THE HOME OF THE BIRDS

In a 20 ha area of the rainforest, 6 kms from the city of Puerto Iguazu, on National Route N 12 and near the National Park, lies the "Threatened Birds Recovery and Breeding Center" called Gir Og, which means the Home of the Birds in the Guarani language. It was founded in 1997, with the objective of rescuing, recovering, rehabilitating, breeding and reintroducing bird species that are in danger of extinction in the Misiones rainforest.

The Misiones or "Paranaense" rainforest is one of the most threatened habitats in Argentina and at the same time is the one with the broadest biodiversity. At the beginning of the 20th century, this forest enclosed a large part of Brazil, Paraguay and almost all the province of Misiones. Currently, 5% remains in Brazil, 15% in Paraguay and 45% in Misiones.

However, thanks to a vast network of National and Provincial Parks as well as private protected areas, a "Green Corridor" - as the diagonal series of forests that runs from Iguazu to below the Mocon falls is called - shelters the last vestiges of this environment. It covers more than 1,400,000 hectares of jungle and the province of Misiones has the responsibility of preserving it for future generations.

Gir Og has been built in the midst of the forest, taking advantage of the spaces left by the great trees that have fallen down due to age, wind, storms or intense rains. This means that not a single tree has fallen during its construction. This demonstrates that mankind, when it is determined, can live in harmony and balance, without harming or destroying the ecosystem of which it is part.

Birds which are considered in the project

• The big eagles of the Misiones rainforest have taken to live in its dense heart. The undoubted queen of all birds is the Harpy Eagle, the strongest and most potent bird of prey in the world.
• Together with the Harpy, other smaller but very powerful eagles, such as the Ornate Hawk-Eagle, the Black Hawk-Eagle, the Black-and-White Hawk-Eagle and the Crested Eagle, form the largest group of the species included in the project.
• The parrots, the most attractive of which is the very large Red Macaw, which is probably extinct in Misiones nowadays, the Wine-Breasted Parrot, the Golden-Collared Macaw, the Red-Spectacled Parrot and others are under theprotection of the project. Due to these birds' ability to imitate men's speech, and their attractive colors, commercial hunting has decimated their populations, and today they are on the verge of extinction.
• The guans include the Bare-Faced Curassow, a species almost extinct in Misiones; the Dusky-Legged Guan, and the Black-Fronted Piping Guan. These are species that used to thrive in the Misiones rain forest. Today they continue to exist only in the Iguazu National Park, the Urugua- Provincial Park and other protected areas.
• The Macuco is the largest species of the partridge family: it can reach almost half a meter in height. More often heard than seen, it is the only partridge which usualy sleeps on the branches of trees. It has been hunted to the point extinction for its delicious meat, and nowadays survives only in nature reserves.

Its proximity to the Triple Border, and the traffic in fauna from neighboring countries into Argentina, makes that a great number of wild species confiscated by the customs and security forces have to be attended in Gir Og, like the many animals that are hit by cars on the access road to Iguazu National Park and are referred to the center to be attended.

As there is no other wild fauna rehabilitation center in the region, Gir Og has to take care of all injured animals. They receive veterinary treatment, are rehabilitated and released in their natural habitat.

Those animals which have suffered permanent injuries and cannot be return to their natural environment are passed on to zoos or institutions appointed by the Ministry of Ecology.

Thus, Gir Og, without changing its original project of aiding endangered birds, looks after all those animals that have suffered the misfortune of crossing man's path.

Sparrow hawks, owls, toucans, Squirrel Cuckoos, Giant Anteaters, Crab-Eating Raccoons, Porcupines, Yacar Alligators, etc., are only a few of the 220 animals that have had to be attended in three years of work and of which 150, thanks to the efforts of those who work daily at Gir Og, have been able to return to their real home: the rainforest of Misiones.