Texas man seeks to build
refuge for scarlet macaws


A Dallas, Texas, man who is mad about macaws has succeeded in creating his own foundation for the protection of the birds in Costa Rica.

After going through the process of registering the Funda Lapa, named for the Spanish name for the bird, the Texan, Christopher Dawkins, is looking for partners and at least 20 hectares of land on which to raise the brightly coloured scarlet macaw for release into the wild.

The decline of the bird's population has been more dramatic in Costa Rica than in any other country in Central and South America.

Historically, the scarlet macaw lived in over 80 percent of the country, but for decades its numbers have been dwindling due to the destruction of its habitat, the spraying of pesticides and the poaching of young ones to sell as pets, and currently they are found in only 20 percent of the land.

Dawkins, a 55-year-old who studied veterinary medicine in Mexico and has been in love with the scarlet macaw ever since, moved to Costa Rica several years ago and decided to do his bit to protect the animal.

“The biggest threat to scarlet macaws in Costa Rica is the loss of habitat,” Dawkins said. “I want to plant the trees that they need, such as almond trees and fruit-bearing trees, in an area in the southern zone away from human presence.

“If the birds live too close to humans, the young ones will end up in someone's hands, being sold for $200 before you know it.”

Although the scarlet macaw is a protected species, meaning that it cannot be taken from the wild, Dawkins recounts that he has seen the birds being sold for as little as $75 in the Osa Peninsula, one of the two places in Costa Rica where the birds are still commonly found.

Macaws are popular caged pets as they are affectionate, sometimes use human speech and are attractively coloured with blue, yellow, red and gold feathers.

'Poachers do things like cut down trees to get to nests containing young birds, often killing the parents and other birds who are living in the same tree,” Dawkins added.

Dawkins says that he wants to keep the animals as wild as possible, with huge cages full of trees serving to keep the macaws inside the reserve, making sure that the babies survive until an age that it is appropriate to release them.

Community involvement will also be important, ensuring that those living near the macaws are interested in reforestation and preserving the habitat.

“This should be attractive to homeowners,” Dawkins pointed out. “It means that the area around your house will be protected from big real estate developments, maintaining a quiet environment.”

Unexperienced in the field, Dawkins has encountered problems with advancing the project, finding it difficult to entice other foundations or government workers to give him information about how to proceed.

Other charities already exist in Costa Rica to protect the scarlet macaws, notably Amigos de Las Aves, also set up by Americans.  For more information about Funda Lapa, contact jmacawboy@yahoo.com.


Search for internal happiness
is theme of winning dance


The search for happiness within ourselves rather than in superficial external objects was the theme of the winning dance at the 24th Festival de Coreografos this weekend.  A bull-headed dancer took the centre of attention of Antonio Corrales' piece “Solo sueña un minotauro,” presented in front of an international board of judges Sunday.

The judges said that the composition stood out from the other

nine contemporary dance acts for its "good choreographic approach, good line, good idea, excellent lighting design, continuity with symbols and finally poetry.” Corrales was both the choreographer and the dancer of the piece, which is the first entry he has made into the competition as a choreographer. Four other acts were also chosen to participate in the opening night of next year's festival: “Imágenes imaginadas para imaginar, serie I,” by Rogelio López, “Mil kilómetros” by Nandayure Harley, “MIA ZOI,” by Iréni Stamou and “4 a.m.” by  Silvia Ortiz and David Hernández.

Antonio Corrales

Judges made their decisions based on dramatic values, correographic concept, professionalism, the technical ability of the dancers, lighting, scenery and musical composition, said the Ministerio de Cultura, Juventud y Deportes.


Unified review being sought
for bills relating to security


The Partido Acción Ciudadana has proposed that the Asamblea Legislativa create a special commission on citizen security.

A release from the political party said that there are at least 25 proposals that relate to citizen security being considered by various committees of lawmakers.

Elizabeth Fonseca, a lawmaker affiliated with Acción Ciudadana, has introduced a measure that would create such a commission, said the party release.

Right now there is no centralized commission where security proposals can be studied. The measures in the legislative hopper include regulations of private guard companies, weapons laws, protection of victims and changes in the penalties for certain crimes.

The proposal also would disband a special narcotics commission and incorporate its functions into the new entity.

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