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Maluku farmer turns guardian of eastern Indonesia’s threatened parrots

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HALMAHERA, Indonesia — Most days, Jamal Adam watches over the 10 aviaries in Ake Tajawe Lolobata National Park with veterinarians and support staff. But during the holidays this past December, the 60-year-old farmer was in charge of the ambitious conservation work. “We rely on instinct and a love of birds,” Jamal told Mongabay Indonesia, as birdsong whistled in the background. “We’ve been nursing and looking after these birds for several years.” Five years ago, Jamal was earning a living as a local farmer and casual laborer here on the west of the Halmahera mainland, not far from a clutch of volcanic islands rising out of the Maluku Sea in eastern Indonesia. At first, he had only a cursory understanding about birds. But an instinctive love for wildlife prompted him to sign up as a voluntary forest ranger in his spare time. He then gave environmental talks in schools and worked as a guide in the national park. Jamal feeds two chattering lories at the rehabilitation center. Image courtesy of Jamal Adam. In 2019, when local authorities opened eastern Indonesia’s largest sanctuary for parrots and other birds near Jamal’s home, they recruited Jamal to join the project. Since then, Jamal has worked on a team of five to rehabilitate and release birds seized from the pet trade, affected by habitat loss, or injured by predators. The sanctuary has released more than 100 parrots since it opened five years ago. Parrots are among the world’s most at-risk order of birds, with almost…This article was originally published on Mongabay

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