LoraKim Joyner's Blog, page 7

Endangered Species Smuggled to Europe in a Suitcase

We continue with our updating of this site with posts from an older conservation blog, originally posted on October 15, 2016. For the next two weeks we will continue to highlight Paraguay, because Dr. LoraKim Joyner is now there in the field, working once again to protect the parrots of Paraguay.Nesting blue-fronted amazon parrot temporarily flushed from her nestUpon arriving in Paraguay in September, I was told the news that only the week before a group of turquoise-fronted parrot chicks and eggs from Paraguay had been confiscated at the airport in Madrid (photo above of adult, video of chicks and eggs in suitcase below). They were being transported to Hong Kong in a suitcase that was artfully equipped with a heater and ventilator to keep the eggs and chicks on track for hatching and growth. The is evidence of the sophistication of the international parrot trade, from which birds are bled out of the Americas to feed the appetites of those in other regions, such as Asia and the Mid-East.We were told that this is the same buyer of parrots who is responsible for much of illegal parrot trade in the Concepcion area of Paraguay. We had hopes this confiscation would diminish the taking of parrots in the area, but the poacher with whom we spoke (who told us that his “buyer had fallen”) was on his way to pick up Hyacinth macaw eggs. Hyacinths are an endangered species, and in this area of Paraguay, we only saw one pair of birds during the two weeks we were there.Reportedly the Chinese buyer, and others, work out of Cuidad de Este, known as the base for smuggling operations for the three countries that border here: Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay. There was a shootout the day I arrived in the country and, actually, reports are that most days someone is killed in this city known for trafficking not just parrots, but drugs and people.Throughout our survey of parrots in this area we heard time and time again of all the parrots poached here, and how there is no to little enforcement of Paraguay’s wildlife protection laws. With corruption and violence in the area, I wonder how we can ever hope to work here, let alone have an impact. But even still, we tried to do what we could, for the beauty of the parrots remain, and as long as they do, we must be there to protect and cherish them.

Paraguay: The Journey Home

We continue with our updating our new site with posts from an older conservation blog. This week we highlight Paraguay because Dr. LoraKim Joyner will be traveling to Paraguay next week - marking the 4th anniversary of the death of her sister and a trip to Paraguay to honor her and the parrots from there that were forcibly removed for wildlife trade and ended up in Dr. Joyner's family. (first published October 2014) Wild Nanday nest in cattle pasture post in the Gran Chaco, Paraguay The future unfolds in ways we cannot predict, however if the heart is open to love of the feathered kind, a path, at least in retrospect, becomes clear. As a child I shared my life with several birds. The first was Twinkle, a budgerigar from Australia. Soon after followed a yellow-chevroned parakeet, Barney, known then as a canary-winged parakeet (Brotogeris chiriri). In my early adult years I took in a white-eyed parakeet (Psittacara leucophthalma) , Bilbo, into my home. My last bird, Exodor, was a nanday conure, also known as a black-hooded parakeet (Aratinga nenday). These last three birds all have ranges in Paraguay, as did my sister’s beloved Birdles, a blue-fronted amazon (Amazona aestiva), known now as the turquoise-fronted parrot. They have now all died and are sorely missed. Because Paraguay is the home range of so many I have loved, I perked up when a colleague of mine, Andrea Grosse, suggested we undertake a parrot conservation trip to this country. Truely one of my main motivations to go was to see a free flying black-hooded parakeet, and I did! Wild Nandays seen that day! Our guide for the day was Arne Lesterhuis, and with us came Diana Pésole, a wildlife/exotic veterinarian. Driving north out of Asuncion we visited the dry-chaco habitat, our end point Estancia San Rafaela. Driving up to the ranch house I spied a flying group of 4 nandays – I admit to squealing. By early afternoon we had seen 59 nandays, many of which were in nesting mode. Nanday chick in wild nest in cattle pasture post (photo by Arne Lesterhuis) Before leaving the area I asked my companions to join me in a small ritual. I had brought feathers from Birdles and Exodor to lay down in their ancestral homes. We also read a poem my sister had written, “Fly Away Home.” The path then of my sister and me, and I believe of all humans, is to journey home so that we know we belong on this earth, as do all other individuals of other species, in their home, not ours. Feather tribute honoring Birdles and ExodorFly Away HomeLinda JoynerMarch 2, 1954 -September 5, 2014As I look West towards the setting sunI think of my parrot moving on and flying awayMigrating to another stage on life’s journeySleeping softly and quietly: saving strength for the flightThe desire to find a place where suffering is no more calls youThe need to find a place that replenishes the soul and rekindles the spiritdrives you on your journey to keep searching and fly ever onwardWith a cloud of feathers, take wing and leave this earth behind.Flying where the air is clear and where the sun lights upyour feathers with a radiant glow.Flying over the rainbow where there is beauty and all wants are metFlying on to a place where there is only comfort, joy, and love.Flying onwards to new places and trying new thingsExperiencing all the things you were never able to do on earthFlying with your flock through the rainforestCalling to others to come follow or come share these new heightsI will look no more for your beauty in this worldFor now you are in a place that is safe, warm, and comforting.Your spirit is free to play and sing as long as your heart desiresOr just rest content in that perfect place that holds all good things.I will listen for your sweet parrot voice as you call to meI will admire your valiant spirit and hang onto the perch as you didI will carry your precious and treasured memories in my heartAnd I will wait for the day when our spirits meet once again.

Tree Hugging

Group attending Wild Walk in Botanical Gardens August 18, 2018Whenever we lead a nature walk, such as we did last weekend in the New York Botanical Garden as part of our Nurture Nature Program, I invite people at some point to hug a tree. Some will hesitate, because "tree hugger" has been used a pejorative to shame humans into thinking that their connection to trees is superficial and that their actions of preserve nature is of little consequence.Hardly so!For one, the phrase “tree hugger” first appeared in 1730, when 294 men and 69 women of the Bishnois branch of Hinduism, wrapped their arms around trees in their village in order to prevent them from being cut down and then used to build a palace. They died for their efforts, but this action led to a prohibition of tree cutting, and now this area is a wooded oasis. These Bishnois also inspired the Chipko movement (photo right) that began in the 1970s. Women in the Himalayan hills of India hugged trees to keep them from being cut down, forcing widespread forestry reforms and an end to tree felling in certain regions in the Himalayas.Hugging trees is a act of defiance and resistance, and is good for the trees.Hugging trees also benefits humans. Getting close to the tree we can take in more of the helpful terpene molecules that trees emit. Terpenes help us live longer, boost our immune system, and help fight off cancer.Hugging trees is an act of self nurturance and is good for us! Children in Miskito village of Mabita listening to a treeAlso, many who hug trees say they feel a calmness when they do so, and is as if the tree is hugging them back. I listen to them and it feels like they know I am there. I feel like I am heard and that I belong, and that physically touching a tree touches my heart, and opens it to life around me.So go out and hug a tree today. Do it for yourself. Do it for life.

Toasting Parrots Before They Are Toast

We are celebrating the long history of One Earth Conservation by republishing our blogs from the past that appeared on www.lafeber.com/conservation/posts. This month we are pleased to take note of our past work and partners in Paraguay, where Dr. LoraKim Joyner will be visiting in early September.Vinaceous-breasted amazon There is a bird known as the vinaceous-breasted parrot (Amazona vinacea) of South America. The name means “color of red wine,” descriptive of the species’ lively purplish breast feathers. It is endangered, with perhaps less than 2,000 total individuals in Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay. The biggest threats for parrots in general are the illegal wildlife trade and habitat loss, and in my experience with other species, the illegal trade is the largest factor in a parrot species' decline. In early September 2015, I journeyed with Guyra Paraguay to assist them in their population monitoring of this species, and to design a long term conservation plan that might renew the population in Paraguay, where there may only be 100 left.Counting with Arne Lesterhuis and Marcela Zacur in Itabó Rivas Our first stop was in the private reserve of Itabó Rivas, where we conducted two evening parrot counts and two morning counts. This reserve has a nice forest patch, kept largely intact because of the palm and yerba mate crops that need the shade of the forest canopy.Yerba Mate crop in forestCollared Aracari in Itabó During the day we searched for parrot nests, finding two Pionus nests and much Vinaceous nesting territory behavior. During our stay (August 31 – September 2, 2015) we briefly surveyed the area, and we counted (maximum # of distinct individuals):Amazona vinacea (Vinaceous-breasted amazon) 39Brotogeris chiriri (Chevron-winged parakeet) 4Pionus maximillani (Scaly-headed parrot) 8Psittacara leucophthalma (White-eyed parakeet) 86Amazona aestiva (Turquoise-fronted amazon) 2Southern lapwings were everywhere! From there we drove to Limoy Reserve. It is about 22 km from Itabó, but no continuous biologic corridor links the two. We conducted counts in some areas of the reserve from September 2 – September 4, 2015:Amazona vinacea (Vinaceous-breasted amazon) 11Brotogeris chiriri (Chevron-winged parakeet) 2Pionus maximillani (Scaly-headed parrot) 10Psittacara leucophthalma (White-eyed parakeet) 194Amazona aestiva (Turquoise-fronted amazon) 0 Counting in Limoy Reserve White-eyed parakeet Based on the flight patterns and distances, we conclude that birds are not mixing daily between Limoy and Itabó, and hence we only observed 50 Vinaceous individuals. Nearby Carapá Reserve has some Vinaceous parrots as well, but we did not count them at this time. Although we did not do a complete survey of both reserves, we still can conclude that there are very few parrots indeed. It is disheartening to see such preciousness in short supply, and their habitat sorely fragmented and surrounded by intensive agricultural fields.Burrowing owls look like they take on the pigmentation of the red dirt and cows around themReserves are surrounded by agricultural fields Mewlana Jalaluddin Rumi, a Sufi poet of the 13th Century, often wrote of the beauty of things colored vivaceous – like wine. His wine is a metaphor, and it is not just any wine, but the wine of pure and total love. What if we could find a way for such love to overfill our cups, so that we would have the heart, courage, and will to save our parrot species that are under such threat? I believe that it is possible to grow such love and compassion, and then to find the concrete ways to turn that affection into actions that save not just the birds, but ourselves as well. Let’s toast to that hope, shall we? For I believe that our commitment and joy is a precious resource that we are never without. In our conservation endeavors, let us bring love to all we do, so that we can celebrate and work together for these birds that are “the envy of the sun.”Bring WineBring wine, for I am suffering crop sickness from the vintage; God has seized me, and I am thus held fast. By love’s soul, bring me a cup of wine that is the envy of the sun, for I care aught but love. Bring that which if I were to call it “soul” would be a shame, for the reason that I am pained in the head because of the soul. Bring that whose name is not contained in this mouth, through which the fissures of my speech split asunder. Bring that which, when it is not present, I am stupid and ig- norant, but when I am with it, I am the king of the subtle and crafty ones. Bring that which, the moment it is void of my head, I become black and dark, you might say I am of the infidels. Bring that which delivers out of this “bring” and “do not bring;” bring quickly, and repel me not, saying, “Whence shall I bring it?” Bring, and deliver the roof of the heavens through the long night from my abundant smoke and lamentations. Bring that which after my death, even out of my dust, will restore me to speech and thanksgiving even as Najjar. Bring me wine, for I am guardian of wine like a goblet, for whatever has gone into my stomach I deliver back completely. Najjar said, “After my death would that my people might be open-eyed to the ecstasy within me."-Rumi

A Vow to Save All Beings

Every morning I open my front door (and gosh help me, the doors of my mind) and greet the world with a song that begins, I vow to save all the beings of the world. It is a Buddhist chant that encompasses the bodhisattva vow: The many beings are numberless; I vow to save them.A bodhisattva is one who expresses a spontaneous wish and compassionate mind to attain Buddhahood for the benefit of all sentient beings. Buddhahood basically means someone who is awakened. It is similar to the usage of "woke" in the African American Vernacular English to mean that we are aware of social issues.I was delighted to visit the Great Vow Zen Monastery outside of Portland, Oregon this past week and while taking a walk, saw memorialized vows of participants, many who referred to this bodhisattva vow (see photos).These Zen Buddhists practice these vows over a life time. The vow means they aspire to this state, even if it cannot be obtained.Whether you are a Buddhist or not, you too can take a vow to save all the beings by taking the Freedom Project Pledge. This pledge means that you aspire to a world of freedom for all beings - including all animals, wildlife, and people. The Freedom Project opens the doors of our minds to envision that to which we can dedicate our lives, even if we know that the beings to be saved are innumerable.Please join One Earth Conservation it taking this pledge today.

Mourning as Co-liberation

We at One Earth Conservation have signed onto the Freedom Project, which features these slogans:None Are Free Until All Are FreeNo Cage Is Big EnoughTu Casa No Es Mi Casa (Your Home is Not My Home) Freeing ourselves and all life begins with mourning as a necessary action step. We do not mourn to feel better, but with an aim to liberate ourselves and our neighbors. When we understand that none are free until all are free, we mourn that all are imprisoned, because not every being is free. People and animals are needlessly suffering the world over because their needs are disregarded or minimized by others maximizing or hoarding the use of resources to meet their individual desires. Cages are built out of unequally considering the needs of the many, and then our ideologies slam the doors shut, lock them, and forget that there are key steps to freedom for all. When we see that no cage is big enough, we mourn because we know that it is not enough to tweak the circumstances of our imprisonment, or make minor changes to our societies. The key to freedom is to do the really big thing, what seems impossible, and what we cannot do alone or in our lifetimes. We must unweave the structures of domination that lock us all into lives that are less than they could be. We mourn at the harm that will not go away, but through the cage wire we see another way, of one day flying free when we open cage doors, use the keys of co-liberation to lock them behind us, and then, to make sure all stay free, dismantle all cages until no vestiges of cruelty remain. When we are told that tu casa no es mi casa (your home is not my home), we realize that every being is unique with their own needs, and that one version of home forced upon the other is not home at all. We cannot dictate the parameters of freedom for others. They choose, and we affirm that choice. We mourn because we do not know yet how to affirm all life, all species, and all individuals. The light of freedom begins with mourning as the day begins with morning. Promise yourself to awake to the light, which means seeing reality for what it is, and which means we must collectively mourn those who have been bound needlessly by our desires.Pledge to lean into the light and onto cage doors, acting for freedom if not yet realizing it. As Mahatma Gandhi said, “It's the action, not the fruit of the action, that's important. You have to do the right thing. It may not be in your power, may not be in your time, that there'll be any fruit. But that doesn't mean you stop doing the right thing. You may never know what results come from your action. But if you do nothing, there will be no result.” The Freedom Project is full of promises, pledges, and hope that each day will see more and more positive results. Join the Freedom Project today - do it for yourself, for life, today.They who bind to themselves a joyDo the winged life destroyThey who kiss the joy as it fliesLive in eternity's sunrise. (adapted from William Blake)

Parrot Who Cannot See Helps Envision A Better Future

Rebecca was taken from her family when she was still very young, and came to live with a human family in La Moskitia, Honduras. Other scarlet macaws lived with her as did some yellow-naped amazons, both endangered species. Like many homes in the area, the birds were allowed to roam around the patio, though wings needed to be clipped to keep them from straying too far. One day some boys attacked Rebecca while in one of the yard's trees. She fell to the ground with a broken wing and a head wound. She survived, the family thinking that she was blind only in the eye that had collapsed.I met Rebecca years later when she had been confiscated by authorities and taken to the Rescue and Liberation Center of Mabita. There I examined her and found that she could not see at all - both eyes had been damaged when she was shot. The family had not realized this because Rebecca seemed to fair well, eating, drinking, bathing, and protecting her area. Rebecca taking a bathHow hard I imagined this must be for her to be in strange place away from her home, and how miserable it must have been to lose her sight as an adult. What pain and anguish must have been part of her life, and still was.She was readopted by the family and moved from the Rescue Center back home, though the home of the humans was not really her home, but the forests and savannas surrounding the village.Her life helps us see that macaws are beings of worth and autonomy, and that we must join them in protecting their lives. Rebecca defending her territoryHer story helps us see how strong and fierce are these beings, how we need to be fierce too, in standing up for their rights to fly free.Make a pledge today to fight for freedom everywhere, for yourself, for parrots and other wildlife, and for the people of this earth.You can make this pledge here and join a global freedom campaign that states:None are Free until All are FreeNo Cage is Big EnoughTu Casa no es Mi Casa (Your home is not my home)Thank you for envisioning and bringing about a better future for all!

Death on a Sidewalk

This incident happened just a few days ago. I relate the conversation in detail because I find it a study in the use of Nonviolent Communication, where we concentrate on the needs of all beings as the highest priority in our relationships with others. I am still pondering what I could have done or said differently, and what to do next. Any ideas? (Alert- story tells of a dying squirrel shot by a neighbor.)I often go for walks along our busy almost suburban street outside of New York City. It seems that every day I see some kind of dead or injured animal in the street or along the sidewalk. I call our street the Killing Fields, and it seemed even more so today.I was hoofing it back home with a my weighted backpack, which I take with me because I am always in training for working in the field in Latin America as a conservationist. Less than 200 feet ahead of me I heard a soft gun shot, and a squirrel fell from a tree and landed writhing on the grass near the sidewalk. "A gunshot?!" I thought, "Here?" I quickened my pace to get to the squirrel, looking at where the shot came from to make sure someone with a gun wasn't pointing it at me, and also to see if I could see the shooter. I imagined it was some bored teenagers with whom I was going to have a talk, with along with their parents.The squirrel continued to writhe in agony as I scrambled to think about what I could do to help with my veterinary skills. That second I noticed a man in the yard from where the shot came. "Did you shoot the squirrel?" I asked through the shrubbery. "I'll come out and talk to you now," he said. As he approached me I started looking for a rock to hit the squirrel with to end his misery, for there was no hope for this dying being. I asked the man to do the task, but then reconsidering, asked, "Why don't you get your gun and shoot him again?" As he went to get his gun I picked up the squirrel to head towards the privacy of his yard, but the man came out into plain sight with his gun and shot the squirrel a second time. This ended the gasping and bleeding, and the life was gone.With that urgency out of the way, I then turned to the man."Why did you shoot the squirrel?" I calmly asked.He first wanted me to know that it was legal to hunt squirrels and that he wasn't breaking the law (I later researched this and you can hunt squirrels, but only during squirrel season, which it wasn't). He then said that he knew how to use a gun, used to be in the military and that he was careful with his aim so as to not harm people. "The pellet from the air gun doesn't go far," he explained to me."So you are really careful?""Yes, I take careful aim so that the squirrel doesn't suffer much.""But the squirrel did suffer a lot," I said pointing to the still form."Yes he was really high up in the tree. I don't like the dying and suffering part. I care for animals."Given that he seemed to be open to conversation and he had laid his gun down, I then asked him if I could talk to him about how to perhaps better handle the situation and he agreed.So I asked him again, "Why did you shoot the squirrel?""My wife is tired of animals stealing things.""Oh your wife is putting pressure on you and you want to help her?""No, I don't want to put it on her. The squirrels eat the apples from our tree.""Oh, have you tried other ways to get them to stop? Nets, fireworks?""I don't think that will work.""What if I buy you all the apples you want so you don't have to shoot squirrels?""Oh we don't really eat the apples. It's about more than just the apples?""Like what?" I asked, breathing deep."Well, I am being totally open here, there is something about enjoying the hunt.""I can understand that, I used to fish for similar reasons. But I stopped because I don't need the fish and they suffer," I said, pointing to the body that was now attracting flies. "Is there some way you can make the most out of a dead squirrel, such as not burying him and letting someone eat him?""I wish I knew someone who ate squirrels, like they do in some parts of the USA.""Yes, my dad used to hunt and eat squirrels as a kid." (I wished I had added at the time, "But he stopped because he didn't eat them and it hurt his heart after a while.") "How about scavengers?""I used lead pellets so I don't think I can leave the carcass out because of the risk of lead poisoning. I used to use aluminum pellets that go really fast and make a cleaner kill, but it's makes a loud noise and I can't do that here. It would disturb the neighbors."We kept talking about possibilities and when I couldn't think of anything more to advise him about, or anything more I needed to learn about his motivations and situation in life, I asked, "I've helped you try to figure this out, would you be willing to listen to what I think?" He agreed."Squirrels feel pain, they have families, children, relatives, spouses, and probably competitors. They have territories and are known by others. When one dies it impacts a community, not just one. It's better if you don't shoot the squirrels." (For both you and the squirrel, I thought). A news report about squirrel hunting linked to human harmHe nodded and said, "I always wondered if I should stop doing this, and maybe this interaction will be the impetus to make a change." He then asked my name and where I lived (a few blocks up) and what I did."I'm a wildlife veterinarian who protects wildlife," I enjoyed saying.He took that fairly well. I then described exactly where I lived, (perhaps not a good idea to a man with a gun?) and said if he needed to talk about it anymore or needed help, I would work with him on this. I told him of the dilemma I had with feral cats killing birds and other wildlife in homes where I have lived and I know how complicated the conflict between humans and other species can be. "And between humans, even those who are our neighbors," I said as I met his eye squarely. We shook hands before I walked way, replaying in my mind the conversation so I could discern how best to defend life and love in the complexity of modern life in multispecies communities. How do we manage the array of human desires, which involves harming others?I still don't know how, and I don't think anyone does. But maybe together, such as in conversations like this, we could minimize harm to our neighbors of all species.

Moon Rising Over Macaws in Guyana

Yupukari Village, Guyana March 2018From sun up to sun down, researching red-bellied macaws in the Rupununi savannah The Rupununi savannah in Guyana is full of life. Hard to traverse due to flooding much of the year, it is now March 2018 and we are driving along paths that we could have swum or boated over in the rainy season. We approach Yupukari village in Guyana to continue our investigation or parrots that started in October 2017. One of our target species is the red-bellied macaw that roosts, nests, and feeds in the Ite palm oases throughout the area. Pair checking out a nest or roosting cavity in Ite palm trunk We use a population counting technique known as Fixed Point Transects that allow one to get a rapid assessment of the minimum number of distinct individuals in an area. For this particular count we had 3 points spread out over 4.5 kilometers. These points are really too far apart to get a precise count, and we don’t mind so much because this is just a preliminary survey to see how many birds they might be here and how use the oases. We also want to discover what might be the best methods for counting this species in this habitat. Double-stripped thick-knee and chick in savannah, spied on our way to set up points for the count In our short time there of conducting only one formal count we found that counting these birds between oases is challenging, or even in one oasis. They sleep communally in cavities in the same trees where they perch. This basically means that we lose sight of them and cannot be sure if they moved off or staid in a particular area. Point #1 in our 3-point transect They are also incredibly squirrely and swirly birds. They may approach an oasis in one flock, but then they spit off, presumably in family groups or multiple families, and then these groups recombine with other groups or pairs, take off flying again, swirl around the oasis, pick up more birds, and either land again (and again) or head off to another oasis. For this reason, we can only offer an estimate of 253 red-bellied macaws observed along this 4.5 kilometers. It will take repeated counts to narrow down the precision and to perfect the technique. Eating Ite palm fruits and preening as part of their day Normally this is not a species that conservationists emphasize monitoring because they are not threatened, although there does seem to be an overall population decrease across its wide range. Here in the Rupununi not much is known about this species, and it might be an indicator of generally how well the biome is doing and what the trapping pressure might be on parrots in general. Moon rising at the end of our count as we finish our sunup to sundown day int the field I for one would love to continue studying this species because there is nothing like an energetic parrot flying in front of a rising moon to stimulate one’s sense of awe and beauty, this despite how hard they are to count! Thanks to Brian, Danika, Marcellus, and Peo for this first fixed transect count of macaws in the area! Thanks to Marcellus, conservation guide for Yupukari and Caiman House

Parrot and People Refugees

Bilal and his parrot, Toti, in Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan, in February 2017. (Credit Jim Huylebroek for Norwegian Refugee Council) Underneath the forced migration of both parrots and people burns a domination mindset, a core oppression that forces birds and people to move far from their homes. Sometimes these two forced migrations intersect, such as a recent story about an Afghan boy, Bilal, forced to flee from where his family had made refuge in Pakistan. While there his family had taken a young rose-ringed parakeet from the wild and the boy bonded fiercely with the parakeet. When the family relocated to Afghanistan they took the parakeet, Toti, with them. Subjected to so much stress Bilal relied more and more upon this small parrot, and Toti, subject to so much stress and probably lack of adequate care and protection from infectious disease, died. In a crack in the wall outside his room, Bilal keeps a handful of Toti’s feathers, a shrine to a little friend. Closer to home I know of another refugee and parrot story that takes place in Honduras. There we work in solidarity with the indigenous villages to protect their forests and parrots. Our field project coordinator, Santiago Lacuth, gave me more details recently of what had happened to the parrot population there. He said once the scarlet macaws were as numerous as the common red-lored amazon and that there were many more and much larger pine trees in the village territory. But then came the 1980's when the demand for parrots from the USA meant that his people now had a means to have cash to buy necessities, as normally they lived off of what they farmed, fished, and hunted. The villagers were motivated to take all the macaws they could, and if they couldn't climb a tree, they cut or burned them down. He said the trees and macaws were now coming back because community protection efforts, but it would take a long time yet, for though the USA and Europe aren't buying parrots as much because it has become illegal, people from other countries are now the buyers who are part of the pervasive illegal wildlife trade. Santiago standing in his forest thinned because of market pressures Santiago explains, "So much was lost in the 1980's for it was the time of the Nicaraguan Civil War. Refugees came by the hundreds to live here and they too took all the wildlife. There were no fish, no birds, and the trees were coming down." I grimace and don't say anything, because he already knows what I will say. My country that was the origin of the parrot trade here, also fueled the war to suppress the leftist leading government of Nicaragua that had taken control from the US backed dictator, Somoza. I am caught in a web of harm, as is Santiago, his parrots, and his people. Both wildlife trade and political maneuvers uproot thousands upon thousands and the consequences continue to endure. Families come to the USA seeking sanctuary from the violence in their homes. People work hard to provide them asylum and some locales become sanctuary cities, while others seek to house those that come from afar. There is also a movement to protect the parrots that have been forcibly displaced for their homes. Sanctuaries for parrots abound, trying to keep up with the overwhelming numbers of parrots that cannot go back to their natural regions and for whom people no longer want them in their homes. Cities too are looking to become parrot sanctuary cities to protect these birds. In the case of people and parrots, it is not the families' or children's fault that they are refugees. Recalling the words of Tom Petty's song, "Refugee", they do not have to live this way. Everyone needs to fight so that all can be free.Somewhere, somehow, somebody must have kicked you around some Who knows maybe you were kidnapped, tied up Taken away and held for ransom Honey, it don't really matter to me, baby Everybody's had to fight to be free, you see Don't have to live like a refugee No you don't have to live like a refugee You don't have to live like a refugee (Don't have to live like a refugee)