Laura Young
ECB Publishing, Inc.
The animals who reside at the North Florida Wildlife Center in Lamont all have stories. As with us, there's something to be said about how they came to be where they are today.
For each one, their story often begins with details about why they cannot live in the wilds of their species’ native habitat – usually an accident, a crime, a rescue of some kind. Next, the story tells how their care has been entrusted to the center's expert staff. As the animals settle in to a quality life in a safe, healthy and stimulating environment, a third party to their triangle of care enters the story: the visitor.
Those who stop by the Wildlife Center of course contribute financially to the animals' care, but through their encounters and interactions they also become aware of each resident animal's personal story. Beyond that, they learn how each creature they meet connects with a broader account of how that species is faring elsewhere on the planet.
Most belong to groups listed as threatened, endangered or even critically endangered. Every visit results in meaningful progress toward improving the situation for vulnerable species around the world – through habitat restoration, conservation breeding programs and public awareness aimed at changing the human behaviors that impact them.
That's certainly the case with Papaya and Fig, two endangered yellow-headed Amazon parrots who recently came to live at the Wildlife Center.
First for some backstory. This type of bird inhabits the rainforest canopy in Central and South America, where their luminous green coloring provides a nearly perfect camouflage.
“They are considered a medium-sized parrot,” says Ryan Reines, the center's founder and executive director, as he introduces them. “They have that classic parrot beak that they use to crack open nuts. They also eat seeds, vegetation and fruit. Here, of course, they have a varied diet to match.”
Reines explains that yellow-headed Amazon parrots are, unfortunately, popular as pets, not only because they are beautiful and have huge personalities, but also because they can closely mimic human speech. While they can be lawfully bred as pets, this practice only increases demand in a way that inadvertently fuels illegal capture and smuggling of them.
“That's where their story comes in,” Reines continues. “Papaya and Fig were likely taken straight from their nest, which is a huge problem for a species already facing increased deforestation, habitat destruction but also the pet trade. It's not getting better. They are only becoming more endangered.”
They were among around 20 young parrots found at the Texas border, crammed into a small cage in what Reines describes as “horrible conditions for who knows how long.”
Thankfully their story took a turn for the better.
After the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service confiscated the birds, they placed them with the Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville, Texas. The staff there cared for them, weaned them onto solid foods and then began to find them permanent homes.
“We are one of those permanent homes,” says Reines.
As happy as he is to have Papaya and Fig in his care, he wishes they could one day return to the Amazon.
“Unfortunately,” he adds, “once an animal is smuggled in, they are very rarely going back. I hope that changes in the near future.”
Although still less than a year old now, Papaya and Fig have regained their health and are fully grown, fully colored and fully flighted. Soon they’ll be ready to move into the Wildlife Center's Tropical Treasures aviary complex. There, they’ll keep company with an amazing variety of birds whose stories, like that of Papaya and Fig, continue to develop, when a visitor steps near with a sigh of wonder and an iridescent flash of hope.
The Wildlife Center is located at 1386 Cook Rd. in Lamont. To plan a trip, see www.northfloridawildlife.org.
IN THE FEATURED PHOTO: Papaya