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Gulliver: Bird without a country


spookyhurst

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My dad told me about this story awhile back. Gulliver, a B&G macaw, and a dog were shipwrecked on a small island while yachting with their owners. The owners hopped on a freighter that went by, but left the poor animals behind. I think the dog managed to get back to the US, but poor Gulliver is stranded, and could be put to death. Here's the story:

 

International Efforts Under way to Save Gulliver

"The Bird Without a Country"

 

Death Sentence to End Gulliver's Travels?

 

An abandoned American-born parrot named Gulliver sits waiting on an island in the South Pacific… waiting for the US government to allow an Arizona based bird sanctuary to bring him back home….

 

Following the shipwreck of an American boat last year, a young Blue and Gold Macaw named Gulliver, was abandoned on a remote island, part of a small coral atoll straddling the equator in the South Pacific Ocean. Gulliver was under the threat of death, as The Republic of Kiribati does not allow the importation of any animals.

 

A group of animal lovers, along with The Oasis Sanctuary, working together as "Team Gulliver" have been trying to save the bird's life and return him to safety in the United States.

 

Recently, the government officials of Kiribati formally signed ownership of Gulliver over to The Oasis Sanctuary, which has negotiated with them to bring needed veterinary and other supplies to the remote islands. This new born friendship between Team Gulliver, The Oasis Sanctuary and the government officials on Kiribati has been based on getting to know this amazing bird, and has bought Gulliver some much needed time….

 

None the less, legal problems remain with bringing him back to the US. Since Gulliver left the US without required federal papers, difficulties in bringing the bird into the US have arisen. Abandoned, without proper proof of American birth, the bird falls under CITES federal jurisdiction as though he were a "wild-caught" exotic animal. The Oasis has contacted the appropriate agencies, USDA, US Fish and Wildlife as well as the CITES authorities, to obtain permission to bring Gulliver back into the US. Currently, Gulliver and The Oasis find themselves in a legal "Catch 22"… while progress is being made, paperwork challenges continue to surface. With the help of sympathetic US officials, Gulliver moves closer to home…

 

Everyone's goal is to bring Gulliver back to Sanctuary in the United States as soon as possible, before his time, truly, runs out.

 

* * * * * *

 

A Hawaiian representative of The Oasis Sanctuary recently flew to Christmas Island in Kiribati and returned with the Kiribati government's signed relinquishment of Gulliver, which now allows the Sanctuary to speak for this homeless bird. Since there are no Veterinarians in the Republic of Kiribati, as part of the needed documentation before being able to bring Gulliver into quarantine in the US, The Oasis is raising money to send a Veterinarian to Kiribati to provide the bird with a necessary Health Certificate.

 

Between travel expenses, supplies for the Kiribati Republic, Quarantine and other fees, saving Gulliver is becoming an expensive project. If you are able to help, please go to the main page of www.the-oasis.org and click on the Gulliver story. You can make donations from there.

 

If you are an Attorney able to help with the filing of the complicated governmental paperwork, please call Sybil Erden, director of The Oasis at 520-212-4737 any time, or e-mail her at oasis@the-oasis.org

 

We have been asked: "Why Gulliver when there are so many birds needing help here at home…"

 

Gulliver is a Spokes-bird for all the birds abandoned everywhere in the US…at Humane Societies, at Veterinary offices, residing in dark garages ….

 

If a small group of animal lovers who have never met, located around the globe, can bring Gulliver home to the US, imagine what we ALL can do to help the birds here at home!

 

Help us help Gulliver. Help us help them ALL!!

 

CONTACT: Sybil Erden – Executive Director, The Oasis Sanctuary - 520-212-45737 or e-mail oasis@the-oasis.org

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It's looking more hopeful that Gulliver will make it back to the US. Here's the latest report:

 

Dear Friends of The Oasis and Gulliver, the bird stranded in the South Pacific....

 

First of all, let me thank those of you who have donated to Gulliver's rescue...and to those of you who called and wrote with dsuggestions. Everything has been helpful and most appreciated.

 

For those of you who are hearing about this for the first time, please visit www.the-oasis.org and on the first page, you will see a box which will bring you to Gulliver's story. In brief, 6 months ago an American Blue and Gold named Gulliver was stranded on a small island in the South Pacific when the boat he was sailing on crashed into the reefs outside the island. The Oasis Sanctuary has been working for the past month, since first learning of his plight, to get him back, as the Republic of Kiribati allows NO animals to be imported to their country...

 

In the last week I have worked with Oasis attorney Tim Medcoff and by Monday will have Gulliver's necessary paperwork overnighted to US Fish and Wildlife/CITES office. Since the Republic of Kiribati has signed legal ownership of Gulliver over to The Oasis, we simply have to wait out the time needed to get the complicated paperwork done and the needed permits in hand. At that ttime I will hop a couple of planes with Krystan, a Veterinarian friend, travel 20+ hours to the tiny island the bird is on, escort him back to Los Angeles and into quarantine.

 

So far so good. Gulliver's island caregiver had notified me that she was running out of food, so food and other supplies are being air-shipped this week to her, along with more documents for her, as Agricultural Commissioner on the island, to sign.

 

The island that Gulliver first landed on, Fanning, has no electricity or running water.

 

The island he had been moved to last month, Christmas Ialand, has both plus a small airport. There is one internet cafe on the island, so we can have communication...but it s 25 miles away from the bird! There are no phones other than radio-phones, which are iffy at best. There is no Fax, nor a computer printer. So getting all the paperwork back and forth is most difficult, time consuming and often expensive!

 

"Team Gulliver" - the folks here on the mainland and in Hawaii who have been spending time, energy and personal funds on this endeavor - are feeling as though we are getting close to the finish line.

 

Let us know if you have media contacts on TV or press. Let us know if you know someone with a plane (no kidding) or with connections to airlines which might help Krystan get from Colorado to Phoenix or LA. We then fly on to Hawaii, change planes and off to Christmas Island.

 

When you say good-night to your birds and other critters, remember Gulliver and the other birds not so fortunate as yours.

 

Hold a good thought. With a little luck Gulliver will get home to the US very soon!

 

Syb

--

Sybil Erden, Executive Director

The Oasis Sanctuary

www.the-oasis.org

520-212-4737

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I want to visit the Oasis someday :). They have Mingus, one of the conures from "The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill" movie. You can do a working vacation there too, which would be great. They have housing for you to stay in while you help them take care of the birds.

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