for the wellbeing of those animals.
Does Beverly Stearns still volunteer there?
What an amazing sanctuary. I just spent 2 days there, playing with the capuchins and tamarins. I wish I could have stayed there forever. Jenny and Paul are simply amazing, warm and friendly people. What a treat it was to get so close. I’ve ended up sponsoring Billy the baby capuchin, and two tamarins (Gidget and Kong). I wish I was a millionnaire so I could give them all my money! PLEASE HELP them by making generous donations!
Paradise Gardens is a must-see. A wonderful Canadian ex-pat in Boquete whose name I can’t remember told us about it. We loved it. Of all the wonderful things we saw and did in Panama, Paradise Gardens was the highlight for us. To see the wonderful rescue work done there, to be able to see these animals up close, was delightful. I had a wonderful playful puppy-wrassle with a squirrel monkey, which both the monkey and I enjoyed immensely. Our daughter was able to “wear” a very sweet recovering howler monkey on her shoulders, which she will never forget. Paul and Jenny are warm and friendly hosts, generous with their time and very engaging. The combination of beautiful gardens with tame and sociable animals, and wild animals that are being treated and returned to the wild, provides an irresistable combination.
Halo,
I’m one of the few volentiers of Paradise Gardens, Boquete. I sincerely reconize that these pictures you see above are of approximarely one year ago, which makes that these photos where taken on Paradise Garden’s second year of existence. With this, in my possision I say that this rescue and rehabilitation centre is two times better than you see on this site. And because of this, this should inspire people visiting Panama, even if they have been to Paradise Gardens, to see what new and amazing things it has to offer for everyone today.
Just to note, we have many new and exotic animals such as two ocelot cubs, a baby to toed sloth, some new Georfrey’s tamirans, new and amazing capuchin monkeys, many new parrots and such tropical birds from all about Panama, a rare making it very endangered little wild cat called a jagurundi, and much more! I would greatly recomend this grand location in Boquete, Chirique, republic of Panama as a place to visit.
I looking for a wildlife rehabilitation center in Panama city, Panama because I found a baby squirrel in my backyard. Please let me know if you have any contact that might help me with this ASAP.
Thank you.