MACAW MISSION

Hello! Welcome to Macaw Mission! My name is Rosie. Please have a seat. Honduras is the land of my birth. Memories of my childhood are filled with the tropical landscape with the beautiful scarlet macaws, flying in the clear blue sky over my head. With wings spanned at least three feet, it was an amazing sight. As children, we enjoyed the wild scarlet macaws. While the macaws mimicked people's words, we would sing and dance. We were happy. We laughed. It was a joyful time.

Before there was Macaw Mission, my husband was a poacher. Please don't judge. My husband supported our family of four. For one baby macaw, he was paid 20 dollars to 60 dollars. He would climb the trees, taking the baby birds from their nest. I was always sad. What could I do?

You should not be surprised that my thoughts were about the illegal taking of the chicks, but we must eat. Knowing without the money, our family wouldn't survive. My heart was torn. Often, tears rained from my eyes.

In no time, my children were growing. They learned why the macaws were captured and removed from their home in the wild to supply the pet trade. Yes! There was more that they learned. Learning that there were laws making it illegal to sell wild-caught scarlet macaws, my children were sad and sick with worry. This worried me. Thinking about the mother macaws that cried for their babies that were taken from them, it made me very sad.

Silently crying, my tears flowed down my face for my children and the baby chick macaws' mothers. While the scarlet macaw chicks were taken from their mother's nest, the noise from the mothers squawking and crying filled the skies with horror.

Sadly, over the years, trees were cut down and our land changed. There were fewer and fewer macaws in the sky. Their nesting areas were being destroyed and abandoned. With the decreased numbers of scarlet macaws in the sky and the landscape changing, my heart was broken.

When did this happen? How did it begin? You might ask. Without a job, my husband started poaching in the late 80s. He told me that thousands and thousands of macaws were being shipped from Honduras. "Don't worry!" he scolded. It was easy for him to say.

Vividly, remembering that notices were posted around our community, my concerns increased. Yes! Laws were passed to protect the macaws in the 90s. Unfortunately, illegal pet trafficking didn't stop.

If my memory is right, in 1993 Honduras announced that the scarlet macaw was the national bird of our country. Making the scarlet macaw the national bird of our country, spotlighted the need for conservation and protection. Unfortunately, the illegal trafficking didn't stop. The problem continued.

However, there was a change when Macaw Mission opened. My first job was to feed the rescued babies that had been previously confiscated. Another first, earning dollars, my work was compensated.

Early 2000, Macaw Mission started to protect the scarlet macaws. Now, my husband patrols the land and protects the birds. It is a very dangerous job. The work makes us all happy and proud. The men and women protectors are paid $8.00 a day. My friend's husband, who patrolled the land, was almost murdered by a poacher. Our community was thankful and grateful that he survived the knife attack.

Coming together to protect our national bird of Honduras, our people and the colorful, large parrot birds are happy again. Because of the patrols, the number of eggs and chicks poached has been reduced. With an incentive and income to conserve, trust and mutual support have been key factors in protecting the scarlet macaws.

Others have told me that Macaw Mission is one of the larger community-patrolled macaw conservation areas in North America. Persistently, we have become a positive example, helping our neighboring countries and Belize with saving the endangered scarlet macaw.

Because of our efforts, other organizations have joined us working and teaming with other communities, and have expanded the patrolling and protection of Honduras national bird. This is very important that the big, beautiful parrots are protected for our countries children and great-grandchildren.

In addition, the organizations and communities created rescue centers for confiscated birds, this all started because of Macaw Mission. Since the community patrols, the scarlet macaw eggs and chicks are protected. Because the scarlet macaw pet trafficking continues, poachers haven't stopped. Always staying vigilant, we can't stop!

Now, the work my family does makes me proud and happy. Proudly, patrolling and protecting our national bird, my family along with others in our community are saving our beautiful scarlet macaws.

Writer's notes: Thank you for reading my fictional story. These beautiful birds should be left in the wild, not as a person's pet. Protecting the endangered scarlet macaws, it's imperative to save these beautiful parrots.