I know how cool some people may think they look with an Eagle feather in their hat.

The truth is though, it is not cool. Especially when the birds suffer tremendously so you can be fashionable. When it comes to macaws and parrots the birds are generally eaten or mistreated until they are sold alive or in pieces.

The latest craze in Iquitos is taking tolls on macaws , jaguars and eagles of the Amazon. In the staged Indian villages around Iquitos the actors (Yes they are putting on a show, no they do not live like that all the time sorry to burst your bubble).

The locals sell headresses and necklaces made of endangered rainforest animals. Capitalizing on the ignorance of visitors who either do not know or don't care that they are being part of the biodiversity loss of Amazonian animals.

Spiritual centers or ayahuasca retreats fan the flames of the problem by idolizing stuffed jaguars and clanking jaguar teeth together. The finest of fans are made of Harpy eagle feathers. The biggest charlatans are happy to sell their artifacts to tourists, the tourist will be compelled to purchase now that they are enlightened, so they will need a trinket to remember the trip by.

These practices are detrimental to Amazonian wildlife, the perps wont stop selling so it is up to the tourist to stop the demand. It is also up to guides, lodge owners or others who work in tourism to help stop this senseless destruction of these noble souls. Be part of the solution, not the problem.

They are not your spirit animal!

You do not look cool with the eagle feather in your hat!