Now Presenting The Veldhoven Parrot Park By Pierre de Chabannes, Photography by Josef Lindholm III “One of Europe’s biggest parrot collections.” “A truly amazing bird park with many rare species on display.” hese compliments would sug- their knowledge with non specialists. because the owners could not care prop- gest that the place is really well The park itself is named Papegaaien- erly for them. The idea of creating a par- known and that it would have a park Veldhoven and the nickname NOP rot refuge soon turned into reality, which Tsolid international reputation like Bird- is in fact derived from the name of the put an end to his career as a parrot dealer park Walsrode. But the Veldhoven Par- Dutch Foundation for the Refuge and and seller. With the growing popular- rot Park, also known as NOP, is not in Care of Parrots which runs the place. The ity of his association, he soon needed that league. Even in the European bird- foundation itself was created in 1987 by more space to build aviaries and tropical lovers community, this place is not often a former parrot-dealer named Tonnie greenhouses to keep more and more birds mentioned and mostly known by parrot Van Meegen who realized that most par- donated to him each week. breeders who, unfortunately, rarely share rots he sold were returned back to him In 1992, a 19.75-acre forested field aFa Watchbird 21 located close to Eindhoven airport was acquired and the park opened to the public in 1993. As more birds of differ- ent kinds kept arriving as surplus from other parks or confiscated animals by the Dutch customs, the park kept get- ting bigger and, thanks to the generosity of private donors and sponsors, a tropi- cal hall and several big aviaries were built between 1995 and 2005. Today, the NOP is the world’s biggest parrot sanctuary and houses one of the biggest bird collec- tions in Europe. The purpose of this park is not to breed or exhibit species, but to keep working as a parrot sanctuary and care center. A hospital entirely devoted to parrots has been built in 2000, thanks to a German sponsor and more facilities are added each year. The NOP currently works with the World Parrot Trust, based in Paradise Park (England) for parrot conservation in the wild but also estab- lishing parrots breeding programs in captivity and giving tutorials on how to properly take care and keep these feath- ered jewels. From 1993, the parrot park has been opened to public and all the admission fees (10 euros these days) are used for ani- mal care and feeding. Only volunteers are working at the park and nobody, even the owner, is being paid for their duties. It is to be stressed that this park is not a breeding center but European laws are very strict on keeping animals belonging to Appendix I of CITES. In that case, no An interior aviary lookout and feeding platform matter the park’s goals and policy, breed- such as Birdpark Walsrode, Berlin Zoo exhibits, especially in the tropical hall ing must be encouraged and attempted and Jurong Bird Park but I must admit I named Tropi-joy, where most species are which has led to great successes with was blown away. No information about not labeled. Hyacinth Macaws and several hornbill the place had ever reached me since I Our visit starts with the first rows of species, the most recent achievements started to get interested in zoos and birds aviaries, entirely dedicated to medium- to being recorded with the Sulawesi Red- and I couldn’t imagine that this park big-sized parrot species. Here, the focus knobbed Hornbills (Aceros cassidix) and could house such an incredible collection, is not about the landscaping of exhib- the extremely rarely bred Rufous Horn- particularly concerning tropical Ameri- its but more about functionality, hygiene bills (Buceros hydrocorax), this last species can birds! and easiness for all daily care-tasks. Some being kept backstage. The purpose of this article is to make perches and wooden structures are pro- I was first introduced to this unique you discover the NOP as I was lucky to vided but no vegetation has been added. bird park by a parrot breeder friend who visit it more than five times in five consec- First on show are several pairs of ama- took me there and offered me a guided utive years. I would recommend spending zons, each shown in one small aviary. tour of the facilities in April 2006. I had two full days in the park in order to see We can find Mealy Amazons(Amazona already visited many nice bird collections most rarities showcased in the different farinosa farinosa), Vinaceous Amazons 22 volume XXXVI • Number 4 • 2009 from other subspecies by its yellow area on head covering also cheeks and sur- rounding the eyes, and common Yel- low-naped Amazons (Amazona auropal- liata auropalliata). A huge aviary filled with branches, ropes and perches is occu- pied by a pair of Scarlet Macaws (Ara macao) and one Green-winged Macaw (Ara chloropterus). Next on line are some cockatoos, namely Greater Sulphur- crested Cockatoos (Cacatua galerita gal- erita), White Cockatoos (Cacatua alba) and Salmon-crested Cockatoos (Caca- tua moluccensis) which are housed sepa- rately in smaller exhibits. A pair of Pre- vost’s squirrels (Callosciurus prevosti) has been brought to the park in a very small metal cage and is staying there, in poor conditions. By the side of the parrot hospital, there is a grassy enclosure, called Lorre-Acker, filled with branches and an assortment of tree trunks. In this exhibit are kept about thirty parrots, mostly cockatoos, eclectus and amazons which cannot fly and some- times are sick, stressed or simply too old to be kept with other birds. Of course, most specimens shown there are not in good physical condition but at least, they have a secure place where to spend their last days. Surrounding this facility are medium-sized aviaries with, again, a few perches provided. Here are kept the big- gest parrots species of the park, and some of the rarest, including three pairs of Hyacinth Macaws (Anodorhynchus hya- cinthinus), two pairs of Green-winged Macaws (Ara chloropterus), a pair of Scar- At top is one of the Baudin’s Black Cockatoos (Calyptorhynchus baudinii). Above is one of the let Macaws (Ara macao), a pair of the crit- very rare Marajo Yellow-fronted Amazons (Amazona ochrocephala xantholaema). ically endangered Blue-throated Macaws (Amazona vinacea), Green-cheeked Hispaniolan Amazons (Amazona ven- (Ara glaucogularis), a pair of Buffon’s Amazons (Amazona viridigenalis), Lila- tralis), Honduras Yellow-naped Ama- Macaws (Ara ambigua), a pair of Mexi- cine Amazons (Amazona autumnalis zons (Amazona auropalliata parvipes), can Military Macaws (Ara militaris mexi- lilacina), Blue-cheeked Amazons (Ama- Red-backed Amazons (Amazona festiva cana) and two pairs of Blue and Yellow zona dufresniana), Cuban Amazons festiva), Bodinus Red-backed Amazons Macaws (Ara ararauna). A pair of Bau- (Amazona leucocephala leucocephala), (Amazona festiva bodini), Lilac-crowned din’s Black Cockatoos (Calyptorhynchus Red-lored Amazons (Amazona autum- Amazons (Amazona finschii finschii), baudinii), endangered in the wild and nalis autumnalis), the very rare Yellow- Salvin’s Amazons (Amazona autumna- extremely rarely seen in captivity, was bellied Amazons (Amazona xanthops), lis salvini), the very rare Marajo Yellow- kept in this area until 2008. Yellow-shouldered Amazons (Ama- fronted Amazons (Amazona ochrocephala Two newly built and quite huge avi- zona barbadensis barbadensis), the rare xantholaema) which can be recognized aries are featuring a group of African aFa Watchbird 23 White-backed Vultures (Gyps africanus) and amazons. a big group of Yellow-headed Amazons and South-American King Vultures (Sar- Next on line are five big aviaries, at (Amazona oratrix oratrix), one Guatema- coramphus papa) living with a pair of Red- least 8 meters tall and almost 50 meters lan Mealy Amazon (Amazona farinosa legged Seriemas (Cariama cristata) and long, where many dozens parrots are kept, guatemalae), several Red-lored Amazons some Bush Thick-knees(Burhinus gral- all together, sometimes with pheasants, in (Amazona autumnalis autumnalis), a pair larius) which are both quite common in very nice conditions, with lots of perches, of Yellow-shouldered Amazons (Ama- European bird collections. Two other avi- places to hide and wooden structures to zona barbadensis barbadensis) and one aries located a few meters away are show- play with. Here, we find mostly amazons, very rare Belize Yellow-headed Amazon casing two breeding pairs of Asian Horn- macaws, cockatoos and other medium- (Amazona oratrix beliziensis). bills, namely the Sulawesi Red-knobbed to big-sized parrots, each species being Cockatoos are also numerous with Hornbill (Aceros cassidix) and the Javan shown in big groups which sometimes a whole flock of the highly endangered Rhinoceros Hornbill (Buceros rhinoc- results in producing hybrids when breed- Abbott’s Sulphur-crested Cockatoos eros silvestris). A pair of African Wattled ing is recorded for this bird, which is (Cacatua sulphurea abbotti) which are Cranes (Bugeranus carunculatus), arrived not a priority for the park. Among ama- bigger than other Lesser Sulphur-crested at the park in 2007, live in a small enclo- zons, we find one Yellow-bellied Ama- Cockatoos subspecies and also lack the sure nearby. zon (Amazona xanthops), a huge group of yellow area on ear-coverts, Common Many small octagonal aviaries are built Blue-fronted Amazons (Amazona aestiva Lesser Sulphur-crested Cockatoos (Caca- all around the forested area of the park.