OILBIRDS UNDER
SIEGE FROM POACHERS
On nature's trail
Heather Dawn Herrera
Trinidad Guardian
March 20, 2000
Page 20
It
is sad that another of the more accessible caves inhabited by
the Guacharo is under regular siege by poachers. The more popular and much visited Guacharo cave in the Aripo
Hills has always been the destination for eco-tourists and hiking clubs. It is not the largest in the area nor does
it shelter the largest colony in Aripo.
However, it is the one to which trails have been opened up.
Trinidad
is the only island in the Caribbean where the Guacharo or Diablotin, locally
known as the Oilbird, makes its home, other territories being located in Central
and South America.
Of
the 13 locations documented so far by Our Nature Trailing Outfit, only two have
benefited from protection initiatives by concerned conservationists such as the
Asa Wright Nature Centre in the Arima Valley and Gary Aboud in the Oropouche
Valley. Due to the remote locations of
these Oilbird caves, it is difficult to effectively monitor and patrol these
areas.
The
Aripo colony has been exposed to poaching because of the opening up of its
location. This has made it quite easy
for poachers to move to and fro uninhibited by the lack of a trail or the
presence of "badlands" so to speak.
It
has been said that in neighbouring Venezuela, Amerindians in the past used
these young, fat birds as a convenient source of oil. Whether this saying holds merit for Trinidad has yet to be
proven, our own caves being situated in hitherto untravelled territory.
Investigating
reports of poaching and drastic depletion of Oilbird numbers, our Outfit made
several trips to the area. On the last
occasion, we found incriminating evidence of regular disturbances of this
colony in the interior of the cave, quite near to its mouth.
A rod,
composed of two really, joined and tied in the middle to achieve considerable
length, stood propped against the wall.
A green tote bag lay next to it.
Within the bag, an Oilbird feather betrayed the use of the bag.
Penetrating
deeper into the cave, we found that the numbers of this avian colony have
indeed been reduced. The few birds that
flew off their nests and clucked over our heads in the darkness no longer
boasted of a thriving lot of birds. The
numbers have been so depleted that some nests now lie empty, there not being
high demand for space any longer.
Oilbirds
are a gregarious lot, nesting on ledges along the darkened walls of caves. They are easily distinguished first by their
screams and snarls when there is an intruder, then by the line of white spots
on their wings, very outstanding on their rich brown feathers in the darkness.
Since
they nest in pairs, both the male and female presiding over the nest, it is
easy for an intruder to benefit from a catch of two at a time, the nest being
very shallow and 'on the edge' of the ledge, secured by their own regurgitated
paste. During their forages at night,
they are harder to catch, as they remain high in the branches of the canopy,
feeding on manac and other palm seeds for sustenance.
In the
largest and most heavily-populated cave in Aripo, the numbers of the colony
here have increased so dramatically that there is overcrowding in the main
habitation of the cave. In another
remotely located cave to the east, north of Cumaca, among the crags and
crevices of the 'badlands' of the mountains, the situation is the same. Because of the virtual inaccessibility of
this cave, its Oilbird colony has so flourished over the years until there are
now old heads still around the watch over new births generation after
generation.
Whether
there is some form of population control practised by this species after a
while it is not known. What is painfully
apparent is the fate of these locations once they become exposed to visits by
man as in the case of the Aripo "popular" cave as we call it. Eco-Tourism encompasses preservation as well
as enjoyment of our natural environment.
If these two are not married, then the word has been grossly
misunderstood and /or abused. When more
colonies are opened up to eco-tourism, sustainable tourism must be a part of
the package. Regular patrols must also
be put in place at all times.
Our
part of the world, the Caribbean, has been blessed with the presence of this
species of bird to contribute to our rich diversity. Besides Central and South America, Trinidad is the home of the
Guacharo, and it will be a hard blow to the entire Caribbean region if this
precious wildlife asset were to be decimated.