Moluccan Cockatoos and Purple-Naped Lories Released Back to the Wild
The illegal wild bird trade remains rampant in Indonesia, and includes a number of parrot species; populations of some of these are considered vulnerable to future extinction. Enforcement of laws protecting parrots is critical, and such interdiction has recently been stepped up in Central Maluku by officers of BKSDA (Conservation and Natural Resources) and the Department of Forestry. However, the problem then remains as to the disposition of birds captured by government authorities. To begin to address that problem, the Indonesian Parrot Project established the Kembali Bebas Rehabilitation Center on North Seram Island to receive such parrots; the Center is managed by Yayasan Wallacea (director, Ceisar Riupassa). The day-to-day care of the parrots is provided by former bird trappers and consequently, poaching of parrots on this circumscribed part of the island has been virtually eliminated. Read on…
