I am a biologist from Brazil and last month I decided to buy 2 Ara ararauna. I worked training wild animals for 8 years, started with a fur seal, and then went to the macaws, Camels, Lamas, Wallabies, etc, etc... I always used operant condicioning process to acchieve the goals I had with my team of animals and staff. Then I saw the giant amount of people who have these animals in their homes and literaly DESTROY their chances of good behavior and social life. Putting them inside small cages and just giving sunflower seeds, then after 2 years thinking of how could I help these poor animals I finally decided to create www.bemestaranimal.org (which means animal wellfare) thinking about selling consultancies for those owners! But I have one little problem, Here in Brazil people just don´t belive parrots and macaws are clever animals, they think they are "just birds". For that, i bought 2 macaws and started training them in a pet shop, and everybody could see the training sessions! It is been one month and 10 days... I feel like touching people´s heart when they look at my animals, take them in their arms and ask me how to do that with their own; actually, who touch their hearts are my sweet animals! they themselves were very difficult animals... there caretakers didn´t know how to reinforce good behavior.... just how to punish bad things... So you all can imagine how their minds were confused. Now, everybody can take them in there arms, they lay down, roll over, fly for me and from me when i ask. I hope this job works here as much as it work in united states and other countries.
From now and then, i am gonna report here successes (with my terrible english ahaha lol) of my boys! So I hope you can keep with me and enjoy the path I decided to take! (and help to pray) ahaahaha.
