Our faith in the community and spirit ofAnguillais at an all-time high. Thanks to an entire neighborhood of children who refused to give up, Jazz, our six-year-old blue & gold macaw, is now home safe and sound!
School children, who had been asked to help distribute flyers, made finding Jazz their mission. After spending an entire afternoon looking for her, they managed to hone in on her “Hello’s” in the bush in the Little Harbour area. Excitedly, they dialed the number on the flyer to tell me to hurry over while they kept a sharp eye on the bird. To my great relief she was there and came immediately to me out of the tree. But, as only “good” plots are written, as we were tramping out of the bush one child behind me couldn’t resist temptation and reached out to touch her tail feathers. Jazz, already frightened, panicked and got away from me again, flying further afield. The children and I looked and looked and called and called until after dark, but with no luck. We knew, however, the area she was in now, the children were not about to give up, and I was able to sleep with some hope.
Early the following morning, one very special girl, Yennifer Gumbs, took it upon herself to be up at five a.m. to resume the search before the sun even rose. When I arrived at the spot Jazz had last been seen, she and her mother were the only ones searching the wide area. I joined them to scour the thick bush and call to Jazz, hoping to hear a reply. We were calling for over an hour when a woman phoned to say she was hearing Jazz somewhere in the bush near her house. Luckily, we were already nearby, and Yennifer and her mother were able to quickly locate her high up in a tree. After another hour of sitting and waiting and coaxing and watching, poor, terrified, confused, hungry and thirsty Jazz climbed down the tree and into my hands.
Children are Earth’s eternal optimists and even though the chances of Jazz being near where they were looking was slim, an entire neighborhood of children had tenaciously taken it upon themselves to find her. If it had not been for them, I would not have her home now. I owe them my deepest gratitude and a pizza party, but particular recognition and honour goes to Yennifer Gumbs, daughter of China Gumbs, who organized the search party and assumed leadership and personal responsibility. The other children whom I wish to personally thank are: Saymon, Diomedes, Adriana, Kuki, Obed, Melvisio, and Whitney.
Dear Jazz is clearly grateful to be home and back in her mother’s care.
My husband, Gerry Riskin, and I send a thank you to all of Anguilla and everyone who kept an eye and ear out in this monumental effort to bring Jazz back to safety, to those who called to report seeing or hearing her, to those who unselfishly spread the word, to owners of establishments who allowed me to post flyers, and to Louvan Webster who was extremely helpful by assuming the role of point-man and conduit of information. It was quite an ordeal, but monumentally gratifying in the end.
Bethany and Gerry Riskin
(Published without editing by The Anguillian newspaper.)
