Will Your Pet Bird Outlive You?
One common misconception about pet birds is that they live for hundreds of years and need to be willed to someone in order to ensure their care after you’re gone. While birds do live for quite a long time in the wild, their lifespan in captivity is actually much shorter. Below are some common pet birds and their average life span in captivity given that they receive superior care and a proper diet.
Macaw – 50 years
Cockatoo – 40 years
African Grey – 25 years
Amazon Parrot – 50 years
Conure – 15 years
Parakeet – 15 years
Parrotlet – 15 years
Lovebird – 10 years
Canary – 15 years
Finch – 5 years
Certainly with a lifespan of 50 years, a bird could outlive you however there are many hidden dangers lurking around that can cut your birds life short. Birds are very fragile and need to be cared for properly in order for them to live a long life.
Here are some things you can do to help keep your bird safe and healthy:
One major danger for birds as fumes from chemical products. Aerosol sprays, Teflon pans and even such things as furniture polish can kill your bird. Keep anything that has a strong odor away from your bird and make sure you use it in a well ventilated area. I suggest you get rid of all your Teflon pants however if you insist on keeping them make sure your bird is nowhere near the kitchen when you’re cooking with them and also be sure not to heat them up without food in them as this will cause the Teflon to emit more odor.
Pet birds love to chew on things and will in fact chew on anything they can find whether it’s good for them or not. It’s important not to let them chew on anything that is welded as they can get lead poisoning from the slaughter in the joints. They also will love your household plants and will nibble on them so you need to be sure that any plants you have are not poisonous to birds.
Birds love to eat fresh fruits and vegetables but you need to take care not to leave the fruits and vegetables out too long or they can start to rot. Just like you wouldn’t feed a piece of pineapple that was sitting on the counter for three hours to your family, you shouldn’t be this to your bird either. Something should never be offered to birds as food such as coffee chocolate and avocado as these are toxic to our feathered friends.
The holidays pose a special threat to birds as they may want to fly into your tree and chew on it. You need to be very careful with this, however as many trees are sprayed with stuff that is toxic to birds. In addition, the ornaments, tinsel and electric lights might seem attractive to your pet bird but, of course ,could be very dangerous for him to chew on.
Birds that are allowed to fly around the house can be fun but you need to think of safety first if your bird does not have clipped wings and has free reign to fly wherever he wants. Obviously, you want to make sure your windows are closed so that he cannot get out. In addition, you probably want to pull down the shades or close the curtains when your birds flying around as you don’t want him to fly into the closed window and hurt himself. If you cannot do this, then put some decals on the glass so that your bird will know not to fly into it. The same goes for Mariners or any reflective surface. This is very important as your bird can actually break his neck by flying into them.
Another thing to be careful of is standing water such as water in the sink or toilet you don’t want your bird to get in over his head and drown!
Please refrain from cooking while your bird is flying around as you don’t want him to win on the stove and burn himself.
Finally, make sure that you do not answer the door while your birds perched on your shoulder. Even a bird with clipped wings could get away in an updraft and their many dangers outdoors such as cats and cars that can harm your bird.
Feeding your bird a nutritious diet and keeping him safe may not ensure that he outlives you but it will go a long way to making sure that he has a long healthy and happy life!
- Lee Dobbins
The Summer Resort Capital of China
Xining is the capital of Qinghai province and the capital of Xining City District. It lies in the Huangshui River Valley with a lot of mountains and ravines. It is also called the Summer Resort Capital of China for its cool summer.
Industries in the city include machinery, chemical, power, metal making, and food processing. Xining is a major producer for making heavy machine tools, electrolytic aluminium, and alloy steel. The chief farm products of Xining are corn, rape, wheat, fruit, vegetables, milk and livestock.
The city is the supply depot for visitors who are headed to the other destinations of Qinghai Province and Tibet, making it a great place to shop. Water Well Alley Market is for dining with over 3,000 stalls. The Riverside Market for shopping. Stalls here sell a variety of goods, from fish to squawking parakeets and birdcages.
Xining has a vivid nightlife and streets are filled with small vendors selling both food and clothing. The older people will be seen at the coffee houses and tea houses.
Xining provides a variety of delicious food and snacks. The biggest street for vendors selling is on Daxin Jie, where touts sell every thing from barbecued fish to fried dumplings. One of Qinghai’s special exports is caterpillar fungus, called dongchongxiacao, which can be soaked in vodka like a worm in tequila or brewed with soup.
The Dongguan Mosque is one of the largest mosques in north west China. It was built in 1379, the mosque has a long history of more than 600 years. Architecture of the mosque combines traditional Chinese style and the local features, with grand appearance and delicate, dazzlingly inside ornaments. The mosque has a prayer hall which can hold up to 3,000 people. The mosque now serves as an educational centre and institution of higher learning for Islamism, and also is the leading mosque in Qinghai.
The sacred Kumbum Monastery is one of the six most important monasteries. The ancient monastery, built during the 39th year in 560 AD of the reign of emperor Jiajing. The Great Hall of the Golden Roof and the Great Hall of Meditation are the main parts. There are a total of around 20,000 religious paintings and embroideries within, as well as numerous yak butter sculptures and idols of Buddhas past, present and future. A pure gold tower stands in the hall that contains the ashes of Tsong Khapa. Photography is prohibited within the monastery.
- Douglas Scott
How to Select a Seychelles Holiday?
Scattered across the Indian Ocean lie 115 island that make the Seychelles archipelago. Over 20,000 Britons visit this paradise every year. They go there to snorkel, dive, bird watching, sunbathing or like parakeets, love their newly found partner. Many visitors are honeymooners.
The Seychelles can deliver the tropical romantic ideal, often to a stupendous degree, but it is not a destination where you should expect to fly in and find heaven waiting in the arrivals hall. It comes only to those who find the right hotel at the right time, depending whether you want to dive, fish, sail or watch birds or turtles or just walk along the beach holding bands.
WEATHER
A chief consideration should be the weather, for the Seychelles are influenced by two very different trade winds.
The South East Trade Winds are prevalent from May to September. This means that you could be staring out at choppy seas and seaweed-strewn beaches if you are in the South East while your compatriots on the other side are bathing in pure turquoise waters.
The North West Trade Winds are prevalent from October to April. This is a much calmer breeze, which results in increased humidity and calmer seas. Higher rainfall occurs during this time of year but this mostly occurs in brief showers followed again by tropical sunshine.
THE RIGHT ISLAND
Choosing the right island granite or coral? There are 42 granite islands and 73 coral islands of various sizes and topography.
Big or small? Fotunately, the standards have risen on the small islands and there are now luxuriously refurbished lodges.
How to travel to remote islands? The best way to enjoy this varied archipelago is to go island hopping, changing from plane to helicopter to inter-island ferry, according to your itinerary.
DINING
For me food on a holiday is like an icing on a cake. It has to be perfect. Some big hotels have the buffet-style food while others make it more romantic. For those who like tasting the local cuisine should try dining in the islands’ small restaurants, where you can find spicy Creole dishes that make the most of the bountiful local fish.
Like we say, “you dress for others but eat what you like”, I will leave that decision up to you.
- Harish Kohli
Can My Pet Bird Make Me Or My Kids Sick?
Yes, your pet bird can potentially get you or your child sick. Infectious diseases that can be transmitted between humans and animals are called zoonotic. Unfortunately, birds can carry at lease five different serious illnesses. Not all birds carry disease but the potential is there so you must be cautious, especially with very young children, very old people and immune system compromised people. Immune compromised people would include organ transplant recipients, people in chemotherapy and HIV infected people.
If you think that you or your child has been exposed to or is suffering from any bird disease, your smart move is to consult your physician who can help pinpoint the cause and prescribe proper treatment. This article is for your additional information only. I feel that it is always smart to do your homework before you consult your physician. The more help you can offer your physician on his diagnosis of a problem the better.
First, to help avoid exposure to potential disease, cleanliness counts. To best protect yourself from getting sick, thoroughly wash your hands with running water and soap after contact with birds or their droppings.
Some people use rubber gloves and a mask when cleaning birdcages and habitats. Disinfect the sink after you wash bird toys, perches and food bowls. Do not share bites of food with your pet bird, if you might be swapping saliva. Common sense goes a long way in helping to avoid exposure.
The five diseases that can be carried by birds are Salmonella, Chlamydia psittaci , Avian Tuberculosis, HistoPlasmosis and Cryptoccus. I will explain each disease.
*Salmonella is a bacterial disease associated with many birds, especially chickens, baby chicks, and ducklings. Salmonella live in the intestinal tracts of some birds, humans and other animals. Salmonella can be found in the feces of some pets, and people can become infected if they do not wash their hands after contact with these feces. There are approximately 40,000 human cases of salmonellosis per year in the United States (not all contracted from birds) and about 600 of those infected die. Salmonella causes vomiting and diarrhea and sometimes fever. Salmonella infections usually resolve in 5-7 days and often do not require treatment unless the patient becomes severely dehydrated or the infection spreads from the intestines. Persons with severe diarrhea may require rehydration, often with intravenous fluids. Antibiotics are not usually necessary unless the infection spreads from the intestines, then it can be treated with ampicillin, gentamicin, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, or ciprofloxacin. *Chlamydia psittaci, often referred to as parrot fever or avian chlamydiosis (AC), is an important cause of systemic illness in birds kept as pets and in poultry. This disease has been isolated in 129 bird species, and parakeets, parrots, macaws, cockatiels, pigeons, doves, and mynah birds are the most likely carriers. Birds may carry this disease for years without showing signs of it. Birds that show the disease may have a respiratory infection, eye discharge, lethargy and diarrhea. Human infection with C. psittaci usually occurs through the inhalation of aerosolized contaminated bird urine, respiratory secretions, or dried feces of infected birds. Other sources of exposure can include bird bites, mouth-to-beak contact, and handling the plumage and tissues of infected birds. Treatment includes Tetracyclines are the drugs of choice for treating psittacosis in humans *Avian Tuberculosis can affect all species of birds. The signs of Avian TB in birds are diarrhea, dull plumage, lethargy and gradual wasting away, even if the birds appetite is good. Avian TB can be transmitted to humans via ingestion or inhalation of contaminated feces. The contaminated feces can persist in the environment for many years. When cleaning a potentially sick bird, it is best to wear rubber gloves, goggles and a face mask. Always wash arms up to elbows with antiseptic soap even after wearing gloves. People are generally very resistant to these infections. *HistoPlasmosis is a fungus that can be found in earth rich with bird droppings. Transmission to human can occur when they breathe in dust loaded with the fungus. This disease can cause a short term lung infection. This infection generally clears up by itself as long as the infected person has normal immune responses. Fungus killing medicines may be used if the infection is stubborn. * Cryptococcus is found in the droppings of wild birds (such as pigeons). When dried bird droppings are stirred up, this can make dust containing Cryptococcus go into the air and be breathed by people. Pets, such as dogs and cats, can also get sick with cryptococcosis from this dust, but people do not get cryptococcosis from dogs and cats. Most people do not get sick with cryptococcosis, but some people, especially those immune compromised with HIV infection are at danger. For these people, cryptococcosis can cause serious symptoms of brain and spinal cord disease, such as headaches, dizziness, sleepiness, and confusion.
- Mitch Endick
Best Places to Eat in Siesta Key
Many of the restaurants on Siesta Key specialize in seafood delicacies including lobster, crab, blackened fish, raw oysters, and unique, Gulf Coast seafood dishes. You’ll feel at ease here in the comfortable atmosphere of Mom-and-Pop businesses, free of the hype of mega-hotels and chain restaurants that characterize so many other resort areas.
Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar
Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar is the ultimate steakhouse destination for food and wine lovers seeking a stylish, lively memorable dining experience. Nationally renowned for its Prime beef and steakhouse fare, Fleming’s is equally celebrated for the Fleming’s 100, its award winning wine program that features 100 wines by-the-glass.
While Prime beef reigns supreme at Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, other flavorful dishes offered include daily-featured selections of fresh seafood, fresh salads, and tasty appetizer selections. Critically acclaimed for its simple fare, the restaurant serves fresh vegetables family-style; among the selections are five different potato preparations. Tempting desserts made from scratch every day include the Chocolate Lava Cake and Creme Brulee.
Anna’s Deli
Anna’s Deli has been serving their Famous Specialty Sandwiches, featuring the highest quality meats, cheeses, and toppings as well as fresh, daily prepared salads, since 1971. Anna’s Deli strives to provide their guests with the highest level of product quality and friendly, courteous service. Come experience why Anna’s continues to be a Siesta Key tradition for over 37 years!!
Broken Egg Restaurant and Gallery
The Broken Egg Restaurant, Gift Shop and Gallery has been an island tradition for breakfast and lunch on Siesta Key since 1984. The Broken Egg Gallery features works by both Floridian and National Renowed Artists. Our in house bakery offers fresh cakes, pies, breakfast pastries, cookies and other delectable treats to enjoy in our dining room or to take home for later!
Turtles Restaurant
With its majestic coconut palms inhabited by hosts of wild parakeets and its spectacular view of Little Sarasota Bay, Turtles has been luring customers to its doors since 1986 when its local owners first opened it to the public. Come visit for a little bit of paradise, because very few sites on Siesta Key hold more allure than Turtles Restaurant.
We believe that once you discover how wonderful Siesta Key is, you’ll want to be here as much as you possibly can. Siesta key is fun for all ages and all personalities. Once you know how much fun it can be, you’ll want to plan your Siesta Key Vacation!
- Danielle Branch
How to Get your Kids Out the Door on Time
If you struggle in the mornings with unmotivated and forgetful children who drag their feet, and you always seem to be running late, stop the chaos! With preparation, motivation, and these tips, you can get your family to school and you can be on time from now on.
Prepare, Prepare, Prepare
• Perform most of your morning routine the night before.
• Pack lunches in advance
• Gather school supplies and books
• Lay out clothing (complete with shoes) before going to bed.
• Have everyone shower at night if possible.
• Set the breakfast table after the supper dishes are cleared away.
• Keep ready-to-grab-and-go breakfast foods available for rushed mornings
• Empty the dishwasher at night so breakfast dishes can go directly into the wash
Keep a schedule
• Set your alarm to allow 20 minutes of extra time each morning. Do not hit snooze!
• Use an alarm clock with a battery back-up in case of power failure
• Set a schedule for bathroom time for each member of the family. Enforce strict adherence
• Set an alarm for 10 minutes before departure time. When the alarm sounds, instruct everyone to stop what they are doing, don shoes and coats and grab their bags. If whatever they wanted to bring isn’t ready to go, that’s just too bad.
• Check the weather conditions each morning as soon as you wake up. This alerts you to poor road conditions, the need to scrape windows or shovel out your driveway before leaving home.
• Ban television and video games from the morning routine. These are huge time stealers.
• If a task is not vital to that morning’s routine, leave it for later that day. Return calls, check email, feed the parakeet, and locate that missing sock when you get home.
• Wake your children up early enough that they have time to prepare properly.
Get Organized
• Designate one area for backpacks, shoes, and coats. Check the area each night to make sure nothing is missing.
• Purchase a book bag or backpack for each child. Have him or her pack the bag the night before. If an item is not in the bag by bedtime, it does not go to school. This may seem harsh at first, but after several days of forgotten iPods, cell phones, and school assignments, children learn to stock the bag each night. This eliminates the mad rush through the house each morning to locate missing items.
• Freeze snacks for the entire week to make packing lunches easier.
• Serve cold cereals and apples or bananas for breakfast instead of pancakes and sausage. This drastically cuts back on the morning routine. Even younger children can prepare a bowl of cereal with little or no help.
• Keep your car keys, cell phone, and wallet in the same place every day.
• Put gas in the car in the evenings. Keep the tank half full at all times.
Putting a stop to morning chaos and chronic lateness requires changing your schedule and your habits. It may seem difficult at first, but over time, a smooth morning routine becomes second nature.
- Lily Morgan
Advice to Surf the Web Anonymously
So, let’s talk privacy, and then let’s talk about how you haven’t got any. That’s right, if you are surfing the Internet, and you aren’t doing it through some third party proxy server, the sites you surf to can potentially learn everything about you-your habits, your likes and dislikes, who your buying preferences and more.
In this way, advertisers can serve up those annoying pop-up ads, spyware can quietly download to your computer in the background and track your every move, government agencies can watch you, and hackers can slither into your hard drive and steal your world.
Paranoid yet?
If you aren’t re-read the the opening to this article slowly. While you are reading it, remember an advertiser’s spyware could be phoning in your private information for future use as you read.
What is anonymous surfing? Remember the old punchline, “On the Internet, nobody knows you’re a dog?” Well, if you practice Anonymous Web Surfing 101 nobody will know whether your Fido, the family pet out looking for the latest craze in dog food or the parakeet looking for warmer climes.
But seriously folks, put simply, anonymous web surfing erases any trace or trail of where you’ve been or going on the Internet.
Your private world remains private and no one, not even your Internet Service Provider (that’s the guy you pay $20 to $40 dollars a month to get on the Net) won’t have a clue about who you are. This is how it used to be, and this is how it should be. Period. End of story.
Beyond simple paranoia, people have various reasons to surf anonymously ranging from general terror about losing their privacy to wanting to keep their personal surfing sites that they go to on the job away from the prying eyes of their employers.
Beyond the obvious, what are spy websites looking for, and how do they accomplish it. Websites use a variety of methods to gather intel from the most basic which is your IP address to placing cookies on your website.
Your IP address is where you started from, like your home street address. Cookies are little bits of information placed on your computer that keeps track of your habits.
One of the easiest cookies is kept by Internet Explorer, when you visit and log in to a website, IE will ask you if you want it to remember your username and password. If you say yes, it will download a small file with that information to your hard drive. Forever more, or until you clear your cookies in IE, whenever you visit that site, it will automatically fill in your log in information.
Neat, huh? Well that’s okay. But what about the cookies that are downloaded that you don’t know about. That’s where the grey area of invasion of privacy comes in. That’s also where anonymous web surfing stops it dead in its tracks.
Sites use a variety of techniques to gather and collate this information, but the two most basic are examining your IP address and placing cookies on your PC. Matching your IP address with your cookies makes it easier for them to create personal profiles. If you’d like to see what kind of information sites can gather about you, head to these two sites, which peer into your browser and report what they find.
http://analyze.privacy.net gives a comprehensive report plus an introduction to privacy.net which shows you more about cookies, gives you a look at what others see when they look at your computer and more.
Browse Spy located at http://gemal.dk/browserspy/ goes even deeper into your system and gives an eye-opening report on what’s on your system right down to the software you own.
Now that you know why you should surf anonymously and how easy it is for others to violate your privacy, how do you stop it? It’s actually easier than you might think.
There are a couple software packages out there for anonymous surfing. I personally like Tor and Vidalia located here. It runs in the background through my Firefox settings, and while it slows down my surfing a little, The Tor/Vidalia combination is a bit tricky to set up so if you don’t need heavy-duty protection, you might want to select one of the packages listed below. Either way, I no longer have to wonder who’s virtually following me around taking notes.
Like most anonymizers, it sends my information through a special series of computers called proxy servers which screen me from the websites I’m contacting.
My computer contacts a proxy server instead of the website directly. The website, in turn, doesn’t see me, it sees the proxy servers IP address and proxy servers are like the aircraft carriers of the net.
They have so much armament to block cookies, popups and other web parasites that it never gets infected or passes anything on to its clients.
Other programs that facilitate anonymous surfing include Guardster, SnoopBlock and Mega Proxy and Anonymizer. My second favorite anonymizer, is one of the four I just listed. Anonymizer is recognized as the leader of the pack and is relatively simple to use.
It’s where I started before I got involved with servers and such, and is really good for web surfing protection.
Last, if you are at work and can’t load a bunch of stuff to your workstation, simply surf to http://www.the-cloak.com/anonymous-surfing-home.html. It’s web based, easy and with nothing to download, a real godsend. Give them a donation and you can log in and surf to your heart’s content.
It’s not the prettiest site to look at, but it is functional and it has never failed me for fast cloaking.
It’s done by having a special computer — called a proxy server — screening you from the websites you are contacting. Your computer contacts only the proxy server, which contacts the website for you.
The website, in turn, sees only your proxy server and not you. In addition to hiding your IP address, a proxy server will usually block cookies, pop-ups and other annoying web parasites.
With some systems you have to go to an anonymous service website and access your favorite website from there. With others, you download and install software which finds an anonymous server for you.
There are numerous services and programs that facilitate anonymous surfing such as Guardster, SnoopBlocker and Mega Proxy, but Anonymizer is the pioneer and recognized leader of the pack.
- Ricardo D Argence
Our Adventure Apprehending Paiche Poachers In Pacaya Samiria National Reserve
Most of you know that the Amazon River is by far the largest in the world, with more fresh water discharge than the next six largest rivers combined, but to appreciate that volume of water, you should join us going upstream in Dawn on the Amazon.
Tucked up tight to shore in the slack current at three quarter throttle, we watch life on the river unfold as it has for centuries, with the native inhabitants living a subsistence lifestyle in harmony with their environment.
We see most people still live like their ancestors, in thatch roof houses built on stilts to stay above the flood, with no doors or windows, and frequently with no walls, with strips of soft bark for floors. A machete, a bucket, and a few pots and pans are their only manufactured implements.
Men and women work together tending a patch of yucca, a small grove of banana trees, with a few lemon, lime, orange, papaya, mango, cashew, or cocoa, and other exotically delicious jungle fruit that most of you have probably never heard of let alone tasted, such as zapote, mamey, ubilla, guaba, shimbillo, macambo, copoazu, caimito and camu camu.
The typical mode of transportation is still the dugout canoe, and nearly always a fisherman is in sight working his net, or an individual or family are canoeing. Women wash clothes in the river, carry water in buckets to their houses, cook over open fires, and nurse babies. Children run up and down the bank waving and yelling at us.
My two favorite guides, Edson and Beto, hurry back to report to our guests that our most important geographical landmark, the confluence of the Maranon and Ucayali Rivers is just around the bend. With cameras in hand, everyone moves to the bow of the boat to record our passing through the beginning of the majestic Amazon River. Our course is the Ucayali fork, to the left going upstream. The north bank of the Ucayali River is the southern boundary of Pacaya Samiria National Reserve (PSNR).
It is difficult to comprehend that the reserve is larger than some countries without cruising to the far, remote entrance, the Pacaya River. After miles of jungle go by, interspersed with rice planted in the flood plains and peanuts planted in the sandy soil uphill from the rice, and we pass many boats and villages, eventually over five million acres begins to take on meaning.
When Dawn on the Amazon turns up the Pacaya River we enter one of the great wetland environments on earth. Within ten minutes it is like being in another world. We see giant Paiche near the opening to a lake. Paiche are the largest freshwater fish with scales. They are unusual for their size and because they have lungs. It is common to find them two meters long and weighing 125 kilos when they surface to breath.
Edson and Beto rush to 84 year old ‘Abuelita’ Eileen, pointing to make sure she sees the cloud of parakeets, I guess there are a hundred, followed moments later by eight to ten large parrots. Before we left Iquitos Eileen told us she hoped to see parrots in the wild. She saw a lifetime worth of parrots along the Pacaya River.
When we came through this stretch of river a month ago we saw fifty sloth, this time only one; curious the ebb and flow of wildlife. We know birds and monkeys easily move to a new tree full of ripe fruit, but it is hard to imagine sloth moving so slowly through the jungle to a new food source.
Hawks are hunting. Horned Screamers honk their loud, liquid call, mixed flocks of Snowy and Great Egrets, cormorants, ducks, and herons, fly or fish close to the boat as we glide upstream. But our unique adventure in PSNR is not about seeing the seven species of monkeys, or the hundred species of birds, nor several dozen pink dolphins, or the iguanas, caimans, capybara, or sloth. We expect to observe them when we enter the reserve. Our adventure is with the most interesting and dangerous primate of all, Homo sapiens.
The ranger in charge of the second check point, Jose, immediately informs us there is an emergency. Six paiche poachers have been spotted hidden away at a lake twenty minutes upstream. With only four rangers in the area, he asks for our assistance. A few years ago the reputations of everyone in the village of Bretana were tarnished when paiche poachers from that village murdered three rangers who tried to confiscate their nets and canoes. Because of that crime, the village is considered dangerous and our boats never stop at Bretana.
Jose wants me to go with them, but with six guests on board I believe my first responsibility is to them. I ask Beto if he would go with the rangers and take our VHF hand-held radio to maintain contact with Dawn on the Amazon. He reluctantly agrees, but is not pleased with these unexpected events. He knows the story of the murdered rangers as well as I do.
Jose has a plan. The poachers have set up camp next to a small stream connecting the largest lake in PSNR to the Yarina River. That stream is too small for Dawn on the Amazon III so we tow the ranger’s boats behind us, and when we come to the stream the rangers and Beto paddle up the stream to the camp. The poachers hear our boat go past and believe they are safe.
We go on to block the only possible escape route, and if necessary to ram their boats and prevent their escape however we can. Beto takes the hand-held radio to maintain communication and one of our cameras to record the evidence.
Beto tells the story: “It was difficult to get through the stream because it was choked with aquatic vegetation. We had to push pole through the water grass, and get out pushing the canoes and Jon boat. It took over an hour to get to the camp. I noticed buzzards pecking at a pile of fish heads and carcasses.
“I saw the infractories, packing their gear to escape. Jose jumped out of the boat to confront them. I heard the conversation get louder and louder. The leader said they were only trying to have a system to survive. Jose argued that it is easy to survive without poaching. The other infractories whispered suspiciously while getting their machetes.
“The rest of the rangers saw the threat and sprang out of the boats as one of the poachers attacked Jose with a machete, aiming a killing blow to the back of his neck. Someone shouted a warning and Jose spun around just in time to grab the attempted murderer’s wrist.
“As they fought for the machete, the poacher screamed, ‘Here we will kill each other.’ Jose wrestled the machete away and threw it in the water. The other rangers formed a circle around Jose and the attempted murderer on the ground fighting.
“The other poachers were closing in threatening with their machetes when I shouted into the radio, ‘Officina, officina, base, base, we have trouble. Send in the other rangers, send help, send help, over.’
“Everyone heard the reply, ‘Help is on the way. Rangers on the way. Keep us informed, over.’ That was all it took to take the fight out of the poachers. They laid down their machetes. That is when I radioed back, ‘It is over. We are OK. Negotiations have begun, no reinforcements necessary, over.’
“I could not understand these negotiations. The infractories always spoke as if they had done no wrong, that we were wrong to bother them. The man who spotted the infractories and informed Jose of their location works for the rangers but lives in the village.
The leader of the infractories shook his finger at him as he threatened, ‘You are the person who let them know we are here! Our trouble is your fault! Make sure I do not see you tomorrow…’
“They were allowed to keep their nets, canoes, spears, and half of the paiche. They had eight large turtles and four medium size turtles in a bag. Jose ordered them to release the turtles. They refused. They argued that since they were allowed to keep half the paiche, they should be allowed to keep half of turtles. After much arguing, all of the turtles were released.
“They were absolutely positive that they should be allowed to stay and fish like honest fishermen. They argued with Jose for an hour, but Jose was insistent that they leave. They refused to go.
“Jose explained that every ranger in the reserve has been notified by radio of their activities and they would be followed and monitored the entire fifty kilometers to the entrance. Still they argued so forcefully to stay that Jose became suspicious and a search was conducted around the perimeter of the camp.
“One of the rangers discovered a freshly killed, fifty kilo paiche covered with leaves. They had the nerve to argue that half of that fish should also be theirs, but even Jose’s patience was running out, and he ordered them to leave immediately.
“As they started paddling downstream, the leader turned and threatened, ‘This is not the end of it. It will not stay like this.’ Jose replied with a threat of his own, ‘I can not believe you would be stupid enough to cause more trouble now that every ranger knows your name, where you and your family live, and what you have done.’”
It is quite possible that Beto’s quick thinking with our VHF radio saved the lives of all the rangers, as well as his own. The rangers rewarded him with a big slab of the fresh paiche. He was kind enough to share with all on board Dawn on the Amazon III. We all agreed that the paiche made some of the best ceviche we have ever eaten, and no one ever ate better fish than the fresh fillets of paiche fried in palm oil.
I have been thinking about men willing to kill or be killed for a fish, and thinking about a system of punishment that lets an attempted murderer go free. I remember near Mayo, Florida, around thirty-five years ago, three game wardens were murdered on an old logging road in the swamp. Many of the mothers of deer hunters in town feared that the murderers might be their sons.
I have personally known poachers in Indiana. The poachers I know are never motivated by survival. Most often it is wildness, a belief that the law does not apply to them, and in some instances, laziness. What is the easiest, fastest way to put meat on the table? Should our paiche poachers be allowed to keep half of their catch? Should they keep their spears, nets, and canoes? These are hard questions to ponder as we continue our journey.
We are escorted upstream by a pod of pink river dolphin. They are protected by legend and custom. The people of the river believe pink dolphins have supernatural powers and it is the worst kind of luck to harm one. They swim at will without fear of poachers.
At the third ranger station we learn that no one has visited since we signed the log book two months ago. This wilderness between the second and third ranger stations seems to be Dawn on the Amazon’s private reserve. It is wonderful to have the opportunity to enjoy this nature experience and is more marvelous still if you know how to value it.
Now if we can just catch the poacher who cut down the Big Leaf Mahogany…
- William Grimes
Training a Parrot to Talk
The remarkable ability of a parrot to mimic voices has to be the main reasons why parrots are so popular as pets.
Whenever a friend visits our home, one of the first questions asked about our African Grey is if he can speak. I have to tell them that, sometimes, I wish he would stop. Needless to say he is often silent when a stranger is close.
So how can you teach a parrot to speak? Firstly, it really does depend on the type of parrot. Some types, or individual birds, will learn far more readily. Many African Greys have a vocabulary of 1,200, words or more. Others, including parakeets and cockatiels, will hardly make a meaningful peep, however long you spend trying to teach them.
The younger your parrot when you commence training him, the easier it will be. You can start once your bird has been tamed. Training a parrot to speak will be frustrating and not easy if your feathered friend is not settled and comfortable in your presence.
Often, your bird will start to mimic common phrases heard inside your home without specific training. They are much more likely to imitate words or phrases when shouted or said with strong emotion. If this is the case, you may want to be very careful what you say around your pet since he will be just as happy to repeat cuss words as anything else.
Start teaching your parrot to speak with two 10 or 15 minutes sessions a day. Any longer than this and he (and you) will become bored and uncooperative. Begin with something basic like Helllo or maybe your. You will have to repeat the phrase many times at first. Try and add emotion to your voice if you can, since he will be more interested in the sound and hence more likely to try and copy it. Once you get some sort of response, even if it’s only a peep, praise your pet and give him a treat of his favorite food. It will only be a little peep at first, but be sure to offer him a small treat every time he tries. After a number of attempts it will become closer to the sound of your voice. It may take two or more weeks even for a natural mimic, so don’t give up hope if it takes a long time for the first words. Less talented birds may take several weeks or even months. The first phrase always takes the most time but subsequent words will come more quickly. Once he has the first few words, he will often pick up new words with only 2 or 3 easy training sessions.
It’s a good idea to have a certain phrase at each session of the day. For example, mine will happily call out Hello! when I come downstairs in the morning since this is the phrase I used during the morning training session .
Good luck with teaching your parrot to talk!
For more advice on choosing, taming and training parrots visit Taming and Training Parrots at http://training-parrots.blogspot.com
- Marty Rubenski
Dangerous House Plants
Although we think of cats as carnivores, in fact many are fond of vegetables and other plant material. Although food preferences vary with individual cats, many will sample a plot of grass outdoors, the leaves of a potted houseplant indoors, or other common items like shoelaces.
Cats confuse their owners by ending grass-grazing with regurgitation or vomiting. The reason for this predictable behavior is unclear, but it has been suggested that our pets eat grass, at least sometimes, in order to stimulate vomiting. Relief from hairball indigestion may be one motive for plant eating in cats. However, not all plant-eating leads to getting “sick”, so it is a good idea to consult with your vet if the pattern continues.
Because of this tendency to seek and ingest vegetation, cats may naturally experiment with the taste of houseplants. Such behavior can be undesirable, at best, or dangerous when leaves or other plant parts are toxic.
To keep your cat safe, be sure all plants in your home are safe in case of ingestion, or place them out of reach. Hanging pots, for example, usually lose their appeal even to curious cats. Non-toxic, valued plants can be protected with a small amount of sprayed vinegar or black pepper solution on leaves.
As a gift to those cats that seem determined to eat plants, owners can offer treats of herbicide- and pesticide-free potted grass. Grass seeds or even parakeet seeds can be sprouted in seedling pots and offered occasionally, the empty pot then re-seeded for a new batch. In small amounts, grass can be a welcome treat for any house cat.
Listed here are plants poisonous to cats that must be avoided if there are cats in your home. While in some cases just parts of a plant bark, leaves, seeds, berries, roots, tubers, spouts, green shells might be poisonous, this list rules out the whole plant. If you must have any of them, keep them safely out of reach. Should your feline friend eat part of a poisonous plant, rush the cat to your veterinarian as soon as possible. If you can, take the plant with you for ease of identification.
Plants Poisonous To Cats
- Alfalfa
- Almond (Pits of)
- Alocasia
- Amaryllis
- Apple (seeds)
- Apricot (Pits of)
- Arrowgrass
- Avocado
- Azalea
- Baneberry
- Bayonet
- Beargrass
- Beech
- Belladonna
- Bird of Paradise
- Bittersweet
- Black-eyed Susan
- Black Locust
- Bleeding Heart
- Bloodroot
- Bluebonnet
- Box
- Boxwood
- Buckeyes
- Burning Bush
- Buttercup
- Cactus
- Candelabra
- Caladium
- Castor Bean
- Cherry (pits)
- Cherry, wild varieties
- Cherry, ground
- Cherry, Laurel
- Chinaberry
- Christmas Rose
- Chrysanthemum
- Clematis
- Coriaria
- Cornflower
- Corn Plant
- Cornstalk Plant
- Croton
- Corydalis
- Crocus, Autumn
- Crown of Thorns
- Cuban Laurel
- Cutleaf Philodendron
- Cycads
- Cyclamen
- Daffodil Daphne
- Datura
- Deadly Nightshade
- Death Camas
- Delphinium
- Decentrea
- Dieffenbachia
- Dumb Cane
- Easter Lily
- Eggplant
- Elderberry
- Elephant Ear
- English Ivy
- Euonymus
- Evergreen
- Ferns
- Flax
- Four O’Clock
- Foxglove
- Golden Chain
- Golden Glow
- Gopher Purge
- Hellebore
- Hemlock, Poison
- Hemlock, Water
- Henbane
- Holly
- Honeysuckle
- Horsebeans
- Horsebrush
- Horse Chestnuts
- Hyacinth
- Hydrangea
- Indian Tobacco
- Iris
- Iris Ivy
- Jack in the Pulpit
- Java Beans
- Jessamine
- Jerusalem Cherry
- Jimson Weed
- Jonquil
- Jungle Trumpets
- Lantana
- Larkspur
- Laurel
- Lily
- Lily Spider
- Lily of the Valley
- Locoweed
- Lupine
- Marigold
- Marijuana
- Mescal Bean
- Mistletoe
- Mock Orange
- Monkshood
- Moonseed
- Morning Glory
- Mountain Laurel
- Mushrooms
- Narcissus
- Nightshade
- Oleander
- Peach (pits of)
- Pencil Cactus
- Peony
- Periwinkle
- Philodendron
- Pimpernel
- Poinciana
- Poinsettia
- Poison Hemlock
- Poison Ivy
- Poison Oak
- Pokeweed
- Poppy
- Potato Plant
- Precatory Bean
- Primrose
- Privet, Common
- Rhododendron
- Rhubarb
- Ribbon Plant
- Rosemary Pea
- Rubber Plant
- Scotch Broom
- Skunk Cabbage
- Snowdrops
- Snow on the Mountain
- Staggerweed
- Star of Bethlehem
- Sweetpea
- Tansy Mustard
- Tobacco
- Tomato Plant
- Tulip
- Tung Tree
- Virginia Creeper
- Water Hemlock
- Weeping Fig
- Wild Call
- Wisteria
- Yews –
- e.g. Japanese Yew
- English Yew
- Western Yew
- American Yew
- Tristan Andrews