Answers for
Audioconference 5
(August 20)
1. Anna Turnbull, Craighead Diocesan School
What sort of animals have you seen on your visit to
Manu Park?
I’ve seen lots of animals. Because the person
guiding me was a biologist who specialises in birds I was
shown about 150 species of different birds (there are
1700 species of birds in Peru). Some of the birds were
very colourful – including manakins and
cocks-of-the-rock which danced. There were eagles,
vultures, and herons near the rivers. And in one special
place we saw about 600 parakeets and 200 macaws all gathered on a
riverbank eating claw.
Along the rivers there were many alligators (called
caiman), and turtles. I also saw giant river otters, capybara, tapirs and many different
types of monkey.
Some other people were lucky enough to see jaguars, puma, and an ocelot.
2. Ben Hardie, Fairhaven School
Have you been confronted by any Amazon wildlife?
Some tapirs were close but not aggressive. Most of the
animals were very shy and stayed their distance. If we
got too close the animals (even the alligators) ran away or
slid back into the water.
But, one person that I met at a lodge had had an ocelot approach and hiss
at him. People working at one of the rainforest lodges
reported being stalked by pumas
as they walked rainforest trails late at night – but
the trick was simply to make lots of noise, scaring off
the puma before it could pounce.
3. Diana Selbie, Five Rivers School
Are there many flowers in the forest? What are the
main kinds?
There are lots and lots of flowers in the forest. The
best place for flowers is in the Cloud Forest on the
Eastern slopes of the Andes – there are lots of
orchids and other flowers which are colourful and very
beautiful. Throughout the rainforest there are bright
orange heliconia flowers which look a little like birds.
And high up in the rainforest canopy there are flowers at
the tops of some trees.
But, when walking through the rainforest it is mostly
green and quite dark because of all the leaves overhead.
4. Gisborne Intermediate School
How big is the tallest tree in the Manu Reserve?
That’s hard to tell. But we were hoisted up one
tree that was at least 40 metres high. The biggest trees
are the Saber or Kapok trees.
5. Jeremy Holliday, Mesopotamia School
How big is Cuzco
compared to other Amazon cities?
Cuzco technically isn’t an Amazon city – but
its close to some rivers which feed into the Amazon.
Cuzco (275,000 people) is bigger than most other cities
further down the Amazon, which the exception of Manaus (2 million
people), BelΘm (1
million people), and Iquitos (300,000 people).
There are a few big cities – but there are also
hundreds of other smaller settlements scattered around
the area which have only a few hundred inhabitants or
less.
6. Katherine Moss, Craihead Diocesan School
How many bottles of insect repellent have you been
through?
I have two bottles of repellent. Its very strong, so I
only have to use a little bit. I have about one and half
bottles left. The problem with the repellent is that it
is so strong that it eats away at plastics and rubber
– it has ruined the plastic case on my camera.
I’ve been lucky because the only place that I've
really needed the repellent (so far) has been in Manu Reserve. There are
few mosquitoes in
big cities like Manaus,
and the rainforest lodge (Aria·) where I stayed
at in Brazil was close to a special river where it is
difficult for mosquitoes to breed.
7. Jade Chalmers, Fairhaven School
Can you get sunburnt in the rainforest?
The rainforest is very shaded because of all the trees
overhead. But in clearings, by rivers, and when riding in
canoes it can get very hot. I usually wore a hat, and the
insect repellent that I wore contained sunscreen to stop
me from getting sunburnt.
8. Sharyn Ryder, Five Rivers School
How much of the rainforest has been destroyed?
To be honest, I’m not sure. I don’t think
anyone really knows because there are many different
figures quoted. The most memorable figure is the
equivalent of 100 rugby (football) fields per day. But
I’m not sure of the accuracy of that figure –
the true figure might really be a lot more.
I don’t think the figure has changed very much
over recent years. If anything, it has probably increased
as a result of new farms, goldmines, hydro-electric
projects, and other schemes.
9. Gisborne Intermediate School
What was your favourite part of the Manu Reserve
and why?
I think my favourite part was waiting to see tapirs. Tapirs are
related to rhinoceros, but are much smaller – about
the size of a very fat small cow. They have long faces
with a small trunk-like nose which they use to gather
food on the ground.
Tapirs are quite rare – and because they only
come out at night they are very difficult to see. But the
lodge where I stayed was near a clay lick where tapirs
sometimes gather to eat clay which contains salts and
minerals essential to their diet. To see the tapirs, we
trekked through the rainforest at night by torchlight (it
took about an hour), then climbed up onto a covered
platform by the clay lick where we could hide and wait
for the tapirs to arrive. After about an hour or so
(during which I fell asleep), there were loud noises as
some tapir approached the clay lick one at a time. Walter
shone his torch down onto one of them that was eating at
the clay. We watched two tapir for about an hour. It was
a very wonderful and rare sight – something that you
would never get to see if you saw tapirs in a zoo.
The walks through the rainforest at night were also
exciting. There had been several incidents where pumas had been following
travellers at night. Pumas are dangerous because they
have no fear of attacking humans. While we were walking
(I was last in our small line), I kept turning around and
shining my torch to check that there wasn’t a big
puma behind me planning to have me for his dinner.
10. Andrew Prouting, Mesopotamia School
Have you walked on any soaks, (Mossy Bogs)? If so,
how did it feel?
There are few soaks at the moment because now is the
dry season – there is little rain, and the river
levels are dropping dramatically. But, I may see a few on
Ilha do Maraj≤ in
a few weeks. I may even visit the Pantanal in Brazil in
late September – a huge area of wetlands about half
the size of France.
In the wetlands there are many birds, frogs, caiman/jacarΘs, snakes, and predators
such as jaguar.
People often raise buffalo on farms in these areas. When
I travelled through wetlands in January, it was hot,
sticky, and very sunny because of the lack of shade. At
dusk there were lots of mosquitoes and quite a few other
insects.
11. Charlotte Hayman, Craighead Diocesan School
How different is the climate from New Zealand, at
the moment?
In the jungle it was very hot and humid. While
travelling on rivers and standing in forest clearings I
got very hot – and I was often sweating lots from
our walks and other activities.
But back in Cuzco,
at an altitude of 13,000 ft, the climate is much colder
and more like New Zealand. At the moment the sky is
overcast and its raining a little. The temperature is
about (I’m guessing) 13║C. But I guess its much
colder in New Zealand at the moment and it may be raining
there too.
12. Joel Higgins, Fairhaven School
What different types of food have you eaten, that
you don't normally eat in New Zealand?
Most of the foods here aren’t too different from
New Zealand. Because European culture has dominated much
of the world – the traditional European-style foods,
beef, carrots, and vegetables are quite common. Popular
American culture has also resulted in hamburgers and
pancakes being available almost everywhere. But in the
rainforest I ate simpler foods, like rice, meat (beef),
pasta, and soups. Some of the meals included local crops
like avocados and yucca/manioc root (which taste like
potatoes and can even be made into chips).
There was even a sweet potato which is a lot like
kumara – and it is possible that kumara (like the
potato) once originated in or near South America before
being distributed across the Pacific by the Polynesians.
13. Natell Huddleston, Five Rivers School
What are the Cat People like?
I was disappointed that I didn’t get to meet any
traditional Indian tribes
like I had hoped (and even planned) to do. Getting to
them was more difficult than I thought because the
inhabitants of the Cultural Zone, although mostly Indian,
are much more developed than I thought. They drive trucks
– and some even have tractors for their farms. Maybe
if I’d spent longer there then I could have
travelled out to meet some of the tribes.
But many of the people who showed me through the area
are biologists and scientists who spend a lot of time in Manu. They know the
Indians – they say that they are very shy and that
it takes a while to become friends with them. But, once
you make friends with them they are a very wonderful and
quite funny (humorous) people who enjoy life. They know
lots about the forest and animals where they live –
this knowledge means that they can survive well in places
where most other people would have problems.
14. Gisborne Intermediate School
Why do the Cat People think they come for jaguars?
Over thousands of years, peoples develop myths and
legends which say where they came from. The question of
"Where did we come from?" is common throughout
most cultures – and most cultures have their own
stories to explain how people originated. You might even
know some of the old legends about Maui.
The Mayoruna’s legends say that they were
descended from Jaguars – possibly because some of
the elders (a very long time ago) respected the jaguar
for its strength and hunting abilities, and thought that
they shared something in common. The jaguar is respected
by most people who live in South America – and it
was also worshipped by several tribes in the Andes who
preceded the Incas.
15. David Audrey, Mesopotamia School
Have you seen a diamond rattle snake? If so how big
was it?
I’m not too sure what a diamond rattle snake is.
No one here has mentioned it, so perhaps it lives
somewhere else in the Americas. The two most feared snakes here are the
Bushmaster (which reaches three metres), and the
fer-de-lance or "lancehead" which reaches 2
metres. There are also coral snakes which are poisonous
and only reach one metre – but they are rarely
mentioned.
Unlike in the movies, snakes aren’t very common
in the rainforest and tend not to inhabit areas where
there are people (and because people kill snakes on sight
even if they aren’t poisonous). In untouched
rainforest, there is only one bushmaster per square
kilometre because the snakes are very territorial.
One of my guides, Walter, says that he has only seen
three bushmasters in the eleven years that he has lived
in the rainforest, and about eight fer-de-lances. The
snakes are very good at hiding – so chances are that
you won’t see a snake even if there is one that is
close. Even so, we were very careful where we walked just
in case we accidentally stepping on a snake (the chances
of this happening are very very remote).
16. Lucy Hervey, Craighead Diocesan School
Do the animals in the Manu Reserve
damage the rare plants?
Possibly – but most of the plants have developed
defences to prevent them being needlessly damaged by wild
animals. Some plants have spines to prevent animals
climbing up, are poisonous to eat, or have developed
special relationships to host the predators of the
animals which eat them.
Many plants are reliant on the animals. Some have
fruits which contain seeds so that when the fruit is
eaten by birds or monkeys the seeds are carried along
inside the animals until they go to the toilet and
deposit them elsewhere in the rainforest. Some fruit
seeds are even distributed by fish when the forest floods
in the wet season. These special relationships have
developed over millions of years of evolution. It is only
disturbed when people upset the balance by chopping down
trees, killing off animals, and introducing new species
(like the opossums and deer which were introduced into
New Zealand forests).
17. David Law, Fairhaven School
Have you bought any souvenirs from the roadsides?
Not really. There are stalls on the roadsides, but in Cuzco souvenir sellers
often approach you in the middle of the city –
selling alpaca
jerseys, old coins, pan pipes, textiles and other goods.
I have bought very few because my backpack is already
very overloaded. The things I have bought have been very
small. The best buys are gold and silver chains or
bracelets which are very beautiful and quite cheap
because they are made locally and the mines are close by
(not that I’ve bought a lot).
18. Sharmaine Ford, Five Rivers School
Do the Cat People celebrate any special events?
Most peoples have special events. Often these are
connected with harvests of valued plants, hunting
seasons, and births, deaths, marriages, and reaching
adulthood.
The most powerful people in the tribes are the shaman.
They officiate over all the important events and claim to
have close contact with spirits and ancestors in the
spirit world. The shamans use substances taken from the
rainforest which send them into trances and often result
in hallucinations or strange visions. During these
ceremonies there can be lots of dancing, singing, and
other things. On reaching adulthood, children might be
expected to prove themselves by demonstrating their
hunting skills or undergoing special initiations.
19. Gisborne Intermediate School
Why is it dangerous to walk around in the forest
alone? What do you need to watch out for?
The most dangerous thing in the rainforest isn’t
wild animals. You have much more likelihood of being
struck by a falling tree or branch. There is also the
chance of getting lost if you go into an unknown area and
stray from the established trails.
But there is a some chance of being attacked by wild
animals – for example if you step on a snake hidden in the
undergrowth, or are attacked by a hungry puma (jaguars very rarely
attach people, because they know that people can be
dangerous). People have even been hurt by herds of 40 or
50 wild pigs (peccaries) which can charge at anything
they perceive as a threat. In the rainforest, it is
important to travel with other people who can help you if
you get hurt (eg. by a falling branch) and perhaps to
provide an extra pair of eyes to watch out for dangerous
animals.
20. Slee, Larcombe, Mesopotamia School
How far into the rainforest have you trekked and
was it scary?
Most of our treks took an hour or two from the
riverside – so they didn’t take too long. We
followed established trails because this was the most
sensible thing to do, it meant that we didn’t have
to cut through the undergrowth with machetes, and had
less chance of getting lost or stepping on snakes.
The walks weren’t scary because we travelled in
small groups (mostly). I knew that if anything happened
that there would be someone there to help me. I was a
little nervous walking at night because I heard stories
of pumas following people at night in the rainforest
– so I turned around a lot and shone my torch behind
me (I was usually the last in the line) to check that
there wasn’t a puma
behind me.
Part 2
21. Tony Barakat, Otorohanga Primary School
What was your most interesting and exciting
"find" in the Manu Reserve?
I think my favourite part was waiting to see tapirs. Tapirs are
related to rhinoceros, but are much smaller – about
the size of a very fat small cow. They have long faces
with a small trunk-like nose which they use to gather
food on the ground.
Tapirs are quite rare – and because they only
come out at night they are very difficult to see. But the
lodge where I stayed was near a clay lick where tapirs
sometimes gather to eat clay which contains salts and
minerals essential to their diet. To see the tapirs, we
trekked through the rainforest at night by torchlight (it
took about an hour), then climbed up onto a covered
platform by the clay lick where we could hide and wait
for the tapirs to arrive. After about an hour or so
(during which I fell asleep), there were loud noises as
some tapir approached the clay lick one at a time. Walter
shone his torch down onto one of them that was eating at
the clay. We watched two tapir for about an hour. It was
a very wonderful and rare sight – something that you
would never get to see if you saw tapirs in a zoo.
The walks through the rainforest at night were also
exciting. There had been several incidents where pumas had been following
travellers at night. Pumas are dangerous because they
have no fear of attacking humans. While we were walking
(I was last in our small line), I kept turning around and
shining my torch to check that there wasn’t a big
puma behind me planning to have me for his dinner.
22. Thomas, Pinehurst School
What is the most interesting plant you've seen and
can you describe it?
The biggest were the Saber (or Kapok) trees. They are
giant trees which can grow 40 or 50 metres high and have
giant buttresses which extend out the bottom of the tree
like fins. The Indians used to bang on these buttresses
with big sticks – which sounds like a big drum and
can be used to signal for help if you get lost.
The most beautiful plants were the orchids in the
cloud forest, and colourful heliconica flowers which
sometimes looked like bright orange birds.
23. Emma Reading, St Fancis Xavier's School
What new foods have you tried so far on this
journey?
Most of the foods are the same or similar to foods
available in New Zealand. But I have eaten a lot of yucca
(or manioc root) which tastes a lot like potatoes and is
one of the main foods for people living in the
rainforest. I also ate a soup made from local plants
– but it didn’t agree with me very well. Each
time I sat down on the loo for the next few days, there
was just a dark green liquid which smelled very bad, and
made me feel very nervous about my health. But, after a
few days things seem to have returned back to normal
(whew!).
24. Phoebe Stewart, St Mary's School
How is the climate different to New Zealand, and is
it pleasant to work all day in?
In the jungle it was very hot and humid, not too
different from Brazil but not as bad. The heat and
humidity made me feel very hot and sweaty from trekking
through the forest. Often the sweat left me feeling
soaking wet. But resting indoors or travelling in the
canoe (where there was a breeze) was reasonably
comfortable.
When out in the sun I had to wear a hat and often wore
sunglasses. Fortunately, the insect repellent (which I
was wearing lots of) had a built-in sunscreen to stop me
from getting sunburnt.
In Cuzco (which
isn’t far for the jungle, but is at an altitude of
13,000 ft) the climate is much cooler. The sky is
overcast and there is a light rain. The temperature is
about 13║C, and I’m wearing my alpaca jersey to stop me
feeling cold.
25. Terri Coleman, Takapuna Primary School
Roughly, how much rainforest is cleared everyday?
Has this changed over recent years?
To be honest, I’m not sure. I don’t think
anyone really knows because there are many different
figures quoted. The most memorable figure is the
equivalent of 100 rugby (football) fields per day. But
I’m not sure of the accuracy of that figure –
the true figure might really be a lot more.
I don’t think the figure has changed very much
over recent years. If anything, it has probably increased
as a result of new farms, goldmines, hydro-electric
projects, and other schemes.
26. Jenna Singh, Otorohanga Primary School
What sources of food for people were there in the Manu Reserve?
Most people grow food on small plots of land. But the
land is generally only suitable for growing for a few
years, meaning that they have to replant somewhere else
every few years. Commonly grown crops are corn (which can
only be grown for one year), yucca, tomatoes, avocado,
and bananas. There are some cattle, so beef is available.
Other products are brought in from the highlands
(often on the regular plane from Cuzco), including rice,
noodles, flour, coffee, sugar, fresh vegetables, bread,
biscuits, olives and other food.
27. Daniel, Pinehurst School
Describe what the bush looks like as you travel
through it?
Ironically, it isn’t too different from New
Zealand forests. There are even ferns and other plants
growing in the undergrowth which look very familiar. In
the Cloud Forests higher up in the Andes there are plants
that look identical to the toi-tois growing along New
Zealand roadsides.
But the biggest differences arre in the variety of
trees, and the big broadleaf tropical plants and flowers
which I’ve usually only seen in people’s
gardens or plant shops. There are lots of mosquitoes and other
insects, and occasionally I saw monkeys scampering
through the trees overhead. There is a huge variety of
colourful and interesting birds.
You have to be careful in the rainforest, because
(unlike New Zealand forests) you need to watch out for snakes, puma, or other wild
animals which might hurt or kill you.
In some special areas of Manu Reserve you have to
be careful of a fierce Indian
tribe called the Yora who have been known to kill
trespassers through their territory. A few years ago, you
also had to be careful of a terrorist group called the
Shining Path (Sendero Luminoso) who often killed
foreigners or government officials travelling through the
area – but, fortunately, the situation with the
government has now improved and the terrorists have
surrendered their weapons to live normal lives back in
their communities (I spoke with a few former Shining Path
members).
28. Chris Juchnowicz, St Fancis Xavier's School
Could you tell us about the way the Amazon Indians
live today?
Some Indian tribes in Manu,
such as the Yora/Yaminahua and Kogapakori tribes have
very few dealings with settlers and live their lives in
remote parts of the reserve in much the same way as they
have for thousands of years (except that they now have
metal tools which they have traded for). There is one
entirely uncontacted tribe called the Mascho-Piro who are
occasionally seen, and the only real contact has been a
family of three women who became separated from the tribe
and now live by themselves close to another Indian
village.
But the other tribes, are gradually becoming
accustomed to the settlers and some even run or work on
small plantations. Missionaries have set up religious
communities where the Indians work on farms, dress in
normal clothes, and attend religious schools –
though the missionaries are frequently criticised for
destroying the Indians’ old culture and values.
29. Kimberley Beattie, St Mary's School
Do the monkeys
and other forest animals leave a mess where they have
been, like banana skins and half eaten fruit?
The monkeys aren’t as messy as I thought. Most of
the fruit that they eat remains in the trees, and some
fruits are eaten skin and all. Bananas rarely grow in the
middle of the rainforest because they are an introduced
crop (from Asia) that are mainly grown on small farms or
settlements.
If fruit is thrown on the ground, it is quickly eaten
by other animals such as small mammals, birds, and ants. Mostly, all you see
on the ground in the rainforest are dead leaves and
decomposing branches or fallen trees.
30. Joseph Chen, Takapuna Primary School
Where do you sleep at night? In a tent or a
building?
In the rainforest I camped for several nights in a
tent. The tent had fine wire mesh to prevent mosquitoes and other
insects getting in while I slept, but still allowed a
soft breeze to help keep me cool. Usually the tents were
pitched a little way into the rainforest so that there
was shade to keep things cool during the day (but we hung
our washing in the sun, on logs by the river so that it
could dry).
I spent a few nights in jungle lodges where we could
sleep in a comfortable bed and eat non-camp food. Mostly
they had no electricity – but the lodge at the Manu
Wildlife Centre had solar panels which could generate hot
water for showers if we wanted (this was a real luxury).
Cold drinks were also possible thanks to a refrigerator
which had been modified to use gas instead of
electricity. The Manu Wildlife Centre was a wonderful and
very comfortable stay in the middle of the rainforest
– much more than I had expected to find.
31. Laurel Hungerford, Otorohanga Primary School
What safety precautions did you take in the Manu Reserve?
When travelling in the rainforest, I rarely travel
alone, and almost always with someone who knows the area
very well.
Diseases and healthcare is more difficult. I usually
only drink bottled water instead of tap water, and I am
taking chloroquine tablets which help to prevent malaria (some types) in
case I got bitten by any malaria-carrying mosquitoes. But the
problem is that over a long period of time these tablets
are very bad for your stomach – they aren’t
taken by the people who live or spent lots of time in the
forest. One English woman who’d been working for six
months on a wildlife research project got sick from
malaria – she didn’t have the chloroquine to
use as an emergency dose so I offered her some of mine
(though she later found some other tablets of her own).
Her husband said that he had had malaria three times!
There are other diseases which can also be carried by
insects. I have had vaccinations for yellow fever, but
there is no vaccination for the worst disease, called
leishmanyasis. It causes effects similar to leprosy often
resulting in the disintegration of the nose and other
organs (it is said Indian tribes have natural cures for
this disease, and many other tropical diseases, but are
not prepared to share their secrets). Fortunately, the
area that I was in wasn’t a high risk area for this
diseases – and I was wearing lots of insect
repellent to minimise the possibility of catching it.
32. Georgia, Pinehurst School
What has been your most frightening time in the
Amazon so far?
I don’t think that I have been too frightened
yet. Mostly, I know what I am dealing with and am taking
simple precautions. But sometimes I am alone in areas
(especially in cities) where I haven’t been before.
Dark alleyways at night are the most scary.
Back when I travelled the Amazon in January with my
friend Susi, Susi was trying to arrange a half-hour boat
ride to a small island off the Brazilian coast near
BelΘm. It was 7:30 at night, very dark, and the sea was
starting to get rough – though Susi was very
insistent on getting the ride. The people that she was
talking with didn’t look very reputable and I was a
little scared that once on the boat they might rob us and
perhaps even throw us overboard into the rough sea. And
even if they were honest, their boats didn’t look
very stable. I was a little frightened, and eventually
(after an argument) Susi finally agreed to wait until the
next morning before travelling. The next morning was much
better, the sea was calm and the price of travelling to
the island was just a small fraction of the night before
(plus, because it was daylight, we could see where we
were going).
33. Matthew Gordon, St Fancis Xavier's School
Have you seen any tribes, such as the Cat People?
I was disappointed that I didn’t get to meet any
traditional Indian tribes
like I had hoped (and even planned) to do. Getting to
them was more difficult than I thought because the
inhabitants of the Cultural Zone, although mostly Indian,
are much more developed than I thought. They drive trucks
– and some even have tractors for their farms. Maybe
if I’d spent longer there then I could have
travelled out to meet some of the tribes.
But many of the people who showed me through the area
were biologists and scientists who spend a lot of time in
Manu. They know the
Indians – they say that they are very shy and that
it takes a while to become friends with them. But, once
you make friends with them they are a very wonderful and
quite funny (humorous) people who enjoy life. They know
lots about the forest and animals where they live –
this knowledge means that they can survive well in places
where most other people would have problems.
34. Ashleigh Davies, St Mary's School
Are the local people kind and helpful to visitors
and can they speak English?
The local people are helpful, especially in Cuzco. There are lots
of people visiting here from all over the world – so
they are very used to people travelling through. Most of
Cuzco's economy here is through tourism, so there are
lots of cheap places to stay, and specialist travel
companies. Some travel guides say to be careful in Peru
because people in some areas may try to cheat and rob
you, but I think that Cuzco is pretty safe (certainly
safer than the big American cities that I’ve
travelled to).
Lots of people speak English because they work with
tourists. English is very popular because it is universal
– even most of the visitors from Germany, France,
Italy, Scandinavia, and Asia can speak English even if
they can’t speak Spanish. In fact, when visitors
from different European countries (where they speak
different languages) meet each other here, they
frequently use English to communicate because it is a
commonly spoken language.
35. Ken Chou, Takapuna Primary School
What are the adaptations you have had to make since
you went to the Amazon?
The adaptations that I’ve had to make
haven’t been too bad. I think that it’s because
I’ve travelled before, so am used to living out of a
backpack and "roughing it". The biggest
differences have been trying to struggle along in foreign
languages, meeting lots of new people, and getting up at
early hours for activities or to catch aeroplanes.
The strangest change is remembering not to flush
toilet paper down the toilet bowl because it blocks the
plumbing. It has to be put into a small wastebasket next
to the toilet which is emptied daily. Many tourists
forget this – unwittingly blocking up the toilets
and causing problems. I think that if I was a local I
would be sick of stupid foreigners always blocking the
toilets.
36. Tracey Anderson, Otorohanga Primary School
Are the birds and animals of Manu Reserve
plentiful, and how did they react to you?
There are lots and lots of birds. I saw about 150
different species of birds, and eight different species
of monkeys during my nine days there. There are about
1,100 different types of birds in Manu, and 1,700 species
of birds in all of Peru.
The animals in Manu were much more plentiful than
elsewhere because there is no hunting and the rainforest
is mostly undisturbed. But most of the animals are scared
of people run away if you get too close. They often hide
or keep away from people, or are camouflaged, which makes
them very difficult to see.
37. Rebecca, Pinehurst School
What sort of medicine do the tribe people
use to heal the sick? Have you seen any native medicines
being used?
The Indians know lots about the native plants where
they live. They have developed a knowledge over thousands
of years that helps them to cure many diseases and fix
many problems. One local cure, the juice from a native
vine, has recently had very successful results in cancer
trials.
The ingredients for common drugs like aspirin come
from rainforest plants, and one of the major drugs for
reducing blood pressure originates from snake venom. Some
tropical diseases like leishmanyasis can be cured from
rainforest plants – but exactly which plant, and how
the treatment is applied is a secret known only to the
Indians. One plant that I was shown was also supposed to
help you get a new girlfriend or boyfriend within two
days (not that I tested it out).
Unfortunately, as the Indian tribes disappear or
become more "cultured" a lot of their
specialised knowledge is being lost. Many Indians prefer
to ignore traditional medicines in favour of Western
drugs which may, or may not, be as good.
38. Michelle Hansen, St Fancis Xavier's School
Do the Amazon
Indians use money for exchange of goods or do
they have some other means of buying and selling?
The accultured Indians live in settler-style villages
and use money just like everyone else. But tribes who
still follow their traditional lifestyle share everything
– and things go to whoever has the greatest need or
want for something (although sometimes there are fights
and disagreements). Sometimes they trade goods with other
tribes or settlers. The most popular trade items are
metal tools such as axes and machetes.
39. Tony Doyle, St Mary's School
Have you seen any big spiders?
I’ve seen a few big spiders up to five or six
centimetres long (including their legs), but not the big
bird-eating spiders or tarantulas (although I did see
some dead ones encased in glass for sale to tourists). In
Brazil I saw the nests used by these spiders, and the
nest was very big.
40. Hollie James, Takapuna Primary School
What has been your most interesting day? Why was it
interesting?
My most interesting day was last Sunday (my
second-to-last day in the rainforest at Manu). I was staying at
the Manu Wildlife Centre, and we planned a very busy day
because it was my last full day there.
We started off by being hoisted up 40 metres to an
observation platform in a giant tree where we watched for
birds in the rainforest canopy. Then we climbed a big
tower (really just construction scaffolding in the middle
of the rainforest, which swayed in the wind) which was
the same height and allowed us to see more birds in the
rainforest canopy.
After lunch, we went for a walk in the rainforest
where we saw several different types of monkeys and rainforest
plants, then we travelled out to a small lake where we
encountered a family of giant
river otters. The river otters are almost two metres
long (including their tail) and can kill caimans/alligators
swimming in the river if they threaten to attack other
members of the group.
In the evening, we strolled out to a clay lick (with
me being very careful to avoid hungry pumas on the way), where tapirs gather to eat clay
which contains essential minerals for their diet. We had
to hide so that we didn’t scare them off, but
eventually we saw two tapirs munching on the clay. Tapirs
are rare, and are usually very difficult to see.
 
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