Updates

2012-02-20T14:44:00.000-06:00

A big "gracias" to John Olvera for his recent help! The flight cage is still under construction as we wait for funds to gather all of the required materials. With the flight cage delayed, John put his talents to work putting finishing touches on our guest cabin. In a few weeks I will be returning to the project to spend some time and help out with a few jobs. Look for a lot more news and pictures when I get back in mid April.

Pura vida,
Kevin

2012-01-17T14:50:00.000-06:00

Slowly but surely! Progress continues on our flight cage, but things are moving very slowly due to a lack of funds at this point. The second, "fancy" cabin is complete and totally inhabitable! One of our volunteers that has been working on the flight cage spent a comfortable night there recently. Fortunately for the wildlife staying here, our tight funding situation is not delaying their progress. The great green macaw that came in some months ago with severe injuries is doing well, gaining strength and slowly regrowing its feathers, but probably has a few more months to go before being ready to fly free. We hope to have the flight cage completed soon enough to be available for this bird, as it will need the space and security that a large flight cage provides to begin the long process of recovering the skills and physical conditioning needed to fly again. The scarlet macaw we rehabilitated is making rare returns to the project to feed but spends the majority of its time flying and foraging across a large area. We have been contacted by a French documentary film production company that may visit the project in the coming months to explore the possibility of including Tierra Hermosa in a multi-part documentary on wildlife veterinarian projects and their role in saving endangered species worldwide.

More news to come!

Pura Vida,
Kevin

2011-09-12T11:26:00.002-05:00

When parrots and macaws are taken captive for the pet trade, they usually undergo clipping of their flight feathers, rendering them unable to fly. It can take many months for a bird to fully recover from this kind of mutilation. This recent image of the great green macaw in our care shows what a mess this can make of a bird.

On a more positive note, work continues on the flight cage, which this bird will be needing the use of for the foreseeable future as it slowly recovers.

Pura vida,
Kevin

2011-08-09T09:08:00.004-05:00

A long standing dream is finally coming true for our project! With the help of volunteers, Alex has begun construction of a large flight cage for rehabilitating flying capabilities in our recovering birds. A large section of the top of the cage will be designed to open, allowing birds to fly in and out of the cage at will. As they grow more accustomed to fending for themselves, they can gradually increase the time they spend flying free, eventually integrating into the wild flocks that regularly visit the property. The space is also very important for housing larger birds such as macaws. It seems that we started the construction just in time, as an injured great green macaw (see images) was brought to Tierra Hermosa recently. This bird will need to remain in more confined quarters for now until the extent of its injuries is more thoroughly assessed and it regains its strength. When it is ready, it should be one of the first birds in our care to take full advantage of the new flight cage. We received a needed financial boost for purchasing flight cage construction supplies from donations sent by a past volunteer and dedicated supporter, Canadian Matt Thomson. He has spent a lot of time this year organizing fundraising events and has set up informational booths at local festivals to spread the message of Tierra Hermosa and solicit donations. Muchas gracias to Matt and everyone who donated!

Pura vida,
Kevin

2011-06-09T10:20:00.001-05:00

A setback and some successes: Our baby sloth "Lola" lost her struggle to recover from being separated from her mother. Although she had started feeding on her own, we may not have come up with the right combination of food intake and hydration for an individual that normally would still be nursing on its mother. It is also possible that she had other underlying health issues. Regardless, it is a sad event as there was something special about this small sloth that captivated everyone who saw her. A lot was learned during the time she was under our care; we hope that this knowledge combined with continued collaboration with sloth rescue facilities elsewhere in the country results in a better outcome next time.

A confiscated large boa constrictor and a coati were successfully rehabilitated and released on the property. Also, an adult sloth was brought to us and is presently under our care. We are investigating transferring it to a sloth rescue facility near Cahuita if they have the space and it is determined that it would fare better there.

We've had an unusually dry stretch of weather the last few weeks, but the rains have returned to a more normal pattern now and the plantation trees continue to thrive.

More news to come!
Pura vida,
Kevin

2011-04-14T08:21:00.001-05:00

Meet "Lola"!
Recently some local children brought a days-old baby sloth to the local police. It had been left to die after a poacher took its mother. Since coming to Tierra Hermosa, she has been under intense care, as she is so young that getting her to feed voluntarily was very tricky. Eventually, a diet of hibiscus leaves and "Cow's Tongue" leaves and fruits was found to be to her liking, and she is slowly gaining strength. Thanks to Alex Martinez for these images!
Pura vida,
Kevin

2011-03-20T15:41:00.002-05:00

A lot of news after my visit to the project this month: All of the red-lored Amazon and mealy parrots that were with us in 2009 and 2010 have been successfully released. The permanently injured (amputated wing) spectacled owl that has been here since 2008 has been sent to an owl rehabilitation and breeding center here in Costa Rica, where he will play a role in a captive breeding project. The timing of all of these departures was fortunate, because we recently received 20 birds from a single confiscation Included in the group are a keel-billed toucan (above), white-crowned parrots, orange-chinned parakeets and a speckle-breasted oriole. The scarlet macaw is spending most of its time away flying free, dropping in only to feed on occasion. We expect that it will very shortly join a wild flock and depart for good. The two raccoons that came in a few months ago have been released at a nearby river and have been observed behaving like normal, wild raccoons. The older of our pair of white-faced monkeys left the area during feeding and moved into the forest and has not been seen again. Because of the presence of an existing troupe of white-faced monkeys here at the project, it probably moved far into the forest of the adjoining property to find its own territory. The other monkey remains with us at this time. The wild almond (almendro) trees in the plantation are now producing seeds, less than four years since planting. The plantation looks like a young forest now, with some trees exceeding eight meters in height. Work continues on the guest cabin; the walls and roof are up and what remains are wiring, plumbing, windows and other finishing touches. We recently received some positive comments about the project from the nearby Organization for Tropical Studies-La Selva field station folks--great encouragement coming from a very respected source! Among the things I brought with me to the project this time were medical supplies generously donated by Terri and Tom Winters of Texas. Last year they shipped me a large box of sutures, syringes, bandages and other supplies needed for the injured animals that come to us. We had a small supply already on hand, so I waited to bring their contribution with me rather than ship it, along with 80 m of electrical wire, light bulbs and other supplies (and probably making for some interesting luggage inspections). Below are some images of the macaw visiting to feed and enjoying the habitat on the property. Also shown is a smoky jungle frog and Norops lizard found near the creek on a recent night hike. Alex and our caretaker recently planted passion fruit vines near the cabins, and they are blooming prolifically and producing large fruits, which we are making into fresh juice and also sharing with the birds here. The vista is an early morning view from the cabin porch. More news to come!

Pura vida,

Kevin

Tierra Hermosa main site

2011-02-16T14:18:00.000-06:00

The young scarlet macaw that came to us months ago has now recovered sufficiently to be flying free around the project property. He is frequently interacting with macaws that visit the property, but still chooses to remain nearby when they leave. It is likely only a matter of time before he permanently joins a flock and leaves. During his recovery period, he has provided some outstanding opportunities to photograph this spectacular species at close range, and those volunteers that have been with us during his stay have come away with a truly unforgettable experience. The white-faced monkeys are doing well, as are the remaining mealy parrots and red lored Amazon parrots. I will be traveling to the project next month after a long absence, and will have much more news after returning.

Pura vida,
Kevin

2010-11-22T08:30:00.004-06:00

We now have a second confiscated white-faced monkey (carablanca) in our care. They are both young males and can be housed together for now. When they mature and become territorial, they will have to be separated to prevent conflicts. The local troupe of white-faced monkeys often ventures very close to our buildings and animal enclosures, so it will be interesting to see if they become curious and interact with our pair. Tourism is rapidly picking up now, so the number of visitors to the project is increasing. We have also had a large number of offers to volunteer since the organization Preserve Planet.org has publicized us on Facebook.

Pura vida,
Kevin
Tierra Hermosa main site

2010-10-10T23:32:00.002-05:00

We now have a baby white-faced monkey (carablanca) that had been confiscated by
local police. It had been fed a diet of human "junk food" and was terribly thin at the
time we received it. It is being watched closely and appears to be getting healthier.
The illegal practice of obtaining baby monkeys from the wild for sale in the pet trade
is particularly cruel. Poachers will locate a mother carrying a baby and shoot it out of its tree.
Assuming the baby survives the fall and was not also struck by the bullet (which happens quite often),
it gets pried out of its dead mother's arms and stuffed into a cramped container until caged for sale.
Few owners have any idea what a healthy diet is for these animals, and they are
deprived of the considerable space needed for normal physical and psychological
development. Even worse, they are usually deprived of social contact with others of
their kind. Monkeys, like humans, rely heavily on the nurturing and training of their
mothers and social interaction within a troupe. Captive animals usually develop into
vicious and neurotic individuals because of this deprivation. It will be challenging in
the months to come to see if we are able to successfully integrate this animal into our
local troupe of white-faced monkeys. They are generally quite territorial, and do not

readily accept new members into the troupe. We are cautiously optimistic that

things will turn out well for this one, but in the meantime, it has a lot of recovery

ahead of it. Next month we are hosting a meeting of the Centro Cientifico Tropical

(Tropical Science Center), a longstanding leader in conservation and sustainable

development programs in Costa Rica. They are a driving force in the organization of

the Bi-national Macaw Festival held near here or in nearby Nicaragua, which

raises awareness of the plight of the lapa verde (great green macaw) which has

suffered drastic population declines at the hands of agricultural deforestation in

northern Costa Rica. They are also behind an initiative to link all remaining forested

land in the region into a biological corridor between Costa Rica's Cordillera Central,

the volcanic mountainous spine of the country, and Nicaragua's Indio Maiz nature

reserve, just across the Rio San Juan from here. Known as the Corredor Biologico San

Juan-La Selva, it would provide a vital swath of habitat for thousands of species,

allowing natural migratory movements and flow of genetic material for populations

of animals now already isolated from each other or under threat of it from huge

agricultural clearings for banana and pineapple production. Our property and many

others will hopefully form a patchwork that one day completes this corridor.

Pura vida,
Kevin

Tierra Hermosa main site