Chaparrí Ecological Reserve: Peru

West of Chiclayo, approximately an hour and a half away, you’ll find Chaparrí Ecological Reserve, the first private conservation area in Peru. The name Chaparrí comes from the impressive mountain that dominates the landscape there. The 34,412 hectare (~85,000 acre) reserve is owned and managed by the Muchik community of Santa Catalina de Changoyape. The reserve is home to 219 species of birds, 15 mammals, four amphibians, and 22 reptiles. New species are sure to be added to the list as research and habitat protection continue at Chaparrí.

The most notable residents at Chaparrí are the spectacled bear and the white-winged guan. The spectacled bear is the only bear in South America. The bear population at Chaparrí includes individuals from the last remaining viable population of the species inhabiting dry forest. Chaparrí currently has seven bears in enclosures, two of which are ready to be released in the wild soon. In addition, there are close to 20 individuals inhabiting the forests of the reserve.


The white-winged guan is a critically threatened bird that is only found in a small area of dry forest in the areas of Lambayeque, Piura, and Cajamarca in northern Peru. The guan was thought to be extinct for more than a century until it was rediscovered in 1977. Chaparrí has championed a successful reintroduction project and today, you can see more than 60 guans ambling around the reserve.


Chaparrí is well worth the trip from Chiclayo. You can spend a night in the rustic lodge and be lulled to sleep by the sounds of Peruvian pygmy-owls and screech-owls. In the morning, you can hit the trails in search of the reserve’s two famous species. In all likelihood, you’ll see curious foxes, buzzing hummingbirds, and raucous white-tailed jays along the way. The money spent at Chaparrí will help feed the animals, pay the local guides, maintain the facilities, and educate local children. This is sustainable tourism in action.

Peruvian Hairless Dog

If you travel to northern Peru to explore the archaeological sites, keep an eye out for a famous resident of the four-legged kind – the Peruvian hairless dog. As the name suggests, this breed is devoid of hair except for small amounts on its head, feet, and the tip of its tail.


The Peruvian hairless dog is often associated with the Incas, but ceramics from the Moche and Chimu cultures dating back to approximately 800 AD depict this breed. Its exact origin is unknown, but it seems to have always been used for companionship. The Incas are known to have used them has bed warmers. The body temperature of these canines is higher than other breeds so they’re supposed to be ideal for snuggling on a cool night.

The gene dictating hairlessness also affects their number of teeth. The hairless dog lacks molars and often premolars - the same teeth located at the back of your mouth and used for grinding. If you’ve ever watched a dog chewing on a bone, you may have noticed that they work the bone at the back of their mouth. The Peruvian hairless dog doesn’t have that ability so their diet is limited. Out in the wild, they hunt small lizards; prey any bigger would pose a mastication problem. It looks like Llaipi and Al-Aec, residents of Huaca de Luna (Temple of the Moon) near Trujillo, are well taken care of – the reverence for this ancient breed continues.



The hairless dog received national attention in November when the Peruvian government offered a 4-month old puppy named “Machu Picchu” (nicknamed “Ears”) to our new president elect and his family. Despite being naked, warm to the touch, and devoid of some teeth, they make ideal pets for people with allergies. Malia Obama is allergic to dogs. Throw some clothes on the little guy (he seems a little underdressed if you ask me), and maybe we’ll see him strutting his stuff on the White House lawn, conjuring thoughts of Peru in all that see him.

Arrival in Lima, Peru

I finally made it to my hotel in the Miraflores section of Lima just after 1 am local time (two hours ahead of Denver). Total flight time was 8.5 hours passing through Houston International Airport. Most flights from the US arrive in Lima near midnight. If you’re headed to another destination, e.g. Cusco the next morning on an internal flight, try booking a room at the Ramada Costa del Sol at the airport. You’ll give yourself an hour’s worth of additional sleep.

As I made my way through the immigration line at the Lima airport I was thinking how smooth the day had gone. I should’ve never let that thought make its way into conscious thought. As my passport was being scanned, I saw an Interpol warning flash on the screen and the man behind the desk asked me if I had any problems he needed to know about. I said no, and he let me go after a few moments of my heart racing and blood rushing to my face.

A few minutes later at the baggage carousel, an Interpol officer approached me and said he needed to verify my documentation. I thought my heart was racing before. Now, my chest felt like it was going to explode. I told him I wouldn’t go into an office without someone who spoke fluent English and Spanish with us. Luckily, I was able to find a volunteer eager to practice his English. I’m still not sure why my passport was flagged, but apparently I’m not the only Sheridan Samano out there, and the other one must pose a security risk. I always thought my name was unique enough to be a “one and only”.

I hope this isn’t a sign of things to come over the next 9 days. Let me take that back. I guess the adventure has officially begun.

Darwin's Finches: Galapagos Islands

November 24, 2008 marks the 149th anniversary of the release of Charles Darwin’s infamous book “On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection”. In honor of this anniversary, I thought it appropriate to write about Darwin’s finches and the Galapagos Islands.

When Charles Darwin comes up in conversation (it does happen, I promise), mention of the Galapagos Islands is sure to follow. The Galapagos have been described as a world within themselves. The islands are home to unique species like giant tortoises, equatorial penguins, and swimming iguanas. Darwin’s finches are also famous residents of the islands.


Darwin visited the Galapagos for five weeks in 1835 as he worked as a ship’s naturalist aboard the HMS Beagle. While exploring the islands, he collected a variety of plants and animals to study in greater detail later on. Upon his return home to England, he passed his feathered collection along to the renowned ornithologist John Gould for further examination. Gould categorized the finches he received into 13 species. All of the finches were remarkably similar in morphology except for their beaks.

Darwin was dumbfounded by Gould’s findings. Could it be that the 13 species had evolved from a single ancestral finch? The answer is yes, and the finches helped serve as a springboard to Darwin’s scientific breakthrough – nature selects for characteristics that make organisms better adapted to their environment, changing populations over time.


The beak is an avian necessity for handling and manipulating food. For anyone that’s ever put out birdfeeders for a little backyard birding, you know that different seeds attract different birds. Goldfinches love thistle, hummingbirds love nectar, and jays love peanuts. Sunflower seeds, an all-purpose food, are attractive to a variety of species.

When you live on islands that are geologically young like the Galapagos, there isn’t a wide variety of food available. Darwin described the islands as “a scattering of rocks with the scrubbiest of vegetation”. A finch that lives on the islands and eats the same food as all of the other finches faces fierce competition. Competition is a lose-lose situation. Character displacement, evolutionary changes in species to minimize competition, may best be seen in the beaks of Darwin’s finches.

Among the 13 species of finches on the Galapagos, you can see cactus finches, a vegetarian finch, ground finches, tree finches, and even a woodpecker finch. Just by reading the list of names, you get an idea of their food preferences, all of which are slightly different. Less competition often leads to greater reproductive success, the goal of survival.


If you make it to the Galapagos and come across some of Darwin’s finches, pause for a moment. You just might see the beak of the finch in action.

Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve: Mexico

Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) are notable for their long-distance migrations. The fact that an insect measuring a fifth of the weight of penny can fly a journey totaling up to 3,000 miles is amazing. What’s even more impressive is that the individuals that make the journey south have never been to their winter destination before.

Every year millions and millions of monarchs in North America, east of the Continental Divide, migrate to central Mexico to spend the winter months. These butterflies aren’t the same individuals that journeyed north earlier in the year. They’re the great, great grandchildren (grand-butterfly?) generation. The butterflies appear to fly on pure instinct, and the oyamel fir (Abies religiosa) forests in the states of Michoacan and Mexico are apparently an irresistible pull for the monarchs. Only monarchs born in the late summer or fall make the southward migration.


Larval monarchs feed on milkweed plants (Asclepias spp.) after they hatch from eggs. Milkweeds contain a noxious sap that makes monarchs, in turn, unpalatable to potential predators. Adult monarchs feed on nectar, but their high contrast coloration is a warning sign to potential predators of toxicity stemming from their larval days.

The range of oyamel firs in Mexico is extremely limited. The species is only found on 12 isolated mountaintops in Mexico’s Transverse Neovolcanic Belt. Oyamel forests are wet and cool and this environment helps slow the metabolism of monarchs so they can conserve food reserves throughout the winter to make the journey northward in the spring.

Milkweed population declines in North America and deforestation in the Mexican wintering grounds are leading to a decrease in monarch numbers. The 2008 designation of the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve in Mexico by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is an attempt to protect valuable monarch winter habitat from further destruction.

Dias de los Muertos: Mexico

Today and yesterday, November 1st and 2nd, mark the Days of the Dead (Dias los Muertos) in Mexico. November 1st is in honor of deceased children and infants (Dia de los Inocentes – Day of the Innocents) and November 2nd is in honor of adults (Dia de los Muertos).


Whenever I bring up Day of the Dead in conversation, it’s usually met with a response that insinuates morbidity. In fact, Day of the Dead is quite the opposite. Families and friends gather on these two days to celebrate the lives and memories of loved ones that have been lost over the years. It is a celebratory holiday and one of my most memorable travel experiences was a trip to Michoacan, Mexico to partake in the festivities.

Mexican legend has it that people die three deaths. The first death occurs when our body ceases to function. The second death happens when our body is buried, returned to the earth, and placed out of sight. The third, and final death, ensues when there is no one left to remember us. Dias de los Muertos is a way to keep the third death from coming to pass.


Over the two Days of the Dead, it is believed that the souls of the deceased find it easier to visit lost family members and friends. Because of this, people visit cemeteries in anticipation of this annual return. Altars are erected at the grave site and ofrendas (offerings) of the deceased’s favorite foods and libations are placed on the altars - enticement and sustenance for the soul’s long journey. Dias de los Muertos is a celebration of life as the thought of death is embraced and accepted.


If you ever have the opportunity to visit Mexico during this time of year, it’s an experience that provides insight into a national tradition that blends a variety of cultures spanning thousands of years. In the process, Dias de los Muertos just might change the way you view death.

A Step Forward for Sustainable Tourism

Sustainable tourism is gaining increased exposure these days and that’s great news for those of us embarking on this endeavor. More travelers are requesting sustainable vacations and more destinations around the world are seeking to lessen the impacts of rising visitor numbers.


Sustainable tourism is “envisaged as leading to management of all resources in such a way that economic, social and aesthetic needs can be fulfilled while maintaining cultural integrity, essential ecological processes, biological diversity and life support systems." (United Nations World Tourism Organization) However, there does seem to be some confusion on how to attain sustainability and travelers looking to leave a lighter footprint currently must choose from over 300 different sustainable tourism standards - no easy task.


Here’s some good news. United Nations Foundation Founder and Chairman Ted Turner recently announced the first-ever globally relevant sustainable tourism criteria at the IUCN World Conservation Congress. The new criteria – based on thousands of best practices culled from the existing standards currently in use around the world – were developed to offer a common framework to guide the emerging practice of sustainable tourism and to help businesses, consumers, governments, non-governmental organizations and education institutions to ensure that tourism helps, rather than harms, local communities and the environment. Green Globe International, Inc., the premier international green brand for sustainable tourism, has endorsed the new criteria.


The criteria require that tourism operations conduct their business without having an adverse impact on a destination's habitats, local communities, or cultural heritage. If widely adopted, the standard could further expand efforts to green the supply chain of hotels and resorts as well as lessen the impact on wildlife and local communities. This initiative should make information more readily available to travelers and travel providers, and will help ensure that the information is reliable – a step forward, and in the right direction, for sustainable tourism.