Much has been accomplished in the battle against the wild bird trade -- first a permanent ban in the European Union in 2007, and now a law prohibiting the capture and export of Mexican wild parrots signed in October 2008. Now the focus is shifting to Indonesia, and the 15,000 parrots still being caught in W Papua, Indonesia. Currently, this illegal activity violates a law passed in 1990 -- a law not fully enforced by the Indonesian government. All of the parrots trapped suffer high mortality rates - up to 40% - due to poor treatment.

In 2008 wildlife group ProFauna Indonesia launched the Pirated Parrots Campaign with funding support from the World Parrot Trust and the Indonesian Parrot Project. The ongoing event features seminars, demonstrations and other activities which engage and educate the local people to protect their natural resources from unsustainable harvest.

In this, the second instalment on Steve Milpacher's travels in Mexico, we find him battling sharp agave spines and steep hills with biologist Rene Valdez.

While on a mission to observe the rare Maroon-fronted Parrots at El Condominio and El Taray, Steve contemplates the wonders found deep within the breathtaking Sierra Madre Orientale mountains.

Read part two of Steve's journey »

Genus: Rhynchopsitta
Species: terrisi

Where found: NE Mexico, restricted to 300km section of Sierra Madre Oriental in SE Coahuila, central-western Nuevo Leon and SW Tamaulipas and occasionally to Queretaro.

Ecology: This species is found in highland mixed Pinus, Abies and Quercus woodland. It feeds on Pinus and Abies seeds.

Status: Appendix I, Vulnerable

Threats: Loss of habitat through intensive grazing and agriculture, and forest fires.

Even the best parrot owners sometimes need reminders on proper pet care. An old, familiar friend has been revitalized and revamped.

New PDF copies of the WPT's Happy Healthy Parrot brochure - plus a brand new PDF Poster - are now available for you to download and print. While the Poster is only in English at this time, the brochures are versions in Spanish, French, Italian, Finnish, German and Russian, as well as English. 

Printed copies can still be ordered from our online US Store and UK Store. Give your parrot the very best, and have a look at our brochure!

What the heck is a Squidoo?
The latest in a spate of strangely named websites, Squidoo, with its octopod-eyed critter logo, is a wonderful idea indeed. Squidoo is a collection of over 700,000 pages, built by everyone (a la Wikipedia) that aims to help people find each other and the causes and interests they care about. And you can do it for free. Squidoo also raises funds for charity every day by donating part of the money they collect from the ads and links found on every page.

Here's where you come in. If you'd like another venue to make a lot of noise about the World Parrot Trust, here's a good place to start. Go to squidoo.com/squidoo, read their home page for rules, regulations and tips, and fire away. The good people of Squidoo have made it easy to do, and it's yet another way to get the important work of the Trust out into the world. Thanks!

My feathered kids live for the toys that I make them -- everything from paper balls, egg cartons and heat-sterilized pine cones for Chris (our Moluccan), to the extravagantly papered and wooded masterpieces for the Rosies. They all get busy. And that's how pet parrots should be, in accordance with their instincts. So a periodic column here on toy-making might be a good idea, starting with toy parts.

Some of the best toy parts come from household or yard items. These include: boxboard, paper towel and toilet paper tubes, all with the glue cut off (to prevent ingestion), unbleached paper (which you can get in rolls from your local news printer), untreated pine wood scraps, pine cones, fir and other non-toxic wood branches, clean cardboard egg cartons and leather lacing. The main thing here is safety, of course. Making sure all items are clean and bird body parts don't become stuck is paramount.

Next issue:
Parts you can buy, cheaply

Special Thanks

The Canadian World Parrot Trust is pleased to acknowledge the receipt of a $20,000 CAD grant from the Donner Canadian Foundation for development of educational programming, and support for the Thick-billed Parrot (Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha). Thanks to the foundation for their support! More information to come early in the New Year.

We would also like to thank Mark Hagen for his donation of $10,000 CAD to aid the Bahamas Parrot (Amazona leucocephala bahamensis) project in the Bahamas.

Thanks to Shirley Paver for the fundraising event at Newhaven Fort in Sussex on Halloween that raised 200 pounds for WPT. Paranormal investigators with local radio station Southern FM organised the event at one of the most haunted locations in E Sussex! A scary, successful night for all!