To see African Grey Parrots flying free and wild over the jungles of Gabon is to gain a glimpse into Africa’s very essence!
Every morning flocks of up to 50 screeching and squawking African Grey Parrots and Red Fronted Parrots flew over our base. Sadly, this is now a rare sight in the wild as unscrupulous collectors are decimating the populations of these birds for the illicit pet trade. As I travel across Africa, I realise more and more that all that is wild and free is under threat and that unless we provide greater support to the ranger teams at the frontline of conservation, many of these species will disappear forever.
While higher level political wrangling around species trade is taking place and demand reduction projects are being implemented, we need to stem the effect of poaching at ground level – this can only be done by the rangers themselves. Each of us needs to find some way of supporting these conservation heroes that battle the odds on a daily basis! The Game Rangers Association of Africa supports rangers across the continent.
