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Jan
13
Going Green: Great Green Macaws Back in Talamanca
January 13, 2012 | Tags: Environment, Helping Out, Nature | 4 Comments
For the first time in many years, Great Green macaws (Ara ambiguus) are back in the Talamanca area! Great Greens are listed as endangered, with the last remaining population in Torteguero numbering only 300 individuals, with only 25-35 breeding pairs left. They are endangered due to deforestation and extensive poaching, primarily for the illegal pet trade. They are perfectly adapted for living in the rainforest and may live over 60 years in the wild. They depend mainly on the mountain almond tree, or almendro de montaña 
(Dipteryx panamensis) for food and nesting. These birds take ten years to reach breeding age and will mate for life!
The Ara Project, based in Alajuela, breeds Scarlet (Ara macao) and Great Green macaws with the sole intention of release into the wild. Find out more and donate at: www.thearaproject.org
We are now re-introducing Greens here with the hopes that once a sustainable population is established, they will eventually meet up with the wild population and re-create the Caribbean corridor. A reintroduction has never been attempted officially with the Great Green species, so the Talamanca area is witnessing the first release of these birds in the world! The first release consists of ten birds, nine of which have been released since August and are doing extremely well.
The success of this release is not solely dependent on the macaws; the community must be supportive of this effort if it is to be successful. We are encouraging people let us know if any macaws are in your area. This lets us know not only how they are using the release range, but also helps us identify birds that can fly farther and faster than we can keep up! With the help of reports, we have estimated they have established a range of 41 square kilometres! People can also help the macaws by planting fruit trees such as the almendros, and enjoying the birds from afar. They do best when left alone, and we hope people watch out for anyone trying to harm the birds.
Thank you so much for your support and interest in the Ara Project and the macaws! Please feel free to contact us at any time:
colline@thearaproject.org (506) 8524-4675
allan@thearaproject.org (506) 8971-1436
 Colline W. Emmanuelle is the Education & Community Outreach Manager for The Ara Project. She is originally from Baltimore, Maryland and has been involved with the Project since February 2011. In addition to macaws, Colline’s favourite animals include anteaters and yeti crabs. |
Jun
29
Playa Negra Croc Captured and Relocated
June 29, 2011 | Tags: Environment, Nature | Comments Off
This morning at around 5.30 am, a dog seems to have cornered the crocodile and continued barking until a local resident spotted the crocodile. The dog didn’t back off, the police were called and before you know there is a crowd there trying to find out what’s going on.
The police then left an officer there to make sure no one would harm the animal and called MINAE, the environment ministry. Before MINAE arrived at about 9 am, some bystanders had caught the crocodile. When MINAE officials arrived, the group helped them load the crocodile in the MINAE truck.
MINAE then took the crocodile to Puerto Vargas in Cahuita National Park where they will release it in a river. According to them it looks like it is a female looking for a place to lay her eggs.
There was some speculation that the multiple sightings over the last few days were more than one animal. So keep your eyes open in case there’s more to this story.
The crocodile pre-capture:
Catching a crocodile is a community event in Puerto Viejo:
Loading in the croc taxi:
Mar
6
All my life I’ve been a nature girl. I’ve hiked the Appalachian Trail and traipsed around Montana’s Rocky Mountains. Living in Costa Rica for three and a half years has qualified me for jungle woman status, as well. At least I thought so. I go barefoot, climb muddy slopes and at times, even act like a monkey. However, to be a real jungle woman you’ve got to survive the initiation. Experience, as always, is the best teacher and that is how I learn – the hard way.
In the jungle, common sense is key. I look first before I grab a tree branch because they say a bite from a Bullet Ant will knock you to the ground. I stay on clear trails so I can see what is underfoot. I use whatever common sense I can muster, but sometimes it just eludes me. That was the case one day at the waterfall, when I was attacked by a plant! It was my fault, really – I threw the first punch.
I’d found a nice flat rock in the middle of the stream, perfect for sunbathing. I thought I’d be like a real native and use the huge, heart shaped leaf of a philodendron plant for a mat to lay on. I grabbed hold of the stem and tore off the leaf as a young boy sat by and watched. Immediately I tossed the leaf away, “Aye, huele malo! (it smells bad)” I exclaimed. The kid laughed.
Soon my hands began to tingle. I washed them in the stream but it made no difference. The tingling grew into painful pin pricks. Born and raised nearby, my little friend knew what was happening to me. I told him if I died to please return my dog to my daughter. He told me not to worry, I’d survive, but it may take all day for the pain to subside. The pain was mostly gone in two hours but some tingling lingered into the next morning. The places that had come into direct contact with the sap were swollen, red and sore. The second day, a rash appeared in random areas on my hands and forearms. For the next ten days the rash diminished in some areas and showed up in others. This plant was potent and it’s poison was still in my system.
When I told of my alarming plant experience, everyone wanted to know what kind of plant it was. I had no photo and a description from my memory was of little use. So with a friend and my camera I went back to the waterfall. We asked some locals and were told that there are various poisonous plants in the jungle. They pointed out a few, right where we were standing. With thick, green stems and large, flat leaves, they all looked alike to me. To establish a correct identity, I would have to go back to the very same plant that got me. As we headed out we were warned about the milk of the plant and told, “If you get it on your skin you must pee on it.”
Off we trudged, up to the waterfall. There had been lots of rain, in recent days and the river was flowing fast. As we trekked through the damp, profuse herbage, I scanned a million different kinds of plants, many similar to the creepy one, yet all looking deceptively innocent. We crossed the rocky creek a few more times and then scampered up hill to the waterfall. The fifty foot falls rushed, surged and blasted water over the rocks and down the side of the mountain. It was pounding furiously, throwing tons of water per second.
The plant in question was above the waterfall. It looked different than I remembered. The leaves were not heart shaped, but long and oval. And it was not a philodendron. To be absolutely certain it was the plant I was looking for, I covered my fingers for protection and snapped the stem. Out seeped white sap that stunk to high heaven: this was it! After taking pictures at every possible angle, I made my way back to Ricky. Together we descended the high trail.
Down at the bottom I noticed a smaller version of the plant I’d seen above the waterfall. I pointed it out to Ricky. Secretly hoping he would grab a leaf so I could have him test the Pee Theory, I told him, “The only way I’d know for sure if this is the same one, is if I smelled it.” Honestly, I didn’t want him to get hurt but before I could stop him, Ricky broke off a leaf for me to smell. It was the same plant as the nasty one that had gotten me. The smell was so distinctive there was no mistake about it.
“Watch out for the sap!” I cautioned. Too late – it was already on his fingers. “Now you’ll have to pee on your hands – go ahead and do it. You’re the scientific experiment.” I told him. He turned away and he did it. The Pee Theory was tried and found true. Ricky didn’t complain of any discomfort after that.
When I got home, I was heartened to hear that Gringos are not the only ones who learn from unpleasant experience around here. My landlord, Charlie Bull, an old guy who’s lived here all his life, has tangled with this plant before. I showed him my photos. He had no doubt as to what it was, “We call it Dumb Cane.” I looked it up and that is indeed what my plant appears to be: more formally called Dieffenbachia. Several sources on the internet said:
This herb is often found in river valleys and on steep slopes. Freshly cut parts are very skin irritating. After one day rashes develop. Irreversible skin damage is possible. (Fortunately that did not happen.) When brought into the eye, the sap can cause injury of the cornea. All parts of this plant are very poisonous when ingested. Some investigators claim that Dieffenbachia contains an active enzyme that can cause suffocation through swelling of the throat and larynx.
Mr. Bull expounded on his experience with this toxic plant. In his younger years he owned a large cocoa plantation. “I know this plant, it was all the time on the farm,” he said in his native patois. “When they chop (clear vegetation) you don’t know it’s there and you walk through. It get on your feet. OOH! It hurt something terrible!” I asked about the pee advice I’d been given earlier that day. Bull was not at all surprised. “Yes,” he replied, “Well, pee really work for everything. It work for the plant and if you go in the ocean and something pinch you, pee on that and it take away the pain. They say if you have good pee, it even make a wash for the eye.”
These “wake up calls” have engendered all kinds of learning experiences for me, in Costa Rica. I was once, bit by a scorpion but scared more than injured. I saw a Terciopelo slithering on the jungle path ahead and learned how to avoid Costa Rica’s most dangerous snake. There has never been any serious injury or lasting damage – only enough danger to scare me. This will make me think twice before accosting a plant. And I’ll be sure to drink lots of water in case of a pee emergency.
 Article by Lisa Valencia. Lisa moved to Costa Rica in 2007. She is an artist and also provides personal guide services. “I believe in living life to the absolute fullest. I believe in giving without regard to what you get. And I am thankful, grateful and appreciative of almost every little thing in every moment of life.” You can read more at her blog www.travelexperiencecostarica.com where a longer version of this article originally appeared. |
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