This great structure is just the shelter end ofa hugeflight cage designed so thatyoung birds can get all theflying exercise they need. The cage is 120feet long, 50feet wide and 35feet high. It is large enough for the various species to mix and minngle together but each bird can associate with its own species.

AFAVisits ... Tropical Paradise for Birds

by Roger Bringas, North Hollywood, CA idden deep within the and Sheldon Dingle, Los Angeles, CA kitchens, nurseries, an incubation Hurban jungle of metropol­ room, offices, and an animal hospital. itan , surrounded by millions of An elaborate filtration system was people, automobiles, buses, jeepnies the most-birds. He acquired his first installed to assure the quality of the and terrific traffic jams, lies a 15 acre macaw, then an African Grey then drinking water and two large diesel oasis which gives sanctuary and pro­ another bird and yet another. Most of powered generators now guarantee a vides an ideal setting for one of the you know the feeling. At length, the continuous source of electricity dUring largest bird breeding facilities in the house was full of birds, then the yard. the "brown outs" that take place on world. Birds International, Inc. (BII) is With so many pets at hand, deDios occasion. A five hundred ton refriger­ the brain child and great love of Mr. realized what curious and wonderful ated warehouse maintains imported Antonio deDios, a resident of Makati, creatures birds are and decided to pelletized foods, vitamins and other Republic of the . direct his efforts from pet keeping to perishables at an ideal temperature Since childhood, deDios has had a breeding various parrot species. while fresh fruits and vegetables are close association with and fondness for 'eighbors' complaints about noise delivered daily. animals. As a youth he had a variety of prompted deDios to take action. He Over time, an on-going effort to pets, though he never quite focused purchased land in , an become more knowledgeable and effi­ on a particular animal or species. As a area near Manila that was once filled cient as a large scale breeding farm has young man he malTied then joined his with rice paddies but during the last 20 brought about many renovations and brothers working for his father's trans­ years has developed rapidly. The farm changes in aviary design and hus­ portation company. A short time later was meant to be "a place in the coun­ bandry procedures. Today, the majori­ deDios realized that the rapid devel­ trySide" far from the hustle and bustle ty of the parrots housed at the farm are opment taking place inside the ofMetro Manila. A place where he and kept in aviaries suspended above the Philippines offered great opportunity, his family could enjoy themselves in a ground. Remodeling continues daily as and with the support and help of his peaceful setting and where the collec­ older style cages are replaced with the Wife, Ruth, he established his own tion of birds could be housed without new, improved deSign. Stainless steel business dealing in automotive sup­ disturbing any neighbors. food and water cups are inserted at the plies, later moving on to heavy equip­ As time passed, the collection of front of each aviary, while in the rear ment. birds grew and grew, finally represent­ section hangs the nest box which can With the business doing well, ing species of birds from all over the be serviced from the outside. deDios and his family purchased a world. An organized plan was settled BII now employs some 150 full time new home in an exclusive area of on and eventually a full time staff of employees, and changes in various Manila. This is where he finally decid­ craftsmen was employed to design and protocols are made when a better sys­ ed on the kind ofanimals he cherished build aviaries, cages, dormitories, tem is determined. All employees wear afa WATCHBIRD 59 graduate to a small cage enclosure and are placed into dedicated weaning areas. Once weaned, the birds are relo­ cated to larger flights or aviaries where they can fly and exercise. Just recently a new macaw exercise aviary was built measuring 50 ft. wide, 35 ft. high and 120 ft. long. Breeding many rare and endan­ gered species, BII has had exceptional success with the production of the Spix's Macaw. To date they have raised 22 baby Spix's (to the third generation) and are holding a total of 24 which is 68% of the world's population of this species. BII is cooperating vvith the government of Brazil in the "Spix's Macaw Recovery Project." Indeed, the lone wild bird (a male) was given a female companion in 1995 and the two were seen flying together for a while­ the only pair of Spix's not in captivity RogerBringas interacting with handraised Victoria CrownedPigeons in a hugeexerciseaviary. A female Spix's Macaw from BII 1beAfricanCrownedCranelooks on. replaced the bird that was released. Unfortunately, a recent report suggests color-coded tee shirts that identify their meal contains mixed sprouts, beans that the two Spix's in the wild are no specific duties and responsibilities. In and legumes. The last meal is a mix­ an effort to promote continuity and a ture of pellets and seeds which peaceful routine, breeding areas are remains in the aviaries until the follow­ considered off limits to most employ­ ing morning. The stainless steel feed­ ees and visitors alike. Only the ing dishes are collected and washed assigned caretakers wearing the appro': after each meal. By the day's end some priately colored tee shirts are permitted 27 000 bowls have been rotated to enter their specific~ assigned breed­ through the washing facilities. ing areas and then only at certain times The collection of birds at BII is of the day. impressive, to say the least. Although 'The . tropical climate of the some , pigeons and pheasants Philippines is generally hot and humid. are kept, the bulk of the collection is 'This provides for growing a wide made up of psittacine birds ranging range of excellent fruits and vegeta­ from tiny fig parrots to the huge bles, but it also presents a few prob­ . More than 2,500 lems. Tests have determined that bac­ pairs of })irds are set up for breeding, terial growth can be found on food encompassing some 200 species in three hours after it has heen prepared total. and exposed to outdoor conditions. A fully equipped avian hospital Because of this, at BII three separate capable of analYZing serum chemistry, meals are prepared each day for each microbiology and microscopic exami­ pair of birds. Individual diets are creat­ nation for parasites is staffed by a full ed to reflect the different nutritional tilne veterinarian. Once a year, every requirements of various species, and a bird on the premises goes through a quality vitamin-mineral powder is used thorough physical examination and to supplenlent the main diet. Serving any necessary procedures are imple­ approximately 1,800 pounds of food mented at that time. There are separate daily, the workers start the initial food off-site buildings where new birds are preparation early in the morning. The quarantined and tested for possible kitchen is equipped with industrial diseases. A special air conditioned grade appliances allowing the staff to incubation room was designed and prepare the various foods as efficiently built to handle the requirements of the as possible and in as large a volume as farm. Individual rooms house numer­ necessary. ous hrooding units in which hundreds The first meal of the day is a "mixed of baby parrots are raised each year by salad" containing an assortment of a well seasoned staff of dedicated The odd-lookingPesquet'sParrot fresh fruits and.vegetables. The second handfeeders. Eventually the bahy birds is uncommoninaviculture,

60 MarchiApril 1996 the result of a hobby gotten out of hand. It is obvious to even the casual observer that today, even after so many years of birdkeeping, Antonio deDios continues to love his birds. There is a visible joy in his eyes when he handles and plays with anyone of the beautiful birds raised at his facility. Keep in tnind that BII is not a public bird park. The few visitors are always considered guests and are accompa­ nied by deDios himself or by his daughter Gina. It is a private breeding facility that actually costs more that it earns but is a labor of love-as are many of our hobbies. Mr. and Mrs. deDios have one son, Joey, an attorney who works alongside his father at the family's main business, and a daughter, Gina, who, after grad­ uating from university, has become the manager at BII overseeing the day to A beautifulpairofHawk-headedParrots. day operation of the farm. The goal of BII is simply to produce healthy, cap­ longer together. Additional details will band played for Mayor Hagedorn who tive raised birds to ensure that future be reported as they become available. was just returning from Manila where generations will be able to enjoy and The point is, however, that BII has he received an environmental award appreciate these exotic, wonderful almost single-handedly been responsi­ for having the greenest city in the creatures-both in the wild and in cap­ hIe for the significant increase in the Philippines. Mayor Hagedorn and Mr. tivity. number of Spix's Macaws and without Antonio deDios are investigating sites [Editor's Note: both authors have visited the dedication and great skill of on hoping to establish wild Antonio deDios and BII on numerous occa­ Antonio deDios the species recovery bird sanctuaries in an effort to con­ sions. Bringas has been visiting for many program would be set back immeasur­ serve some of their precious natural years and has watched much of BII's devel­ ably. flora and fauna. opment. Dingle has been to BII several times SOlne of BII's other notable success­ It could be said that BII and the and always found Mr. deDios a warm and es have been breeding and hand rear­ related wildlife conservation efforts are gracious host.] • ing the Pesquets Parrot, the Black , the Guaiabero Parrot and Victoria Crowned Pigeons to name but a few. On-gOing efforts are being made to gain more success with other species of parrots, especially those endemic to the Philippines. There have been good breeding results with the endangered Red-vented Cockatoo w1)ich is endeln­ ic to and today found mostly on the Philippine island of Palawan. Indeed, Mr Edward Hagedorn, the mayor of Palawan's , Puerto Princessa, is quite aware of the prob­ lems of deforestation and is deter­ mined to safeguard the natural envi­ ronment of his island. Both authors of this article have visited and are familiar with Palawan. It is a beautiful island relatively untouched by the ills and problems afflicting most developing areas. A year ago when Sheldon Dingle stepped off the plane in Puerto Princessa a band ,vas playing. He From leftto right, RogerBringas, AntoniodeDios, SheldonDingle. BirdsInternational, Inc.,oneof thought "How nice. How did they thelargestandmostproductivebirdfarms inthe world, is ownedandoperatedby deDios. Itwas, know I was coming?" Actually, the coincidently, thefirst timeBringasandDinglemadeitto thefarm atthesametime.

afa WATCHBIRD 61