PROMOTING EXCELLENCE IN PARROT CONSERVATION AVICULTURE AND WELFARE World Parrot Trust in action Vol. 11 No.1 February 1999 Announcing World Parrot Month New Neotropical Projects Echo News psittacine (sit’a sin) belonging or allied to the parrots; parrot-like Announcing World Parrot Month Editor Rosemary Low, P.O. Box 100, Mansfield, Notts., United Kingdom - August 1999 by MICHAEL REYNOLDS NG20 9NZ In our August 1998 PsittaScene we launched a ‘New Global Campaign for the Par rots’. Central to this was the ‘Parr ots Need Help’ logo shown in the centre of this page. We CONTENTS inser ted a car sticker of this logo in every copy of that issue of PsittaScene, and promised a revised educational leaflet intended for new pet parr ot owners. We reminded readers of Announcing World Par rot the aims of the Trust and listed the 22 species of thr eatened parrot given financial Month ..........................2-3 support from WPT. We said: ‘Our intention is to maintain this campaign for the parrots for a period of two years, with the clear objective of making the general public achieve a New Neotropical Projects fr esh understanding about parrots.’ ....................................4-5 Well, a quarter of our two years Conscious of the need for a new 1999. In response to requests Wild Echos ..................6-7 has gone by, and not much has initiative to expand our from zoos, however, we decided been done to promote our campaign to r each a wider that a full month of parrot Recent Research on campaign, apart fr om audience, we thought of having related activities would be mor e Amazon Parr ots ........ 8-10 distributing that issue of a global ‘World Parr ot Day’, productive for all involved, so PsittaScene to a wider media where our various national ‘WORLD PARROT MONTH’ it is. WPT Projects ................11 branches could hold parroty audience than usual. We asked John recently made a fascinating for a sponsor to help pay for events in city centres. All ver y News from Paradise Park well, but exactly how do you television programme about the ................................12-13 printing our ‘educational leaflet’, release of some lemurs in and - not for the first time - one expand what is essentially a Madagascar, and is much Steve Martin ............14-15 of our most loyal and generous ‘special interest’ subject into concerned with the conservation members in Switzerland one which will interest almost everybody? of wildlife and habitats. He Psitta News ..............16-18 answered the call. We have now helps a wide range of charities printed a first run of our new The involvement of a major in several areas, and wants to be WPT Info Page ..............19 leaflet ‘How to have a happy, international celebrity would known simply as just one of the healthy parrot’, and a copy is Parrots in the Wild ........20 help, but who is there who supporters of WPT, not as our inserted in this issue. You will would have any connection with one and only champion. So this see that it is intended simply to parrots? The idea is absur d. video is a one-off oppor tunity, give very basic information to Almost as absurd and crazy as but with considerable potential somebody who knows virtually the famous ‘dead parrot sketch’ for expanding the scope of our nothing about parr ots, except done by the Monty Python team activities to a wider audience, that he or she wants to keep years ago. At this point we and educating the general public one. You obviously don’t need it found that John Cleese’s about why the parr ots deserve yourself, so may we ask you to stepson, Clinton Eichelberger, serious attention. take it to one or two local pet was one of our team working stores, ask if they would like a with the Echo Parakeet in We don’ t want to give away too supply for new parrot Mauritius! This happy much about our planned video, purchasers, and let us have their circumstance gave us the but as you might expect, it does addresses with the numbers opportunity to speak to John refer to the dead par rot sketch required? It wouldn’t take you Cleese, and he agreed to make a and the ‘Norwegian blue’. John much time, and could help give short video for the World Parrot Cleese also mentions the slogan a better quality of life to many Tr ust, to be used to launch our that has been on our letterhead parrots. ‘World Parrot Day’ on August 1st since our start in 1989: ‘If we can save the parr ots, we may yet save ourselves’. Per haps it is COVER PICTURE The World Par rot Trust does fortunate that we don’ t have to not necessarily endorse any The Scarlet Macaw Ara macao is a new species to receive support come up with a convincing views or statements made by from the World Parrot Tr ust. In pages 4 and 5 you will read that scientific justification for that contributors to PsittaScene. WPT has funded 12 new projects In Latin America and the slogan, but we can draw some It will of course consider Caribbean, and three of these are concerned with the Scarlet Macaw parallels between the thr eats to articles or letters from any in Mexico, Belize and Costa Rica. Thse locations demonstrate that the survival of the parrots - contributors on their merits. this macaw has an extended range, and that it is increasingly habitat destruction, trapping for threatened throughout its range. trade, shooting for the cooking pot - and thr eats to the survival 2 ■ PsittaScene Volume 11, No 1, February 1999 WORLD PARROT MONTH Highlighting the charismatic parrot family, in the wild and in our homes. In the month of August 1999 we will ... RECOGNISE the urgent need to protect and pr eserve par rots in the wild, especially the 90 species in danger of extinction. CELEBRATE the companionship that millions of pet par rots give to people in every country in the world. MOTIVATE ever yone who cares about the conservation of wildlife to see the parrots as logical ‘spokespersons for nature.’ The character and beauty of these bir ds can help save rainfor ests and other habitats for the whole of nature, of Homo sapiens - pollution, can help in achieving this aim. including ourselves. disease, global warming, Perhaps, in August 1999, we nuclear disaster, over- can all make a special ef fort to RAISE FUNDS for parrot conservation and welfare. population etc. In both cases take our wonderful combined we can clearly identify the parrot show on the road in a What will the World Parrot Trust be doing? threats and discuss them in a variety of imaginative ways, First, we will invite every organisation and publication rational manner, but also in and educate the public until interested in parr ots to join us in promoting WORLD PARROT both cases we find it very they can’t take any mor e! MONTH. difficult to take effective The World Parrot Trust has action to minimise the threats. Second, we will invite everyone who keeps parrots in already had encouraging captivity, studies or protects them in the wild, or just car es So if we apply our brains and offers of cooperation fr om about their wellbeing, to join us in publicising their needs. our resources to solving the major publications, zoo parrot pr oblem, we are likely organisations, and Third, we will contact the media and zoos ar ound the world to learn lessons that will help international conser vation and ask them, during this special month, to infor m and us ensure the continued bodies. The opportunity to tie educate their audiences about par rots. survival of our own species. in marketing activities with an Fourth, we will pr ovide a range of materials, which will event spearheaded by John include: Another vital factor is the Cleese is very attractive to A VIDEO MADE SPECIALLY FOR US BY JOHN CLEESE. This will presence of parrots in our many businesses. We will, homes. Millions of them, in however, be looking for great follow on fr om the famous ‘dead parrot sketch’, and will every country in the world. support from our WPT convey an important conservation message. We expect this to Wildlife conservationists ar e members, and anyone else be used by many news and other pr ograms worldwide, and to very skilful in alerting us to who wants to help educate promote further discussion and inter est. the threats faced by the lar ge folks in general - but OUR ‘PARROTS NEED HELP’ LOGO. This comes in several sizes, charismatic mammals, the so- especially new parrot owners - from a car window sticker to an individual adhesive badge. called ‘flagship species’: and raise funds for parr ot This logo car ries our website address, which provides gorillas, tigers, whales, conservation and welfar e. Let extensive information on the World Par rot Trust and its elephants, pandas and so on, us not lose sight of the main conser vation aims. but none of these share our aim of World Parrot Month, POSTERS AND LEAFLETS. These will come in a range of sizes, homes and our daily lives as which is to find new sources the parr ots uniquely do. Try intended for display in zoos, pet stor es, vets’ offices, schools of funding to enable The etc. telling them they’re not World Par rot Trust to help the flagship species! Common survival of more par rot sense suggests that the loud, species in the wild. What can you do? colourful, dynamic proximity CONTACT OUR UK OR USA OFFICES.