2009.12.14: Nicaragua RPCV Joshua Berman writes: 7 Ways to Reduce Your Impact on Endangered Wildlife while Traveling in Belize and Other Countries
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2009.12.14: Nicaragua RPCV Joshua Berman writes: 7 Ways to Reduce Your Impact on Endangered Wildlife while Traveling in Belize and Other Countries
Nicaragua RPCV Joshua Berman writes: 7 Ways to Reduce Your Impact on Endangered Wildlife while Traveling in Belize and Other Countries
It's easy to make mistakes if you don't know the guidelines (I speak from experience), so I asked Jerry Larder, Director of Belize Bird Rescue, a non-profit organization operating on a private reserve in western Belize, what travelers can do to discourage the illegal trade in parrots and other animals.
Nicaragua RPCV Joshua Berman writes: 7 Ways to Reduce Your Impact on Endangered Wildlife while Traveling in Belize and Other Countries
7 Ways to Reduce Your Impact on Endangered Wildlife while Traveling in Belize and Other Countries
from The Tranquilo Traveler by Joshua
Parrot poaching is a big deal. Especially for the Yellow-headed Amazon parrot (Amazona oratrix), a gorgeous species under serious threat of extinction in the world. Its numbers plummeted from 70,000 to 7,000 in the last two decades. Human encroachment on natural habitat fuels nest-robbing for an illegal pet trade. In Belize, some poached birds are sold on the international market, while others end up in homes or in businesses who want to add "color" to attract tourists.
That's where you and I, as visitors to Belize, come in. It's easy to make mistakes if you don't know the guidelines (I speak from experience), so I asked Jerry Larder, Director of Belize Bird Rescue, a non-profit organization operating on a private reserve in western Belize, what travelers can do to discourage the illegal trade in parrots and other animals. Here are his recommended dos and donts:
*Never buy goods made from animal hides, skins, teeth or claws or exoskeletons such as bugs and corals. Some leather goods are okay but exotic ones normally are not.
*Do not have your photograph taken with captive indigenous wildlife. By encouraging the keepers of the wildlife, more will be taken from the wild.
*Do not patronize establishments with captive wildlife on display unless they are government sanctioned as a breeding or educational facility such as a zoo. There is no educational value of a single monkey or bird in a restaurant.
*Do not believe anyone that tells you that he ‘rescued' an orphan animal or bird, unless they are licensed rescue facility. The vast majority of these animals were captured from the wild and / or bought from dealers. If people really want to rescue a bird or animal, they will turn them over to a proper rescue/rehab facility.
*The sad fact in the parrot world is 65% of all wild caught captive birds die before they reach sale. Upon sale to people who have no idea how to raise a baby parrot, the majority will die in their first year, or many grow up with leg, foot, or wing deformities due to malnutrition.
*Of the birds that survive their first year, over fifty percent will die before they are five years old due to cage conditions, disease, or stress.
*Anyone who buys a wild-caught parrot is condemning many more to death as the trade encourages more trade.
Links to Related Topics (Tags):
Headlines: December, 2009; Peace Corps Nicaragua; Directory of Nicaragua RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for Nicaragua RPCVs; Environment; Animals
When this story was posted in May 2010, this was on the front page of PCOL:
Peace Corps Online The Independent News Forum serving Returned Peace Corps Volunteers
| Memo to Incoming Director Williams PCOL has asked five prominent RPCVs and Staff to write a memo on the most important issues facing the Peace Corps today. Issues raised include the independence of the Peace Corps, political appointments at the agency, revitalizing the five-year rule, lowering the ET rate, empowering volunteers, removing financial barriers to service, increasing the agency's budget, reducing costs, and making the Peace Corps bureaucracy more efficient and responsive. Latest: Greetings from Director Williams |
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Story Source: The Tranquilo Traveler
This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Nicaragua; Environment; Animals
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