Who we are
Belize Bird Rescue is a not-for-profit organisation operating on a private reserve within the Cayo District of Belize. Since its accidental beginnings in April 2004, the organisation has been owned, operated and financed by UK-expat Belizean residents, Jerry Larder & Nikki Buxton. They began 'rescuing' birds in April 2004 .
Parrots are a particular concern for Belize Bird Rescue, as the local pet trade and ever-increasing human encroachment on nesting sites reduces population numbers of several of Belize's parrot species to potentially unsustainable levels. Belize is one of the last strongholds of the endangered Amazona oratrix: the yellow-headed Amazon; the bird of choice as a family pet and still regarded by farmers as a major crop pest.
Jerry & Nikki work closely with the Government of Belize Forest Department. In doing so, they aim to aid implementation and encourage enforcement of existing legislation, to rehabilitate and release as many captive parrots as possible and to initiate a mandatory banding and licensing programme of all captive indigenous avian species.
Belize Bird Rescue goals for 2012 education campaigns
• To emphasise the link between Belize's tourism industry and its wildlife
• To diminish or halt the trade in wild-caught parrots
• To improve living conditions and thereby prolong the lifespan of captive parrots
• To open the hearts and minds of young Belizeans to the plight of their indigenous avian species
Our Mandate
• We will not capture, breed (other than for release) or sell birds, nor display them to the public or profit from them in any way.
• We will rehabilitate and release any indigenous bird in our care which we judge to be physically and mentally capable of surviving in the wild.
• We will do everything in our power, other than offering monetary reward, to obtain for rehabilitation any captive or restrained indigenous bird of Belize, particularly those poorly cared for.
• Alternatively, we will attempt to work with the captors to improve the quality of life of the bird.
• Should the owner fail to improve conditions to an acceptable standard, we will report them to the Forestry Department for acting in direct contravention of the Wildlife Protection Act Chapter 220.
• We will implement an education programme highlighting the dependency of the tourism industry on the abundance of wildlife. We will also advise on legalities and duty of care for who currently posses any species of wildlife.
• We will work with the Forestry Department to devise and implement a banding and licensing programme for captive wild birds.
Our Mission Statement
"To celebrate the day when we no longer need to continue doing what we are doing"
