Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Each macaw has to be very carefully checked over by a specialist veterinarian. The
birds at Gaia have come from four different regions and can have a variety of illnesses or
conditions which could threaten them or the rest of the wild population if they went un-
treated. Boris ensures they are appropriately quarantined and cared for until they can join
the rest of the birds and find a partner for release. That aspect is important as their mate
helps them find food, preen and nest. “We try to get them paired up. They are basically
monogamous,” Boris says.
Boris and his team also teach them basic survival skills. “They don't know how to de-
fend themselves out there,” he says. “They don't even know what to eat in the wild.” The
handlers teach the birds things they need to survive, from flying to handling food. They
also teach them that it's dangerous for them to go down to the forest floor by putting all the
food up high and using a cage floor with holes in it. That way the birds won't go down to
thefloortopickupfoodtheyhavedropped.“They knowiftheyhavedroppedit,it'sgone,”
Boris explains. “That stays marked in their heads — if you dropped it, don't go looking for
it.”
Boris has enlisted community support to help feed nature's avian rainbow. “What we
need most is fruit,” says Boris. He has not only provided locals with a list of fruit the
macaws eat — he sends a Gaia van to pick up food donations.
