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| Photo courtesy of www.twitrcovers.com |
I wanted to write out my most recent desire to open and run a rescued bird sanctuary somewhere in South America. That way maybe I can help manifest it.
I was once interested in buying land in South America and building a hostel on it, either on the beach or in the jungle, or both! Part of this would include building a rescued bird aviary on the hostel property, so hostel guests could come through and hold and learn about the birds as part of their stay. All around South America, people keep birds (exotic macaws, parrots, and other birds) as pets, much of the time in horrible conditions (in a tiny cage at a bar where they are fed beer and crackers, or left in the cold outside and neglected). These birds are often stolen from the wild, where they are taken as chicks and their parents killed. This illegal pet trade is unfortunately still a pretty big deal in these countries. Even if the birds are
treated kindly, they should not be taken from the wild or locked up as pets. Many of these birds have no place to go after being confiscated. There is an overabundance of birds and not enough sanctuaries to hold them. Many of the wildlife rescue centers are rehabilitation centers with the intention of rehabilitating the animal and putting it back in its natural habitat. However, most of these birds cannot be put back into the wild because they will never be truly wild. Pet birds cannot survive in the wild because they aren't able to find their own food sources, or are too tame and will come too close to people, putting themselves in danger. These rehabilitation centers end up taking some of the birds anyway, despite not having room for them.
I want an aviary to house these very birds. I want these birds to get the attention they need every day and to be able to interact with people (hostel guests) on a regular basis. Though they will never be wild birds, they are social animals that live in flocks and need a certain amount of attention in order to remain healthy and content (this is at least true for parrots and macaws). I would like to be the one who runs this facility and takes care of the birds, making sure guests and birds get healthy interaction and educating people on the plight of these birds. I want to foster a love for birds and other wild animals in as many people possible. That is my goal.
Since building my own hostel and buying land is expensive (though 1/3 the cost of doing it in the United States), I have come to the conclusion to write up a proposal that I will send around to hotels and hostels in South America. Maybe one of them will agree to let me build the project on their land. I would most likely need to find funding for this project, unless I find a wealthy hotel that will both pay for the project and pay me for the work I do.
I am dedicated to working with wildlife in some way, and most desire to be in the tropics. I will find a way to make my dream come true...
Watch for a kickstarter campaign coming soon? :)
All photos on this post copyright Jennie Burns unless designated otherwise
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