News about parrot conservation, aviculture and welfare from C(fjfi£9/r1Ur1df'!&rrotCf!hw;t Vol. 5No.2 MAY1993 A WORLD FIRST IN WILDLIFE CON SERVATI 0 N Trust secures the release of captive Coffin's Cockatoos on Tanimbar, Indonesia. TheWorldParrotTrusthasrecently it believesto beaworld first in into thewild, with official 'TheCookReport'TVprogramme receivednewsthat 319Goffin's practicalwildlife conservation.In approval.TheTrustwouldlike to whichfirst discoveredthebirds' CockatoosCacatuagoffinihave anycasewewouldlike to hearof thankthe Governmentof the predicament,andto the Benelux beenreleasedbackinto theforest anyotheroccasionswhena large Republicof Indonesiafor its wisdom branchof TheWorldParrotTrust nearSaumlaki,Tanimbar, numberof birdsin thehandsof andcompassionin authorisingthis whichraisedmuchof thefunds Indonesia. tradershavebeenreleasedback release.Thanksarealsodue to required. Thesebirdshadbeenin captivity for up to a year,andwouldhave beensoldontheinternational parrotmarketbut for their being declaredanendangeredspeciesby CITESduring 1992.Thismadeit illegalfor themto betraded outsideIndonesia,andasa result over500birdsweresimplyheldin cagesonTanimbar. WhentheWorldParrotTrust heardof their plight,theyraised fundsto helpcarefor the endangeredcockatoosandseek theirreleasebackinto thewild. Scientificteststakenfrom the birdsindicatedthat theywerenot carryinganydiseaseor parasite thatmightbea threatto birdsin thewild.Fundsweresentto Tanimbarto payfor feedingthe birds,but despitethis someof themdied. Finally,onMarch7th the Goffin'sCockatooswerereleased intotheforestunderthe supervisionof thelocalIndonesian authorities.TheWorldParrotTrust hasreceivedphotographsof this event(seepage2),togetherwith anofficialcertificateconfirming therelease. TheWorldParrotTrustis very pleasedwith this outcome,which 1 The Trust hopes that the C. goffini on village maize harvests, project and I will look forward to residents of the islands where and have returned with extensive sending you the final report in due Goffin's Cockatoo lives will in data sets which will be analyzed course." future regard this endangered bird during the course of the next as not worth catching, due to its month. Both species were observed CITESstatus preventing trade. The frequently on the forest transects Trust is urgently preparing and large numbers of goffiniwere We will keep our members educational material to help observed in the agricultural areas. informed on future developments achieve this objective. Yusuf and Nick were the first on Tanimbar. What is certain is When we first reported the biologists to transect across the that the Trust will think very plight of these captive cockatoos island and visit the west coast. carefully before it allows itself to in our August 1992 issue of They found a near pristine get involved in a similar situation PsittaScene, we had only modest environment, people still hunting in the future. From the parrot hopes of achieving the release of with bows and arrows and villages welfare point of view it was the birds. In the event, there are a preparing for war! I believe this rewarding to have 319 cockatoos number of unsatisfactory aspects. will be seen as a land mark survey removed from miserable conditions First, the birds were not marked in and that there will be widespread and returned to the wild, but it has any way, so there is no prospect of interest in the results. I would like to be conceded that insufficient monitoring their survival and to thank WPT for supporting this science was applied to the release. dispersal from the release site. Second, no observations were made immediately after the release, when the ability of the birds to fend for themselves after a year in captivity could usefully have been studied. Third we hear from Saumlaki that once again this year Goffin's Cockatoos are being captured, so the message has apparently not yet got through to the local people that these birds are not worth catching, as there is no longer an international outlet forthem. Better news has just reached The World Parrot Trust from Birdlife International (the new name for ICBP- International Council for Bird Preservation). As Captive Coffin's Cockatoos,held in cages on a farm near Saumlaki, Tanimbar, Indonesia. Over 500 were kept there for one year. reported previously in PsittaScene, we are part-funding a new Status Assessment of Goffin's Cockatoo and the Blue-streaked Lory on Tanirnbar. The project staff have just completed three months of field work, and a letter just in from Paul Jepson, their Indonesia Programme Coordinator, reports as follows:- "I am pleased to report that ICBP project officers Yusuf Cahyadin and Nick Brickle have returned to the Bogor progranune office after successfully completing three months of field work in Tanimbar. They completed all the compo- nents of the survey plan which included two cross island transects Coffin's Cockatoosbeing released into the forest. The releasewas made under the and an evaluation of the impact of supervision of the local Indonesian authorities. The freed Coffin's Cockatoosbegin to t7yto freedom. The Coffin's Cockatoospick up food from the forest t7oor. 2 THE WORLD PARROT TRUST BENELUX PARROT SYMPOSIUM By Michael Reynolds A highlysuccessful Parrot Parrot' project. As readers will Further fund raising All the children must have done a Symposium was organised and run know, this aims to help the survival achievements in Benelux lot of work to earn the money to by our energetic and dedicated of Lear'sMacawAm leariby buy the palms to give to their Benelux Chapter. No less than 260 protecting existing Ucuri palms - Dear Or Munn mothers on Mothers Day. What a delegates attended, from Belgium, their essentialfood- and establishing The two fourth grades of the very nice and original idea - we the Netherlands, France, Germany new plantations. Our Benelux Antwerp International School have must pass it on to other schools and the United Kingdom, to hear a committee and members have been studying the Lears Ara and for next year. I am immediately distinguished programme of speakers. worked tirelessly to raise this have been raising money for them. sending on your letter to Or. All areas of the parrot world impressive amount, and our We have done jobs at home and Charlie Munn. As it happens, he is were well represented: Charles thanks are due to Ruud Vonk, have earned 200BFeach for a going to Brazil later this week to Munn spoke about his conservation chairman of the symposium small palm which we gave to our begin a month's study of Lear's work with the large macaws; Harry committee, and everyone who mothers on Mothers Day. The two Macaw, and how to plant new Sissen gave insights into his helped in the organisation and fourth grades have raised over palms for their future food supply. successful breeding of the macaws fund-raising. The attention to detail 11,000 BF and are encouraging the He is taking with him the world's and other parrots; G. v. Eijken and was positively awesome, and younger grades to follow our top expert on palms to give advice, R. Lorentsen gave their impressions included specially made World example. The money will be sent to and we are also sending a leading of Australian parrots, while you for buying Ucuri palms and British wildlife artist, David Parrot Trust flags flying outside W.Hetherington spoke of the for buying fencing to protect the Johnston, so he can paint a really the zoo,a press conference that led control of Australian international Ucuri palms from cattle, sheep authentic picture of Lear's macaw to the 'Palm for a Parrot' story wildlife trade; T. de Meulenaer and goats. We hope that the money in its natural habitat. David's appearing in many newspapers gave an update on European CITES will help the parrots. Lots of luck picture will be available, hopefully and specialist magazines, Lear's regulations; LE.M. de Boer spoke Macaw costumes for the two with the parrots. before Christmas this year, as a on European captive breeding limited edition print. I will make cheque presenters, displays and Sincerely programmes; and Gerry Dorrestein The Antwerp International School sure your school has a copy of this gave a paper on recent developments salescounters in the lobby of the picture as soon as it is ready. Once in parrot healthcare. zoo, and superb bronze 'parrot again, thanks from all of us at The It is an indication of the stature oscar' sculptures for all the speakers. Reply from the World Parrot Trust World Parrot Trust. We are trying of our Benelux Chapter that we were If this was the visible part on the to help the survival of all the offered the use of the outstanding day, imagine the work and World's parrots, and it is most enthusiasm that went on To Mr. Robert Schaecher, facilities at Antwerp Zoo. The Headmaster and also to Mr. Brian inspiring for us to have the support beforehand. I was very proud to be famous marble hall is a most elegant Schiller, Mr. Rene de Mol, Mrs. Kathleen of caring and thoughtful young venue and all the technical and associated with this event and the Morrell, Ms. Ruth Bradley, Miss people. team who created it: if the parrots other arrangements were first class. Katherine Zischka, and all the pupils Our sincere thanks are due to the had friends like these in every Yours sincerely at Antwerp International School. Director Or. F.]. Damen, and to the country, the world of the parrots I was astonished to hear this MichaelReynolds,Hon.Director Curator of Birds Dr.R.Van Bocxstaele would be a much better place. morning from Mrs Morrell of the who gave a guided tour of the zoo. To complete the story so far, very large sum you have raised to read the item in which we provide A high point in the day's events help our project to save was the presentation of a cheque a progress report on our work for the Lear's Macaw. for Bfr 20000 (£4000) towards the Lear's Macaw. World Parrot Trust's 'Palm for a Mike ReynoldsmeetsHan Assink, Chairman of IWT Dr. CharlesMunn receivesa very large cheque from Betterthanan 'Oscar'.ThisbeautifulbronzePalm Benelux,Dr. Van Bocxstaele,and Dr.