Turtle Farm to release baby Cayman Parrot
(CNS): Officials at the Cayman Turtle Farm are turning their attention to the release of a very different kind of creature than the one most frequently at the centre of the farm’s wild release programme. Staff are currently preparing to release a Cayman Parrot that has recently fledged in the aviary. The baby parrot was hatched two months ago in early June to Leo, a male parrot who has called the farm home since the 1980s and Sweetpea, a wild parrot rescued from a poacher and donated to the Turtle Farm’s aviary by Cayman Wildlife Rescue. The count down to the parrots release will see the young bird isolated from human contact and a weaning from commercial feed.
The staff will introduce natural wild food such as hardwood seeds and fruits, along with the branches of the trees so the young parrot will recognize the sources. Once the parrot has ignored the commercial feed and gone only for the wild diet, which could take up to a month or more then the bird will bereleased into the wild.
“We are excited and happy that our fledgling is doing well and in good health,” said Geddes Hislop, Curator – Terrestrial Exhibits, Education Programs, & (Acting) Marine Exhibits.
. We feel that he/ she will be a success in the wild and look forward to being able to be a part of the preservation of the local Cayman Parrot population. We appreciate the support of members of the public in enabling us to continue our efforts towards the conservation of our local wildlife,” said Geddes Hislop, Curator – Terrestrial Exhibits, Education Programs, & (Acting) Marine Exhibits.
This is not the first feathered creature that the Turtle Farm has repatriated as part of the Headstart project. Other injured and rescued birds have included White-Crowned Pigeons, Caribbean “white belly” doves, as well as a couple of Cayman Brac parrots that were injured in Hurricane Paloma.
The Release (Headstart) Program was started in 1979 and is usually associated with turtles. Since its inception the farm stated that over 31,000 endangered green sea turtles have been released back into the wild population.
To become a part of the Turtle Farm’s Wild Release (Headstart) Sponsorship Program companies and individuals are asked to call 949.3894 or e-mail India Narcisse at India.narcisse@boatswainsbeach.ky.
Category: Science and Nature
Great news. Good to see Boatswain’s Beach / Cayman Turtle Farm finally living up to their so called conservation beliefs. Releasing White Crowned Pigeons and now a Cayman Parrot, certainly a step in the right direction.
Now all they have to do is sort out the highly endangered Kemp Ridley’s turtles they have being kept in extreme squalid conditions. Mexico would be so proud.
Well done to all of the team at the Turtle Farm. Hopefully the little guy/girl won’t venture to North Side or East End as it will undoubtedly be shot. Too bad we don’t have a Conservation Law to protect him/her.
Very well said!! Would make it kind of totally pointless to save these birds only for themto get their feathers blown off by some farmer trying to save a few mangoes that nobody seems to want anyway.
Conservation law or not, it is still in the current law books that our local parrot is PROTECTED and an endangered species. But I guess that depends on which end on the gun you’re looking at.
Laws are not supposed to be discretionary, or are they??
there’s about a million wild/feral mangoes on the trees along the mastic trail right now. can’t understand the farmers attitude, the orchards aren’t big enough to be more than a hobby.
Someone in West Bay will probably catch the Parrot and sell it to someone who had their parrot stolen out of its cage the week before
Glad to see the turtle farm doing something other than producing turtle meat to eat
I hope this baby parrot does well in the wild!!
The people in this country needs to support the Turtle Farm more. it would do wonders for them financially if the people would take a day out each month or every other month to go there. The tourist seems to like it and I have been there a number of times. if we want to keep the turtle farm and help the Government grow healthier then support it.