PBS's NATURE takes you to the deepest enclaves of the Amazon for a first-hand look at macaws. Hosted by Tony Junitper, with Charlie Munn.PBS's NATURE takes you to the deepest enclaves of the Amazon for a first-hand look at macaws. Hosted by Tony Junitper, with Charlie Munn.
What: The Real Macaws :
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/realmacaw/index.html
Check with the schedule for time and station in your area.
Everyone loves macaws. Playful, intelligent, beautiful, they are the
stars of parrot parks and zoos, and the cherished pets of devoted
owners around the world. All of which makes them prime targets for
poachers, who can make enormous profits from illegal sales of the
birds. Thousands are smuggled from the wild each year, and many die in
the process.
In the forests of South America, several species of macaw are severely
endangered. But there is hope on the horizon. Dr. Charlie Munn, a
wealthy American who is also a leading ornithologist and world expert
on parrots, has begun a campaign to promote eco-tourism as a means of
saving the birds. Employing former poachers as conservationists, and
providing locals with the means to start and maintain a trade in
tourism instead of smuggling, he's betting that instead of buying
birds, their fans will pay to see them in the wild.
"The Real Macaw" offers bird lovers the rare opportunity to enjoy
these beautiful birds in their natural habitats rather than in pet
stores and cages.
http://www.freeparrots.net/article.php?story=20040218080901177