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Indonesia's Parrot Rescue Centre: Rehabilitating the Caged Bird
Indonesia has some spectacular birds including parrots, cockatoos and Birds-of-Paradise. However their numbers are declining due to loss of habitat and trapping for the pet trade. Local people turn to trapping to provide an income to support their families.
The Kembali Bebas (Return to Freedom) Avian Centre is a rescue and rehabilitation sanctuary for parrots. It lies in northern Seram, the largest island in Indonesia's Maluku province. The centre rescues wild parrots (and some other birds) as well as pet birds from hunters and trappers.
The birds are cared for by Yayasan Wallacea (The Wallacea Foundation) and Project Bird Watch. These come under the Indonesian Parrot Project (IPP), a nonprofit organisation dedicated to the conservation of wild Indonesian parrots. The IPP's aim is to conserve and protect the endangered wild cockatoos and parrots of Indonesia whilst providing sustainable alternate means of income for local villagers in order to reduce trapping.
The centre is situated in the Masihulan dusun, near Kampung Masihulan, which is a few kilometres from the coastal village of Sawai in northern Seram. It was set up in October 2004. The main building operates as a clinic, store and house for the workers. The man in charge is tour guide Ceisar Riupassa (head of Yayasan Wallacea), and there are eight staff members working at the centre. The centre is slowly building up equipment such as books, binoculars, telescopes etc., as well as the equipment needed for tree platforms. The place is well maintained, very clean and well cared for.
To enter the area of cages, everyone has to step through a disinfectant footbath and wear face masks due to the risk of Avian Flu. There are three areas of cages. The first consists of small cages containing new arrivals, and these birds are quarantined and monitored until they are declared fit. They are then moved to the much bigger aviaries which are some distance away.
Here they undergo rehabilitation and preparation for release into the wild. They have to be taught what foods are suitable for them so that they can fend for themselves once released. We were warned not to reply to any birds that tried to talk to us, as they needed to lose their familiarity with humans. These cages are large enough for the birds to fly around.
I saw many different kinds of Lories; Rainbow, Moluccan, Purple-naped, Red, Chattering. There were White, Salmon, and Yellow-crested Cockatoos as well as an Eclectus Parrot. A large Cassowary also made an appearance. From Irian Jaya, there was a Blythe's Hornbill and from Aru,…two Kangaroos!
In March 2006 the centre released three endangered Salmon-crested (Seram) cockatoos back to the very forest where they were previously trapped by smugglers 18 months ago. The decision to release the birds was endorsed by the World Conservation Union and CITES. Many locals from Masihulan came to witness the release as it was a major event for the island.
Tree Platforms
The centre also has four tree platforms, ranging from 22 m to 45 m high. The 22 m one is inside the parrot centre. Visitors can easily reach the platform by wearing a harness and being pulled up on a rope-and-pulley system. The locals however climb up metal rungs in the tree trunk. The platform is situated just at canopy level and provides a bird's eye view over the surrounding forest and open areas. It's a great place for birdwatching. Whilst we were there we were served afternoon tea. It was quite an experience to sip coffee and munch on biscuits on a slightly swaying platform above the trees. We were lucky enough to see a cuscus in a distant tree. A cuscus is an Australian tree kangaroo. On Ambon I saw some traps used by locals for snaring cuscus, as it is a local delicacy there. The highest platform is 45 m high and can sleep eight people overnight. It is very popular with overseas visitors, especially over Christmas and New Year.
© Liz Price - article may only be republished with the author's permission.
Getting There
There are daily flights from Jakarta to Ambon by three different airlines. There are daily ferries from Ambon to Seram - the shortest crossing is to the southern port of Amahai. From there a good road goes all the way to Sawai, through the Manusela National Park. The parrot centre is located a few kilometres before Sawai.
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