the Echo Foundation requesting its assistance in July of this year. Following a tip-off STINAPA had seized a group of 110 local parrots from an illegal trader. The birds – 16 Yellow- shouldered Amazons and 94 Brown- throated Conures (Aratinga pertinax xanthogenia) – were in a terrible state and desperately needed feeding after being kept in appalling conditions and without food for several days. 90 of the 110 birds confiscated were babies needing hand-feeding and care on a one-on-one basis.


As the babies would need care for several months Echo Foundation sent out an e-mail appeal. Kaytee, the feed company, offered to provide hand-


feeding formula, but as there would be other costs arising out of such an urgent large scale rescue operation such as aviary construction, the Parrot Society UK, which as stated above already supports the conservation work on Bonaire, decided it would send an immediate donation of £ 500 to meet some of these costs. To date the Amazons are doing well and 87 of the Brown-throated Conures have survived. 36 of these have now been released and the remaining 53 are being intensively reared and being prepared for release. Local children are assisting in this and their involvement should also benefit conservation in the long term.


12 BIRD SCENE


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