Rebecca was taken from her family when she was still very young, and came to live with a human family in La Moskitia, Honduras. Other scarlet macaws lived with her as did some yellow-naped amazons, both endangered species. Like many homes in the area, the birds were allowed to roam around the patio, though wings needed to be clipped to keep them from straying too far. One day some boys attacked Rebecca while in one of the yard's trees. She fell to the ground with a broken wing and a head wound. She survived, the family thinking that she was blind only in the eye that had collapsed.
I met Rebecca years later when she had been confiscated by authorities and taken to the Rescue and Liberation Center of Mabita. There I examined her and found that she could not see at all - both eyes had been damaged when she was shot. The family had not realized this because Rebecca seemed to fair well, eating, drinking, bathing, and protecting her area.
Rebecca taking a bath
How hard I imagined this must be for her to be in strange place away from her home, and how miserable it must have been to lose her sight as an adult. What pain and anguish must have been part of her life, and still was.
She was readopted by the family and moved from the Rescue Center back home, though the home of the humans was not really her home, but the forests and savannas surrounding the village.
Her life helps us see that macaws are beings of worth and autonomy, and that we must join them in protecting their lives.
Rebecca defending her territory
Her story helps us see how strong and fierce are these beings, how we need to be fierce too, in standing up for their rights to fly free.
Make a pledge today to fight for freedom everywhere, for yourself, for parrots and other wildlife, and for the people of this earth.
You can make this pledge here and join a global freedom campaign that states:
None are Free until All are Free
No Cage is Big Enough
Tu Casa no es Mi Casa (Your home is not my home)
Thank you for envisioning and bringing about a better future for all!