Did you know that cockatoos produce their own baby powder?

At a party to celebrate the many colors and moods of Australia and New Zealand, someone asked me: "Why can’t the Philippines, which is rich in natural resources and wildlife, implement a serious program to protect nature and the environment?"

It seems to be the last concern of any person in government. Worse, the citizenry "couldn’t care less."

Maybe the Filipino public needs to directly experience nature and wildlife. Like I did with cockatoos Alice and Mitch.

Mitch was a gift from my husband to "temper" the shock of relocating to Darwin, the premier city in the rugged, harsh and savage frontier of the Northern Territory (NT) in Australia. It is what the Aussies call the "Top End" of "Down Under." As far as the eyes can see, there are empty plains, broken only by craggy red bare ridges. It is not a land made for humans but there are elements of tranquillity that never stop to amaze. The late Lord Mayor of Darwin, Alec Fong Lim, once described NT as being "One moment, nothing but the lash of the burning sun. And the next, paradise."

The movie Crocodile Dundee drew the interest of the movie-going public to the Northern Territory and its abundant wildlife and nature parks. (In the movie, Paul Hogan’s character felt equally at home in the "wild" life and jungles of New York!)

I refused to have Mitch in my house even before I saw him. I summarily dismissed the idea and barked, "Send him back, give him away!" But when my husband ushered me to where he stood, it was pure admiration and awe at first sight. He had baby pink and soft white plumage with salmon underwings and his proud and beautiful crest glowed in orange and yellow. He smelled fresh and sweet, too!

Mitch is one of the rare, protected and majestically handsome cockatoos found in the arid, inner region of Australia. He belongs to the cacatua leadbeateri species popularly known as the wee juggler or "Major Mitchell," thus, the name "Mitch."

Sensing that I was initially "opposed" to his arrival, he stayed at the far corner of the aviary holding his head high above any eye and human contact. It took three weeks before he accepted a piece of butong pakwan or watermelon seed from my hand. Even then, he took it cautiously, looking one way, but stretching his claw to get the seed gently from me. It was the first sign that he was ready to be friends although he still felt uncomfortable around my seven-year-old daughter – I guess for a good reason. (Cockatoos get "scared" of children. They cannot predict their reactions so it’s best to keep them away from young tots or an adult should be around to supervise children).

Thus began my lessons on Australia’s wildlife. The Australian Conservation Commission issued a permit to enable me to keep Mitch as a pet and periodically, they’d visit our house to check if I was providing his basic needs of food, shelter and care. That was easy to comply with because Mitch was shy, sometimes aloof but gentle and sensitive. He was extremely "polite." He’d wait until I gestured with my hands, only then would he come near. He observed proper "decorum" so much that I thought Mitch must have been raised by a diplomat or by Washington’s etiquette guru, Letitia Baldridge.

Before I knew it, I adapted to a daily routine with Mitch taking up a great chunk of my time. My husband complained about the continuous ringing of the phone because I was outside feeding, chatting with, and preening Mitch!

I would have been happy with Mitch but along came Alice, a female "Major Mitchell." She had an attitude like Miss Piggy (the moi complex). She was gregarious, utterly sweet and "spoiled." Alice was hand-raised by my husband’s colleagues who were also in the hotel business when they were posted at one of the major towns in the Northern Territory called Alice Springs. Thus her name. This sociable "cocky" grew up thinking that the hotel’s reception desk was her entire "cage" and that she had full control of operations including total monopoly of all the pads, pencils and pens! Guests took delight at seeing her "walking" up and down the length of the front desk while she’d "greet" hotel guests with her burst of morning glory that sounded more like a tomahawk on the war path!

Alice was the curious one who’d scurry down the tree trunk to check what you have for her. Mitch would look the other way. He’d stay on the opposite end of the log or just peep his head from under a hollow portion of the tree trunk. Alice was the more adventurous one who’d fly from one end of the aviary and back (if you raise your arm, she’d fly straight to it and perch as long as you want) while Mitch was laid-back, content to simply "stretch" his wings and hop from one trunk to the other.

Since Alice was hand-raised, she had no fear of people; in fact, she "fancied" them, especially my husband! Alice knew that my husband was scared of being nipped by her strong bill so whenever he’d approach, Alice would raise her crest to "intimidate" and "startle" him. Mitch was the low-key observer until he met our son. Mitch liked him instantly and before long, our son could do anything with him – mush him, flick his feathers, rub his head, and stretch his wings – and Mitch played meek and gentle like a lamb. Alice followed suit.

From various books on Australian cockatoos, parrots and birds, I learned that –

• Cockatoos live a long life, between 75 and 90 years (longer than humans!)

• Like the beautiful swans, they mate for life (unlike humans!);

• They remember faces and voices for life (unlike humans!);

• They produce their own baby-soft and baby-scented powder to keep their feathers shiny and smooth;

• They are very intelligent, you can teach them to talk and do all sorts of tricks (on three occasions, Mitch broke the combination lock to their aviary which would have made him a perfect companion to a "Topkapi" jewel thief!);

• The male is more attractive and beautiful than the female (to help them "impress," woo and win the female!);

• They feed on seeds, vegetables, fruits, eucalyptus or gum trees and wattles (acacia);

• Cuttlefish bones sharpen their beak and keep them strong and healthy;

• They coo and cheer whenever you treat them to something special – once in a while, please! (I tried M&M’s and they patiently removed the candy coating and concentrated on the chocolaty part);

• They love all kinds of nuts and are adept at cracking and peeling them (they have "zygodactylous" feet – two toes pointing forward and two backward enabling them to hold their food like human fingers);

• Their "droppings" are not yucky because they don’t eat meat;

• They make a racket in the morning because they "greet" the sun and the start of a new day (something that humans take for granted!);

• Some of the cockatoo’s natural habitats have rapidly been eroded because of man’s appetite to clear and level them;

• Despite the massive effort to stop the crime, there is a big syndicate of bird poachers and snatchers. They smuggle them out of Australia because of the high price they fetch in the illegal trading business in Europe and USA. Australian authorities remain vigilant;

• As pets, they will teach you to think outside of yourself, giving meaning to the song Bless the Beasts and the Children;

• The more you care for them, the more they give back;

• And more importantly, they will fill your world with delight – something that Mother Nature fully intended to bring us closer to God.

Alice and Mitch made me aware of the delicate balance of nature and the need to preserve our heritage. Having gotten close and personal, I would have kept them forever except my Darwin-based friend, Gael Morris, echoed a painful but rightfull sentiment when she said, "They’re so beautiful, they ought to be free." It was, you see, the ultimate test of true love.