Spanish school, Research Station, Sustainable tourism, Ecotourism, Fish studies, Bird and other nature studies, Reforestation and Conservation Activities and Hostel in Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve, Nicaragua. Birdwatching, SCUBA diving, swimming, hiking, nature and wildlife watching. Hostel, great meals, great friends. Saving the planet and enjoying every minute of it!
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Showing posts with label illegal traffic in animals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label illegal traffic in animals. Show all posts
Students of the American Nicaraguan School are helping to maintain a reforestation plot in Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve. Gaia works with the local community to keep Laguna de Apoyo hospitable for wildlife. Photo John Jackson
Nicaragua is a country widely recognized for activism. During the 1980's, people came to Nicaragua individually and in groups to help with "the cause" which was, depending on the person, eradicating poverty and illiteracy, confronting the imperialism in its hostile acts against small and poor countries, or promoting socialism or some kind of bottom-up social and political organization. There were even food-based initiatives, promoting soy products and helping farmers produce with fewer chemicals and other costly inputs.
Lots of things have happened in a few decades, but Nicaragua is still poor, and other nations are still wealthy and privileged. It is like a dream that the Sandinistas are again prominent in Nicaraguan politics, as they were in the 1980's. Things are very different between the two periods, some of them being the focus of foreigners today. Whereas back then solidarity and similar issues were the focus of most visitors from developed countries, lots of people come to Nicaragua today to enjoy sun and surf, which simply didn't happen decades ago. The millenial culture in wealthy countries, however, is not entirely hedonistic. No one is willing to risk a bullet to go to war zones, as a few, notable activists did back then. Nonetheless, there is a kindness and concern for the earth that is each day greater among people from the developed countries of the world. And, climate change is real, so the environment is among the themes most attractive to young people today.
Young people heading to reforestation sites to provide assistance in forest restoration plots. Photo John Jackson.
Another very big change over the thirty-year interval is in the connectivity worldwide that exists today. Back then, a telephone call to the US might take hours to connect, if at all, thanks to the embargo of the US government which blocked adequate development of communications systems. Today, most Nicaraguans are looking at their facebook accounts daily, sending messages to their mothers in distant countries, and reading the latest from all their friends both near and far. Long-distance communication is no longer the domain of the wealthy. With it, people know more about each other than ever before.
Eco-Warrior Environmental Volunteers in Laguna de Apoyo can be drafted to take on even some simple tasks such as painting labels. Photo Pablo Somarriba.
The closeness of people has also created a mutual affinity for some causes that transcend national boundaries. The environment, nature, and climate change are all issues that inspire people everywhere, today. GAIA is providing opportunities for both Nicaraguans and visitors to the country to give back to the environment, through forest restoration, wildlife rescue, monitoring of forest and wildlife conditions, and other activities that benefit the wild nature in Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve.
Trash collected along the beach of Laguna de Apoyo, much of which is to be recycled by the staff of Gaia. Thanks to so many who volunteered their energy to keep Laguna de Apoyo free of plastic! Photo John Jackson.
One person's trash is another's treasure. These plastic bottles are recycled or reused as reforestation planters. Photo John Jackson.
GAIA works with groups of people from inside and outside Nicaragua, to support the environment. The idea that Nicaraguans can care and provide a benefit to the environment is a relatively new one, in which the influence of people visiting have helped to form opinions and demonstrate that even small groups of people can make a difference.
Lots of our visitors at Estación Biológica Laguna de Apoyo help with the care of wild animals. We at GAIA tend to have some or another wild animal around which needs a lot of care. We cooperate with the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment to care for any wild animals that need some kind of special treatment, usually because of an inappropriate reaction with a human. Some people stay for longer volunteer assignments and get more involved in the care and policies, even constructing and repairing enclosures.
This baby bird is a Montezuma Oropendola. Its nest was destroyed by a North American landowner who didn't like the idea of having a colony of nesting birds in his yard, and had the branch which held this baby's nest cut down. The local park guard from the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment brought the bird to us to raise until the bird can fly and return to the wild. Photo John Jackson.
We at GAIA would love to involve more Nicaraguans as volunteers in conservation activities. That's where you come in. We need your help to conduct these activities, either as a volunteer or a supporter with food, animal cages and transporters, or other resources. You can also provide assistance to our monitoring programs, where we follow bird, monkey and fish populations. Please consider joining us or making a donation!
The forest restoration program managed by Gaia in Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve means a lot more than what most people think when they consider "reforestation". Planting trees is just part of making a forest. These young people are heading to tend to trees planted in prior years, to assure maximum survival. Photo John Jackson.
There is something dark inside us humans, that makes us want to possess what pleases us. This dark urge to possess sometimes focuses on some poor, wild animal who deserves to live and die in its natural habitat, not in a cage or on a chain. This week, the Gaia staff gave back to the world, to nature and to one White-faced capuchin monkey, who had been cruelly imprisoned by humans who thought a monkey should be an object for humans to own.
This monkey certainly was assertive! Photo Pablo Somarriba.
Of course, the humans who bought and sold this poor monkey as if she were a commodity never considered that she had never wanted to be on a chain. Perhaps they realized that she was unwilling, because they kept her on a metal chain, not just any cord, because she would have chewed through anything else. But even though their consciences were dulled to the point that they could abuse an animal in this way, their threshold of physical pain could still be reached. This monkey, as most White-faced capuchins do, tends to bite, unpredictably.
After a few bites, the owners who once thought having a monkey on a chain would make them popular among their friends, and perhaps bring them happiness to fill that void that is formed when one is in an endless cycle of abuse, decided that a monkey was no longer as interesting as before. She was brought to us by volunteers from Fundacion ADAN, in Managua, and we monitored the monkey several days before releasing her into the wild, in an area where she would quickly encounter others of her species.
White-faced capuchin monkeys are clever and cute. This monkey wanted and attracted attention very well. She made friends fast. Her mischief was generally benign, and she kept people laughing.
The monkey made a special bond with Elmer, who has a special way with animals. Photo Pablo Somarriba.
This White-faced capuchin monkey was very active, while at Estacion Biologica! Today, she lives wild and free, in the forests of Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve. Photo Pablo Somarriba.
Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve is a natural habitat for this species, and for the Golden-mantled howler monkey (Alouatta palliata). There has recently been a great resurgence in the latter species, thanks to better conservation practices in the reserve, especially regarding poaching of wild animals. The White-faced capuchin monkeys, however, have yet to occupy large areas of the reserve. Their populations were almost completely eliminated by unscrupulous hunters and pet traders, which have affected the Golden-mantled howler monkeys less, because they are not attractive as pets, and possibly because their diet is much less dependent on fruit, since they can digest leaves in enormous quantities.
Once on their way to the spot she will find as her new, wild home, the monkey continued to play. She had already developed a bond with Elmer, and she went without making any problems. She had no idea of the big adventure ahead of her.
Once they were in an area with White-faced capuchin monkeys, they entered on a path into the forest. It was important to leave the monkey as close as possible to others with whom she will bond and associate.
Once she was released from her cruel collar, she slowly tested her new limits. First, she only sat and observed her human friends, glancing at the abundant forest without moving. Then, she was taken by bravery. She tested a small tree, and found it to her liking. Her memories of the wild had not left her. Within seconds, she jumped from one small tree to another, then scaled to several meters height. Within a few minutes, she was gone, not to return. What an emotional start to a new, free life!
Wistful but satisfied that one more sentient being in this universe will live and die according to her biological mandates, and not in captivity, the crew of volunteers and GAIA staff went back to Estacion Biologica to contemplate it all. After all, White-faced capuchin monkeys have many human qualities. It seems so natural that someone would see a monkey act cute and adorable and think, "I want one". Yet, when we see how this monkey acted, once free, the answer was clear. She tolerated us but she knew where she belonged. She scaled the trees and never returned. We hope someday to see her again, but from afar, and hopefully, in the company of her new simian friends. She, and all wild animals, deserve to live and die in their natural habitat, not in a cage or on a chain.
This monkey is now in the forest, where she wants to be, but there are still many things to do in Nicaragua, to combat the illegal traffic in animals. Would you like to help us protect the wild nature of Nicaragua? You can work with us in many ways. One is to adopt a rescue animal. We have animals that need food and care, and their costs average fifteen dollars per month each. You can help us expand our capacity to care for wild animal rescues by helping to finance new enclosures and transportation costs. And, most importantly, you can help by volunteering with us.
GAIA eco-warrior volunteers help care for our rescued animals, as well as conduct other environmental activism such as planting native trees in deforested areas inside the reserve. We also monitor bird and monkey populations, and our volunteers help us make the surveys in combination with GAIA experts. Our volunteers have plenty to do in rewarding, if tiring, labor.
It makes us emotional to think that we can bring happiness into the life of a small animal that looks so much like us, so easily. It seems like so little, but at the same time, so much to bring a monkey back to her life that she abandoned unwillingly, by the cruel acts of other humans. When we saw her go away and not look back, we knew we had done something good.
We want to know what you think. We need your participation and support, to work together to save wild nature in Nicaragua. Please contact us and tell us what is on your mind.
Esta semana, se ha publicado un reporte noticioso de un norteamericano de nombre Walter James Palmer, un dentista de Minnesota, que supuestamente pagóUS$50,000.00 a unos guías para matar a un león en Zimbabue. El hecho fue ampliamente reportado en El Nuevo Diario y en otros medios en Nicaragua.
El león africano, Panthera leo, se ubica en la Lista Roja a nivel Vulnerable, y en la lista CITES en el Apéndice II. Siendo un animal protegido por ley, también es emblemático de la selva africana, de un continente abatido por las secuelas de la colonización y las desigualdades entre los ciudadanos en nuestro planeta.
Walter James Palmer, un dentista de Minnesota, Estados Unidos, ha sido nombrado responsable de la muerte de este león africano, que llevaba el nombre Cecil.
El león, además, es un animal utilizado en forma deplorable en los circos y zoológicos por todo el mundo. Por ser grande y feroz, es utilizado es estos espectáculos como si el pobre animal no tiene alma, como si no sienta el dolor por la represión a que se somete para vivir en una jaula. Este animal en particular llevaba un nombre con que muchos lo conocían. Cecil tenía una melena negra, y era el león mas grande en todo el país, era un individuo único por lo que fue conocido por muchos turistas. Las famosas "safari de cámara" lo incluyeron como un atractivo especial. Por lo dicho, ese detestable dentista pago a unos guías, quienes lo llevaron a un lugar en las afueras de un parque nacional en Zimbabue, donde Cecil vivía protegido de la cacería. Los guías ilegalmente ocuparon un animal muerto como cebo para atraerlo a salir de los limites del Parque Natural de Hwange. Según los reportes, la persona que le llevaba al dentista Walter James Palmer a ese punto se llama Theo Bonkhorst. Si no fuera poco que ese dentista Walter James Palmer se fuera a Zimbabue con intenciones de matar a un león, la manera utilizada para matarlo era especialmente cruel e inhumana. Utilizando flecha, Palmer supuestamente hirió a Cecil, y logro encontrarlo unas 40 horas después, cuando encontraron al animal con vida y tuvieron que sacrificar a Cecil con arma de fuego.
Esta foto de la pagina de facebook de Bushman Safaris demuestra el tipo de atracción ofrecido por la empresa de Theo Bonkhorst, quien supuestamente se encuentra involucrado con Walter James Palmer en el asesinato del león Cecil.
Los temas del colonialismo del siglo pasado se entremezclan tristemente con la crueldad del ser humano y la soberbia de un hombre con muchísimo dinero para andar en muchos países en todos los rincones del planeta para matar a animales. Estamos avergonzados por el estado de la humanidad. Es difícil creer que una persona que se ha dedicado su vida a la salud de otros como debe de ser un dentista puede considerar matar a un animal tan importante a un país pobre como una osadía que ameritaría una pequeña fortuna. Esta historia refleja una mente enferma protegida por grandes sumas de dinero. La próxima visita que hace Walter James Palmer a Zimbabue, recomendamos que lleve una cámara y salga con fotos en vez de sangre de animales. Estamos en la lucha por los derechos de los animales silvestres en Nicaragua. Deseas participar? Contáctanos.
We are amazed and saddened when we hear yet another story of "wild animal rescue" with an all-too common thread. The story begins with a person with a wild animal in a cage, accompanied by photography thanks to Jen Moran. Not just any type of person, however; this story begins with a person who pretends to be socially and environmentally concerned and conscious. That's the hook that makes the rest of this archetypal story so sad.
This Collared Aracari never asked to be put in a cage. Photo Jen Moran.
This bird is called a Collared Aracari (Pteroglossus torquatus). It is one of the two species of toucans found in Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve, and by far the most common. Collared Aracari tend to be seen in the forest canopy, flying about in family groups. Their diet is principally fruits, but their long bill with razor-edge sides provide toucans with an effective tool for predation. Small birds, especially chicks in the nest, can be consumed by the toucans. Their size, bright colors and substantial bill warn other birds, and they are generally feared by the smaller birds in the forest.
It is obvious that this Collared Aracari seeks freedom! Photo Jen Moran.
Those same bright colors and distinctive body that make the Collared Aracari a prominent member of the forests here, also bring its attention to its most dangerous predator: Homo sapiens. As if life in the forest is not complicated enough, toucans attract the attention of humans, who have learned that people will pay money for them. Although the Collared Aracari rarely descends to the lower levels of the forest, it is particularly vulnerable to capture, because it roosts and nests in tree cavities, where humans participating in the illegal trade in wild animals can spot them and reach them with relative ease.
Such a majestic animal should never be forced to live in captivity. Photo Jen Moran.
Lots of birds live in accessible places, but when the birds are as spectacular as a Collared Aracari, someone is likely to follow them, learn their habits, capture them, and then sell them for money. That is where the supposedly well-meaning, well-educated and conscientious people of this world come in. Just seeing a toucan-any of the several species existing in Nicaragua-brings a state of awe to the observer. Its grace and beauty are elusive in nature, to be valued only by the hardiest and most disciplined and prepared birdwatchers. Suddenly The Discovery Channel is live and before us, when we see this bird up close. And as is often depicted on The Discovery Channel, our imagination is inspired to dream of becoming the toucan whisperer. We are all motivated by our consumer culture, to acquire what is attractive. We may go to perverse lengths to justify our desire to possess and control. Some people end up justifying the payment of money to a person engaging in illegal trafficking of wild animals, in spite of all their knowledge and perspective. It is sad to see birds like this little toucan in the pet trade, because they are obviously happier free and not in a cage.
The Collared Aracari is common and prominent in Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve. This rescue bird daily hears the calls of his free friends. Soon, when ready, this bird will meet them up close! Photo Jen Moran.
With astonishing frequency, we are contacted by people with animals such as this one. A few people are honest about their mistake: they bought an animal that really needed to be free and not in a cage. The majority, however, try to justify their purchase of a captured and caged animal, by claiming that by purchasing the animal, they can help to rescue it. It's as if these people had never taken a simple course in economics, on the law of supply and demand. Simply put, by investing money into the supply chain for the illegal pet trade in wild animals, these supposedly well-meaning individuals empower the people who destroy the natural resource base, guaranteeing doom for this toucan's relatives.
This is not the way to live! Wild animals should live and die in the forest, not in a cage. Photo Jen Moran.
This is where we come in at GAIA: We receive, care for, rehabilitate, and release wild animals. This process has included lots of type of animals, from monkeys to wrens, over the years. We have made a small contribution to the process of educating people about the wild animal trade, as we go along. The animals receive the best humane treatment we can give, and when appropriate, they are released where they have the best opportunity to reintegrate themselves into the wild. Soon, this bird will return to the wild, to live and die as nature intended, free from its greatest menace. Meanwhile, we are learning from this bird, especially we are learning how misguided and destructive is the the illegal traffic in wild animals. Every day we find yet another well-educated person in Nicaragua with some monkey, parrot, or other animal that deserves to be away from the claws of humans. We tell them this practice needs to end and they need to be involved in ending it, although not everyone wants to hear such a message. We at GAIA would like to do more, too. We have hungry mouths to feed and transport and infrastructure costs. We need your help. Your donation can provide a second chance for many animals, and help to put an end to the illegal trade in wild animals in Nicaragua. We want to build more cages and make a bigger impact. There are many animals that we can not take, because we do not have the resources to do so. You can volunteer to help us with wild animal rescue. Our animals need people to feed and clean cages, and perform repairs and maintenance on cages, and help to keep the animals happy and every day coming closer to returning to the wild. Not everyone can come and give their time, however. By making a ten-dollar donation, you can provide fresh fruit and other appropriate foods to this toucan for an entire month. By donating eighty dollars, you can provide the materials for another large enclosure which would aid in the preparation of animals for release. Please donate to GAIA for this worthy cause.
Cuando era niño, me encantaba ir al circo. Una atracción eran los animales, los tigres, leones y elefantes. Recuerdo sentir el peligro cuando algún animal titubeaba entre obedecer y desafiar a su adiestrador, o peor, darle un zarpazo o comérselo vivo. Entendí que estos animales no eran domesticados, como son los perros, gatos y el ganado, pero mucho después comencé a pensar en lo que significa vivir en una jaula para un animal silvestre.
Los perros, gatos, vacas y algunos otros animales han vivido milenios con el ser humano, tanto que dependen de él para existir. Un perro realmente necesita del cuido de una persona para su bienestar, ya que no existe su tipo en los hábitats naturales, mientras lo opuesto existe para los animales más emblemáticos de un circo. Un tigre nunca va a ser una mascota, y no busca la compañía del ser humano cuando vive en su estado natural.
El tigre es un animal silvestre que amerita vivir y morir conforme a la evolución de su especie. Animales silvestres deben vivir y morir en el bosque, no en una jaula. Para estos animales, pasar su vida entera en una jaula es privarles de todo que se encuentra en su espíritu. Ningún tigre optaría por vivir en dependencia del ser humano, en una jaula, si sus puertas se encontraran abiertas alguna vez.
A todo niño le gustan los payasos, los malabares y la música del circo. Le gusta al niño que cada uno de nosotros lleva dentro. No se me había ocurrido que el circo podría ser divertido sin animales, hasta que en Europa tuve la oportunidad de ver al Cirque du Soleil. El circo entero era mágico. Ya grande, ese circo me llevó a sentir algunas emociones que me recordaban mi niñez. Pero no hubo animales en el espectáculo. No hubo tigre ni león ni elefante, tampoco ningún perro adiestrado. Ese circo me enamoró sin proclamar en pancartas: “Circo Libre de Animales”.
Recientemente Nicaragua comenzó a definir los derechos de los animales domesticados, a través de la Ley 747. El articulado establece que todo animal requiere un trato humanitario, hasta los destinados para ser alimento, como vacas y gallinas. El concepto del bienestar animal es nuevo para Nicaragua, pero va en marcha.
Dentro del reglamento de esta ley se estipularán algunas medidas necesarias para cuidar al perro casero, por ejemplo, como asegurar espacio, techo, alimentación, entre varios elementos necesarios para su bienestar. Pero, ¿cuáles elementos son necesarios para garantizar el bienestar de un tigre? Si un animal es por su naturaleza salvaje, ¿qué medidas son necesarias para asegurar que ese animal viva y muera como él lo amerita?
En Costa Rica, en México, han prohibido el uso de animales en los espectáculos. Nicaragua puede hacer lo mismo, y no solo quedarnos a criticar los circos instalados. Prácticamente ninguno de estos animales nació en cautiverio, y ninguno se quedaría con el que se declara su dueño si tuviera la oportunidad de escapar. Seguro volvería al bosque, a su libertad.
Cuando la gente ve a un animal en venta como mascota en plena calle, muchas veces no piensa nada malo esté pasando. Hay vendedores de perros de raza en las cunetas de diferentes puntos de Managua, por ejemplo detrás de MetroCentro. Hay que cuestionar las condiciones de vida de estos pobres animales que pasan el día en la calle y quién sabe qué condiciones en la noche.
Esta persona repugnante vende una lapa pintada. No basta que este animal se encuentre en peligro de extinción, sino que hay que pintarle de varios colores para que parezca algo distinto. El hombre es el mismo que abusa violentamente del tigrillo en el video presentado abajo. Foto Matthias Geiger.
Peor aún es el caso del vendedor ambulante de animales silvestres. El punto más reconocido de la venta en la calle dentro de la capital se ubica entre los semáforos del Hospital Militar y PriceSmart. Mientras uno puede quejarse de la venta de perros en la calle, esa gente se ampara en la ley, pero los hombres que laboran en la venta de loras y otros animales silvestres en este punto saben bien que lo que hacen es prohibido. Otro punto es del km 67 en la Carretera Panamericana Norte. Justo al norte de la jurisdicción de municipio Managua, los residentes de este punto conocido como Playitas-Moyua se amparan en implicancias y disinterés entre los oficiales de Ciudad Darío. A lo largo de más de dos décadas, esta gente se dedica a vender animales del bosque como loras, lapas, monos, tucanes, cusucos, y tigrillos. Diario se encuentran varias personas de un caserío pegado a la carretera con sus animales en palos o colgando de sus brazos, mientras pasa el tráfico entre el norte en Managua. Obviamente las personas con dinero que andan en vehículos privados son los motores del tráfico ilícito de estos pobres animales, o bien los vendedores hubieran buscado otro oficio hace años.
Esta misma persona vende un mono cara blanca, con loras y chocoyos. Cuándo van a actuar para frenar a esta actividad en contra del patrimonio natural de los nicas? Foto Maggie Folkesson.
Aunque en muchos respetos la situación ambiental es mejor en Costa Rica que en Nicaragua, los mismos ticos y los extranjeros que dominan las escenas de las periferias y las playas del país semi-permanente refugios consideran igualmente que la vida es mejor acompañado por un mono en una cadena, o un par de loras o una lapa en una jaula. La vida silvestre de ambos países sufre por la casa furtiva para suplir a la demanda de mascotas coloridas que se convierten en símbolos de poder. Pero como se aprecia en el vídeo abajo, esta persona que vive y ejerce el oficio de pirata de animales silvestres en el km 67 de la Carretera Norte se pasa de toda expectativa entre los seres humanos. Entendemos que él puede no estar de acuerdo con la venta de animales, pero no podemos aceptar aguantar ni un día más el actuar de esta persona ni la falta de coacción en su contra de parte de las autoridades municipales y del gobierno central. Este hombre, cuyo nombre y apellido son conocidos, abusa a un tigrillo (Felix wiedii) delante de varias personas como se demuestra en la foto abajo y el vídeo publicado en La Prensa.
Parece ser un objeto ocupado como látigo, pero es un ser vivo. Esta persona repugnante golpea a Ernesto López con un tigrillo (Feliz wiedii), en la Carretera Norte, km 67. Apelamos a las autoridades a rescatar a este animal y castigar a esta persona que ha reincidido en la venta y abuso de animales silvestres sobre muchos años.
Sabemos que las autoridades en MARENA conocen a esta persona y sabemos que ellos tienen una historia dedicándose en buscar alternativas de vida para él y para otros que también viven en ese mismo caserío en la Carretera Norte. Pero no aguantamos más los abusos de esta persona. Insistimos en un acción inmediata y precisa a favor del pobre gato, que es una especie en peligro de extinción y merece un trato totalmente diferente a lo visto aquí. Gracias a La Prensa por compartir sus sentimientos en dos reportajes.
En FUNDECI/GAIA, pensamos que los animales silvestres deben vivir y morir en el bosque, no en una jaula. Obviamente, muchas personas piensan diferente, pero contamos en que nuestros lectores se sumen a las voces que reclaman los derechos para los animales silvestres. Estos animales se deben de considerarse como patrimonio nacional para crear un mecanismo especial de protección de ellos y de su hábitat.
La Asamblea Nacional de Nicaragua se encuentra en el proceso de reglamentar la Ley de Bienestar Animal, también conocida como la Ley 747. Esta ley noble prohibe al maltrato y requiere a todo dueño de animales, que sean de tiro, de alimento o de mascota, que brinde condiciones dignas para el curso de su vida. Nicaragua, siendo un país con bosques alrededor, se ha acostumbrado a tratar a algunos animales como si fueran domesticables. Todos tenemos algún amigo que tiene un mono encadenado en su patio. Loras y lapas abundan entre la clase media alta, se han convertido en manifestaciones de poder adquisitivo. Y hay quienes en Nicaragua con tigrillos, leoncillos o hasta un jaguar enjaulado en su casa, extraño o perverso que sea. Los perros y los gatos son animales que derivan de la vida silvestre, pero después de miles de años de acompañamiento a los seres humanos, ya dependen de ellos. Los gatos y perros no pueden sostenerse como especie sin alguna relación con el ser humano. Sin embargo, las lapas, las loras, los chocoyos, las culebras, y todos los animales silvestres, no prefieren vivir con el ser humano como si fueran gatos y perros. En jaulas, amarrados con cadenas, o con sus alas cortadas, se encuentran miles de animales de la vida silvestre en Nicaragua. El comercio en estos animales es tan fuerte que casi nadie en este país ha visto una lapa en su vida libre, pero todos hemos visto lapas en jaulas dentro de casas de amigos. Los animales silvestres en Nicaragua sí dependen de los seres humanos, para que se acabe con el tráfico de mascotas. Sin una ley y coacción contra las personas que participan en el tráfico de animales silvestres, vamos a seguir perdiendo animales del bosque, como ya ha pasado con la lapa y los monos en gran parte de Nicaragua.
El Nuevo Diario ha publicado una entrevista sobre los rescates de animales silvestres del tráfico en mascotas. FUNDECI/GAIA maneja un pequeño albergue donde recuperamos animales silvestres heridos o abandonados del tráfico en mascotas. Por nuestra experiencia como voluntarios a favor de los animales silvestres, FUNDECI/GAIA participa con los miembros de la Asamblea Nacional en la formulación del reglamento para esta ley. Quieres ayudarnos a cuidar estos animales y prepararlos para su regreso al bosque? Necesitamos voluntarios, donaciones de comida, servicios veterinarios y buena voluntad! Si deseas donar un paquete de marañones o un día de trabajo, estaríamos nosotros y los animales muy agradecidos. Contáctennos.
Wildlife in Nicaragua are facing two very critical issues. The first is that forests are disappearing rapidly, as the country prospers and develops more. Enforcement of the protection of natural areas is a big challenge to the government, which does not grow at the same pace as the economic forces behind deforestation and habitat destruction of all kinds.
But for many wild animals in Nicaragua, the greatest challenge to their continued existence in the wild is the pet trade. It is simply illegal to buy or sell many animals, or to exhibit them publicly, yet they are found daily in public places on display in restaurants and hotels, or along the road for sale. Again, authorities have little capacity to respond to this type of crime.
One of the most egregious groups of violators of the rights of protected wild animals is found along the Panamerican Highway at Moyua. Here are some images of animals for sale, openly on display.
This young man is holding a Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao) for sale along the Panamerican Highway at Moyua. Photo Maggie Folkesson.
All day long, people drive by these folks with animals for sale, offering Nicaragua's natural heritage on a stick as if the macaw were fast food. Although people may be offended by the spectacle of these animals for sale, few do anything, because people may not feel capable of doing anything about such crimes.
This view shows even more clearly the Scarlet Macaw for sale along the Panamerican Highway in Nicaragua. Photo Maggie Folkesson.
Among the animals which has suffered the most from the pet trade in Nicaragua is the Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao). This majestic animal once filled the skies with color and sound, flying in groups above the treeline and even in cities. Managua had Scarlet Macaws visit daily until they were all captured from their roosts in the Chiltepe Peninsula in 1983. A handful of these birds fly freely in the Cosiguina Peninsula, in the northwest corner of the country, their nests most likely protected from nest raiders by the steep slopes of the crater interior of the Volcano Cosiguina.
There were two Scarlet Macaws on display this day at this site. Photo Maggie Folkesson.
FUNDECI/GAIA postdoctoral scientist Maggie Folkesson documented the wildlife on sale illegally in this location recently. Not only were there Scarlet Macaws, there were also several other species, most notably Yellow-naped Parrots (Amazona auropalliata), and White-faced Capuchin Monkeys (Cebus capuchinus). The woman in the photo below is holding one of each on display.
White-faced Capuchin Monkey and Yellow-naped Parrot for sale. Photo Maggie Folkesson.
Monkeys and macaws present many problems as pets, so it is typical that people who purchase them regret their actions later. Furthermore, their promotion of the illegal traffic in wild animals helps to empty the forests of wild animals, which is the principal reason Scarlet Macaws are no longer seen throughout most of Nicaragua.
The Yellow-naped Amazon is a common bird in the pet trade, but its status on the CITES list was recently adjusted to Appendix II, which means that it is not permitted for international commerce except within the context of an approved, successful captive breeding program, which does not exist in Nicaragua. Its range in Nicaragua is throughout the tropical dry forests of the Pacific side and some of the humid tropical forests on the Caribbean side of the country.
A new initiative is needed to stop the pet trade. What do you suggest?
Here is a clear photo of a Yellow-naped Amazon parrot and a White-faced Capuchin Monkey for sale in Moyua. Their sale is illegal in Nicaragua. Photo Maggie Folkesson..
All of these animals are prohibited from sale in Nicaragua, although as anyone an see, the law is little respected. We share these photos in the hope that people will react. Do you want to see wild animals in the forests of Nicaragua? Then do something to stop the illegal traffic in wild animals.
It is human nature to love animals and want to be near them. Humans domesticated dogs from wolves over 10,000 years ago, for instance, and today the two are inseparable. But not all animals are evolved to live dependent upon humans, however. Our love of animals sometimes becomes a kind of fetish, in which we twist our appreciation and admiration into a desire to own and control. Wild animals, in general, do not make good pets. Trying to make a wild animal such as a monkey into a pet almost always ends badly.
A young child bonded with this monkey, but she knows it's best for the monkey to live and die in the jungle, where it can live wild. Photo Pablo Somarriba.
Something may happen, however, that triggers in us a realization about something we had never considered before. Surely this was the case with a Nicaraguan family who decided on their own to place their pet monkey with us in the interest in having it return to the wild.
This white-faced capuchin monkey loved to run free, and now he lives with other monkeys of his kind, deep in the forests of Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve. Photo Pablo Somarriba.
This monkey cared little for adults, but was gentle with children. He was rambunctious, and insisted in making a mess in the kitchen. We soon hoped that he would indeed want to find his kind and rejoin them in the wild! This wild animal rescue was a real challenge.Fortunately, we had volunteers available to attend him and even to help him return to the wild.
Our Spanish students-turned-environmental volunteers preparing for a monkey release mission. Photo Julie Akey.
It amazes us at GAIA how often well-educated people from the US and other developed countries end up with wild animals as pets when they come to Nicaragua to live. These people obviously are not thinking of the long-term welfare of the animal nor of the entire commodity chain in capture and sale of wild animals, when they purchase one of these poor animals that was stolen from its natural habitat. We often encounter foreigners in Nicaragua claiming to "rescue" the animals from the pet trade by purchasing them. Who do they think they are fooling?
This poor White-faced Capuchin was brought to Estacion Biologica for return to the wild. Photo Julie Akey.
Sooner or later, these people face reality. An animal such as a white-faced monkey is not the same as a dog. Its ancestors did not live hundreds of generations in dependence upon humans. The monkeys are wild animals and putting one in a cage or on a chain does not domesticate it. The animal suffers in captivity and usually, the owners do, too.
Our volunteers carry the white-faced capuchin monkey through the forest to a site inhabited by a troop of its same species, to be re-united with its friends. Photo Julie Akey.
Recently, we received such a donation. A white-faced capuchin (Cebus capucinus), friendly enough and very active, was nonetheless, no longer invited by its owners to be a captive animal. We are amazed athow easily people can "un-adopt" their animals, but so be it, this one was brought to us in that way. We agreed to take the animal, and we immediately contacted the local office of the Ministry of Natural Resources that this animal was a likely candidate to return to the wild.
After a week of observation, we decided that this guy could make it in the wild, if he could only re-integrate with a group of his species. There has been plenty of good news over the past few years regarding the white-faced capuchin populations, which also encouraged us to release him here. Once reduced to three small groups in precipitous canyons along the western side of the lake, the populations have been expanding and even colonizing new areas. We have even sighted a small group in the north section of the reserve, directly behind Estacion Biologica, with an infant born in early 2013.
FUNDECI/GAIA staff member Elmer Nicaragua observes a group of white-faced capuchins nearby, assessing where and when to release the rescue animal to make contact with the group. Photo Julie Akey.
White-faced capuchins are very intelligent animals. They often use tools in the wild, using rocks to break open seed pods. Their social hierarchies have been the subjects of numerous scientific studies. They live many decades in captivity, often exceeding fifty years age.
The released white-faced capuchin monkey begins his first steps as a free animal in many years. Photo Julie Akey.
Because this animal had been accustomed to humans, we chose to release him into a troop located far from any houses, in the southwestern corner of Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve. The largest troop of this species is found there. The release required a drive in our sturdy Land Rover, followed by a hike through the forest to reach a troop and then assess the situation. Elmer Nicaragua, accompanied by the students of Apoyo Spanish School, found the troop easily and there made the release.
Unlike their close relatives the Golden-mantled howler monkeys, white-faced capuchins often make their way to the ground where they forage for fruits and arthropods, turning over leaves and rocks. Photo Julie Akey.
As we expected, the monkey was quite timid in the new, wild surroundings. After some time on the ground, he ascended the trees where his new friends were watching. Another wild animal returned to his place in Nicaragua!
Another wild animal release has been made! Photo Julie Akey.
Releasing a wild animal is always a nervous scene. The wild is full of predators and prey, and any animal new to its surroundings is likely to become prey quickly. Our objective is to give the animal an opportunity to integrate into its environment with appropriate skills to survive especially until making its way into the community. We were relieved with the monkey scaled a tree and began acting like the wild animal we hoped he would remember he was.
Our rescue animal examines his surroundings with other monkeys observing him from nearby trees. Photo Julie Akey.
Higher is better, up he goes! Photo Julie Akey.
Now he's looking like a wild animal again. Photo Julie Akey.
The monkey moves from tree to tree, exploring cautiously but surely. Photo Julie Akey.
We at FUNDECI/GAIA promote the protection of the wild areas of Nicaragua and the flora and fauna found in them. Learning how to appreciate our wild nature is a process, and we are learning as we go, too. We are happy when we can make a small contribution.
Our volunteer helpers in the animal release watch the monkey as he adapts to his new home in the forest. Photo Julie Akey.
Would you like to help us with wild animal rescue? We need funding to build cages for more animals, such as monkeys and squirrels, and purchase special foods such as cashews for our macaws. We also need assistance in care for the animals-volunteers are especially welcome. You can donate here, or volunteer here!
