Posted by angelasfeathers on Sun, 11/13/2005 - 19:18 :: Stories
Seram 2005 October
Seram one of the 1000's of islands of Indonesia is called the "mother island" and the only home of the "only"(nope no others!) cockatoo on this huge gorgeous mountainous island that we mistakenly call the moluccan but is really accurately called the "seram cockatoo" since the moluccan islands are a large group of islands with many many different cockatoos on them .
When releasing hand fed babies ( from second laid chicks who would have not survived) in Tambopata Peru` . The success rate was very successful when releasing them all together instead of one or a few at a time. Groups make a big difference. The chicks in Tambopata were never caged and always together and started fledging and would come back for feedings on their own and then at 100 days were no longer fed ( well once in a while someone would give a banana ..LOL!) and as a group stayed together and all met and have wild mates ..they are all around 14 years old now and all but one have survived fabulously!
In Seram Indonesia, the birds at the Back to Freedom Center are being taken care of until they can be released in a group with what is called a "soft" release ...meaning the huge aviary in the rainforest has the door left open and they can come and go for a few days. The guards at the National Forest of Seram often just get confiscated birds and just release them ( because it is just easier)...which is called a "hard" release. It is always much more successful with a group release if possible. We had birds on Seram at the Back to Freedom Center that were waiting to be returned and released on Papowa ..like the very scared Palm cockatoo that we had to build a palm blind for so he could have a corner for privacy....and the black capped lories that are going to be taken to their endemic island soon that everyone fell in love with ...they are a riot and play and roll around beating each other up ..they were just histerical! There were many red sided ekkies there as well ...they are edemic to Seram island.
The rainforest birds never go on the ground and the X trappers say only sick ones would go on the ground. Birds that come from AU that are in arid areas and grain grass eaters are the exception to this. The birds on Bali at the PPS wildlife rescue center( waiting to be returned and released to Seram and the other islands they came from) and the birds at the Return to Freedom Center in Seram are fed well with fresh papaya and other fruits in the AM and in the early PM and we taught the staff that they needed lots of banana leaves and ginger leaves and branches to play with and chew up to keep their minds busy . The one fear is that a bird will begin picking it's feathers...and the X trappers who were now our guides said this strange behavior for some reason they they could not understand only ever happened when some birds are in a cage. We convinced them to put lots of things for the birds to play with and chew on in the encosures( especially the quarantined ones that are all alone ) and how very smart birds are and that if they themselves were locked up in a small room they might start pulling their own hair out.....LOL!
When up in the tree 16 story canopy ( trees grow huge here.. !) ...we saw big bills flying by and lots of red sided ekkies too..they are fabulous flyers.
But when I saw my first wild Seram Cockatoo is was a moment I will never forget. They have a unique flying pattern ..flap flap..glide.. ...repeat...flap..flap...glide.
While I was in tears watching the seram cockatoos .... all of a sudden a two huge hornbills flew right over my head and the drumming sound of their wing beats was so load it was absolutley incredible!
The Health clinic that Project Bird Watch build for the people of the villages is beautiful. To help the animals we must never forget helping the people not have to resort to distroying their natural treasure And PBW is making a coloring book right now with a seram cockatoo "talking" to the children about hygene. Noone knows about hygene and from the community spring coming out of the rock I saw a metal hanging drinking cup that everyone in the village shared. The day before we were to leave the village of Sawi , we gave gifts to the wonderful children and it was painfully obvious of all the children there were only a few that were teenagers.....because so many just never make it to a teen.
Teaching them that animals have feelings and are intellegent was a concept that was not known before and it is wonderful to see the "light" go on!
We all fell in love with the birds and other animals that were confiscated from the trappers and waiting ( when ready) to return to freedom . You know our team even now after our return back home is still haunted
still by all their beautiful ( sometimes dirty from surviving the brutal trapping) pink red black and green faces ...and we can't forget about them...ever
..they need us...you , me ...all of us who care about parrots and the
enviromnet....all of us!
What happens to your heart after this life changing experience and why you
forever won't forget them and always always will continue to want to help in
any way possible in any way ....you can !
As Dr. Stew said .." This is the land of Fireflys..and "".
To give you some idea of what incredible people they are ...most of our
guides are Xtrappers and have done a complete turn around ..many of them are so
overwhelmed with what they have learned from PBW about animals having
feelings ( a concept so alian before to them!) they are so happy to be able to
finally help make a difference).
Project Bird Watch is everything you thought it was and much more ....we are giving hope to villages and giving them an income they never had that is so much greater than trapping birds ever would ... ...when I think of the dirty smuggled confiscated birds found stuck in PVC pipes that because of PBW now have hope and are waiting returing again to freedom . When I think of the faces of the birds whos eyes I still see .....and how PBW is working so hard to release and save them all!
PBW even has educated so well the guards at
the
National Forest Entry Guard Gate ,
that they were wearing T-shirts they had made up themselves that said in
Indonesian "Free is Better!"......and seeing those on them made our hearts sing!
Angela Cancilla Herschel
Seram one of the 1000's of islands of Indonesia is called the "mother island" and the only home of the "only"(nope no others!) cockatoo on this huge gorgeous mountainous island that we mistakenly call the moluccan but is really accurately called the "seram cockatoo" since the moluccan islands are a large group of islands with many many different cockatoos on them .
When releasing hand fed babies ( from second laid chicks who would have not survived) in Tambopata Peru` . The success rate was very successful when releasing them all together instead of one or a few at a time. Groups make a big difference. The chicks in Tambopata were never caged and always together and started fledging and would come back for feedings on their own and then at 100 days were no longer fed ( well once in a while someone would give a banana ..LOL!) and as a group stayed together and all met and have wild mates ..they are all around 14 years old now and all but one have survived fabulously!
In Seram Indonesia, the birds at the Back to Freedom Center are being taken care of until they can be released in a group with what is called a "soft" release ...meaning the huge aviary in the rainforest has the door left open and they can come and go for a few days. The guards at the National Forest of Seram often just get confiscated birds and just release them ( because it is just easier)...which is called a "hard" release. It is always much more successful with a group release if possible. We had birds on Seram at the Back to Freedom Center that were waiting to be returned and released on Papowa ..like the very scared Palm cockatoo that we had to build a palm blind for so he could have a corner for privacy....and the black capped lories that are going to be taken to their endemic island soon that everyone fell in love with ...they are a riot and play and roll around beating each other up ..they were just histerical! There were many red sided ekkies there as well ...they are edemic to Seram island.
The rainforest birds never go on the ground and the X trappers say only sick ones would go on the ground. Birds that come from AU that are in arid areas and grain grass eaters are the exception to this. The birds on Bali at the PPS wildlife rescue center( waiting to be returned and released to Seram and the other islands they came from) and the birds at the Return to Freedom Center in Seram are fed well with fresh papaya and other fruits in the AM and in the early PM and we taught the staff that they needed lots of banana leaves and ginger leaves and branches to play with and chew up to keep their minds busy . The one fear is that a bird will begin picking it's feathers...and the X trappers who were now our guides said this strange behavior for some reason they they could not understand only ever happened when some birds are in a cage. We convinced them to put lots of things for the birds to play with and chew on in the encosures( especially the quarantined ones that are all alone ) and how very smart birds are and that if they themselves were locked up in a small room they might start pulling their own hair out.....LOL!
When up in the tree 16 story canopy ( trees grow huge here.. !) ...we saw big bills flying by and lots of red sided ekkies too..they are fabulous flyers.
But when I saw my first wild Seram Cockatoo is was a moment I will never forget. They have a unique flying pattern ..flap flap..glide.. ...repeat...flap..flap...glide.
While I was in tears watching the seram cockatoos .... all of a sudden a two huge hornbills flew right over my head and the drumming sound of their wing beats was so load it was absolutley incredible!
The Health clinic that Project Bird Watch build for the people of the villages is beautiful. To help the animals we must never forget helping the people not have to resort to distroying their natural treasure And PBW is making a coloring book right now with a seram cockatoo "talking" to the children about hygene. Noone knows about hygene and from the community spring coming out of the rock I saw a metal hanging drinking cup that everyone in the village shared. The day before we were to leave the village of Sawi , we gave gifts to the wonderful children and it was painfully obvious of all the children there were only a few that were teenagers.....because so many just never make it to a teen.
Teaching them that animals have feelings and are intellegent was a concept that was not known before and it is wonderful to see the "light" go on!
We all fell in love with the birds and other animals that were confiscated from the trappers and waiting ( when ready) to return to freedom . You know our team even now after our return back home is still haunted
still by all their beautiful ( sometimes dirty from surviving the brutal trapping) pink red black and green faces ...and we can't forget about them...ever
..they need us...you , me ...all of us who care about parrots and the
enviromnet....all of us!
What happens to your heart after this life changing experience and why you
forever won't forget them and always always will continue to want to help in
any way possible in any way ....you can !
As Dr. Stew said .." This is the land of Fireflys..and "".
To give you some idea of what incredible people they are ...most of our
guides are Xtrappers and have done a complete turn around ..many of them are so
overwhelmed with what they have learned from PBW about animals having
feelings ( a concept so alian before to them!) they are so happy to be able to
finally help make a difference).
Project Bird Watch is everything you thought it was and much more ....we are giving hope to villages and giving them an income they never had that is so much greater than trapping birds ever would ... ...when I think of the dirty smuggled confiscated birds found stuck in PVC pipes that because of PBW now have hope and are waiting returing again to freedom . When I think of the faces of the birds whos eyes I still see .....and how PBW is working so hard to release and save them all!
PBW even has educated so well the guards at
the
National Forest Entry Guard Gate ,
that they were wearing T-shirts they had made up themselves that said in
Indonesian "Free is Better!"......and seeing those on them made our hearts sing!
Angela Cancilla Herschel